I have NO idea Forum

[Volo]

Facts: I am a senior in UG, dual major and I finish in May. I studied my tail end off this past semester for the LSAT but only pulled a 160. I studied quite a bit but I had 7 upper level classes and by the time the test came around I was mentally finished and I scored well below my average (170-172).

Where I stand: I applied to a hand full of schools and have received a full ride at my local state school in Wyoming. I really wanted to go to a T-20 law school as to get out of my state for awhile and to get a chance to make sure that taking over my grandfathers law practice in Wyoming is what I wanted to do. At this point my parents are telling me to go to Wyoming, take the scholly and very lucrative practice and be done with it. However, ever since I can remember going to a school such as Georgetown or UVA for law is something I have always wanted. I proposed to them a year off to retake the exam without all of my UG work so that I could hit my average and attend a school of my liking but they think I am crazy to throw away a year of income (promised 120K start up from my grandfather with 200K at 30 and near 500K at 45 as soon as I get out).

What would you do if you were in my position?

[jdhopeful11]

Facts: I am a senior in UG, dual major and I finish in May. I studied my tail end off this past semester for the LSAT but only pulled a 160. I studied quite a bit but I had 7 upper level classes and by the time the test came around I was mentally finished and I scored well below my average (170-172).

Where I stand: I applied to a hand full of schools and have received a full ride at my local state school in Wyoming. I really wanted to go to a T-20 law school as to get out of my state for awhile and to get a chance to make sure that taking over my grandfathers law practice in Wyoming is what I wanted to do. At this point my parents are telling me to go to Wyoming, take the scholly and very lucrative practice and be done with it. However, ever since I can remember going to a school such as Georgetown or UVA for law is something I have always wanted. I proposed to them a year off to retake the exam without all of my UG work so that I could hit my average and attend a school of my liking but they think I am crazy to through away a year of income (promised 120K start up from my grandfather with 200K at 30 and near 500K at 45 as soon as I get out).

What would you do if you were in my position?

apply to brooklyn law school and get the F outta wyoming.....or apply to a bunch of schools now

[narkizopoint]

Wait a year

[20121109]

Edit: Just saw it. Don't waste your great GPA. Retake and go to T14 with a great scholarship.

If you know you can do better, why not retake and go to a higher ranked school? Your grandfather's practice will still be there for you no matter what you decide. Go with what you want.

[iShotFirst]

If you dont go to law school now, is your grandfather's offer off the table? Probably not. No matter when you go to law school his offer will always be open to you. I'd take a year, study hard, and do something enjoyable for a year. You are still young, lots of time to take your grandfather up on his offer. You owe it to yourself to see what options you can get in life without just following your family's plans for you... unless that is what you really want.

[nyjag22]

Don't forget that you can transfer...

[Volo]

I do not want to bank on transferring. I took a look at LSN and it seems that out of all applicants my application was the most competitive (#'s wise) but I am feeling pretty burnt out from UG.

[Volo]

I am looking for more insightful posts if anyone has anything. Right now my mind changes everyday as to what I should do.

[iShotFirst]

I do not want to bank on transferring. I took a look at LSN and it seems that out of all applicants my application was the most competitive (#'s wise) but I am feeling pretty burnt out from UG.

Do yourself a favour and take a year off, work a bit, go and live in Asia or Europe or something, screw around before you go to LS. With such a great offer from your grandfather you have a great advantage and some real freedom in your life, take the chance!

[Sangiovese]

If it has truly been a longstanding dream to go to a top school and you actually were testing 10 points higher than you scored then I would wait a year and give it another shot. It seems silly to throw away your dream just so you can hurry up and get on with what other people want you to do.

Along with preparing for the exam, it seems like you should be able to work with your grandfather in the meantime and really get a feel for the day to day operation (and a year of paralegal-type experience to put on the resume). The work experience may not be particularly helpful for your next cycle, but it should give you a better idea of what's in store for you if you take over the family biz.

A year is a small price to pay to skip a lifetime of "what-ifs" (especially if the year is spent in a productive fashion).

[Volo]

anyone else want to weigh in? Thanks to all that did, this is going to be a very tough decision.

[09042014]

Facts: I am a senior in UG, dual major and I finish in May. I studied my tail end off this past semester for the LSAT but only pulled a 160. I studied quite a bit but I had 7 upper level classes and by the time the test came around I was mentally finished and I scored well below my average (170-172).

Where I stand: I applied to a hand full of schools and have received a full ride at my local state school in Wyoming. I really wanted to go to a T-20 law school as to get out of my state for awhile and to get a chance to make sure that taking over my grandfathers law practice in Wyoming is what I wanted to do. At this point my parents are telling me to go to Wyoming, take the scholly and very lucrative practice and be done with it. However, ever since I can remember going to a school such as Georgetown or UVA for law is something I have always wanted. I proposed to them a year off to retake the exam without all of my UG work so that I could hit my average and attend a school of my liking but they think I am crazy to through away a year of income (promised 120K start up from my grandfather with 200K at 30 and near 500K at 45 as soon as I get out).

What would you do if you were in my position?

120K in Wyoming with little debt? If you like it there, I'd take the full ride there.

[TheBigMediocre]

I read his post three times and can't find his GPA. Am I missing something here?

[Nom Sawyer]

Facts: I am a senior in UG, dual major and I finish in May. I studied my tail end off this past semester for the LSAT but only pulled a 160. I studied quite a bit but I had 7 upper level classes and by the time the test came around I was mentally finished and I scored well below my average (170-172).

Where I stand: I applied to a hand full of schools and have received a full ride at my local state school in Wyoming. I really wanted to go to a T-20 law school as to get out of my state for awhile and to get a chance to make sure that taking over my grandfathers law practice in Wyoming is what I wanted to do. At this point my parents are telling me to go to Wyoming, take the scholly and very lucrative practice and be done with it. However, ever since I can remember going to a school such as Georgetown or UVA for law is something I have always wanted. I proposed to them a year off to retake the exam without all of my UG work so that I could hit my average and attend a school of my liking but they think I am crazy to through away a year of income (promised 120K start up from my grandfather with 200K at 30 and near 500K at 45 as soon as I get out).

What would you do if you were in my position?

120K in Wyoming with little debt? If you like it there, I'd take the full ride there.

looks like he'll be spending the rest of his life in Wyoming tho... might as well take 3 years and live somewhere else

10 points is a big difference between your PTs and actual LSAT, i'd retake and reapply with a 170+.. u'll def get into several T14s if u hit that score

[hannah87]

i found the post about the high gpa (3.93) but i'm confused because the rest of the post does not add up with this story...

"Hey all,

First time poster but I will get to the point.

I am a 4th year student with a 3.93 LSDAS GPA, however, I have tanked the LSAT 3 times running.

I took the June 2009 test and canceled because I was sick

I took the September 2009 test and received a score of a 154

I took the December 2009 test and received a score of a 159

I took all of these tests with VERY little prep as everyone around me said it was strictly an aptitude test. After doing some research I have come to discover that it is a learnable test and can be mastered. My plan was to study and take it again in June 2010 and apply early next year but LSAC informed me that I have maxed out my attemps? Is there anyway to bypass this limit? or am I just out of options?"

did you study your tail off or do very little prep?

[hank44]

Just curious here, where do you get the 200k at 30 and 500k at 45 idea from? In Wyoming.

[The Zeppelin]

Can I take over the practice in Wy?

[nycparalegal]

OP,

Your GPA is fantastic. If you wanted, you have a law firm practice to take over. You have a full ride to your state law school.

But, you want to wait a year, retake and see how much better you can do?

I say take the year off, get a job, and study your tail off.

[Volo]

i found the post about the high gpa (3.93) but i'm confused because the rest of the post does not add up with this story...

"Hey all,

First time poster but I will get to the point.

I am a 4th year student with a 3.93 LSDAS GPA, however, I have tanked the LSAT 3 times running.

I took the June 2009 test and canceled because I was sick

I took the September 2009 test and received a score of a 154

I took the December 2009 test and received a score of a 159

I took all of these tests with VERY little prep as everyone around me said it was strictly an aptitude test. After doing some research I have come to discover that it is a learnable test and can be mastered. My plan was to study and take it again in June 2010 and apply early next year but LSAC informed me that I have maxed out my attemps? Is there anyway to bypass this limit? or am I just out of options?"

did you study your tail off or do very little prep?

I studied hard, just not effectively due to not knowing the proper material.

[Volo]

Just curious here, where do you get the 200k at 30 and 500k at 45 idea from? In Wyoming.

That is what his current people are making at my age in his firm. It has around 30 total. A lot of energy work.

[hannah87]

I studied hard, just not effectively due to not knowing the proper material.

gotcha. i agree with most here- take the time to study properly, take a course if you need to, and don't take it again until you're PTing where you want to score. good luck!

[Volo]

Thanks for all the responses thus far. I will keep everyone informed with what decision I choose, however, my family is offering me some very nice incentives to sweeten the deal to take the scholly so we shall see what happens. However, at the end of the day I do not want to feel like I sold myself short of a quality education to satisfy someone else. Always open to more advice if any of you have any.

[Volo]

Thought I would update - I am attending the ASW for Wy. but I am still unsure as to what path to take.
Part of me is saying to start prepping now and take it in June so if you will know if you can do better or not, however, with all the UG work I have I would be in the same boat I was in this past fall when I tried to pull that off.

[r6_philly]

Take the summer to study and take the test in Sept. Get the rest of your apps together and ready to go and submit as soon as scores come back.

[ndpfn]

I'm just gonna thrown this out there: If your situation with your grandfather's practice is legit, and if the numbers he threw out there are legit, and if it's a practice that isn't struggling ITE, take the money from WY and run.

That's an awesome position to be in. To have something lined up like that at this point in your life is amazing. Why take a year off and (potentially) go 100k in the hole just to end up back in WY at the end of the day?

Now, if you really want to get out of WY for a while, chase the biglaw dream, etc., then by all means go for it.

But, if you have a pretty good idea that you'll end up back at your grandfather's practice anyway, why not just do it now?

My $0.02