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So my cycle has finally come to a close, and the best option that I am left with is Wake Forest with a $15,000 per year scholarship, no stipulations. Total COA will probably come out to approximately $70,000 thank to the cheap living of Winston Salem. Numbers are 3.45 gpa, 161 LSAT from December after PTing at 165, and 1/4 NA although with weak cultural ties so I'm not sure how much it actually helps. I'm interested in human rights, public policy, and possible government work. While big law isn't my ultimate goal, if giving the opportunity, I would certainly take it. Dream markets are NY and DC, but I would be happy with anywhere along the East Coast.

Wake Forest
Pros: Scholly with no stipulations, cheap COA, small class size, strong reputation in NC
Cons: It's in Winston-Salem, not a large city, worried about how "southern" the area is.

Waitlisted
Cornell (LOCI)
Columbia (LOCI)
Michigan (LOCI)
Minnesota
Fordham

OF the schools that I've been waitlisted at, Columbia and Cornell are the ones that I'm most interested in, but I don't have a lot of hope for getting accepted off the waitlist.

Sooooo, is Wake a good option? I'm thinking of possibly sitting out the year, retaking and reapplying, but ideally I would like to start this fall. Any help is greatly appreciated.

As a guy going to wake, I would say retake if you got wait listed at those top school. If you can get it up to 165-168 I think you have a good shot at one of those schools.

1. find out about NA status immediately. If that is basically the equivalent of being a full URM then you should probably retake and reapply. If that is the case you may only be like 2/3 points away from getting into t-13.

if you find out it is not the % of NA but your weak cultural ties, you may want to "rediscover your roots." It is something that I think more people should do regardless. And if you take a year off, get a higher LSAT score, visit distant relatives, and save money while working..that sounds like a productive year to me.

2. If it turns out you don't get a URM boost, since you are not sure where you want to go, it really comes down to if you think you can actually get higher on the LSAT. To get a better offer on the East coast I think you'd need either like a schly to GW or admission to t-13.

I am a big fan of retake, but I think you got a decent deal here. To me, a lot depends on what you are going to do while you wait and retake. If you have a decent job and income, then wait and retake. But if you are going to be unemployed or work at Starbucks, then go to Wake.

Def retake and get about 5 more points. Your NA status has helped you for sure so far. You have good numbers but they're not to par for a scholly that size at Wake. Most people with your numbers wouldn't even be WL at some of the schools you mentioned.

scammedhard wrote:I am a big fan of retake, but I think you got a decent deal here. To me, a lot depends on what you are going to do while you wait and retake. If you have a decent job and income, then wait and retake. But if you are going to be unemployed or work at Starbucks, then go to Wake.

+1

If I would sit out the year and reapply, I definitely would be looking for a full-time position somewhere, opposed to my current part-time position.

SherlockHolmes wrote:If I would sit out the year and reapply, I definitely would be looking for a full-time position somewhere, opposed to my current part-time position.

you have solid stats and NA status, i 'd say 3-4 more points and early apps will be worth perhaps as much as 80k over a 3 year period

Wake, I think. Wake is a good regional school. However, make sure you check out the school first before you make your final decision; I'm from NC and not a fan of W-S.

red_alertz wrote:

SherlockHolmes wrote:If I would sit out the year and reapply, I definitely would be looking for a full-time position somewhere, opposed to my current part-time position.

you have solid stats and NA status, i 'd say 3-4 more points and early apps will be worth perhaps as much as 80k over a 3 year period

John Kerry is that you?!?!?!

You keep flip-flopping from troll to reasonable poster. pick one man!

if you didn't catch it, this was an instance of a reasonable post.

DeeCee wrote:Wake, I think. Wake is a good regional school. However, make sure you check out the school first before you make your final decision; I'm from NC and not a fan of W-S.

what's wrong with W-S?

red_alertz wrote:

DeeCee wrote:Wake, I think. Wake is a good regional school. However, make sure you check out the school first before you make your final decision; I'm from NC and not a fan of W-S.

what's wrong with W-S?

I don't like it that much, and I didn't like Wake itself when I checked it out for undergrad. I was dead-set on going to Wake for UG, but I found it too stuffy and like a bubble for my tastes. LS is probably different though.

scammedhard wrote:I am a big fan of retake, but I think you got a decent deal here. To me, a lot depends on what you are going to do while you wait and retake. If you have a decent job and income, then wait and retake. But if you are going to be unemployed or work at Starbucks, then go to Wake.

This is probably the most valuable and realistic "retake" advice I've seen on TLS so far. Well done.

gwuorbust wrote: 2. If it turns out you don't get a URM boost, since you are not sure where you want to go, it really comes down to if you think you can actually get higher on the LSAT. To get a better offer on the East coast I think you'd need either like a schly to GW or admission to t-13.

Dude, OP has a 161/3.4 and is waitlisted at Columbia- are you seriously wondering whether he is getting a NA URM boost?

OP- retake.

Take a 1 year deferral at Wake, retake the LSAT, reapply everywhere under the sun,and if you don't get in any where better then you still have Wake.

Decisions, decisions. I'm leaning towards reapplying next cycle. I'm fairly certain I could get closer to my PT average if I retook the LSAT. I had finals the week of in December so I was splitting time between studying.