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Hi, everyone. I'm really sorry to make another one of these topics, but I have narrowed down my list to three choices, and have crossed West Virginia off of it: Ohio State, Iowa, and Emory. Just to re-explain, I have received a merit scholarship in the amount of $7,500/year from OSU with a good standing stipulation, a full tuition scholarship from Iowa with a stipulation of remaining in the top 37.5% of my class, and a scholarship in the amount of $20,000/year from Emory with a good standing stipulation.

Ohio State will therefore cost me approximately $19,500 per year in tuition alone, excluding housing, books, and fees. Iowa will be free tuition my first year, no matter how I do academically. However, if I happen to lose my scholarship after my first year (I'm not planning to, but I know there is no way to really predict how you will do in law school), I will be able to get a research assistant job and will pay the in-state tuition rate, which is currently $25,605 per year. I know the general advice was to take Iowa off of my list since the scholarship stipulation on their scholarships is harsh, but the in-state rate is reasonable if I DO lose my scholarship. Emory will end up costing me approximately $25,200 in tuition per year.

Ohio State nor Emory negotiates scholarships. I have ties both in Ohio and in Florida, and I know Emory has excellent job placement in Florida. I really want to go to law school next year, I'm just unsure of where to go. Emory has everything I am interested in- environmental law, international law, and human rights clinics. However, it is in Atlanta, and the cost of living there is much higher than in Columbus or Iowa City. I am planning to visit Emory and Iowa within the next two week.

I could re-take the LSAT, try again next year, and get my MBA and work in the meantime, as Virginia has been my top choice law school for awhile, and I am wait-listed there. However, I have already taken the LSAT twice and have scored a 160 and 162. I have a GPA of 4.0. If anyone has any advice, cautions, or words of wisdom, I would love to hear them! Thank you in advance.

If you think you can get your score up; retake. If not, go to Emory.

4.0 162 you should do UVA ED next year. I would call and ask if u could switch your application for ED for this year.(long shot)

Don't go this year.

RETAKE

Don't waste that 4.0! If you really bear down and get your LSAT up, you will have nearly limitless options. You will regret it if you rush in this year and don't retake.

If UVa is your first choice why didn't you apply ED? You would have gotten in. Call them up and tell them that you had meant to ED and see if that changes anything.

Just FYI. My understanding is it is very easy to get residency for yrs 2 and 3 at OSU. But yes, retake!

It would be interesting to know more about your MBA option.

t14fanboy wrote:If UVa is your first choice why didn't you apply ED? You would have gotten in. Call them up and tell them that you had meant to ED and see if that changes anything.

Yes. This. If not, reapply ED the first day of the next cycle. This assumed you do not want to retake.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I know this is probably a generic question, but how bad does it look to take the LSAT all three times if you do not significantly improve your score? My practice tests were in the high 160s/low 170s, but I had a horrible migraine the first time I took it and the stomach flu the second time. Although I know that's not an excuse, I had horrible luck with it.

My undergraduate major is international business and economics, and I could go to my undergraduate institution (Wright State University, a fairly small school in Dayton, Ohio that has a pretty good MBA program) and get my MBA for free there next year. I want to practice corporate law and international law, so I was thinking about maybe doing the joint JD/MBA program wherever I attend law school at. I am an Ohio resident.

The reason I didn't apply to UVA ED is because I know I can't afford to pay the tuition there without a decent scholarship. Although I have no debt from undergraduate, I am going to law school straight from college and have not had much of a chance to save up money. Therefore, I will have to take out loans, but I am too nervous to take out more than ~$100,000 in loans. Ideally, I don't want to take out more than ~$30,000, but I know this will only be possible if I attend Iowa and keep my scholarship for all three years.

If you can hit a 170 healthy, that may be a million dollar migrane when loss of scholarship, and attending a school with 20 percent big law placement vs 50 percent.

Consider getting the tuition-free MBA at your current school while preparing to retake the LSAT & reapply next cycle. MBA study will not impact your LSDAS 4.0 GPA. Work as a teaching or research assistant while taking a light courseload. You should have better options even if your LSAT retake remains the same. This should enable you to be a competitive Northwestern ED applicant (all accepted by Northwestern ED get full tuition & fees scholarships).

It doesn't matter. They look at your highest score.

foreveryoungx01 wrote:The reason I didn't apply to UVA ED is because I know I can't afford to pay the tuition there without a decent scholarship

LMAO. Then its kind of misleading for you to have said that UVa is your first choice. You won't get into UVa without ED and won't get any money barring a retake. So retake.