Ivy League with a 150's LSAT? Forum

[ATR]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

[r6_philly]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

The person who got in...

And then he/she inspired a 700 more to apply this year.

I must say you have to have a dream no matter where you are currently, and no matter how tall the odds you are facing. You have to be in it to win it.

I have faced longer odds at times and won. You just have to try.

[ATR]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

The person who got in...

And then he/she inspired a 700 more to apply this year.

I must say you have to have a dream no matter where you are currently, and no matter how tall the odds you are facing. You have to be in it to win it.

I have faced longer odds at times and won. You just have to try.

Why not apply yourself to a freakin' retake or WE or something that, I dunno, actually would give you a better chance of getting in? 1/780 are tremendously terrible odds, even for someone who spews optimistic fluff.

[arism87]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

The person who got in...

And then he/she inspired a 700 more to apply this year.

I must say you have to have a dream no matter where you are currently, and no matter how tall the odds you are facing. You have to be in it to win it.

I have faced longer odds at times and won. You just have to try.

Why not apply yourself to a freakin' retake or WE or something that, I dunno, actually would give you a better chance of getting in? 1/780 are tremendously terrible odds, even for someone who spews optimistic fluff.

While I see the point, I appreciate optimistic fluff, FWIW

[Shaggier1]

Honestly, for all intents and purposes, it just does not happen. If you know you want to go to a top school, do everything within your power to raise that score.

I know what it feels like to think "but I did everything I could; I can't score any higher." I took the test three times, over the span of 3 years. I had to put in a lot of extra effort, and I put off law school longer than I had hoped I would have to; but I knew I wanted to be at a top school.Now I am and it was 100% worth it.

If you know for sure that you want to be at Cornell, you need to give yourself better odds. To sit and wonder if you might be one of the lightning-stricking-twice 150's who gets into X Top Law School is to bet the entire farm on a hail mary (and in this case, a hail mary thrown by a blind paraplegic*).

*OP not calling you out as incapable - just looking at the issue from a numbers perspective. IT is just so rare.

[d34d9823]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

The person who got in...

And then he/she inspired a 700 more to apply this year.

I must say you have to have a dream no matter where you are currently, and no matter how tall the odds you are facing. You have to be in it to win it.

I have faced longer odds at times and won. You just have to try.

The person who got in either has an Olympic medal or a father who endowed a building. It's not like you can get lucky - they actually read the applications.

[ATR]

While I see the point, I appreciate optimistic fluff, FWIW

Hey, there's nothing wrong with it. I only stress that one cannot bank on "beating the odds" in order to achieve what they want in life. Instead, people should try to best prepare themselves for evaluation time. After all, that's the mentality of most good posters on TLS w/r/t admissions. If you're not at URM and not at/above both school's medians, it's usually a crapshoot whether or not you'll get accepted.

[im_blue]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

The person who got in...

And then he/she inspired a 700 more to apply this year.

I must say you have to have a dream no matter where you are currently, and no matter how tall the odds you are facing. You have to be in it to win it.

I have faced longer odds at times and won. You just have to try.

780 x $75 = $58,500 in app fees, so I'd say taking that one guy was well worth it for Yale.

[arism87]

While I see the point, I appreciate optimistic fluff, FWIW

Hey, there's nothing wrong with it. I only stress that one cannot bank on "beating the odds" in order to achieve what they want in life. Instead, people should try to best prepare themselves for evaluation time. After all, that's the mentality of most good posters on TLS w/r/t admissions. If you're not at URM and not at/above both school's medians, it's usually a crapshoot whether or not you'll get accepted.

Agreed 100% but r6 wasn't suggesting that OP not prepare himself, only that it's occasionally worth taking that crapshoot for an unlikely outcome. The positivity is definitely refreshing, especially on TLS lol

[arism87]

Who in the hell would apply to Yale with a sub-160? What a tremendous waste of money.

The person who got in...

And then he/she inspired a 700 more to apply this year.

I must say you have to have a dream no matter where you are currently, and no matter how tall the odds you are facing. You have to be in it to win it.

I have faced longer odds at times and won. You just have to try.

780 x $75 = $58,500 in app fees, so I'd say taking that one guy was well worth it for Yale.

+1 I'm happy to be that person if you're out there, Yale...

[r6_philly]

While I see the point, I appreciate optimistic fluff, FWIW

Hey, there's nothing wrong with it. I only stress that one cannot bank on "beating the odds" in order to achieve what they want in life. Instead, people should try to best prepare themselves for evaluation time. After all, that's the mentality of most good posters on TLS w/r/t admissions. If you're not at URM and not at/above both school's medians, it's usually a crapshoot whether or not you'll get accepted.

Really? I beat out maybe 10000 people for a visa to come here. Out of luck because the consulate general's son went to the same school i was coming here for and he liked that. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to travel 1500 miles to apply at the end of the year where visa quotas are all filled up?

Sorry I am optimistic, but that's how my life changed.

[r6_philly]

Agreed 100% but r6 wasn't suggesting that OP not prepare himself, only that it's occasionally worth taking that crapshoot for an unlikely outcome. The positivity is definitely refreshing, especially on TLS lol

Thank you!!!!

For many in this world, the crapshoot IS the best chance you have at a life. What do you have to lose if you have nothing to lose?

[arism87]

Really? I beat out maybe 10000 people for a visa to come here. Out of luck because the consulate general's son went to the same school i was coming here for and he liked that. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to travel 1500 miles to apply at the end of the year where visa quotas are all filled up?

Sorry I am optimistic, but that's how my life changed.

r6 you're my favorite TLSer

[MissLucky]

Agreed 100% but r6 wasn't suggesting that OP not prepare himself, only that it's occasionally worth taking that crapshoot for an unlikely outcome. The positivity is definitely refreshing, especially on TLS lol

Thank you!!!!

For many in this world, the crapshoot IS the best chance you have at a life. What do you have to lose if you have nothing to lose?

I'm starting to become a fan of yours...

[r6_philly]

Really? I beat out maybe 10000 people for a visa to come here. Out of luck because the consulate general's son went to the same school i was coming here for and he liked that. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to travel 1500 miles to apply at the end of the year where visa quotas are all filled up?

Sorry I am optimistic, but that's how my life changed.

r6 you're my favorite TLSer

Really appreciate that now may we be classmates at Yale? Please Asha

[ATR]

Really? I beat out maybe 10000 people for a visa to come here. Out of luck because the consulate general's son went to the same school i was coming here for and he liked that. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to travel 1500 miles to apply at the end of the year where visa quotas are all filled up?

Sorry I am optimistic, but that's how my life changed.

That's an amazing story, but I meant my statement in the context of law school admissions. It's worth mentioning that you had a "leg up" on a proportion of the other applicants for a visa since consulate general's son went to the same school to which you were applying. Not much, but that type of thing often helps - no need to tell you that.

TL;DR --- I meant my comments to apply to law school admissions.

[r6_philly]

I'm starting to become a fan of yours...

Don't be fooled by all this nice/positive stuff, I am coarse and blunt at many times. I do however, "keep it real"

You guys are too nice, hope to meet you all in the Spring here and there.

[r6_philly]

Really? I beat out maybe 10000 people for a visa to come here. Out of luck because the consulate general's son went to the same school i was coming here for and he liked that. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to travel 1500 miles to apply at the end of the year where visa quotas are all filled up?

Sorry I am optimistic, but that's how my life changed.

That's an amazing story, but I meant my statement in the context of law school admissions. It's worth mentioning that you had a "leg up" on a proportion of the other applicants for a visa since consulate general's son went to the same school to which you were applying. Not much, but that type of thing often helps - no need to tell you that.

TL;DR --- I meant my comments to apply to law school admissions.

Ok so you are a poor orphan who struggled through life but still managed to get into a state school while living in shelter. You worked hard and get a 4.0 in UG but was unable to afford LSAT materials or prep courses and end up scoring a 159, still some 8-10 points above national median. You decide to apply because you don't have the resources to improve, or maybe you just don't know that you can/need/should retake for a 170. Then maybe someone at a top school want to take 1 student for social equity sake... Look at my story, there was no way to predict/guarantee that it would happen, but just by a stroke of luck. If I went in earlier that day I may have met with a different official and got denied, which means I will be working in a factory somewhere in SW China right now. You never know, maybe you were childhood friends with the dean before you were orphaned. (yes, however unlikely) but you will never know unless you try.

I guess you have to be extremely disadvantaged to fully understand the hopelessness. You know why only poor people waste money buy lottery? it's not like they don't understand the odds.

It's ok. they will continue to apply, and 1 out of 700 will continue to realize an amazing dream regardless. I root for that person.

[r6_philly]

Really? I beat out maybe 10000 people for a visa to come here. Out of luck because the consulate general's son went to the same school i was coming here for and he liked that. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to travel 1500 miles to apply at the end of the year where visa quotas are all filled up?

Sorry I am optimistic, but that's how my life changed.

That's an amazing story, but I meant my statement in the context of law school admissions. It's worth mentioning that you had a "leg up" on a proportion of the other applicants for a visa since consulate general's son went to the same school to which you were applying. Not much, but that type of thing often helps - no need to tell you that.

TL;DR --- I meant my comments to apply to law school admissions.

BTW, I just want to make sure you know that it was completely random, and I had no idea that was the case. I went knowing I was just another one of the 10000 Chinese kids who wants to come over here to go to school.

[ATR]

Extreme cases are obviously different. In general, though, I doubt most of those sub-160s had stories similar to the one you outlined above. Look, I believe in making breaks and beating the odds, but for a plurality of those applicants, the $75 wasn't worth it. Plain and simple.

[r6_philly]

Extreme cases are obviously different. In general, though, I doubt most of those sub-160s had stories similar to the one you outlined above. Look, I believe in making breaks and beating the odds, but for a plurality of those applicants, the $75 wasn't worth it. Plain and simple.

Of course not, but that one who got taken, probably did.

[arism87]

Extreme cases are obviously different. In general, though, I doubt most of those sub-160s had stories similar to the one you outlined above. Look, I believe in making breaks and beating the odds, but for a plurality of those applicants, the $75 wasn't worth it. Plain and simple.

That's quite an assumption! We don't know what $75 is worth to other people.

I applied to Yale (granted it's somewhat more likely for me) just so I wouldn't regret it later. That's worth $75 to me at this point in my life.

[ATR]

Haha, fine. I'll put it as simply as possible: I don't think it's worth applying with sub-25% stats as a non-URM and without a unique element to your application unless you have a fee waiver.

Where are all of the other realists/pessimists to back me up?

[whymeohgodno]

Nothing wrong with applying places where your numbers are well below 25th. Just don't expect much.

[ATR]

Nothing wrong with applying places where your numbers are well below 25th. Just don't expect much anything.

FTFY (IMO)