Top Law Schools

On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

1. wait until you get your LSAT back

2. retake if you need to

With a 3.9 & your softs, retake untill you can get a Ruby from Chi or a Hamilton from Columbia. If you're loaded, just go for HYS. That's your best outcome.

strike3yearout wrote:On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

I know everyone is saying retake, but from what I've read law schools frown on second tests far more than undergraduate schools do on second SAT tests (or "did" when I applied). From what I've read if you retake it and get the same score, it will actually hurt you. Bumping yourself up about three points and you've basically broken even. This is, of course, from what I've read, and I'm no expert so I'm going off of what I've heard from supposed experts, but it seems to me like you'd have to work extra-hard to do well on your retake. If you can bump your score up by 5-10 points, which I don't think is easy except that you already know you messed up on one part, then go ahead and retake it. If you can improve 5+, then it will only help.

strike3yearout wrote:On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

Chances are good with a 170+.

Troianii wrote:

strike3yearout wrote:On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

I know everyone is saying retake, but from what I've read law schools frown on second tests far more than undergraduate schools do on second SAT tests (or "did" when I applied). From what I've read if you retake it and get the same score, it will actually hurt you. Bumping yourself up about three points and you've basically broken even. This is, of course, from what I've read, and I'm no expert so I'm going off of what I've heard from supposed experts, but it seems to me like you'd have to work extra-hard to do well on your retake. If you can bump your score up by 5-10 points, which I don't think is easy except that you already know you messed up on one part, then go ahead and retake it. If you can improve 5+, then it will only help.

Really bad advice.

Troianii wrote:

strike3yearout wrote:On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

I know everyone is saying retake, but from what I've read law schools frown on second tests far more than undergraduate schools do on second SAT tests (or "did" when I applied). From what I've read if you retake it and get the same score, it will actually hurt you. Bumping yourself up about three points and you've basically broken even. This is, of course, from what I've read, and I'm no expert so I'm going off of what I've heard from supposed experts, but it seems to me like you'd have to work extra-hard to do well on your retake. If you can bump your score up by 5-10 points, which I don't think is easy except that you already know you messed up on one part, then go ahead and retake it. If you can improve 5+, then it will only help.

This is entirely false-all of it.

You have been severely misinformed.

Troianii wrote: I know everyone is saying retake, but from what I've read law schools frown on second tests far more than undergraduate schools do on second SAT tests (or "did" when I applied). From what I've read if you retake it and get the same score, it will actually hurt you. Bumping yourself up about three points and you've basically broken even. This is, of course, from what I've read, and I'm no expert so I'm going off of what I've heard from supposed experts, but it seems to me like you'd have to work extra-hard to do well on your retake. If you can bump your score up by 5-10 points, which I don't think is easy except that you already know you messed up on one part, then go ahead and retake it. If you can improve 5+, then it will only help.

source pls

your pre-law adviser should be shot

retake

see how you did and then retake if you are dissatisfied. a jump of even 3 points can open doors. make notes now on how you felt when you took the exam, while they are fresh in your mind, and then once you get your score report, review the exam thoroughly to see where/if you need to beef up.

also, both yale and harvard want academic references. unless you are some kind of famous person yourself, you will put yourself at a great disadvantage without them, particularly at yale, no matter the clout of your current recommenders. (see, for instance, here: http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/admissi ... ation.aspx)

.

wealtheow wrote:also, both yale and harvard want academic references. unless you are some kind of famous person yourself, you will put yourself at a great disadvantage without them, particularly at yale, no matter the clout of your current recommenders. (see, for instance, here: http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/admissi ... ation.aspx)

This. Basically all law schools MUCH prefer a letter from a professor who knows your academic work well than some random big name. If you use generic letters from famous people in lieu of letters from people who know you really well in an academic context, it will hurt you (to the extent that softs like LORs can).

Good luck on your LSAT score; don't be afraid to retake.

Troianii wrote:

strike3yearout wrote:On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

I know everyone is saying retake, but from what I've read law schools frown on second tests far more than undergraduate schools do on second SAT tests (or "did" when I applied). From what I've read if you retake it and get the same score, it will actually hurt you. Bumping yourself up about three points and you've basically broken even. This is, of course, from what I've read, and I'm no expert so I'm going off of what I've heard from supposed experts, but it seems to me like you'd have to work extra-hard to do well on your retake. If you can bump your score up by 5-10 points, which I don't think is easy except that you already know you messed up on one part, then go ahead and retake it. If you can improve 5+, then it will only help.

OP, do not listen to the above advice even for a split second. It is terrible and this person has no clue what they are talking about. The schools have to report only your highest score. 3 points could be the difference from you being median to you being 75%. Anyone who thinks you wouldn't have an admissions and scholly advantage in that scenario is uninformed.

Troianii wrote:

strike3yearout wrote:On Monday, I took my first LSAT but I am not very confident in my performance. I know I made a stupid mistake on one of the LG sections. I have a very high GPA (3.9+), a letter of recommendation from a very prominent political figure with ties to both Yale and Harvard, another LOR from the dean of the business school I attended, a US provisional patent, and I have been working full time at a mid-sized law firm since the beginning of November. This may be premature without my LSAT score but realistically what are my t-14 chances, specifically t-5, if I did not knock the LSAT out of the park? I graduate in May of 2015 and plan to attend in the fall of 2015.

I know everyone is saying retake, but from what I've read law schools frown on second tests far more than undergraduate schools do on second SAT tests (or "did" when I applied). From what I've read if you retake it and get the same score, it will actually hurt you. Bumping yourself up about three points and you've basically broken even. This is, of course, from what I've read, and I'm no expert so I'm going off of what I've heard from supposed experts, but it seems to me like you'd have to work extra-hard to do well on your retake. If you can bump your score up by 5-10 points, which I don't think is easy except that you already know you messed up on one part, then go ahead and retake it. If you can improve 5+, then it will only help.

Wrong. OP do not listen to this advice. I'm not sure where this person got this from.

Don't cancel your score. Relax.

If you need to, retake. September is still early enough for this cycle.

T-5 lol

Unintentional NYU snub in my previous comment.

The more I think about it, the better I think I did on the test. Likely I was just the victim of post-test jitters.

Debt is a huge factor for me, I've seen friends drown in the past few years, which causes me to really worry about accruing debt. I will graduate from my undergrad at the top of my class, debt-free. Trust me, entering the work force after graduation is very tempting. Which of the T-6 (you're welcome NYU) schools would offer me the largest scholarship, even if I have a slight split. Any chances of a full ride with my numbers?

Side note: I understand that name dropping with LORs can come off the as pretentious but is it acceptable if they are very well connected at both Y and H?

strike3yearout wrote:Unintentional NYU snub in my previous comment.

The more I think about it, the better I think I did on the test. Likely I was just the victim of post-test jitters.

Debt is a huge factor for me, I've seen friends drown in the past few years, which causes me to really worry about accruing debt. I will graduate from my undergrad at the top of my class, debt-free. Trust me, entering the work force after graduation is very tempting. Which of the T-6 (you're welcome NYU) schools would offer me the largest scholarship, even if I have a slight split. Any chances of a full ride with my numbers?

Side note: I understand that name dropping with LORs can come off the as pretentious but is it acceptable if they are very well connected at both Y and H?

u dont have numbers yet