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3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 7:28 am
by SamuelJ.H
Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 9:37 am
by smilingorch
SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
Honestly, the only answer is no one knows. You seem like a strong applicant overall. I got into Columbia with a 3.5 LSAC GPA and much lower LSAT than you, and I applied mid-Jan, was never waitlisted nor held. So, honestly, broke all of the "rules" of how to be a competitive applicant. Some people say HYS may have GPA floors. I can't attest to that, but I do know that in the admissions packet Stanford sent out, some admitted students had lower GPAs, so I don't think it will automatically kill your apps.
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 1:42 pm
by hammy393
SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
Would be surprised if you do not get into a T6. Have a shot at H. Good luck!
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 1:47 pm
by cheaptilts
SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
You're basically a hair below Harvard's unofficial floor for AA candidates. You'll get into Chicago/Columbia, toss-up at H, and I'd guess you'd be out at YS.
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 1:49 pm
by grades??
cheaptilts wrote:SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
You're basically a hair below Harvard's unofficial floor for AA candidates. You'll get into Chicago/Columbia, toss-up at H, and I'd guess you'd be out at YS.
Agreed. Out at YS for sure. Id give op a 30-40% chance at H, then 80%+ at CC
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 6:39 pm
by alpha kenny body
SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
Same exact circumstances (race/ses), one point higher on lsat, and .2 higher gpa. I'm off to H in the fall.
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 6:42 pm
by grades??
fips tedora wrote:SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
Same exact circumstances (race/ses), one point higher on lsat, and .2 higher gpa. I'm off to H in the fall.
That .2 gpa difference is a big difference here, considering H's gpa floor for URMs is a 3.5. That means you are over that floor, but OP is still below. Best of luck at H.
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 1:26 pm
by hammy393
Very limited sample size but this is data for AA only, 170-175,3.4-3.49:
http://mylsn.info/f5hlse/
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 12:39 am
by SamuelJ.H
Thank you guys, appreciate the feedback

Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 7:58 am
by Drea
grades?? wrote:fips tedora wrote:SamuelJ.H wrote:Hey folks, details in the description - 3.48 LSAC GPA. 172 LSAT (not retaking, ever.)
Upward trend in GPA. Two excellent letters of recommendation, one is by a professor who mentions, something to the effect of,
'one of the most intellectually minded students i've taught in 10 years as professor', 'top 1% class', 'well versed in U.S. political thought'.
I had one essay published with that same professor on an online journal.
Heritage:
Father is black, mother white. Well-to-do family.
Undergrad:
Top 30 based in california (UCI)
I'm interested in Columbia and up. My clear downfall is my low gpa...
i'd appreciate second, third, etc. opinions on chances. Brutal honesty is the best medicine for hubris.
Thanks!
Same exact circumstances (race/ses), one point higher on lsat, and .2 higher gpa. I'm off to H in the fall.
That .2 gpa difference is a big difference here, considering H's gpa floor for URMs is a 3.5. That means you are over that floor, but OP is still below. Best of luck at H.
There's no floor.
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:54 am
by G_willy
I am going to chime in and say that S and Y seem to have GPA floors. I don't want to discourage you from applying, obviously apply! My advice, perhaps attach an addendum explaining why your GPA is <3.5. Hopefully you have a GPA that is trending upwards. If you do, you are in much better shape. An LSAT >170 though is going to turn heads in the t6. I'd say you are a lock at CCN, in at H most likely, Y/S are a stretch but write a strategic addendum and apply.
Just go to LSN and throw the URM filter on and it'll give you a better idea. Remember LSN numbers are self reported and likely bias upwards.
Re: 3.48, 172, half AA.
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:35 am
by Wild Card
I have about a dozen URM acquaintances with 3.9X/16X who were shoe-ins at every law school besides YLS.
I think you're a lock at CCN, if that's all you're looking for. They probably won't give you any money, though...