Conventional TLS Wisdoms?
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 12:58 am
Not sure if I am right or it is even appropriate to write this, but figured a year of lurking has taught me enough about how the TLS crowd thinks.
Retake (and reapply early) if
- You want biglaw but you can't get into T14 with at least close to a half-ride (which I think is close to a $150k COA?)
- You can't get a full-ride or close to it (~$50k COA) to a good (T2+) law school in your target market (Basically, if you dip to TTT and below, employment rate/bar passage rate/attrition rate is not good enough that you lose more in opportunity cost than you gain from a LS degree)
- If you do not have a target market or a target goal and you can't get into T14 with at least close to a half-ride (Don't apply and figure out your life for couple years is probably more applicable here)
- Scored significantly below your PT average
- Didn't study for the LSAT the first time around or barely studied
- Have a 4.0 GPA and a bad LSAT (Seriously, even a 165 can get you into Chicago and/or a decently priced degree at T13/T20)
If you want unicorn jobs (Impact PI, SCOTUS clerkships, sports/entertainment law, international law, academia), best of luck to you, I guess.
Unless you have a really bad GPA, I think the second can be achieved with a 160-165 LSAT, which should be fairly reasonable.
Think you do hit a diminishing return after 175-ish LSAT though.
Generic scenarios
YHS (Sticker) v. CCN (Full Ride)
CCN Full Ride (YHS financial aid package and your goals can make the decision more complicated, obviously); Think this applies to pretty much all other lower T14s as well if you have generic biglaw goals
Within T13 w/ a generic biglaw goal
Whichever is cheapest; If you are aiming for non-NY biglaw (Chicago, LA, Bay Area, etc.), also consider your target market (Northwestern/Chicago/Michigan for Chicago, Berkeley/Stanford for LA/Bay Area, etc.).
T13 at sticker v. T20 $$$
Retake or seriously consider your target market and goals; If you want to work in LA and are fine with not getting biglaw (Which typically means starting off at a $40-50k job), UCLA $$$ probably makes sense v. Cornell at sticker. If you are NY biglaw or bust... well, retake.
Below T20 (and T13-20 to some extent)
Go to a law school where you want to practice in (Either city or at least a state). Make sure you are going there with most of the COA covered (I've seen anywhere from $50k-100k as a reasonable debt level, but I'll say $50k just to be safe).
Below TT
Don't go even at a full ride. If you are deciding between a TT and TTT, many would recommend you to retake anyway.
Extra
Get your conditional scholarships removed. Some schools stack sections so you may have more chance of losing your scholarships.
Do not assume you will graduate at the top of your class. Always assume median.
If you are international, biglaw is the best and possibly the only way you can secure a legal job in the U.S.
Retake (and reapply early) if
- You want biglaw but you can't get into T14 with at least close to a half-ride (which I think is close to a $150k COA?)
- You can't get a full-ride or close to it (~$50k COA) to a good (T2+) law school in your target market (Basically, if you dip to TTT and below, employment rate/bar passage rate/attrition rate is not good enough that you lose more in opportunity cost than you gain from a LS degree)
- If you do not have a target market or a target goal and you can't get into T14 with at least close to a half-ride (Don't apply and figure out your life for couple years is probably more applicable here)
- Scored significantly below your PT average
- Didn't study for the LSAT the first time around or barely studied
- Have a 4.0 GPA and a bad LSAT (Seriously, even a 165 can get you into Chicago and/or a decently priced degree at T13/T20)
If you want unicorn jobs (Impact PI, SCOTUS clerkships, sports/entertainment law, international law, academia), best of luck to you, I guess.
Unless you have a really bad GPA, I think the second can be achieved with a 160-165 LSAT, which should be fairly reasonable.
Think you do hit a diminishing return after 175-ish LSAT though.
Generic scenarios
YHS (Sticker) v. CCN (Full Ride)
CCN Full Ride (YHS financial aid package and your goals can make the decision more complicated, obviously); Think this applies to pretty much all other lower T14s as well if you have generic biglaw goals
Within T13 w/ a generic biglaw goal
Whichever is cheapest; If you are aiming for non-NY biglaw (Chicago, LA, Bay Area, etc.), also consider your target market (Northwestern/Chicago/Michigan for Chicago, Berkeley/Stanford for LA/Bay Area, etc.).
T13 at sticker v. T20 $$$
Retake or seriously consider your target market and goals; If you want to work in LA and are fine with not getting biglaw (Which typically means starting off at a $40-50k job), UCLA $$$ probably makes sense v. Cornell at sticker. If you are NY biglaw or bust... well, retake.
Below T20 (and T13-20 to some extent)
Go to a law school where you want to practice in (Either city or at least a state). Make sure you are going there with most of the COA covered (I've seen anywhere from $50k-100k as a reasonable debt level, but I'll say $50k just to be safe).
Below TT
Don't go even at a full ride. If you are deciding between a TT and TTT, many would recommend you to retake anyway.
Extra
Get your conditional scholarships removed. Some schools stack sections so you may have more chance of losing your scholarships.
Do not assume you will graduate at the top of your class. Always assume median.
If you are international, biglaw is the best and possibly the only way you can secure a legal job in the U.S.
