Will I get in? Forum

[HopefulFutureLawyer]

My GPA is 3.87 and my LSAT score is 166. I know that my LSAT score is below Georgetown's median but I was wondering how much Early Decision will help my application? Will it significantly improve my chances or am I still a longshot to get in? Other schools I am considering (but not willing to do ED) are USC, UCLA, Vandy, Texas, GW,and Emory. What are my chances at those schools with my numbers? Thanks in advance for all your help!

[moonman157]

You will probably get into GT Early Decision, but retake the LSAT for significantly better options. Georgetown at sticker is not a good idea, but just a few more points on the LSAT, coupled with your fantastic GPA, will get you into schools with much better employment numbers than any of the schools you're considering now, and will get you a ton of money at those current schools. Best of luck!

[Ricky-Bobby]

Don't apply early decision.

Your GPA will carry you a lot of places, but you should retake and get your LSAT up to that level.

After your retake, don't apply early decision.

This is what your current cycle might look like:


But wait! Just a few more points on the LSAT, and your cycle might look like this:


So much more green! And look at those scholarship amounts! But seriously, you will likely triple your scholarship offers by getting a few more questions right on a standardized test.

[HopefulFutureLawyer]

Thank you guys for all your help! I really thought about retaking the LSAT but I remember how much I studied and I really hope to avoid doing that again. I also scored right around my practice test average and I took about 15 of those, in addition to hundreds of practice problems so I don't know how much I would improve. I also read that the average gain for those who retake the LSAT in my range is around 2 points, which would put me around 168. I know that would make me more competitive for the schools I wish to go to and maybe even get me more scholarship money. I just do not know if it was worth the risk of doing worse/the opportunity cost of working on other parts of my application.

[oxie]

I just do not know if it was worth the risk of doing worse/the opportunity cost of working on other parts of my application.

Your numbers are far and away the most important part of your application. There's no real risk in doing worse because schools generally don't average anymore since they only need to report your highest score.

It sounds like the only reason you don't want to retake is because you're tired of studying. In which case I've got some bad news for you: I hear law school involves quite a bit of studying.

You've got a really good GPA -- grabbing some more points on the LSAT would dramatically improve your options.

Good luck!

[03152016]

should i ED?
plz answer the following qs
-are you a rich trust fund kid
-do you have tuition covered by the military
-are you applying to nu or gw
-are you zealously committed to pi and going to a school w excellent lrap (maaaaaybe)
-do you plan on fleeing the country immediately upon the lapse of your deferment period
if you answered yes to any of these questions, OK APPLY ED!
if not, NO DO NOT APPLY ED

[HopefulFutureLawyer]

Based on my internship schedule, the only possible time for me to retake the LSAT (with time to study) would be in December. I know that almost all law schools do rolling admissions. Is it better for me to retake the LSAT in December in hope of getting a better score and submitting my application in January or keeping my 166 and applying earlier in the cycle? I guess my question is how much does applying early help one's application?

[oxie]

This blog has done a lot of analysis about the impact of application timing -- here's the main take away for you:

Applying early ASSUMING your numbers wouldn't be any better if you applied later is the correct answer. If, however, you suspect you could raise your LSAT by even a point or two by retaking in December, you absolutely should retake and apply later, as the advantage associated with even a couple extra LSAT points almost always outweighs whatever advantage would be gained by applying earlier.

I think you could also submit your applications ahead of your retake, although folks who are more familiar with retaking during an admissions cycle might have better insight on that.

In terms of your scheduling issues, I'm not an expert on study timelines, but I will just say that plenty of people manage to do intense studying while working full time. I also think everyone should at least give some thought to taking time off to work before law school instead of doing the K-JD thing -- that would certainly help with your timing concerns.

[HopefulFutureLawyer]

Okay so I get that I should probably retake before applying to schools such as Georgetown and Cornell to improve my chances at getting in/getting a scholarship. However, when it comes to schools at the bottom end of the top 20, such as GW and USC, should I just apply to them earlier rather than wait for my second LSAT score or should I just apply to them after my December LSAT also?

[bound]

Okay so I get that I should probably retake before applying to schools such as Georgetown and Cornell to improve my chances at getting in/getting a scholarship. However, when it comes to schools at the bottom end of the top 20, such as GW and USC, should I just apply to them earlier rather than wait for my second LSAT score or should I just apply to them after my December LSAT also?

Sure? I mean why would it matter either way if you're retaking..

[Yea All Right]

You may be able to apply as early as you want, just let them know that you are also registered for the December LSAT and they should anticipate a future score. Someone else confirm this please?

[Ti Malice]

Thank you guys for all your help! I really thought about retaking the LSAT but I remember how much I studied and I really hope to avoid doing that again. I also scored right around my practice test average and I took about 15 of those, in addition to hundreds of practice problems so I don't know how much I would improve. I also read that the average gain for those who retake the LSAT in my range is around 2 points, which would put me around 168. I know that would make me more competitive for the schools I wish to go to and maybe even get me more scholarship money. I just do not know if it was worth the risk of doing worse/the opportunity cost of working on other parts of my application.

Just so you're aware, there are plenty of people on this site that did every LSAT question in existence at least once during the course of their prep, and many questions/games multiple times over the course of several months.

Also, the average improvement statistic is not very meaningful studying appropriately for a retake, because the average retaker doesn't study much beyond the minimal amount of prep they do in the first place.

[njdevils2626]

You may be able to apply as early as you want, just let them know that you are also registered for the December LSAT and they should anticipate a future score. Someone else confirm this please?

I did this when I was retaking in February, the new score is automatically transmitted to all schools to which you've applied. I did apply late in the first place, though, so no schools had much time to render decisions before getting my second score, I don't know how this would change given September application/December retake, but I assume the score would be transmitted regardless and it would give you a great reason to send a LOCI