AA Male, 3.93/158, please help! Forum

[Shooting4TheStars]

Hey all, I could use some real help getting my thoughts together.

After PT'ing in the low 160's I received my Oct LSAT score yesterday of 158. I'm pretty bummed - I was hoping to at least break the 160 mark. My GPA right now is a 3.926. I'm hoping to break into T10 with hopes of judicial clerkship then biglaw for a bit and an eventual return to academia (law school prof). Stanford was my #1, but given my LSAT score, that may not be possible.

Softs: AA Male, first generation college student, part-time work all 4 years of college, organization president 2 years, AmeriCorps Summer Associate, 2 legal internships, co-editor of a book, work with disadvantaged youth re: higher education

In short, at this point I am thinking about ED'ing to Chicago. Other places I would hope to go:

Stanford (Will a horrible LSAT score preclude me from getting in despite GPA at their 75%?)
Chicago
UPenn
NYU
Berkeley

I cannot foresee myself taking December due to lack of adequate prep time. If I don't get in to the places I really want to go, I'm really leaning towards getting a job for a year (PeaceCorps/AmeriCorps or something, maybe) during which I would study to retake the LSAT and apply the following cycle.

Could use some help - I don't really know anyone to talk to about this. My counselors at my school haven't been the most supportive about my hopes for T10 and don't seem to know much about getting there in general.

Thanks!

[BruceWayne]

You need to retake. That's the bad news. The good news is that all you need to do is score about 2 points higher. As long as you get a 160 you should have no problem getting into the schools you want. I would strongly consider doing TFA/Peace Corps regardless.

[lawprospie]

We are in the same boat. I got a 158 too! Efff our lives. I was thinking about ED-ing to Chicago as well, but I'm going for that Dec retake. I've always gone to "elite," schools...I can't chance it and you shouldn't either...buckle down for a month and get that >160

[Nova]

I cannot foresee myself taking December due to lack of adequate prep time. If I don't get in to the places I really want to go, I'm really leaning towards getting a job for a year (PeaceCorps/AmeriCorps or something, maybe) during which I would study to retake the LSAT and apply the following cycle.

You should retake. A few more points will change everything. You have already built a strong foundation. Now you just need to build on it and perform on test day.

This thread should give some persepective, http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=195443

[Shooting4TheStars]

I understand a higher LSAT score would make a world of difference. Right now though, I don't have adequate prep time for December. I really need to focus to make sure my GPA stays where it is while bouncing around work and other things.

I am still going to apply this cycle and see how things turn out - maybe they will work out in my favor. I am content with taking a year off to work and study for the LSAT so that I can attend my/one of my dream school(s). I really don't want to settle for less - I did for undergrad.

[PickledPanda]

I understand a higher LSAT score would make a world of difference. Right now though, I don't have adequate prep time for December. I really need to focus to make sure my GPA stays where it is while bouncing around work and other things.

I am still going to apply this cycle and see how things turn out - maybe they will work out in my favor. I am content with taking a year off to work and study for the LSAT so that I can attend my/one of my dream school(s). I really don't want to settle for less - I did for undergrad.

If you're going to apply anyway, then best of luck. You earned a great GPA and outside of TLS world that's a good LSAT. The above posters are right about the benefit of getting even a couple more points, but if the retake isn't an option you should still see success both in your cycle and your law school career.

[PickledPanda]

Stanford (Will a horrible LSAT score preclude me from getting in despite GPA at their 75%?)
Chicago
UPenn
NYU
Berkeley

Stanford Usually a 160 floor per their website (Will a horrible LSAT score preclude me from getting in despite GPA at their 75%?)
Chicago- A shot
UPenn- Probable
NYU- Probable
Berkeley- Very Probable

[flawsandall]

I definitely would not doubt yourself with that score and GPA as an AA male. Last cycle, one AA male with your stats got into Cornell and another AA with 3.7 (ish)/160 got into Harvard. Law school is definitely a numbers game, but I can tell you with my experience last year, you might be surprised. I was an AA female two (now three years) out of undergrad doing TFA with masters. First LSAT attempt was 151 - I was shocked/disappointed (especially with my 3.2 GPA...from T10 school but still) but with my few waiver, I decided to give it a try anyway. At the end of the cycle, I was waitlisted at Northwestern, Waitlist-accept at UCLA (no $$), and also got into a bunch of other decent schools such as Fordham and Notre Dame. This gave me more confidence as an applicant and allowed me to see that those in admissions must DEFINITELY be looking at my application holistically and/or that my resume speaks volumes in some capacity. I did not accept UCLA because I realized if I could pull that off with that score, I could probably get into even higher ranked schools with $$$ by pulling a higher score. So, if you find yourself out of luck this cycle (which i doubt you will), maybe those TFA or peace corps pursuits will be just what adcomms want to see with your application in the future.

Good luck to everyone! let's make this our cycle!!