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I'd like to get some people's opinions on what my chances--based solely on numbers--are for admission into Stanford, Harvard, Colombia, and U Chicago. I'm not going to bother asking about Yale because I don't think I have any shot. I've used several predictors but I know they have their flaws. Please reply if you have some insight into my chances of admission (esp if you attend one of those schools). If my chances are too small (which I think they are) I might apply early decision to one of the latter two.

LSAT: 166, 172
GPA: 3.70
URM: No

1. What are my chances of getting into at least one of those four schools?
2. How much does applying ED help for Colombia and/or U. Chicago?
3. Do any of those schools average or do they just take the highest score? The language on their websites seems intentionally vague

Purely on numbers: out at H and S, good chance at CC.

Thanks! Does anyone know if my first, lower LSAT score would lower my actual chances to any significant extent? Also, anyone have answers for the other questions?

Nobody averages anymore. HYS still kind of look down on retakes, but they can't be as picky now as they could be a couple years ago. Don't let it affect your application strategy.

Don't ED anywhere. Apply to the T14. Enjoy your pick of a lower T14 with big money, MVP with solid money, one or two of CCN with $ or $$, and a chance at HYS.

That was very helpful. It helped me decide that I'm not going to worry about ED and will just hope for the best. My softs are definitely a strength so that should help as well. Thanks!

jdapplicant wrote:That was very helpful. It helped me decide that I'm not going to worry about ED and will just hope for the best. My softs are definitely a strength so that should help as well. Thanks!

Good choice. Just let it ride. Be sure to write up Why X statements for, I'd say, MVP and below so you don't get YPed there.

North wrote:Nobody averages anymore. HYS still kind of look down on retakes, but they can't be as picky now as they could be a couple years ago. Don't let it affect your application strategy.

Don't ED anywhere. Apply to the T14. Enjoy your pick of a lower T14 with big money, MVP with solid money, one or two of CCN with $ or $$, and a chance at HYS.

NYU averages as well.

jselson wrote:

North wrote:Nobody averages anymore. HYS still kind of look down on retakes, but they can't be as picky now as they could be a couple years ago. Don't let it affect your application strategy.

Don't ED anywhere. Apply to the T14. Enjoy your pick of a lower T14 with big money, MVP with solid money, one or two of CCN with $ or $$, and a chance at HYS.

NYU averages as well.

No they don't. They might say they do. They don't.

North wrote:

jselson wrote:

North wrote:Nobody averages anymore. HYS still kind of look down on retakes, but they can't be as picky now as they could be a couple years ago. Don't let it affect your application strategy.

Don't ED anywhere. Apply to the T14. Enjoy your pick of a lower T14 with big money, MVP with solid money, one or two of CCN with $ or $$, and a chance at HYS.

NYU averages as well.

No they don't. They might say they do. They don't.

I can't remember the poster or the thread, but I know that one of the superstar posters posted, I think in June or so, an analysis that showed that NYU really does disadvantage retakers.

Here's the thread: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... istics+nyu

The data's from 2006-2013, though, so things may have changed recently.

jselson wrote:Here's the thread: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... istics+nyu

The data's from 2006-2013, though, so things may have changed recently.

That policy at NYU might have flown a couple years ago when app were up, but not today. They have nothing to gain from averaging scores and a good bit to lose. LSN and past threads on the subject also indicate that, even at its height, hard application of LSAT averaging was really inconsistent. Bottom line is that OP shouldn't let concerns about it affect his application strategy.

My understanding is that if you can boost a school's medians, retakes don't matter for the most part, but when being looked at for the last admit spots or waitlist spots, the schools that say they average actually average.

To add to this thread, business schools have started saying that they only take the highest GMAT. Even Harvard Business School says that they only consider the highest GMAT. Maybe law schools will follow suit?

jingosaur wrote:My understanding is that if you can boost a school's medians, retakes don't matter for the most part, but when being looked at for the last admit spots or waitlist spots, the schools that say they average actually average.

To add to this thread, business schools have started saying that they only take the highest GMAT. Even Harvard Business School says that they only consider the highest GMAT. Maybe law schools will follow suit?

From what I've gathered, law schools are primarily concerned about their rankings. The rankings used to average LSAT scores so law schools followed suit (maybe only weakly). However, since the policy changed a few years ago and the rankings only consider the highest score, law schools are primarily focused on the higher score. The only time they would be concerned with the lower score is if, like you said, they are split between two candidates.