Top Law Schools

Haven't posted on here often, been mostly lurking & learning! But these are so helpful - y'all rock. Anyways, looking for straightforward (but gentle, plz!) advice! Apps are in, so can't change the past, only what is next

Experienced applicant (7+ yrs out) been in nat'l politics/advocacy. UGPA 3.5 from a pretty good college, def upward trend (3.8 last 2 semesters). Didn't knock the lsat out of the park though (156), but hopefully somewhat interesting softs/accomplishments/experiences that revealed law school was the thing to do next (PM for more details! happy to share)

Applied in late Nov/Early Dec - and applied pretty widely (20 schools), because I knew the #s weren't rock star caliber.

Currently on 6 (! ~sad emoji~ ) wait-lists (but hey, better than reject)

BC (1/16), William & Mary (3/20), Temple (1/21), Cardozo (2/3), Richmond (1/22), and American U (3/6)

Nos from: Georgetown (Had to try), GW, BU, Fordham, Univ of Illinois, Maryland

Welcoming any/all advice/tips on

(1) If folks have thoughts/insights how this cycle is looking compared to past yrs

(2) Tips to get off wait-list other than visit and meet with admissions (already did at all schools where WL) - and what might be realistic

(3) Tips to mitigate anxiety in the time of corona and waitlists!!! And/or any other insights/advice/sage pieces of widsom

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~*~*


Stats: 3.5/156/experienced applicant (UG c/o 2012)/Not urm/yes lgbt

jdist wrote:Haven't posted on here often, been mostly lurking & learning! But these are so helpful - y'all rock. Anyways, looking for straightforward (but gentle, plz!) advice! Apps are in, so can't change the past, only what is next

Experienced applicant (7+ yrs out) been in nat'l politics/advocacy. UGPA 3.5 from a pretty good college, def upward trend (3.8 last 2 semesters). Didn't knock the lsat out of the park though (156), but hopefully somewhat interesting softs/accomplishments/experiences that revealed law school was the thing to do next (PM for more details! happy to share)

Applied in late Nov/Early Dec - and applied pretty widely (20 schools), because I knew the #s weren't rock star caliber.

Currently on 6 (! ~sad emoji~ ) wait-lists (but hey, better than reject)

BC (1/16), William & Mary (3/20), Temple (1/21), Cardozo (2/3), Richmond (1/22), and American U (3/6)

Nos from: Georgetown (Had to try), GW, BU, Fordham, Univ of Illinois, Maryland

Welcoming any/all advice/tips on

(1) If folks have thoughts/insights how this cycle is looking compared to past yrs

(2) Tips to get off wait-list other than visit and meet with admissions (already did at all schools where WL) - and what might be realistic

(3) Tips to mitigate anxiety in the time of corona and waitlists!!! And/or any other insights/advice/sage pieces of widsom

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~*~*


Stats: 3.5/156/experienced applicant (UG c/o 2012)/Not urm/yes lgbt

Where did you get in? How much money did the schools that accepted you offer in merit aid? What do you want to do with your degree?

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:

jdist wrote:Haven't posted on here often, been mostly lurking & learning! But these are so helpful - y'all rock. Anyways, looking for straightforward (but gentle, plz!) advice! Apps are in, so can't change the past, only what is next

Experienced applicant (7+ yrs out) been in nat'l politics/advocacy. UGPA 3.5 from a pretty good college, def upward trend (3.8 last 2 semesters). Didn't knock the lsat out of the park though (156), but hopefully somewhat interesting softs/accomplishments/experiences that revealed law school was the thing to do next (PM for more details! happy to share)

Applied in late Nov/Early Dec - and applied pretty widely (20 schools), because I knew the #s weren't rock star caliber.

Currently on 6 (! ~sad emoji~ ) wait-lists (but hey, better than reject)

BC (1/16), William & Mary (3/20), Temple (1/21), Cardozo (2/3), Richmond (1/22), and American U (3/6)

Nos from: Georgetown (Had to try), GW, BU, Fordham, Univ of Illinois, Maryland

Welcoming any/all advice/tips on

(1) If folks have thoughts/insights how this cycle is looking compared to past yrs

(2) Tips to get off wait-list other than visit and meet with admissions (already did at all schools where WL) - and what might be realistic

(3) Tips to mitigate anxiety in the time of corona and waitlists!!! And/or any other insights/advice/sage pieces of widsom

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~*~*


Stats: 3.5/156/experienced applicant (UG c/o 2012)/Not urm/yes lgbt

Where did you get in? How much money did the schools that accepted you offer in merit aid? What do you want to do with your degree?

Hi! Thanks for reading and commenting. No acceptances yet unfortunately and now on the Penn State waitlist as of this morning. So 1 app outstanding @ George Mason and on 7 waitlists, with about 10 nos. Sort of a complicated academic story (3 years, left and came back (community college), double maj, all As the last year, etc - so, good trends but you've gotta look for it: ). Also know that my 156 didn't do me any favors. Poud of accomplishments since in politics/advocacy.

I live in DC and work at a national non-profit. Have a boyfriend who works in the region. Ultimately would prefer to live in DC (Both because I like it, and have established a network (personal & professional) here. But not opposed to leaving for school, especially if for a school with strong employment outcomes (Like Boston College), and/or moving elsewhere for a good job after school. Fairly mobile.

While not totally certain yet on which kind of law I want to practice, I see myself going into corporate/business side of things. I see myself relishing the challenge/pace/opportunities that come with BL (and the $ to pay back loans, since I'm paying for it myself, no family aid). But realize BL is a reach for several of these schools, and know I will have to KILL it 1L.

I also could see myself in a GC dept at a advocacy org. More unicorn things I am interested in include political law/compliance - but realize those are one in a million.

I hope that helps. Let me know if I can clarify! Thank you again.

I mean, based on your current situation, my only advice is to retake the LSAT. Your score is dragging you down, and you should be able to improve significantly on a 156 if you put the time and effort in.

Fireworks2016 wrote:I mean, based on your current situation, my only advice is to retake the LSAT. Your score is dragging you down, and you should be able to improve significantly on a 156 if you put the time and effort in.

Yep. Only responsible advice.

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:

Fireworks2016 wrote:I mean, based on your current situation, my only advice is to retake the LSAT. Your score is dragging you down, and you should be able to improve significantly on a 156 if you put the time and effort in.

Yep. Only responsible advice.

+1. You need to retake and reapply. It's hard to get off the waitlist at most schools without competing offers---which you don't and likely won't have this cycle---and these schools are generally not worth attending at full sticker price, which is what you'd likely be stuck paying. Sorry yo

decimalsanddollars wrote:

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:

Fireworks2016 wrote:I mean, based on your current situation, my only advice is to retake the LSAT. Your score is dragging you down, and you should be able to improve significantly on a 156 if you put the time and effort in.

Yep. Only responsible advice.

+1. You need to retake and reapply. It's hard to get off the waitlist at most schools without competing offers---which you don't and likely won't have this cycle---and these schools are generally not worth attending at full sticker price, which is what you'd likely be stuck paying. Sorry yo

Thank you for the update and tough-but-fair insight. I realize I'm not in the best place, but my thinking had been it would be better to get started (Even if at a lower ranked school) than postpone for a year (as future is full of unknowns -). I did take the test 3x actually and did increase 152-154-156. I did put in time studying, which leads me to believe that I would need to take drastic measures to further commit (ie substantial time off work - which may not be feasible). What do you think about that thinking -- is that off?

jdist wrote:

decimalsanddollars wrote:

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:

Fireworks2016 wrote:I mean, based on your current situation, my only advice is to retake the LSAT. Your score is dragging you down, and you should be able to improve significantly on a 156 if you put the time and effort in.

Yep. Only responsible advice.

+1. You need to retake and reapply. It's hard to get off the waitlist at most schools without competing offers---which you don't and likely won't have this cycle---and these schools are generally not worth attending at full sticker price, which is what you'd likely be stuck paying. Sorry yo

Thank you for the update and tough-but-fair insight. I realize I'm not in the best place, but my thinking had been it would be better to get started (Even if at a lower ranked school) than postpone for a year (as future is full of unknowns -). I did take the test 3x actually and did increase 152-154-156. I did put in time studying, which leads me to believe that I would need to take drastic measures to further commit (ie substantial time off work - which may not be feasible). What do you think about that thinking -- is that off?

I think it is off. People here spend 1-2 years of nightly practice to maximize their score. It may seem overkill but if you can go to a school that meets your career goals for free, you are way better off front loading the work than rolling the dice at a worse school with debt hanging over you. Law school will always be there, no rush. Law exams are blindly graded and most people agree you should assume you’ll be at median.

jdist wrote:I realize I'm not in the best place, but my thinking had been it would be better to get started (Even if at a lower ranked school) than postpone for a year (as future is full of unknowns -).

Definitely not.

The future is always going to be full of unknowns. That's why going to a law school that doesn't give you a reasonable shot at the career you want (or paying off your debt, for that matter) is a horrible idea in any economy. If we head into another recession like in 2008, the schools that you're considering right now are the ones that will get hit hardest.