What are my chances... Forum

[ARJ1528]

I just recently applied to more than a dozen law schools. Most of them I applied to granted fee waivers, so I thought mine as well just apply. Anyways, I have a 3.66 G.P.A in political science, 150/152 LSAT, and I am a URM (Puerto Rican/Cuban). I guess I'm just looking for a second opinion. Lawschoolnumbers.com and the lsac calculator can only do so much. The list of schools I applied to are as follows:

Catholic University (Part-time)
Depaul University (Part-time)
University of Florida
Florida International University
Florida State University
Gonzaga
Indiana University- Indianapolis (Part-time)
Loyola University Chicago (Part-time)
Marquette University (Part-time)
University of Miami
Nova Southeastern University
University of the Pacific (Part-time)
Penn State (They didn't give a part-time option so I'm assuming they may offer part-time if full-time is unavailable... not sure to be honest)
University of Pittsburgh (Part-time)
St. Johns University (Part-time)
St. Thomas University
Southern Methodist University (Part-time)
Stetson University
Chicago-Kent (Part-time)

[usuaggie]

hard to give you advice, I'm not sure on how much URM will help with a low lsat. However, I can tell you that Penn State does not have a part time option at all anymore.

in my opinion, just feeling it out I would say

maybe-yes for:
gonzaga
pacific
I don't know a lot about some of the other ones

probably no to maybe:
florida
fsu
penn state

but with a list that big, don't worry, you'll get some offers. Good Luck!

p.s. there is an entire thread for what your chances are

[vanwinkle]

Apply to Illinois and Notre Dame. Seriously.

[Grizz]

Apply to Illinois and Notre Dame. Seriously.

You must know something I don't because LSP put OP in the <%5 at/below.

Also, a bunch of those schools are probably not worth going to unless you can go for free or severely discounted. Debt is real, and going to many of these schools and not being top of the class / law review might earn you a job you hate for very little money. Just keep that in mind.

[vanwinkle]

OP is URM with a respectable GPA. Illinois and Notre Dame are schools that seem to value the Personal Statement a little more and that want to increase URM enrollment, so I think they're good reaches for him.

LSP is not very accurate when it comes to URM cycles. This is a known issue. I am not saying he's certain to get into either school, but I'd put the odds of getting into at least one of them at about 50%.

[macattaq]

Can you take a year off, and retake? It'd be a shame to waste your GPA. With some serious hard work and dedication, you may be able to get your score up to 160+. At that point, with URM status, you could be looking at T14, but definitely T50+.

[ARJ1528]

Can you take a year off, and retake? It'd be a shame to waste your GPA. With some serious hard work and dedication, you may be able to get your score up to 160+. At that point, with URM status, you could be looking at T14, but definitely T50+.

I have considered taking a year off to study, especially when I was consistently scoring 160-163 on all my practice tests. Unfortunately however, nerves get the best of me and I end up completely losing focus during the real test. The truth is, I'm not sure if I want to lose a year and risk being unable to exponentially increase my score.

As for the potential debt/job prospects of attending any of these law schools, I'm not really too worried about. A family friend who runs a mid-size firm here in South Florida promised a job regardless of what school I attend. And if the job offer does not follow through, my mom who has worked for the Federal Government for nearly 30 years can provide references to get me into the agencies who frequently hire attorneys. i.e. F.B.I., C.I.A. etc... 10 years in the public service and I believe any educational debt accrued during schooling is waived.

[macattaq]

Can you take a year off, and retake? It'd be a shame to waste your GPA. With some serious hard work and dedication, you may be able to get your score up to 160+. At that point, with URM status, you could be looking at T14, but definitely T50+.

I have considered taking a year off to study, especially when I was consistently scoring 160-163 on all my practice tests. Unfortunately however, nerves get the best of me and I end up completely losing focus during the real test. The truth is, I'm not sure if I want to lose a year and risk being unable to exponentially increase my score.

As for the potential debt/job prospects of attending any of these law schools, I'm not really too worried about. A family friend who runs a mid-size firm here in South Florida promised a job regardless of what school I attend. And if the job offer does not follow through, my mom who has worked for the Federal Government for nearly 30 years can provide references to get me into the agencies who frequently hire attorneys. i.e. F.B.I., C.I.A. etc... 10 years in the public service and I believe any educational debt accrued during schooling is waived.

Let's put it this way. Say you take a year off, work, stack some cash, retake and end up with the same or similar score. The only thing that has changed is that you have money in the bank when you go to law school, and that will certainly help. You're not any worse off, and the economy may have improved some, which could mean even better job prospects than if you had started this cycle. On the other hand, you take a year off, work, stack some cash, retake, and end up with a much better score. Now you're at a better school, with more opportunities, and money in the bank. That's all I'm saying.

[ARJ1528]

Can you take a year off, and retake? It'd be a shame to waste your GPA. With some serious hard work and dedication, you may be able to get your score up to 160+. At that point, with URM status, you could be looking at T14, but definitely T50+.

I have considered taking a year off to study, especially when I was consistently scoring 160-163 on all my practice tests. Unfortunately however, nerves get the best of me and I end up completely losing focus during the real test. The truth is, I'm not sure if I want to lose a year and risk being unable to exponentially increase my score.

As for the potential debt/job prospects of attending any of these law schools, I'm not really too worried about. A family friend who runs a mid-size firm here in South Florida promised a job regardless of what school I attend. And if the job offer does not follow through, my mom who has worked for the Federal Government for nearly 30 years can provide references to get me into the agencies who frequently hire attorneys. i.e. F.B.I., C.I.A. etc... 10 years in the public service and I believe any educational debt accrued during schooling is waived.

Let's put it this way. Say you take a year off, work, stack some cash, retake and end up with the same or similar score. The only thing that has changed is that you have money in the bank when you go to law school, and that will certainly help. You're not any worse off, and the economy may have improved some, which could mean even better job prospects than if you had started this cycle. On the other hand, you take a year off, work, stack some cash, retake, and end up with a much better score. Now you're at a better school, with more opportunities, and money in the bank. That's all I'm saying.

Well, I'll most definitely take what you say into consideration. Upon browsing these forums, I find that a retake may be in my best interest. I'm just worried about being out of school for a year and what effect that will have on my focus for school. I will however see how this admission cycle plays out. If I do end up taking a year off, like you said it can't really hurt. I'm still fairly young (recently turned 21), so a year off studying shouldn't be too bad.