International student! lsat - 159, UGA - 3.67. What next? Forum

[rvegas]

I got a 159 on the June 2010 LSAT.
I am an international student. Recieved a 3.66 UGPA from one of India's better schools.

Which schools do I have a reasonable chance of getting into?

What are law schools perception of foreign applicants?

Should I attempt to retake the LSAT?

Any kind of help would be appreciated! Thank you.

[kazu]

159 is pretty low.. are you sure you want to go to a U.S. law school? Considering the schools you're eligible for w/ a 159 LSAT score (I'm thinking probably none in T1), and the amount of debt you have to take on, and the fact that as an international student you won't be eligible for U.S. government student loans...I'm just really curious why you want to get a JD.

I usually don't say this to international applicants, but in your case I am sort of

[bk1]

Yes definitely retake the LSAT.

[rvegas]

Hi Kazu,
I appreciate your concern. I was unaware that a 159 was that low. Honestly based on my research (albeit not exhaustive because of my location and limited access) T1 refers to the top 50 schools and my LSAT score does have some potential there.

I am seriously considering writing the LSAT again to better my score. I don't think I'm going to completely reconsider going to a US Law school though.

Anyhow, thank you for your input.

[bk1]

For top schools, a 159 is low. As an international student, you should be make sure that your LSAT is above schools' medians if at all possible.

T1 is a relatively meaningless term that USNWR uses to differentiate law schools. Probably the best way to rank schools is by job prospects and somewhere around 30-35 they start to drop off dramatically, often in cases where you are getting to the 3rd or 4th school in the same region, though there are exceptions. In this economy, you definitely want to put yourself into the best school possible or at least the best scholarship possible if you choose a lower ranked school. You get 3 chances to take the LSAT every 2 years and the vast majority of schools only consider your top score. So put as much time as you can into the LSAT, it will pay off later.

[kazu]

For top schools, a 159 is low. As an international student, you should be make sure that your LSAT is above schools' medians if at all possible.

T1 is a relatively meaningless term that USNWR uses to differentiate law schools. Probably the best way to rank schools is by job prospects and somewhere around 30-35 they start to drop off dramatically, often in cases where you are getting to the 3rd or 4th school in the same region, though there are exceptions. In this economy, you definitely want to put yourself into the best school possible or at least the best scholarship possible if you choose a lower ranked school. You get 3 chances to take the LSAT every 2 years and the vast majority of schools only consider your top score. So put as much time as you can into the LSAT, it will pay off later.

Yeah, I think I equated in my head "T1 = school worth going abroad for a JD", not strictly the top 50.

bk187's advice is very credited. I'd definitely say retake as well, aiming for at least a +5 score increase. Law schools don't differentiate between domestic/international when handing out merit-based scholarships, so every point counts.

[im_blue]

Your LSAT score is too low for a decent U.S. law school. A 159 is ~78th percentile, which is barely above the top half of all accepted law applicants, since the bottom half won't get in anywhere! You should retake the LSAT and aim for a 165+ to get into the top 30-35 schools with decent job prospects, especially since you won't be eligible for federal loans.

[sophia.olive]

Don't listen to these elitists.... wahahah silly posters. 159 is a great score, better than 80% of the people that took the test. You will get into a great school, JUST COME ON OVER!! Dont worry about paying for school, you will be able to pay off any private loans in 2-3 years. Apply now! there is still time and retake the lsat if you want. Just come over here dont stay there. They will love the fact you got a 3.6 at ONE OF THE TOP SCHOOLS IN INDIA and im sure that you will bring a UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE so i would blanket the top 14 with targeted letters and a DS.

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--ImageRemoved--
^ do you relate to him because he is kinda brown.

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we cant let him steal our out sourced doc review

[CG614]

Your LSAT score is too low for a decent U.S. law school. A 159 is ~78th percentile, which is barely above the top half of all accepted law applicants, since the bottom half won't get in anywhere! You should retake the LSAT and aim for a 165+ to get into the top 30-35 schools with decent job prospects, especially since you won't be eligible for federal loans.

What?

[St.Remy]

Your LSAT score is too low for a decent U.S. law school. A 159 is ~78th percentile, which is barely above the top half of all accepted law applicants, since the bottom half won't get in anywhere! You should retake the LSAT and aim for a 165+ to get into the top 30-35 schools with decent job prospects, especially since you won't be eligible for federal loans.

What?

I believe im_blue is referring to the fact that even though a 159 is around the 78th percentile for people who take the LSAT, a huge swath of low scorers never even apply to law school (I think the statistic is that only about half the people who take the LSAT end up applying). With that taken into account a 78th percentile score probably puts you just above the average for serious applicants.

[im_blue]

Your LSAT score is too low for a decent U.S. law school. A 159 is ~78th percentile, which is barely above the top half of all accepted law applicants, since the bottom half won't get in anywhere! You should retake the LSAT and aim for a 165+ to get into the top 30-35 schools with decent job prospects, especially since you won't be eligible for federal loans.

What?

Roughly the bottom half of LSAT scorers don't get into any law school, so the 78th percentile (top 22%) corresponds to roughly the top half of successful law school applicants.