AA Female 163/3.77. Please help! Forum

[hiphophead]

This is my first post and I would appreciate any input you guys can provide! I'm a 2008 grad from a top 10 UG. By the time I apply, I will have about 2 years full-time work experience as a legal assistant. Before that, I worked in retail (had a really difficult time finding other employment for a while). Worked 60 hrs/week (both jobs) for a significant time period.

I'm currently studying to retake LSAT in December, but won't unless I'm able to practice at significantly higher than the 163. My LSAT is also from 2008 (I'm not sure if this matters). I will be applying for the Fall 2012 cycle.

What should I shoot for? I know my LSAT probably limits me at T14. Thanks!

[law4vus]

The AA boost generally works to boost an LSAT score and you already have a high GPA. Apply everywhere, you never know what could happen.

There have been URMs with your numbers that got into Columbia and got significant money from Duke. You may not be too competitive for HYS, but apply anyway. This person got WL at Yale and into Columbia.

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/subtle

Apply everywhere. You'll get into a great school. Good luck!

*edit* Also reread your post. Northwestern will most likely give you a significant chunk of change, if not a full ride, because of your WE. Don't let your LSAT limit you. As you stand, you have a great shot at a mid T14 school and if you can get into the high 160s on your retake, HYS are very much in play.

[071816]

Enjoy T14

[JamMasterJ]

Enjoy T146 or so

[TaipeiMort]

You will be top 5 for sure. The 163 should get you into Stanford. If you feel you can beat out your white and asian counterparts, or at least get median, I would gun for a big class school like Harvard or Columbia or a great scholarship at NU because come OCI, you will have a huge advantage and be very popular with employers.

However, if you are risk averse, I would take small, highly ranked school like Stanford, Yale, or even Chicago. Because African Americans tend to have a very high chance of ending up in the bottom 20 percent of law school class according to civil rights commission data and empirical study consensus, these schools would be better than Harvard or Columbia because the small class size ensures success for a higher percentage of the pool, and the grading systems (or lack of) is more URM friendly and may lead to a better educational outcome.

[hiphophead]

I really appreciate everyone's input. Looking forward to posting more here.

@TaipeiMort - Interesting. Hadn't considered those factors, but I'll have to do some more research. I'm pretty confident in my ability to compete at a top school, but I'm basing that almost completely on undergrad experience. Not sure what other predictors are really there. That being said, none of my friends that went to law school straight out of undergrad have jobs now, so definitely something that needs to be considered. Thanks!

[TaipeiMort]

I really appreciate everyone's input. Looking forward to posting more here.

@TaipeiMort - Interesting. Hadn't considered those factors, but I'll have to do some more research. I'm pretty confident in my ability to compete at a top school, but I'm basing that almost completely on undergrad experience. Not sure what other predictors are really there. That being said, none of my friends that went to law school straight out of undergrad have jobs now, so definitely something that needs to be considered. Thanks!

Its hard to determine before heading in. I think if you work hard and have faith in yourself, you should be fine. I also don't know if the empirics out there really apply at the elite schools-- a 163 and a 173 don't reflect that much of a difference in brain power. Some of the best students I know at Chicago were below the LSAT median. Also, I do not feel that any of my URM classmates are at any lower or different level of brain power than those that came in with higher LSAT scores. I do know though that the URM boost in employment is not high if you end up below the marginal threshold. However, if you get above it, you will be in an extremely good position.

[Drake014]

I really appreciate everyone's input. Looking forward to posting more here.

@TaipeiMort - Interesting. Hadn't considered those factors, but I'll have to do some more research. I'm pretty confident in my ability to compete at a top school, but I'm basing that almost completely on undergrad experience. Not sure what other predictors are really there. That being said, none of my friends that went to law school straight out of undergrad have jobs now, so definitely something that needs to be considered. Thanks!

I would advise going with the highest school that offers you the best package--i.e. a free ride from UVA might be better than sticker at Columbia.

[subtle]

I will be attending Columbia with a 162 and a 3.78 as an AA female WITHOUT work experience. Enjoy the T6.

[law4vus]

I will be attending Columbia with a 162 and a 3.78 as an AA female WITHOUT work experience. Enjoy the T6.

Ha, I posted your LSN profile as an example earlier in this thread!

Congratulations!!

[subtle]

I will be attending Columbia with a 162 and a 3.78 as an AA female WITHOUT work experience. Enjoy the T6.

Ha, I posted your LSN profile as an example earlier in this thread!

Congratulations!!

It's not all that common that people have my numbers so I just kind of zone out when I see LSN links. I didn't even realize you'd posted mine! Hahah. Glad I could be of help.

I should also point out that if you negotiate, there's probably a better chance of money. That's the money I was initially offered without any negotiating. I didn't negotiate at all because I knew I was deferring, and a lot of merit aid couldn't be deferred, so I didn't see a point in teasing myself with money I couldn't keep.

[hiphophead]

I will be attending Columbia with a 162 and a 3.78 as an AA female WITHOUT work experience. Enjoy the T6.

Congratulations! And thanks for the input.