3.81GPA/163 Depressed, wondering if I should even Forum

[logical seasoning]

After studying for the LSAT for a year (testmasters, then 40 practice tests with blind review) the best i could do was a 163 with my pt average being a 165.

I initially started my law school quest with 170 or bust, but obviously I have failed.

I have 2 retakes left, but can't find the motivation for Oct.-- couple this with the fact that literally every lawyer I have talked to has said that they would not choose to go to law school if they could do it over again+ the terrible job market in CA and I question if law is even right for me.

UC Davis is my undergrad, and part of me just wants to say fuck it, apply this cycle and go into public interest law at UCD. Then again, part of me wants to say screw grad school and become a farmer or something.

Any thoughts? I know I shouldn't be wasting my high GPA, but the LSAT has been bad to me me.

[sundance95]

is there a particular section you aren't nailing?

also, are you straight through?

[ManOfTheMinute]

It's not always a question of how much you studied, but rather a question of how well you studied. Perhaps if you find some new techniques that could motivate you to study harder and also result in a better score?

[ScottRiqui]

Was that 165 average for the last few PTs you took, or was that your average over all 40?

[akg144]

OK your asking two separate questions here:

Question 1) What should I do about the LSAT?

Question 2) Should I even go to law school?

With regards to question 1 I know it can be frustrating but you can still see lots of improvement even after 40 PTs and blind review. Until you have completely mastered the LSAT and can do LG with your eye closed believe me there's room to improve. What is your typical breakdown?

The bigger question then segues into the real reason for taking the LSAT -- why do you want to go into law? If you are really committed then retake is a no-brainer because it will never hurt you but can only provide greater opportunities for doors to open and more scholarship money. But on the other hand, if your already feeling like this is not worth it then you should think long and hard about law school. I'd suggest removing the emotions from it as much as possible and writing a pros and cons spreadsheet to get all your thoughts out and determine what's really going on inside beneath the surface.

Do you want to practice law? If so, then we can discuss further but until you can answer that question with conviction I'd say you have some soul searching to do.

[logical seasoning]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went -2 on games -4 on RC, and then shitty kaka on LR. The funny thing, however, was that during my prep, LR was the easiest for me and I would usually go -1--4.

I am also kinda lost on how to go about studying all over again. I almost shelled out 900 bucks for a repeat testmasters course, but then I realized how broke I am.

As for why I want to go to law-- I want to pursue public interest law. I have no aspirations for big law

[logical seasoning]

also, are you straight through?

I don't understand what you mean here

[logical seasoning]

If you are really committed then retake is a no-brainer because it will never hurt you but can only provide greater opportunities for doors to open and more scholarship money.

What if I get a 162?

[Lavitz]

It sounds like you just need to master logical reasoning, so you should do everything in your power to do that if you're serious.

I question if law is even right for me.

If you're not going to retake, it sounds like you should find something else to do for a while. If you still want to go to law school in a year or two, nothing is stopping you. If you can't find a job right now, I don't think going six figures in debt for a school like UC Davis is going to help.

[logical seasoning]

Was that 165 average for the last few PTs you took, or was that your average over all 40?

it was for the 3 most recent PT's

[CyanIdes Of March]

If you are really committed then retake is a no-brainer because it will never hurt you but can only provide greater opportunities for doors to open and more scholarship money.

What if I get a 162?

Doubtful that any school that accepts a 163 LSAT is going to car if you score lower. That's a privilege reserved for the tip of the top.

[90convoy]

Don't lose hope. You should retake! You said yourself that LR was your strength during PTs, so you doing shitty was probably a fluke.

Try Mlsat LR book

[akg144]

Yea as said above only HYS care about lower scores every1 else since 2006 just reports the highest score to USNWR for their rankings so it would go against their own self-interest to move up their medians and move up/maintain their ranking.

Buy the Cambridge Ultimate package. http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/ul ... paperback/

Take a week off now to get your mind right, and once you feel psychologically ready to commit and go all out -- hit the books like a maniac. I guarentee if you don't give up and are willing to make a serious comittment for the next 70+ days you will not regret it. Conversely if you end up at a TTT and struggle with life direction -- the decision not to retake and give in to complacency will prob. be a considerable reason why...

[Motivator9]

Don't lose hope. You should retake! You said yourself that LR was your strength during PTs, so you doing shitty was probably a fluke.

Try Mlsat LR book

Yes, if you haven't tried MLsat LR, it's a must.

[logical seasoning]

Thanks for all the motivation and advice guys. I will give Mlsat LR a try; I liked their RC. I didn't know that a decrease in my score can't hurt me

[Ti Malice]

UC Davis is my undergrad, and part of me just wants to say fuck it, apply this cycle and go into public interest law at UCD.

Whatever you end up doing, don't do this. What kind of PI work are you interested in? Understand that if it's anything close to "prestigious" PI (ACLU, etc.), those jobs are much harder to get than BigLaw, which means it's simply not happening from Davis. Only 60% of Davis grads are getting full-time, long-term, JD-required employment of any kind. You'd be fortunate if Davis placed you at legal aid in Sacramento.

[jbagelboy]

With your GPA, even out of Davis you could get a paid internship in sacramento or a gig at a major consulting, accounting or analytics firm in the bay area -- unless Im severely overestimating that network. If I had a 3.8+, I would have gone to Mckinsey and never looked back (for 3-5 years, and then go for JD although MBa is the typical route). I was locked out with my grades and settled on another V20 firm offer with inferior exit opportunities sans professional school.

Dont be depressed about your career choices at this juncture. I can totally see how a first sub-par performance can be devastating -- it happened to me on my first take, and I took a few months to turn myself around. You have good grades with a moderately well respected degree (Davis UG is more well regarded than Davis Law) and hopefully you've held summer jobs/worked in school and have some marketable skills.

If there is something else going on in your personal life, you're in the wrong type of forum. Deal with those issues first. As far as law school is concerned, absolutely no need to jump into it. Get a good job, and failing that, any job, and revisit the LSAT in 1-2 years. Your GPA is CA-school friendly (USC, UCLA, Cal, even maybe Stanford), you just need those 5-7 pts.

Best of luck and stay positive

[sundance95]

also, are you straight through?

I don't understand what you mean here

I mean, are you trying to go K-JD? Waiting a cycle and retaking is not the worst thing, particularly if you are K-JD, given the trend of falling application numbers. The even distribution of your wrong answers between sections suggests that you aren't being unduly time-pressured, which means that improvement should be possible. Are certain types of LR getting you? Focus on the types of questions that you are missing instead of simply taking test after test.

With your GPA, even out of Davis you could get a paid internship in sacramento or a gig at a major consulting, accounting or analytics firm in the bay area -- unless Im severely overestimating that network.

You are.

[Dr. Dre]

Use this, OP
http://www.amazon.com/The-LSAT-Trainer- ... 0989081508

[Dr. Dre]

With your GPA, even out of Davis you could get a paid internship in sacramento or a gig at a major consulting, accounting or analytics firm in the bay area -- unless Im severely overestimating that network.

you always overestimate the network and academics of the UC system, breh

[lhn5007]

You sound tired and burned out. I think it's time to take a break, shed the emotions, and get back to business.

Log every preptest you've taken into lsatqa(dot)com. It will organize your answers into question/game categories so you can see your weaknesses. This will be extremely helpful in Logical Reasoning. Download the Logical Reasoning spreadsheet from Lsat Blog and target those question types from those specific preptests. Begin drilling nonstop and you will improve.

The lsat is a hurdle we all have to jump through in order to attend law school. It's meant to be difficult, to play with your head, and to make you want to give up... this is how they sort the serious people from those who are just going to go. You have to decide if you really want to be a lawyer. If you do, then you will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

[thenewguy]

I took the testmasters course as well. I think having completed it you have a good foundation for LG and LR. They couldn't really teach RC in my opinion, but everyone is different. With the tools you learned from this class, you will definitely come back stronger if you take a short break then prepare for oct/dec. I wouldn't shell out another 9 hundo to retake the class, because I think that could be more repetitive than worth it. Having those 4 hour classes at night twice a week plus all of the work you did can definitely lead to burn out, I was ready to be done by test day. Take some of the above advice for which guides to use for your next take.

Take a break and worry about the less tangible aspects of studying so you're just more sharp and confident mentally. Work out consistenly during your training. Do your work at the same time of day that the real exam will be as much as that is feasible. Take a day off here and there, it will benefit you more than grinding when you're burnt out. Don't become a health freak, but eating healthier foods can actually make you feel fresher. Personally, I know everyone is different, I wanted to stay far far clear of this website (except the LSAT section) while I studied because its' rather daunting to be so starkly reminded of the importance of the test and what constitutes a good score. A friend of mine who took the LSAT and did well told me to be dilligent about these lifestyle factors and it made a big improvement. I clearly cannot attest to how much of this you already do, but this advice helped me keep my mind fresh and avoid burn out.

It sounds like you know deep down you want this but you're discouraged. Stick with it. You have a tremendous GPA and with some more work you can be in a position alotta people here would kill to be in. The test is meant to be a bitch. You're situation is not unique. Tons of smart people struggle with this exam, but the ones who stick with it and keep working often improve.

[logical seasoning]

Just bought the LSAT trainer. Thanks for all the advice guys. I gotta climb this mountain

[Dr. Dre]

[Motivator9]

Just bought the LSAT trainer. Thanks for all the advice guys. I gotta climb this mountain

You can do it !!!!!!!!!