Needed for full ride at strong regional (south/southeast)? Forum

[Bobnoxious]

I'm a 47 year old non-trad scheduled to sit for the June LSAT.

I'll have between a 3.8-3.84 gpa when I apply this fall.

What am I going to need to score on the LSAT for a good shot at a full ride from a strong regional school in the south/southeast?

[Username123]

I'm a 47 year old non-trad scheduled to sit for the June LSAT.

I'll have between a 3.8-3.84 gpa when I apply this fall.

What am I going to need to score on the LSAT for a good shot at a full ride from a strong regional school in the south/southeast?

Good luck on your June LSAT! How strong are you talking in terms of the school? Vanderbilt strong, FSU, Bama? Texas?

And where would you like to live? Anywhere in the south/southeast?

[bchirco]

I would say 165+ would be a good start. Honestly though, shoot for 170. With your GPA and a 170+ it would be hard not to get significant money outside of T14.

[Bobnoxious]

I'm in Memphis, along with my wife, kids, and mortgage. I'd prefer the school to be no more than a 12 hour drive from here, which is going to put me in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, northern Georgia, maybe the western Carolinas, or Dallas - maybe Houston/Austin. I left out Oklahoma and anything north because I don't want to retire in cold weather. This will by my last career.

I'm looking real close at Vanderbilt, Alabama, and LSU, but any school from North Carolina to Arkansas in the north to Texas to Georgia in the south would suit me if it has a strong local/regional presence and I can get a free ride.

[Username123]

I'm in Memphis, along with my wife, kids, and mortgage. I'd prefer the school to be no more than a 12 hour drive from here, which is going to put me in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, northern Georgia, maybe the western Carolinas, or Dallas - maybe Houston/Austin. I left out Oklahoma and anything north because I don't want to retire in cold weather. This will by my last career.

I'm looking real close at Vanderbilt, Alabama, and LSU.

For Vandy you're definitely going to need 170+ for a full ride. LSU probably 165+ and Bama around 167.

Not sure though. Either way, shoot for 170 and you won't be paying much, if any, at many strong regional schools. Easier said then done though, but you can do it. Good luck again on the June test.

[BerkeleyBear]

Honestly though, shoot for 170.

[WanderingPondering]

Honestly though, shoot for 170.

Shoot for a 180.

[sublime]

..

[rad lulz]

What are you trying to do w a law degree?

[Bobnoxious]

Primarily plaintiff-side civil litigation and insurance recovery. Ideally have my own shop doing support for real estate investment companies dealing with catastrophic property losses, public adjusters, and disaster restoration firms. I'd start out with collections work for small businesses owed by real estate management & investment companies just to keep food on the table. As far as how specifically to get there goes, I only have the vaguest of notions other than collections work for contractors and the network of restoration contractors and property management companies I've been working with for the past 25+ years (no guarantees, though I'm sure I can count on some hefty collections work), which is why I'm here, there, and everywhere looking for input and ideas.

[Bobnoxious]

No where near the 165 I hoped for - Choked bad on logic games and only answered about 7 questions before I just started bubbling in "D" for everything else. Oh well. I was just offered a full ride (with a 2.8 stip) from Washburn Law. Considering what I'm looking to do, and the cost appears to be affordable, I think it's worth considering. At least for this curmudgeon. What say you?

[rebexness]

You ought to seriously, seriously consider either taking the June LSAT (to get off future imminent WL's or get more money) or even sitting out a cycle.

Check out http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/ for any of the schools you are currently considering.

[Mack.Hambleton]

For the love of God retake

[CanadianWolf]

If you have a "full ride" or even just a full tuition scholarship from any accredited law school, then you need to give serious consideration to attending that school since you'll be over 50 years old upon completion of law school. This is especially so since it appears from your posts above that you intend to open your own practice. Your clients won't care what law school you attended.

[Bobnoxious]

edit

[Bobnoxious]

Update...

Today I was accepted by SLU and offered $26k/year scholarship.
I was also accepted by Loyola & offered $33k/year scholarship.

Both would require me to cover approximately $9k/year in tuition and fees as well as about $12-15k/year in living expenses. Washburn is still in the lead with the full ride and me covering living expenses. Still more to hear from, including my hometown school. I'm hoping they will throw money at me, but I'm not holding my breath.

[sublime]

..

[Bobnoxious]

First choice is Memphis, where I live now with a wife and a mortgage. She'd be staying here and paying the bills for the 3 years regardless of where I end up. My runners up, in order, would be New Orleans, Jackson, MS, and Little Rock, AR. Ties? If you mean ties to the legal profession, I don't really have those anywhere.

[Bobnoxious]

Well, I paid my seat deposit today. I was offered a full tuition scholarship at Ole Miss. I figure it's at least as strong as the University of Memphis in the Memphis market and substantially stronger than the University of Memphis in any other market, so I'll move, borrow to cover COA, and go to law school in Oxford. Besides, it's a helluva lot closer to the wife than Topeka, KS and Jackson, MS.

[McAvoy]

Woah, dude, why do you think that?

If you have full rides to both the University of Memphis and Ole Miss, you have a wife in Memphis, you have a home in Memphis, and you want to set up a solo shop, it makes zero sense to do Ole Miss.

One - you're setting up a solo shop. Why do you care about the regional "strength" of your degree? Assuming you're going to end back up in Memphis with your wife and mortgage, Memphis is the superior professional option. Even if you weren't trying to set up a one man shop, Ole Miss does not give you a much better outlook: http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=memphis http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=mississippi

Two - Ole Miss is definitely not worth paying full cost of living in loans when you have Memphis for free.

Three - Why leave your wife when you have an equivalent option that means you wouldn't have to leave? (Or is that why you want to leave? )

[Bobnoxious]

I won't learn about any scholarship offer until after the Ole Miss seat deposit deadline has passed. I have not withdrawn my application from Memphis on the off chance they also offer a full scholarship. Ideally, I'd like Memphis to be my fallback, and after a few more years I hopefully won't be quite so upside-down on the mortgage. Why would I want to treat Memphis as a fallback position? I've been wanting out of Memphis for years, but the stars haven't lined up right yet. It would be nice if this helps them line up for me eventually.

[deadpanic]

Woah, dude, why do you think that?

If you have full rides to both the University of Memphis and Ole Miss, you have a wife in Memphis, you have a home in Memphis, and you want to set up a solo shop, it makes zero sense to do Ole Miss.

One - you're setting up a solo shop. Why do you care about the regional "strength" of your degree? Assuming you're going to end back up in Memphis with your wife and mortgage, Memphis is the superior professional option. Even if you weren't trying to set up a one man shop, Ole Miss does not give you a much better outlook: http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=memphis http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=mississippi

Two - Ole Miss is definitely not worth paying full cost of living in loans when you have Memphis for free.

Three - Why leave your wife when you have an equivalent option that means you wouldn't have to leave? (Or is that why you want to leave? )

Am I overlooking that he hasn't been offered a full ride to Memphis? They don't usually offer much if any scholarship money to in-state students.

If he got a full ride to Memphis then by all means go there. If not, Ole Miss for just COL is not a bad deal. OP could commute the hour from Memphis to Oxford and so the only COL would be the extra gas (although that might take quite a toll). I would honestly just go to the cheapest of the two--preferably Memphis if it is close in cost since the mortgage and all. I think you will just have to crunch the numbers and see which would work out as a better deal.

[McAvoy]

Ahhh my mistake, I thought that was mentioned that you had the same scholarship. Yeah, if you want out of Memphis, then I agree, don't go to school there..

If you could somehow work it out with Ole Miss to maybe split sections and get all of your classes on two or three days a week, then commute to school, that would seem to be a good solution to avoid COL loans. I didn't realize it was that close of a drive.

I hope it works out for you either way -- good luck!

[Bobnoxious]

Memphis called me and offered more scholarship money.

I'll be staying home for law school. The wife is happy (for now), and I'm MUCH LESS STRESSED.