Top Law Schools

Hello, all. I want to say sorry in advance if this topic has been covered, but I'm very anxious for an answer and wanted to provide as many specific details as I could to get as tailored advice as possible.

I'm a senior at a small, public university. My major is Economics/Finance with a minor in Accounting. My top school choice is Duke, as I'm really interested in their Joint JD/MA in Economics. I have a 4.0 and received a 164 on the LSAT in Oct (I had been PTing few places higher, but believe "gameday nerves" got to me.) Because of my low LSAT score, I decided to retake in DEC before applying to Duke, sending out my application the day I got back my scores.

I recently received a fee waiver via email from Duke. Today, I got a package from them with a catalog and restating the fee waiver and an invitation to visit the law school. I also know that waiting later pushes your chances back, and so am caught in a hard decision. Should I apply now, or wait until after retake? I appreciate all advice! Feel free to speak plainly.

P.S. Here are my softs; not sure if they'll help.

Member of my college's honors program, and inductee into two national honors societies.
Coordinator of Teachers Assistants (first year they've had the position; chosen by the Dean).
Student Senator
Winner of three top ten finishes at PBL national business competitions, including Economics.
Letters written by my advisor, thesis advisor, and Dean of my school.
Non-URM

To be honest I don't think Duke cares about whether you're the son of a former evangelist or not

MarcusAurelius wrote:To be honest I don't think Duke cares about whether you're the son of a former evangelist or not

I'm not sure, either. Based on what I've read, law schools seem to like their applicants to be unique. That is probably one of the most unique things about me, and has obviously had a large impact on my life. Thanks for the feedback!

I edited the post to (hopefully) make it more pertinent.

MarcusAurelius wrote:I'm the son of a refrigeration mechanic.

Lmfao!

What my friend who applied last cycle did (and i have heard this is a common thing), was submit all their applications in by early november or as early as possible. Then he emailed the schools to tell them to wait for his december LSAT scores when considering his application. He took the october test and was retaking december like you. I guess most schools didn't review his applications until his file was "complete" when they had received his scores.

he ended up getting into UC hastings, a decent school with a 3.3 and 160/163


In other words, I don think it matters much because most schools won't review your app until they get your scores. As for schools with rolling admission, I am not sure if they would add your application to the ordered list to for review when they first receive it or until they receive your scores. (probably the latter but I could be wrong)

To be honest, I think you will get into duke with those numbers and softs either way, especially if you bump your score above 165, more favorably to a high 160/low 170. I would even shoot higher if you hit 168+, especially 170s.

goodluck!