tamoki wrote:Hi there,
Hope you all are well and happy new year! I'm wondering if someone can help me decide whether applying early with a lower 150 LSAT score from 5 years ago is wiser than retaking the LSAT on the last acceptable date in February to achieve a higher score. UVA and Penn Law have both notified me that they would accept either score but I am still unsure about applying later in the cycle even if I have a higher score. Being a DMV native, UVA Law is my top choice but if anyone recommends that I head back to Philly because Penn is ranked one spot higher than UVA, I'll happily consider moving.
DISCLAIMER: Here's a bit about my background that may help. I graduated from Penn undergrad in 2012, completed the Teach For America corps in Detroit, MI and worked on TFA staff for a couple of years after that. I then went through the law school application process during 2015 for the first time and got the 150 on the LSAT that same year. On a personal note, I was illegally placed on medication that prevented me from doing my best on the test. Despite this, I got a full ride to Detroit Mercy's law school.I unfortunately dropped out and had to flee Michigan because I was in an abusive relationship. After that, I lucklily began my Master's at GW in International Education and worked in Paris briefly as a UNESCO fellow. I graduated in May 2019 but am waiting for my degree to be conferred because I worked on my thesis after graduating. GPA at Penn was 3.38 and at GW is 3.85. Please share any helpful advice and thanks in advance
The problem is that you seem to be thinking about this as though you have these special things to offer outside of the #'s that will dictate your cycle - like that you did TFA, went to an Ivy, did a masters, etc. The TFA and Ivy league background are soft factors that may make some difference, but only at the margins. The reality (and this may seem dehumanizing) is that all you really have to offer a school is that you are a racial minority. To make the most of this boost, you need one of your #'s to hit a median.
The 3.38 UGPA won't. Your graduate GPA is irrelevant so you need a better LSAT. I wouldn't list your medication or abusive relationship because the reality is that the LSAT is something you can always retake so from a school's perspective, if a bad relationship and medication impacted your LSAT score 5 years ago, it's odd why you wouldn't take it again in the past 5 years. If you had a 160 then an addendum explaining what happened 5 years ago makes sense. Now, I'd see it as disingenuous because I'd be asking myself why you didn't retake the test in 5 years if that's true.
The full ride to Mercy isn't really relevant, because you're speaking about some of the most competitive schools in the country as compared to one of the least competitive. I'd retake and not rush the process. I've released free guides on here for many LR q types that you can use to help you study.
It is good that you're receptive to criticism, but I'd urge you to feel special inside your heart but go into the application process with the idea that you are just numbers because for better or worse, that's how many schools see every applicant. You can complain that is dehumanizing or accept it for what it is, and succeed under the circumstances.
