WUSTL(full tuition scholarship) vs Retake Forum

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[rad lulz]

WUSTL is not a good skool for FL

You've got retakes and are willing to retake so I'd retake

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[rad lulz]

I mean WUSTL is not a terrible option at that price

But you seem so wishy washy about the whole thing

At the very least I'd think about:

What you REALLY want to accomplish

What are REASONABLE outcomes I could be happy with

Be honest w yourself

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[jselson]

LG is the easiest section to improve upon, and 10 PTs is not nearly enough prep. I started with a 166 and took 50 PTs under correct conditions to guarantee I'd score in my hoped for range (174+). With a 3.73 GPA, you could be looking at CCNP, or lower T-14 with significant scholarship and a much better shot at biglaw. You haven't reached your true ability and are still young. Retake.

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[jselson]

LG is the easiest section to improve upon, and 10 PTs is not nearly enough prep. I started with a 166 and took 50 PTs under correct conditions to guarantee I'd score in my hoped for range (175+). With a 3.73 GPA, you could be looking at CCNP, or lower T-14 with significant scholarship and a much better shot at biglaw. You haven't reached your true ability and are still young. Retake.

25-35 PTs. But your point remains, and is a good one. Thank You.

Lol, I see, I thought you meant PTs #25-35. But still, I think you could do better. You said you hit 170+ a few times, and focusing on what you did those times (and REALLY drilling LGs because they are seriously learnable - I couldn't finish an LG section for ANYTHING when I started for the first 2 months, and ended up acing the LG on the test), I still think you could improve 5+ points over 2-3 months.

[Randomnumbers]

The varied employment data at WUSTL doesn't mean that WUSTL is good for many things; it mostly indicates that WUSTL allows people to get back to where they came from decently, or target what they want well (our DC externship, for example). If you have good MO ties you could probably do well in MO, but FL is a bloodbath. If you are OK ending up in MO, WUSTL isn't horrible. (But don't do Iowa.) You scored at the low end of your PT's. You don't know what you want to do, or where you want to be - the only way to actually truly give yourself a lot of options is to retake and get into a T13. Your GPA with a ~172+ gives you some amazing options, and you know you can get that score. With the decline in applications, it's not as if you can't get the same scholarship from WUSTL next cycle.

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[BigZuck]

169 plus that gpa equals 90K at Cornell and Duke. That blows all your other options out of the water.

Retake.

[Tiago Splitter]

The same WUSTL option will be there next year. Sounds like you're pretty young and have plenty of time to retake and think about how to proceed. You only go to law school once, so take your time and do it right.

[romothesavior]

WUSTL at that price is very doable, but like others have said, a retake could do you good. You could go to WUSTL for free with a few points, or potentially a T14 with money.

[jbagelboy]

I mean WUSTL is not a terrible option at that price

But you seem so wishy washy about the whole thing

At the very least I'd think about:

What you REALLY want to accomplish

What are REASONABLE outcomes I could be happy with

Be honest w yourself

+1 this advice is simple but applicable. you really don't seem to have a firm idea of where you end up or what you want to do. sitting out for a year and retaking could give you some perspective. also, you should probably have a better idea before you commit to any debt

I would vote WUSTL over Iowa, and both options are defensible in a vacuum. If I were you I would retake, but thats for my goals, not yours. Some people might disagree, but to me its not a self-evident choice. You also clearly prepped pretty hard.. I probably did ~25 PTs too. If you scored in your PT range, then retaking means really ramping up your prep, and considering how hard you've worked, it might not even pay off. It's a decision you have to make based on what you are willing to commit. I believe first takers under 170 should always retake, but lets be real, it doesn't work for everyone. You wouldn't be throwing your life away going to WUSTL by any means. As rad lulz said, think about what you want to accomplish with LS and what would make you happy, and understand the regional/employment limits of WUSTL

[Doorkeeper]

169 plus that gpa equals 90K at Cornell and Duke. That blows all your other options out of the water.

Retake.

This. Retake.

LG is the easiest section to improve on. Once you understand the question patterns, you'll be getting 1-3 wrong on every PT. If you have to, get a few one-on-one tutoring sessions to only focus on LG since you've already taken a ton of PTs and haven't improved enough on LG.

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[DoveBodyWash]

Thanks for the advice guys. That is why I am conflicted. I think I would be happy either way but it is difficult to rationalize not risking (at most) a year of my life and a few thousand dollars for the potential payoff.

Btw, does anyone know if apps are projected to increase/decrease/stay the same next cycle?


And tomorrow night after work I think I am going to take a recent PT cold, just to see where I am at right now, as my target test date (if I chose to retake) would be October, with December as the final retake option if I messed it up.

Probably decrease or maintain. It's highly unlikely they'll increase..unless TLS successfully managed to persuade like half of this cycle to re-apply thus ballooning the headcount next cycle

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[DoveBodyWash]

Feel free to take this to PMs, but you have mentioned it a few times publicly, so I assume you are cool with it. You waited (and retook?) and ended up about the same place, right? Thoughts based on your experiences?

I'll just post it on the board in case next year's 0L's find this thread or something lol..

I re-took and re-applied. Basically applied to the exact same selection schools + the splitter friendly T14's. Ended up with a handful of T14 options at sticker, admitted to the same T20/T30 schools as my first cycle, except with more money. I still think it was a great decision, not just because of the larger schollies. It gave me perspective on whether or not i really wanted to do this. Managed to find a job (with a History degree) that paid 45-50k (not including bonus). Showed me that I had other options besides law, so it removed the "omg what else am i gonna do with my life" factor from the equation. Got a chance to meet some more attorneys and talk to them about their experiences. And earning some money for a year was nice. Got to go on some trips, gave me the ability to pay for all my law school expenses on my own, including deposits/summer rent for 1L.

In general I think taking a year off was very healthy...especially because I was pretty burnt out after 4 years of undergrad. But that said, I ended up having the same choices I did last year since I didn't wanna do T14 at sticker. My options were just much cheaper now, but i'm still borrowing some loans to cover COL, so it's not like I'm gonna be debt-free.

The difference between you and me is that you're not a splitter. I think your GPA would open up every T14 except HYS. I realize that scoring higher on the LSAT isn't as easy as TLS makes it sound sometimes..but it's doable if you put in the requisite legwork.

I'm going to WUSTL this fall and i was looking forward to having you as a classmate, but if your hesitance to take a year off and re-apply is out of fear that you won't have anything to do for a year, then you should reconsider. It can be a really valuable experience in many ways (if you take some initiative). Law school isn't going anywhere.

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[Dr. Dre]

WUSTL is a great school

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[Reinhardt]

I voted retake, but WUSTL with a full ride is a rational decision. Scoring at the bottom of your PT range isn't real satisfying though, I suspect. Get to -0 on LG and reapply.