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GONE

Haha, are you really asking this? BU at sticker or MVP? Retake!

GPA?

ZOOM

I know exactly the dilemma you're having and I know how much of a bummer it is to underachieve on the LSAT. We're numbers twins and I didn't think twice: I'm taking a year (or two) off and retaking. It sucks but it's certainly the right thing to do. Even a two point increase can do wonders for your (our) chances at MVP and N. Suck it up, stay at your job, find the time to buckle down for a couple of months and nail the LSAT. Future you will thank Present you big time later on.

blink wrote:I know exactly the dilemma you're having and I know how much of a bummer it is to underachieve on the LSAT. We're numbers twins and I didn't think twice: I'm taking a year (or two) off and retaking. It sucks but it's certainly the right thing to do. Even a two point increase do wonders for your (our) chances at MVP and N. Suck it up, stay at your job, find the time to buckle down for a couple of months and nail the LSAT. Future you will thank Present you big time later on.

even a 1 point increase.

Dude. Retake. It's worth it, especially with your stats/current cycle.

Although the $90,000 from Drexel must be tempting, retake & apply to Virginia or any other law school ranked from #7 through #14.

P.S. "Retaking" is not as important as reapplying next cycle as your 169 should get you a few T-14 offers in light of your work experience.

TCR is retake and go to MVP (hopefully with $$$). Certainly BU & Fordham @ sticker don't seem worth the investment. If you get into UCLA and are comfortable practicing in LA, it might be worth it.
Do you like your boring job? If not, do you have an exit strategy? If not, imagine working that job for >1 year.

BLAM

wait wait how do you know you're going to pay sticker at BU?

Worker and Parasite wrote:wait wait how do you know you're going to pay sticker at BU?

I guess I don't know, at this point. I was accepted right before Christmas and haven't heard anything with regard to scholly info yet. My numbers seem right on the cusp of admission according to LSN, let alone getting a scholly.

When I checked LSN for 3.2-3.4/169-171 folks I saw anything from 40-60K schollys last year. I can't check LSN at the moment to give you some actual names but if last year is any indicator, you may see significant money soon. Of course BU could be cutting back this year on funds so who really knows.

edit: Okay I guess have one datapoint that may be an isolated case but here

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/morningjoe/jd

Supposing I got a $45,000 total scholarship from BU, does that change anyone's response or no?

While I agree with others on the retake and aim higher sentiment, I have to wonder if declining all of your existing offers will hurt your chances with those schools for future cycles. If so, there is a possibility you will be without them as safeties the next time you apply which could be dangerous especially since splitter cycles are known to be unpredictable. Even so however, I would say the benefits still outweigh the risks in this case. Good luck, and in case it wasn't obvious, try to do something productive during the interim period.

How dramatically do you think you can "break 170"? My only concern to the general consensus of retake is that the 3.3 GPA might be the drag on the application. Can you get past 173?

I could be wrong, but I think one point will do wonders in your situation. Penn, for instance, has been dipping deep into the 170 pool (I think there are several 3.4's that were accepted).

POW

InGoodFaith wrote:This is another thing that I'm terrified of. What should I do to avoid this "dangerous possibility"? Should I include a note in my withdraw email explaining that I am just not ready for law school this year and plan on applying again?

I think this is a good idea. Explain that you're seeking more work experience and look forward to reapplying next year.

Another tip - according to your LSN profile, you applied to most of your schools in November. If you can have all your app materials ready to go when applications first open in September, that will make a big difference for you too.

.

BADA BING

Also, you have to ask yourself, "What would Harvey Specter do?"

Retake. You have a nice job. One more year will only give you more money. There's no reason to roll the dice on full sticker at a non-t14 if you can survive with your current job.

If you retake and don't do remarkably better, I'll be surprised. Cornell is a good option for you, I think.

If you can break a 170, then I would say re-take and apply ED to Penn or Michigan next year.

You have a good chance at Penn with ED if you increase 1-2 points, and a good chance without ED with a 174+. Probably similar for MV too.