167/2.4 (AA female) - any chances at T25? Forum

[cynthia rose]

-LSAT; 160/no-show/167 (I took the 160 cold and the no-show is because I was registered in DC but a last minute emergency led to me having to return to my home state less than a week before the test...obviously not enough time to postpone or change my testing location.)
-GPA: 2.4
-Non-trad student
-softs: unremarkable...a couple of college organizations, several years of work experience but it's mostly just administrative assistant stuff
-paralegal certificate and internship (this is mostly irrelevant except that I did really well and it's proof that I CAN earn higher grades. That and making sure that I really would have an interest in law are the main reason I did that program)

While I'll be writing a semi-addendum for the GPA, it sucks and I can't claim a death, debilitating illness, or even point to an upward trend at any point. I have no interest in writing an addendum for the LSAT scores. There really isn't much to say about it, really. I feel trying to explain that it will just come off as an excuse.

Frankly, I look like shit on paper and have little to offset it. I've accepted that. My question is a) whether there is any chance I can get into a T25 and if I can even dare to dream of getting a bit of $$ from any of those schools and b) whether it is worth it to try to retake. I'm salty because I expected to struggle with LR, but instead got blindsided by the RC section. I'm reluctant about a retake though because I already have two scores and a no-show, so even if there was a jump in my score I think having to take it three times to get to that point would negate it. I've looked at LSN but there's little data for URMs with my stats, and so far the ones I have seen applied to schools I wasn't interested in or entered too little information to be of help. I figure LSP will not be of much use for me.

My dream at this point would be GW but I'm thinking it would be a waste of time to ED there.

[bsc89]

Bump, deathly interested in hearing input

[tennisking88]

-LSAT; 160/no-show/167 (I took the 160 cold and the no-show is because I was registered in DC but a last minute emergency led to me having to return to my home state less than a week before the test...obviously not enough time to postpone or change my testing location.)
-GPA: 2.4
-Non-trad student
-softs: unremarkable...a couple of college organizations, several years of work experience but it's mostly just administrative assistant stuff
-paralegal certificate and internship (this is mostly irrelevant except that I did really well and it's proof that I CAN earn higher grades. That and making sure that I really would have an interest in law are the main reason I did that program)

While I'll be writing a semi-addendum for the GPA, it sucks and I can't claim a death, debilitating illness, or even point to an upward trend at any point. I have no interest in writing an addendum for the LSAT scores. There really isn't much to say about it, really. I feel trying to explain that it will just come off as an excuse.

Frankly, I look like shit on paper and have little to offset it. I've accepted that. My question is a) whether there is any chance I can get into a T25 and if I can even dare to dream of getting a bit of $$ from any of those schools and b) whether it is worth it to try to retake. I'm salty because I expected to struggle with LR, but instead got blindsided by the RC section. I'm reluctant about a retake though because I already have two scores and a no-show, so even if there was a jump in my score I think having to take it three times to get to that point would negate it. I've looked at LSN but there's little data for URMs with my stats, and so far the ones I have seen applied to schools I wasn't interested in or entered too little information to be of help. I figure LSP will not be of much use for me.

My dream at this point would be GW but I'm thinking it would be a waste of time to ED there.

You're applying out of undergrad, correct? Did you have a hard major? Shitty professors? Terrible curves? Anything? I just can't believe you're smart enough to get a 167 and do so bad in school. You're gonna have to say something about this in your PS or an addenda, to convince them that your natural talent/smarts are why schools should take you. I think if you put a lot of thought into this addendum, a few schools could bite. But you better lawyer up and make a great case.

[tennisking88]

-LSAT; 160/no-show/167 (I took the 160 cold and the no-show is because I was registered in DC but a last minute emergency led to me having to return to my home state less than a week before the test...obviously not enough time to postpone or change my testing location.)
-GPA: 2.4
-Non-trad student
-softs: unremarkable...a couple of college organizations, several years of work experience but it's mostly just administrative assistant stuff
-paralegal certificate and internship (this is mostly irrelevant except that I did really well and it's proof that I CAN earn higher grades. That and making sure that I really would have an interest in law are the main reason I did that program)

While I'll be writing a semi-addendum for the GPA, it sucks and I can't claim a death, debilitating illness, or even point to an upward trend at any point. I have no interest in writing an addendum for the LSAT scores. There really isn't much to say about it, really. I feel trying to explain that it will just come off as an excuse.

Frankly, I look like shit on paper and have little to offset it. I've accepted that. My question is a) whether there is any chance I can get into a T25 and if I can even dare to dream of getting a bit of $$ from any of those schools and b) whether it is worth it to try to retake. I'm salty because I expected to struggle with LR, but instead got blindsided by the RC section. I'm reluctant about a retake though because I already have two scores and a no-show, so even if there was a jump in my score I think having to take it three times to get to that point would negate it. I've looked at LSN but there's little data for URMs with my stats, and so far the ones I have seen applied to schools I wasn't interested in or entered too little information to be of help. I figure LSP will not be of much use for me.

My dream at this point would be GW but I'm thinking it would be a waste of time to ED there.

That being said: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/cowgirlbebop/jd

[cynthia rose]

^I was just coming back to post her profile! Ha. She does give me some hope. And her IUB app didn't even go complete until January.

As for me, I'm 30. I graduated in 2004. I was a marketing major. I did a lot of "hopping around" in different departments trying to find my calling in life and got burned by a lot of struggled-for C's and "well, this obviously isn't going to work out...hmm, that major looks good." I think I tried everything but nursing, engineering, and law. It's very ironic, my freshman year someone asked me why I wasn't going into law and I said "law is boring!" Now I can't imagine anything else I could possibly be more interested in doing.

If you want details I'll PM you about my PS/addendum - there is a reason, it's just that it's fairly specific so I don't want to out myself online. I'm definitely giving it all that I've got though. I'm hoping the time out of school softens things at least a bit. It just occurred to me that I should probably calculate my major GPA at some point, as my undergrad didn't do that. I don't think it will be amazing but it probably cracks 3.0.

I just can't believe you're smart enough to get a 167 and do so bad in school.

Yeah, I completely understand this sentiment. It haunts me to this day. I assume you're of the opinion that a retake isn't necessary? I won't lie, my goal was 170 so I'm hurt that I fell short - and especially on such a nice curve. I'm more hurt about the number of questions I missed than I am about the actual score, to be honest.