How many points, inorder to wait another cycle? Forum

[ttunsehc]

This may be the wrong area to post this in but how much better would I have to do on the LSAT to warrant waiting another year?
Got a 164 last time, registered for LSAT in June.
What do people think? (166,167,168.....)?

[snailio]

Strong grades?....172, will make a world of difference.

[Davidbentley]

With your GPA, (yeah, I stalked you) any improvement will help. If I were you, I would be gunning for at least 170. Actually, I would wait till October and shoot for 172+. But, I would say 168 probably locks you into a bite from one of the t-14, especially with the ubiquitous ED to UVA option.

[ttunsehc]

Why wait until October to get a 172? If I wait until October and do the same would that hurt my chances of getting into the schools I have already applied to?
I don't think I should wait until October because if I don't do better then I would wait another year for the same prospects. Doesn't seem like a good deal...

[DaftAndDirect]

Because of minimum required study time of about 3 months (which I think is standard for majority of people). If you think you can prep enough for a big score jump by June then go for it, but I think most people here (myself included) would say that June is cutting it too close.

edit: I realized that I assumed you haven't studied any up to this point. I'm guessing above posters assumed a score of 172+ requires a certain rigor in test prep beyond what you would do if aiming for a 168 or less.

[jrthor10]

168+ makes it a good idea to wait. I had a 164 on the oct. '11 lsat, retook in Dec. got a 171. Made a signifigant difference, and I am waiting a cycle.

[Tiago Splitter]

With your GPA, (yeah, I stalked you) any improvement will help. If I were you, I would be gunning for at least 170. Actually, I would wait till October and shoot for 172+. But, I would say 168 probably locks you into a bite from one of the t-14, especially with the ubiquitous ED to UVA option.

164, 3.86 makes UVA ED a possibility without any improvement.

[jrthor10]

With your GPA, (yeah, I stalked you) any improvement will help. If I were you, I would be gunning for at least 170. Actually, I would wait till October and shoot for 172+. But, I would say 168 probably locks you into a bite from one of the t-14, especially with the ubiquitous ED to UVA option.

164, 3.86 makes UVA ED a possibility without any improvement.

You really think so? Isn't their 75th gpa at like a 3.9something?

[Davidbentley]

With your GPA, (yeah, I stalked you) any improvement will help. If I were you, I would be gunning for at least 170. Actually, I would wait till October and shoot for 172+. But, I would say 168 probably locks you into a bite from one of the t-14, especially with the ubiquitous ED to UVA option.

164, 3.86 makes UVA ED a possibility without any improvement.

Agreed. Was surprised he/she didn't try this cycle.

[AntipodeanPhil]

166. Should be enough to get you some money / more money at schools that would accept you with a 164, even if it doesn't get you into higher-ranked schools. Waiting a year is worth it for $30,000+, especially because it still seems likely the economy will improve a little and application numbers will drop further while you wait.

[Tiago Splitter]

With your GPA, (yeah, I stalked you) any improvement will help. If I were you, I would be gunning for at least 170. Actually, I would wait till October and shoot for 172+. But, I would say 168 probably locks you into a bite from one of the t-14, especially with the ubiquitous ED to UVA option.

164, 3.86 makes UVA ED a possibility without any improvement.

You really think so? Isn't their 75th gpa at like a 3.9something?

Median is 3.86 which is what matters. OP should still retake because a 170 would give him a shot at a near full ride at UVA.

[fogcue2]

Another factor is what you'll do with that year and what you are doing now. If you're graduating and majored in history or poli-sci, have no job lined up and will be sitting on a couch for a year that's very different than if you have job choices lined up.

Also, if you've been out for a year or two and are working, it's easy to stay working (though it is harder to stay motivated at work).

I would almost always recommend working first (real work). It helps you as a student realize how easy UG was (unless you were a science or engineering major) and gets you ready to put in the time necessary to succeed in law school. Additionally, it gives you way more things to talk about in an interview, makes the resume more impressive and signals to employers that you can actually work long hours and not break.

I would much rather answer a lawyer interviewing me with an example from a difficult consulting project I worked on or how I was able to sell to new clients than to have to rely on examples from undergrad clubs or summer internships.