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Hi all!

This is probably pretty premature to be asking about chances of getting into law school when I won't be applying for a whole year, but I've been doing a lot of research on schools and taking the LSAT and just wanted preliminary advice so I can better prepare myself in the application process. Also, if you could give me on advice on what you think I can do to up my chances of getting into the schools that I am currently looking at, or give me suggestions on where might be a good choice, that would be duly appreciated. The hard thing also is that I don't have an LSAT score, so giving me advice on what I should shoot for (obviously the higher the better... but a minimum cut-off score might be helpful). Any advice on studying for the LSAT would be extremely helpful as well.

Schools I'm looking at: University of Iowa, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Denver (Sturm). I'll end up applying to lower or higher ranked schools depending on what score I get, but these are what I have so far given I get a decent score (160 and higher?).

GPA: 3.1 (which I know is quite low), I've been working in education as a teacher for 3 years. Also, a minority. I'm a debate coach for a nearby high school and think I have well-rounded softs. I want to go into education/juvenile law but am keeping my options open, since this is a very specialized area and I feel like it might put me at a disadvantage.

Let me know what you think! Sorry, I know I'm asking for a lot!

If you bust your ass off and get a highish LSAT score, with your minority status and WE (if it is indeed URM) then you might be able to wipe away a bad GPA and get into schools higher than those listed.

The best bet with a low GPA is to score 170+ on the LSAT if you want to take away any concerns. You're a URM so that'll help too (a 164/165 is probably good enough for those schools listed). I was in a similar boat (and I think a lot of late applications are in it) where you have everything but an LSAT score and you're trying to figure out what you need to get on the LSAT to be competitive. The best advice, imo, even for a URM is to just do as well on the LSAT as you possibly can. You're taking it in February (Or you're not applying in the Fall) and you're not going to be able to prepare as much as people will suggest you should. You're also at a disadvantage due to the fact it will be quite late in the cycle before that score comes out. That being said, don't plan on a "minimum" to do well. Plan on getting a score that's as high as you possibly can. Take a cold diagnostic to see where you are, and go from there. You can leverage your soft factors (work experience, personal statement, et c.) but really the best thing you can do is score well on the LSAT.

As far as studying there are lots of guides on here. I liked Powerscore bibles (especially logic games) combined with taking real LSATs (practice tests are key to good studying). Basically, take a practice test then carefully figure out what you did wrong, identify patterns of poor reasoning, et c. I agree with most people that reading comprehension is hard to study for, but I think the act of getting yourself into the LSAT mindset helps with that.