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GPA 3.3 LSAT 160 Latino 31yr Male

Hey everyone, I'm currently living and working in southern California. I'm a 31yr old Latino and am very interested in practicing law. I don't know what area I'm most interested in yet, but would most likely prefer to end up working in CA long term.

I've got accepted to KU with a $10/yr scholly, U Maine with $20/yr and Golden Gate 2$20/yr. Not sure if KU is a good enough school for me to go into debt. Thoughts?

I've also got WL at U Illinois, U Wisconsin, U Miami, UNLV, Santa Clara, Marquette, UOP McGeorge, Southwestern and also waiting to hear from Harvard, USC, Pepperdine and Loyola LA.

What should I do? :/

Thank you all in advance.

Retake or don't go due to bad job prospects.

Get that LSAT up a few points and you could be looking at better options. KU is a no-go with anything short of a full ride.

I think Maine is your best option here, BTW. But no, none of those schools offers you the sort of prospects you would need to justify that amount of debt. A higher LSAT (maybe 165), together with your status as a Latino male, should open up some doors for you (though Latino male may help you less with California schools).

There may be a significant flaw or weakness in your application, or you are submitting a weak application packet, because you were waitlisted at U of P (McGeorge) & Southwestern with your numbers. Santa Clara also should have accepted you based on your numbers in this down year. Nevertheless, you should be grateful because job prospects are dim from these California law schools.

P.S. Only attend Maine if you want to live & work in Maine after law school. Your current options are not good for returning to California. With only a $20,000 per year scholarship, GGU is too expensive based on its placement numbers.

If you want to practice in California, you need to go to school in California.

Also, you're thinking about scholarships the wrong way. Don't think of it as "Knight School of Law with $10,000" but "Knight School of Law at $23,000" or whatever the reduced number is.

You do have a shot at getting admitted to Loyola & Pepperdine in this down application year.

Depending on the scholarship stipulations, that KU scholarship makes tuition pretty cheap since their out of state tuition is relatively inexpensive. But, at the end of the day you'd have to be cool with working in Kansas City, MO or somewhere in the state of Kansas, which sounds like something you're uninterested in.

OP: Do not go to KU if you are seeking California placement.

If you do, then you need to ask Kansas to double your scholarship to $20,000 per year (two-thirds tuition & fees scholarship) minimum. Or you need to plan for a career in Kansas.

CanadianWolf wrote:There may be a significant flaw or weakness in your application, or you are submitting a weak application packet, because you were waitlisted at U of P (McGeorge) & Southwestern with your numbers.

I think this might be correct. I'm a 3.50/160 and was given full ride at many schools and accepted at schools as high as Iowa. What was your PS about? Was there anything in it that could have turned off the law schools?

The standard "Full ride or bust" for KU as a T2 school is slightly misguided as it has dirt cheap tuition and fees compared to many other schools, however it isn't going to get you back to California. So if you have no way to answer the question "Why Midwest?" in an interview other than reiterating that you went to KU then it is probably a bad call. Also you have to do extremely well at KU or any of those schools to get a job anywhere much less back home.

Isn't non-resident tuition at KU about $30,000 per year ? With an additional $18,000 per academic year for room, board & expenses ?

CanadianWolf wrote:You do have a shot at getting admitted to Loyola & Pepperdine in this down application year.

Apps. are up at Loyola. They just told someone the reason they didn't get to them for so long was beyond they had a flood of apps.

None of these schools are worth relocating for, except for Illinois if you want Chicago AND you're not paying sticker.

I understand you're more of a non-traditional applicant than most people on here - are you willing to sit a year and retake? With your likely work experience and possible URM boost you'd be an attractive candidate with a better LSAT score.

I'm guessing you're relatively flexible since you're willing to relocate to a different part of the country at your age.

Good info. regarding Loyola's application numbers. But OP still has a reasonable shot with a 160/3.3 plus significant work experience & possible URM.

CanadianWolf wrote:Good info. regarding Loyola's application numbers. But OP still has a reasonable shot with a 160/3.3 plus significant work experience & possible URM.

Though abort if at sticker price

CanadianWolf wrote:Good info. regarding Loyola's application numbers. But OP still has a reasonable shot with a 160/3.3 plus significant work experience & possible URM.

Agreed. I'm surprised he's not in at Pepp. and Loyola.

OP - Have you sent either of them LOCI's? You should be in these schools if you're local.

You are an idiot if you go to any of these schools, full stop, end thread.