What should I do? Forum

[pre-law1205]

I took the February LSAT and scored a 145 (Terrible I know). I had been scoring in the high 150's when I was taking practice tests. I am gonig to re-take the text this summer/Fall. I currently have about a 3.1, I am the SGA Vice President at my university, and I am a minority student. What are my chances of getting into a top 40 law school? How should I improve my chances? I am also in a number of clubs and I have worked for the last couple of years.

[thwalls]

With a 3.1, as a URM, you should be aiming for the high 160's if you want to break into T40. To be completely honest, it's not that hard to go from a 145 to a 160 - I did by working my butt off. What was harder for me, was going from a 160 to a 165 consistently under timed conditions. Those last few points are the hardest to get. You can't change your GPA so the LSAT is all you have. You need to study for this test with that in mind.

[pre-law1205]

I am multi racial (Black/White). Does that give any advantage? I also have an upward grade trand. I will have a 3.67 for my Junior/Senior classes.

[thwalls]

I am multi racial (Black/White). Does that give any advantage? I also have an upward grade trand. I will have a 3.67 for my Junior/Senior classes.

To be honest, the URM status is a huge factor. The upward grade trend is helpful, but like most other "softs" it's really only going to help you if they're deciding by a very small margin. As in deciding whether to accept or WL you. The biggest factor in all of this, unfortunately, is your LSAT score.

Maybe someday they'll have a more holistic approach, but with the number of people that are applying I guess they need a quick measurement to separate the wheat from the chaff. The LSAT is a teachable test. Study hard and you'll do alright. And when I say hard, I mean that you should be devoting hours to this exam on a daily basis. While I was in school I would usually devote the hours between 9 and midnight on weekdays and then 4 hours on saturdays and sundays. You should work the exams, then go over them and find out what you did wrong on every wrong answer and then take the exam again. That's all I really did, and then I also got the LG bible and the LR bible. But FWIW, the LR bible felt like a waste of money, though I still read it cover to cover.

[jdhonest]

1. crack 160. This is imperative.
2. Top 40 means very little. This isn't a billboard chart. You need to aim top 20 or top 14. Top 14 will be hard given the 3.1
3. Work experience is your friend. The more prestigious, the better.

Good luck!

[pre-law1205]

Would getting a master's help any (M.B.A., M.P.A., M.A., M.S., ect)? My undergrad is political science/Business/Psychology. I did a interdisciplinary degree.

[savesthedayajb]

Fuck everything else. Get that LSAT up as high as you possibly can. A couple points on the test is worth a lot more than any job with the exception of the spectacular.

[newyorker88]

No chance at a tier 1 with a 145 LSAT even if they do consider you a URM. also top 40 is very arbitray. the usual categories are tier 1,2,3,4 and within the tier 1 t14. For a URM I'm not sure if they would consider you one but for a URM with a 3.1 a 165 or better would put you in pretty good shape for t14.

[Pleasye]

No chance at a tier 1 with a 145 LSAT even if they do consider you a URM. also top 40 is very arbitray. the usual categories are tier 1,2,3,4 and within the tier 1 t14. For a URM I'm not sure if they would consider you one but for a URM with a 3.1 a 165 or better would put you in pretty good shape for t14.

why would he/she not be considered a URM?

[newyorker88]

No chance at a tier 1 with a 145 LSAT even if they do consider you a URM. also top 40 is very arbitray. the usual categories are tier 1,2,3,4 and within the tier 1 t14. For a URM I'm not sure if they would consider you one but for a URM with a 3.1 a 165 or better would put you in pretty good shape for t14.

why would he/she not be considered a URM?

I'm not sure how biracial applicants are typically viewed.