Duke this fall or take a shot at Harvard next year? Forum

[NPelosi]

[Big Dog]

a higher score could also mean big money at Duke next year....

[Dcc617]

Career goals:
Biglaw in DC or Dallas
Ultimately transition into government policy work, if DC
Transfer to in-house, if Dallas

Lower aspirations for:
Biglaw partnership
Clerkships (except to the extent that they advance the above career goals)

No aspirations for:
Legal academia

LSAT: 169
GPA: 3.73

Currently in at Duke with a scholarship I like. Planning and excited to attend in the fall. But nagging “what if” thoughts are eating me up. In particular, what if I tried for, say, Harvard?

I only took the LSAT once, but I think I’m intellectually capable of getting a decently higher score, perhaps the 175+ necessary to have a good chance at HLS. Like everyone else, I’d rather go this year, and I’d be happy at Duke—I just want to ensure that I won’t regret not trying for a higher LSAT.

How much am I hurting my career prospects by attending Duke instead of trying for a higher ranked school like Harvard? Particularly looking down the line to an interest in government policy work?

Thanks for your time.

I got into Harvard with almost exactly your GPA and a 176 (retaken from a 165). So Harvard is possible for you if you get the score you think you can.

[Pneumonia]

First, if you think you can do better on the LSAT, then you should absolutely defer and try again. How much did you study the first time around, and what methods/materials did you use?

Second, as an aside, your goals seem all over the place. Maybe I'm just not understanding, but I can't tell what you want to actually do. I know Biglaw can seem amorphous, but there really is a very clear split between litigation and corporate. In most cases, it's best to have an idea of which side of the divide you fall on before beginning law school. If you need it, you'll have time to think about that during the next year when you retake.

Law school will always be there.

[Burlington4174]

OP, what would you be doing for the next year instead?

[NPelosi]

[NPelosi]

[meat tornado]

This is the exact situation I was in two years ago (got a 169 on my first try, decided to go straight to Duke instead of trying to retake for H/CCN). I don't know if Harvard gives you thaaaat much of an advantage over Duke if you end up being a good student, but it's definitely a better place if you're not. As much as you might think you'll do well in law school, it's kind of a crapshoot. I ended up being pretty bad at law school, and barely got a SA this summer. Looking back, I should have waited another year and tried to maximize my LSAT. I think I'd probably have been a bad student at Harvard too, but at least I would have had a much less stressful 1L/OCI.

Duke's a really fun school, though.

[Pneumonia]

First, if you think you can do better on the LSAT, then you should absolutely defer and try again. How much did you study the first time around, and what methods/materials did you use?

I studied for a few months primarily using the most recent past LSAT exams and a couple other resources like the Logic Games Study Bible. I missed two LR questions; the other misses were a fairly even split between LG and RC.

Second, as an aside, your goals seem all over the place. Maybe I'm just not understanding, but I can't tell what you want to actually do. I know Biglaw can seem amorphous, but there really is a very clear split between litigation and corporate.

Sure, DC and Dallas are the two markets I'm interested in. I don't see myself being in Biglaw longterm. I'm open to both litigation and corporate. How do the two compare in terms of exit options (particularly if I want to pursue policy work in DC)?

You're a prime candidate for a retake then. Missing 5+ on LG is the quickest thing to fix. If you're capable of going minus two on LR, then you're for sure capable of getting to a consistent -1/-0 on LG. Throw in some extra RC practice and a little luck – you'll be at 175. Exit options for corporate are generally "better," as in higher quality of life and much more plentiful. I'm not really what they path is from Biglaw to thinktanks, or if there even is one. If you want to be working on policy, your best bet is likely just to do a JD/MPP.

[Rigo]

You want biglaw so I'd just follow the money. That being said, retaking would get you more T14 money (not sure what your current scholarship is). There are more possibilities than a simple Duke Now vs. Harvard Later.