Back Up Plan - Any Suggestions? Forum

[AT9]

Alright, I made a thread recently asking if I should apply this cycle, postpone a cycle as I retake, or apply this cycle as I re-take and reapply next fall if I do significantly better. Despite the second option being the clear winner in the poll, I've decided to go with the third. I’m choosing the third simply because a) it leaves all doors open as opposed to one and b) given the continued drop in applicants, I figured I may as well throw my hat in and see what happens. My Plan A is to study until I'm confident about scoring a 170+, then re-take. Plan B is to attend next fall if I don't do any better, a major life event prevents sufficient studying, etc. I appreciate any advice you have, but I'm asking to please limit your advice to my questions below. Here's the scenario:

163/3.83
2+ years quality WE
Non-URM
FL resident (but not set on working in FL)
Top preferred geographic regions in order: Southeast (including TX), Midwest/Northeast, Mountain West, Pacific Coast.
Prefer to work in land use/real estate/environmental law (either government or private)
I'm not big on the idea of Biglaw...as if that's an option with my current stats anyway

Here are the schools I’m considering (it’ll probably be about 5-8 total):

UF (applying)
FSU (applying)
Emory
UGA
Alabama
Tulane
Wake Forest
Houston
SMU
LSU
Minnesota
William & Mary
UNC
Baylor
WashU

Where would you apply given the info above? Any safeties to consider? Any long shots I should take? Again, I want to emphasize that this is my back up plan - hopefully these won't even be a consideration come decision time next year. Thanks!

[TheJanitor6203]

Next to each school I put the ATL ranking and LST employment score for reference then I arranged them in order by ATL ranking. Notice I added UT, UC Berkeley and UC Irving to your list. It’s a long shot but you’re above or near their 75% GPA’s and you are at their 25% LSAT’s so it’s definitely worth a shot there I think. If I were in your shoes I’d go to them in this order. Other than that, just realize that any of these schools are going to limit where you live except the top 3 but it sounds like you already know and accept that. I would also say that other than the top 3, I wouldn’t go to any of these schools without a significant scholarship. And even they may not be worth it at full price. Oh, and don’t apply to Baylor. Search Baylor on here and read about it. Everyone hates it. The general consensus is that they make law school hell more so than any other school. 3L is the most difficult year because of the practice court so you won’t have time to study for the bar or look for a job and apparently the students there treat each other like shit. It’s ranked number one by Princeton Review for having the most competitive students.

UC Berkeley- 9/85.9%
UC Irvine- -/82.1% (Irvine isn't ranked yet because it's a brand new school but they are expected to be in the top 20 once they are ranked. Regardless, their grads are getting good jobs)
UT- 14/75.3%
UGA- 19/69%
SMU- 22/73.4%
UNC- 24/68.4%
Alabama- 27/70.9%
Emory- 29/72.6%
Wake Forest- 30/66.7%
Minnesota- 32/66.5%
William & Mary- 34/73%
Houston- 35/61.5%
Tulane- 39/62.8%
WashU- 41/66.9%
UF (applying)- 44/55.6%
LSU- -/74%
Baylor- -/65.9%
FSU (applying)- -/65.4%

[TheJanitor6203]

Started reading a little more about UC Irvine. Here's another perspective.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... lit=irvine

[AT9]

Thanks for the input and the data. UT would actually be my top choice of the non-T14, I just haven't considered applying because my chances are so slim...even if I got in, scholarships are basically out of the question. And I know Baylor doesn't have the greatest rep, it's only a possibility because 1) it's free to apply 2) it's in Texas and 3) it's employment stats aren't completely horrible. But it is low on my potentials list.

I must admit UC-Irvine is intriguing. I knew they had solid LSAT/GPA numbers, but didn't have any idea their combined fed clerkship/biglaw is about 50% Unfortunately, it's semi-important for us (my wife and I) to be within reasonable distance of family, and California is anything but that. Would UC-Irvine give me a shot at anywhere outside of Southern Cal? It looks like I actually have a decent shot there - between 25-50th LSAT and well above 75th GPA.

If you'll humor me a little further, which of those schools would you apply to if you had 6-7 applications? Accounting for safety, reach, and target options. I have fee waivers at Tulane, W&M, and Alabama....hoping to get a few more after begging from the schools.

[TheJanitor6203]

I have no idea where you can get a job from Irvine. I'd see if you can find someone on here that's there.

What schools I'd apply to in your shoes..

If you're against Cali I'd skip Berkeley and Irvine and apply to Georgetown or Vandy in their place. Then I'd also go with..
Reach- UT

Target-
W&M
Tulane
Alabama
SMU

Safety-
FSU
LSU

[AT9]

Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Your list seems pretty close to what I'll eventually end up with - future fee waivers may come into play, however.

Crossing my fingers for admission to SMU and Alabama...

[TheJanitor6203]

Good luck to you. SMU is my top pick so maybe I'll see you there.

[Dr. Dre]

don't go to uci—its current numbers are not representative of the school

[TheJanitor6203]

don't go to uci—its current numbers are not representative of the school

After all the reading I did about it yesterday, I agree.

[AT9]

Alright, guess I can cross Baylor and Irvine off my list.

On the topic of "reach" schools, I got a fee waiver out of nowhere from Duke today with an "invitation" to apply ED. Apparently they guarantee a response within 10 days and a $30K grant if I'm admitted and apply for need based aid (which I would). They also mentioned how it looks good to them to apply ED. Given my option A of applying next cycle with a higher LSAT, is it worth applying ED to Duke?? I know to expect a rejection letter, but I don't think they'd send a fee waiver without giving at least a tiny bit of consideration to my app as an ED applicant.

[TheJanitor6203]

It can hurt if it's free but I'm pretty sure Duke is binding and on the off chance that you did get in it'd be with 0 $ so you need to accept that you're going to have $200,000 worth of debt at the end. But honestly I think it's just so they can deny more people to add to that prestige factor.

[AT9]

Yeah, that's what the rational side of me says. The wishful, quasi-rational side of my says not so fast. Perhaps they're trying to sucker in some reverse splitters at sticker WAY early on to help pad the GPA median at sticker and so that they can go out and buy some 170+ people later on. Most people who are competitive for Duke won't apply ED and won't attend at sticker, so maybe that's why they're fishing for people who are likely to ED, would pay sticker, and wouldn't kill both their medians.

But that's my wishful thinking. Even if I got in by some act of God, I'm still willing to retake and reapply next year. There are worse positions to be in.