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Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:13 am
by ProspectiveStudent69
LSAT: 144
LSAC GPA: 3.4
Here's the deal, I'm a bad standardized test taker. I received a 19 on the ACT which had little bearing on my overall success in undergrad. I goofed around my first year at a community college because I was less mature and didn't really realize what I wanted to do with my life. After my second year, I began getting around a 3.7 GPA. I then transferred to a university, and have since had a 3.91 cumulative average. I will more than likely get a 4.0 this semester, this is my final semester before graduation. I'm a double major in Poli Sci and Criminal Justice, with a minor in Legal Studies. I also have 3 LORs from my PHD bearing professors, and one LOR from recent graduate with a JD.
To get the 144 I took a Kaplan course, using the materials quite a bit, but always had trouble understanding why certain deductions would be made or why one answer looked better than another. I studied quite a bit for about two months before the test. I completely suck at LG, but do pretty well at LG, and so/so on comprehension. I've taken the LSAT twice, so I have one more try. Any advice?
Schools I applied to for full time fall 2013:
University of Iowa-Rejected
Loyola- Chicago
Drake- Rejected
University of Illinois
Hamline- Rejected
Valparaiso
Depaul- Rejected
Barry
Bowen (Little Rock)
STCL
Stetson-Rejected
Washburn
Whittier
Thomas Jefferson
Baylor
Creighton- On Hold ( awaiting a second review)
Hofstra
Charlotte- Accepted (7k scholarship)
NCCU
Southern- Baton Rouge
Tulane
I really don't want to wait an entire year, or want to study for the LSAT again. I'm turning 23 in May and want to get this moving. Am I being impatient, or should I settle for one of these schools if I get accepted? My hope is to transfer after L1. Just got a full time job as well. Would working full time and studying full time for the October LSAT be my best option?
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:16 am
by sublime
..
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:17 am
by Bronck
ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:
I really don't want to wait an entire year, or want to study for the LSAT again. I'm turning 23 in May and want to get this moving. Am I being impatient, or should I settle for one of these schools if I get accepted? My hope is to transfer after L1. Just got a full time job as well. Would working full time and studying full time for the October LSAT be my best option?
Don't go to law school with a 144 LSAT. Your options will all be terrible.
You abso-fucking-lutely need to retake. If a 144 is all you can get, and you don't want to retake, then you have to accept the fact that you're not going to become a lawyer.
Do not settle for any of these schools. You cannot bank on transferring -- only attend a school if you'd be happy graduating from there.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:18 am
by ManOfTheMinute
Bronck wrote:ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:
I really don't want to wait an entire year, or want to study for the LSAT again. I'm turning 23 in May and want to get this moving. Am I being impatient, or should I settle for one of these schools if I get accepted? My hope is to transfer after L1. Just got a full time job as well. Would working full time and studying full time for the October LSAT be my best option?
Don't go to law school with a 144 LSAT. Your options will all be terrible.
You abso-fucking-lutely need to retake. If a 144 is all you can get, and you don't want to retake, then you have to accept the fact that you're not going to become a lawyer.
Do not settle for any of these schools. You cannot bank on transferring -- only attend a school if you'd be happy graduating from there.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:19 am
by rickgrimes69
sublime12089 wrote:Honestly, and please forgive me if this sounds harsh, but you will not get into a school worth going to with a 144. There is no way around it. Again, I don't want to come off as mean-spirited, but that is the simple fact of the matter. Sorry.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:22 am
by timbs4339
ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:LSAT: 144
LSAC GPA: 3.4
Here's the deal, I'm a bad standardized test taker. I received a 19 on the ACT which had little bearing on my overall success in undergrad. I goofed around my first year at a community college because I was less mature and didn't really realize what I wanted to do with my life. After my second year I began getting around 3.7. Transferee to a university, and have since had a 3.91 cumulative average. I will more than likely get a 4.0 this semester, which is my final semester before graduation.
To get the 144 I took a Kaplan course and got all the materials, and used them quite a bit, but oalways had trouble understanding why certain deductions would be made or why one answer looked better than another. I studied quite a bit for about two months before the test. I completely suck at LG but do pretty well at LG and so/so on comprehension. I've taken the LSAT twice so I have one more try. Any advice?
Schools I applied to:
University of Iowa-Rejected
Loyola- Chicago
Drake- Rejected
University of Illinois
Hamline- Rejected
Valparaiso
Depaul- Rejected
Barry
Bowen (Little Rock)
STCL
Stetson-Rejected
Washburn
Whittier
Thomas Jefferson
Baylor
Creighton- On Hold (second review)
Hofstra
Charlotte- Accepted (7k scholarship)
NCCU
Southern- Baton Rouge
Tulane
I really don't want to wait an entire year, or want to study for the LSAT again. I'm turning 23 in May and want to get this moving. Am I being impatient, or should I settle for one of these schools if I get accepted? My hope is to transfer after L1. Just got a full time job as well. Would working full time and studying full time for the October LSAT be my best option?
You're being impatient. There are posters on this site in their 30s who waited a year and retook with much better scores than you have. If you have a FT job that's even more of a reason to retake. You're not going to transfer, and I'm not sure why you think it's a good idea to drop about 150k or more on a system where your grades/transfer prospects depend on a bunch of time pressured essay tests and then you take a two-day long standardized test called the bar at the end of it all.
These are terrible schools and you have pennies from any of them. This is a no brainer.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:31 am
by Dr. Dre
ManOfTheMinute wrote:Bronck wrote:ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:
I really don't want to wait an entire year, or want to study for the LSAT again. I'm turning 23 in May and want to get this moving. Am I being impatient, or should I settle for one of these schools if I get accepted? My hope is to transfer after L1. Just got a full time job as well. Would working full time and studying full time for the October LSAT be my best option?
Don't go to law school with a 144 LSAT. Your options will all be terrible.
You abso-fucking-lutely need to retake. If a 144 is all you can get, and you don't want to retake, then you have to accept the fact that you're not going to become a lawyer.
Do not settle for any of these schools. You cannot bank on transferring -- only attend a school if you'd be happy graduating from there.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:48 am
by ProspectiveStudent69
Now until October with a private tutor, studying 25 hrs a week might help. I guess I don't know what score is acceptable... They say you may only get a few points better, is that bs, or can a large influx be done?
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:50 am
by ManOfTheMinute
ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:Now until October with a private tutor, studying 25 hrs a week might help. I guess I don't know what score is acceptable... They say you may only get a few points better, is that bs, or can a large influx be done?
LG can be taught so you only miss a few, so thats an easy boost. You can definitely get a big boost if you put the time and effort in
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:53 am
by haus
This forum is full of examples of those who have had considerable improvements in their scores. With effort I suspect most people are capable of much more than a few points gain.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:57 am
by Dr. Dre
OP, I strongly recommend taking it October. Put no less than 30 hours per week. Use Manhattan LSAT. Profit.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:58 am
by sublime
..
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:59 am
by timbs4339
Dump the Kaplan course and buy the PowerScore logic games bible
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:00 am
by Dr. Dre
timbs4339 wrote:Dump the Kaplan course and buy the PowerScore logic games bible and Manhattan LSAT
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:13 am
by guinness1547
Dr. Dre wrote:timbs4339 wrote:Dump the Kaplan course and buy the PowerScore logic games bible and Manhattan LSAT
+1. You can and will do better. Don't settle.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:15 am
by ProspectiveStudent69
ManOfTheMinute wrote:ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:Now until October with a private tutor, studying 25 hrs a week might help. I guess I don't know what score is acceptable... They say you may only get a few points better, is that bs, or can a large influx be done?
LG can be taught so you only miss a few, so thats an easy boost. You can definitely get a big boost if you put the time and effort in
Thanks all, you guys really have me thinking now!
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:17 am
by Dr. Dre
you're welcome. Glad you don't get pissed off or offended like other people who are given similar advice.
Just practice, train like you're going to the Olympics or World Cup (soccer), and profit.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:22 am
by hopingtogetin
Retake. You can do it. I'm one of those people who rarely suggests retaking, but you absolutely need to. That extra year is literally thousands more dollars each year of your career. None of your current schools are worth it.
Try Blueprint. I went up 9 points (and ended up with a 167). As you're starting at a 144, you can definitely improve a lot more than I did just because it's a lot easier to get from a 144 to like at least a 155 than from a 160 to a 170. Maybe you'll never get a 170, but even a 155 would help you. If you take the time to really study and invest in a blueprint course, you will be able to rock the LSAT and get into a good school. And don't feel bad that Kaplan didn't work for you--I've met very few people who were happy with their experiences with that company.
And sadly, if you take blueprint or testmasters or something and still can't crack 150, maybe it's time to think about other career options. I had a friend who couldn't get 150 after 3 tries. She decided to go to business school instead, and now has a great career. So just a thought. Best of luck, you can do it!
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:30 am
by Dr. Dre
Blueprint is good, Manhattan is better.
Contact that Noah Manhattan LSAT dude on here.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:36 am
by PickMe!
@ accepted into Charlotte
with 7k and a 144. That's funny.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:39 am
by ProspectiveStudent69
PickMe! wrote: @ accepted into Charlotte
with 7k and a 144. That's funny.
Why is that funny?? Just curious
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:12 am
by Presidentjlh
ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:PickMe! wrote: @ accepted into Charlotte
with 7k and a 144. That's funny.
Why is that funny?? Just curious
Just ignore him.
Glad you're going to retake. I'm not one to often advocate retaking, but you definitely need to. If you improve it by even 6 points and hit 150, you'll still be much better off.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:31 am
by rickgrimes69
ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:ManOfTheMinute wrote:ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:Now until October with a private tutor, studying 25 hrs a week might help. I guess I don't know what score is acceptable... They say you may only get a few points better, is that bs, or can a large influx be done?
LG can be taught so you only miss a few, so thats an easy boost. You can definitely get a big boost if you put the time and effort in
Thanks all, you guys really have me thinking now!
Glad to hear you are considering re-taking. It is one of the best decisions you could make. Dramatic improvements are definitely possible. I used Testmasters and improved 18 points over my diagnostic. Powerscore is also very good, and I have heard good things about Blueprint and Manhattan as well. Good luck, and don't settle.
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:42 am
by Law Sauce
Seriously consider other career paths. Dont be impatient and just go to LS because you dont know what to do or want to start doing something. It will end up being a huge mistake and you will have tons of debt (this is still true even if you get a 165). Who knows what you could with your life, dont limit yourself by going to LS
Re: Which schools should I apply to?
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:59 am
by ironbmike
ProspectiveStudent69 wrote:Now until October with a private tutor, studying 25 hrs a week might help. I guess I don't know what score is acceptable... They say you may only get a few points better, is that bs, or can a large influx be done?
I used Kaplan and it was terrible. I took a year off, studied on my own using the resources on this site (and the LSAT Bible books) and improved my score a lot. Take a year off and work in a law firm to make sure you want to do it. Then retake when you know you are ready.