Top Law Schools

I am a graduating undergraduate that did not do as well I as I planned on the LSAT. I can go to a tier 3 school and try to transfer (assuming I am in the top 5%) OR take some time off and get a job/study again to reapply with a better score for next cycle. Thoughts? Also, I took the LSAT twice so if I take it again I have one more shot in 2 years (taking the LSAT more than 3 times is definitely not a great idea anyway though).


Thanks!

in before the retake

take a year off, do some fun things, then re take the test and apply.

Weak submission. Don't anticipate this being made into a featured article.

Also, don't go to a school looking to transfer. 100% of your class is going in gunning for top 5% and 95% of you won't make it. Realistically, which side of that do you think is a more likely result for you? Only go to a school if you're happy to graduate from it.

Don't bank on transferring. Law school grades are too random and arbitrary to count on any class rank above top 75%, no matter what your talent level and preparation.

You are making a mistake if you think you can work your way to top 5% (or even top 25%). Depending on the rank of your school, 50-90% of your classmates will have the ability and motivation to understand the law well enough to do well on a law school exam. You are wrong if you think law school exams test depth of understanding or extent of preparation. They test moderate understanding of relatively simple doctrines, and it's graded on a curve with a bunch of really smart people. The thing that differentiates As from Bs is your style of analysis...and if that style of analysis doesn't match up with what the professor wants, you're not going to be getting a good grade. Most professors will not show you beforehand how they grade exams, either. So you're left to guess at how they want you to write your answers, and what type of analysis actually gets you points. And you can't figure it out from prior tests with model answers. Model answers are not the same as exam grading checklists.

In summary, great talent, understanding of the material, and preparation will probably only guarantee that you don't finish in the bottom 20% or so. The rest is kind of a crapshoot at guessing the style of analysis your professor wants.

I like how OP casually mentions that top 5% is pretty much an inevitability.

I think everything worth being said has mostly been said.

If you go to a T3 school, make sure that it's one you would be happy graduating from. Never go to a school expecting to transfer. If you do find yourself in a position to transfer, then that's tremendous, and you can go for it. But don't go with the mindset that it will invariably happen, because it might not.

As long as you keep that in perspective, I think it's your call, really. If you'd rather just go to law school now, then go. But if you insist on a T1 school, then retaking the LSAT, or taking a few years off, or something like that, might be a good idea.

Going to a Tier 3 is like being really drunk and having this fat girl come onto you and you're so drunk that it's tempting. Sober up and study hard and use up that last take. Get into a nice, hot T1 that you feel proud of paying child support to.

I am a TTT supporter! Most will say never attend a TTT but I am debt adverse and used these questions:

If you answer no to any of these you should not consider the TTT.

-is the tier 3 a nonprofit?
-Did I get a big scholly with good stipulations?
-do I have multiple connections to the legal market in the TTT home market?
-would I absolutely love to do divorce/dui/med mal/doc review "shit law" work in the schools home market?

If you answer yes to any of these questions you should not consider the TTT.

-is the home market of the TTT overstated with higher ranked schools or students of those schools?
-Would I have any problem whatsoever with graduating from this TTT and working in its home market for a decade?
-is the TTT fairly new with no alumni network to speak of.?