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Mexican Male here as well, underperformed on my LSAT and got a 162.

All I've gotten is Waitlists at t14's so far.

I'd say shoot for a 165+ to be sure. However, I have seen a few 163 and 164's crack the t14.

Thanks for the info. and best of luck to you and your cycle!

You have a pretty high GPA, so I think you could get into the T14 with a low 160's-ish LSAT, especially if you ED'd to somewhere like UVA.

Obviously, if you hit 164-166 you're probably looking at some definite acceptances to some of the lower T14. This is where my score is (I'm NA URM) and I've been accepted to UVA, GULC, and Mich. WL'd at Penn/Columbia/Chicgao. Held at Harvard and NU. Faculty Review at Berkeley right now...and I haven't heard from any of the other schools.

Hit that magic 170 and depending on what your softs are you should have a legitimate chance at all of the T14 (well, as much of a chance as anyone has at HYS).

Personally, I think there's a HUGE difference between a 3.94 and a 3.88 when looking at T14 schools. As an AA URM (with admittedly poor softs) the only T14 school I've gotten into (so far, I guess) with a 164 and a 3.88 GPA is Georgetown. Didn't apply to Cornell until a couple weeks ago and also did not apply to NU nor Duke due to my poor WE and softs (I regret it). But I've gotten rejected by UMich, WL'd at UPenn, UVA, UChicago, Faculty Review at Berkeley, held at Harvard, and am still waiting to hear from NYU and Columbia.

So in other words, a ~164 MIGHT not be enough to cut it with a 3.88 unless your softs are better than mine. But if you keep your GPA up at that 3.9+ range, you might be looking at results more like Lawschoolprojects and less like mine lol Also, if you do score above a 167+ you might be able to really get some good T14 options. Maybe even with money. Just some food for thought.

Also, if you haven't already, I'd say head over to lawschoolnumbers.com and see what other MA URMs have done. Best of luck!

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clarion wrote:Personally, I think there's a HUGE difference between a 3.94 and a 3.88 when looking at T14 schools. As an AA URM (with admittedly poor softs) the only T14 school I've gotten into (so far, I guess) with a 164 and a 3.88 GPA is Georgetown. Didn't apply to Cornell until a couple weeks ago and also did not apply to NU nor Duke due to my poor WE and softs (I regret it). But I've gotten rejected by UMich, WL'd at UPenn, UVA, UChicago, Faculty Review at Berkeley, held at Harvard, and am still waiting to hear from NYU and Columbia.

So in other words, a ~164 MIGHT not be enough to cut it with a 3.88 unless your softs are better than mine. But if you keep your GPA up at that 3.9+ range, you might be looking at results more like Lawschoolprojects and less like mine lol Also, if you do score above a 167+ you might be able to really get some good T14 options. Maybe even with money. Just some food for thought.

Also, if you haven't already, I'd say head over to lawschoolnumbers.com and see what other MA URMs have done. Best of luck!

This. You hear stories of URMs with absurdly low numbers getting into T14, but clarion's (definitely a qualified applicant) story tells you otherwise. MA is also a considerably smaller boost than AA (and NA). Softs, recs, and essays also tend to matter more for URMs.

That said, a 167+ will have you into the T14, with Stanford not being out of the question. 171+ and I'd lay a heavy wager on you getting one of HYS. If you can't make it to 166 or so, consider ED-ing to a middle T-14 school you like (maybe Berkeley, which is grades-heavy).

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OP, I am also a MA URM with a low 160s score. You can check my profile for stats/acceptances. I'm a firm believer that my personal statement has been crucial to my acceptances. Work long and hard on your PS. Read it out loud many times. Make sure it flows. Have other people proofread it -- people who are strong writers, and who are willing to take the time necessary to give you good, constructive feedback. Tell an interesting story. Make sure your application has an overarching theme that is easily identifiable to adcomms.

I think the value of a strong PS is under appreciated on these boards. I wish you the best of luck!