Can someone give advice? Forum

[fsu2013philip]

Hi all,

I am curious as to what you all think my chances are with my situation. I graduated Spring 2013 from a state school, and I have worked full-time in a professional environment since graduation. I currently work as a legislative staffer for the appropriations committee of my state's legislature.

My undergrad gpa was a 2.5 unfortunately. I majored in applied economics. I don't really want to get into excuses, obviously I wish I had done better but I am not going to cry over spilled milk. That being said, I do feel that my career advancement shows that my gpa is not entirely indicative of my abilities.

I have been practicing the lsat for some time now and feel pretty strongly that I will get between 165-170 when I take.

I would like to work in public/government interest law in the DC area preferably, and I know that DC is extremely competitive.

I feel like the highest ranked school I have a chance at is WUSTL; but it seems that so many people DESPISE that school and literally recommend any other school over it.

So I have some questions:

1) What do you all think of WUSTL for my situation?

2) I know you all probably don't like hypotheticals but let's say I get a 167, is it safe to assume I pretty much have no chance of t14?

3) Will any realistic score put me into the t14 running?

4) If I don't get t14 then what would be my best bet for a school that can place in DC?

Thanks

[jag13]

What have been your practice test scores? Are you scoring consistently between 165-170?
Also, based on your username I think I know what school you went to, although it may not be much, when LSAC recalculates your GPA it should be just SLIGHTLY higher, based on how your school scales letter grades to begin with.

Other than that, unless you're a URM, the T-14 typically has a 3.0 GPA floor.

[ek5dn]

Hi all,

I am curious as to what you all think my chances are with my situation. I graduated Spring 2013 from a state school, and I have worked full-time in a professional environment since graduation. I currently work as a legislative staffer for the appropriations committee of my state's legislature.

My undergrad gpa was a 2.5 unfortunately. I majored in applied economics. I don't really want to get into excuses, obviously I wish I had done better but I am not going to cry over spilled milk. That being said, I do feel that my career advancement shows that my gpa is not entirely indicative of my abilities.

I have been practicing the lsat for some time now and feel pretty strongly that I will get between 165-170 when I take.

I would like to work in public/government interest law in the DC area preferably, and I know that DC is extremely competitive.

I feel like the highest ranked school I have a chance at is WUSTL; but it seems that so many people DESPISE that school and literally recommend any other school over it.

So I have some questions:

1) What do you all think of WUSTL for my situation?

2) I know you all probably don't like hypotheticals but let's say I get a 167, is it safe to assume I pretty much have no chance of t14?

3) Will any realistic score put me into the t14 running?

4) If I don't get t14 then what would be my best bet for a school that can place in DC?

Thanks

Whoa there - I don't think you have the right impression of WUSTL. I'm a rising 2L there and I've loved my time there so far! The alumni have been great too and I've been doing well with OCI.

If you get a 167 and with a 2.5 GPA, you probably don't have very good chances at WUSTL. And I'd say 0% chance of any scholarships either.

[jdmonkey]

Just focus on getting a good LSAT. It is harder for law schools to find people with good LSAT scores than grades, so schools are receptive to splitters. A lot of colleges have no grade inflation controls so a law school can take someone like you without their incoming median GPA dropping. I know a student who had a similar GPA to yours that was on a full ride at WUSTL. I think his LSAT was 169/170? He also got admitted to a T-14 for sticker price. There are much fewer people with good LSAT scores than good GPA's so I wouldn't worry.

[Blueprint Mithun]

Hi all,

I am curious as to what you all think my chances are with my situation. I graduated Spring 2013 from a state school, and I have worked full-time in a professional environment since graduation. I currently work as a legislative staffer for the appropriations committee of my state's legislature.

My undergrad gpa was a 2.5 unfortunately. I majored in applied economics. I don't really want to get into excuses, obviously I wish I had done better but I am not going to cry over spilled milk. That being said, I do feel that my career advancement shows that my gpa is not entirely indicative of my abilities.

I have been practicing the lsat for some time now and feel pretty strongly that I will get between 165-170 when I take.

I would like to work in public/government interest law in the DC area preferably, and I know that DC is extremely competitive.

I feel like the highest ranked school I have a chance at is WUSTL; but it seems that so many people DESPISE that school and literally recommend any other school over it.

So I have some questions:

1) What do you all think of WUSTL for my situation?

2) I know you all probably don't like hypotheticals but let's say I get a 167, is it safe to assume I pretty much have no chance of t14?

3) Will any realistic score put me into the t14 running?

4) If I don't get t14 then what would be my best bet for a school that can place in DC?

Thanks

Your highest priority should definitely be maximizing your LSAT score. I wouldn't settle for anything below a 165, and I think you should really aim for a 170+ if you're serious about Wash U. As a splitter, it's hard to predict exactly what your chances will be, but you certainly might get lucky. Quotas are not the be all end all, but it's certainly possible that a school might be okay with your low GPA if you've got a high LSAT score. I wouldn't say you have no chance at T14, but it's unlikely, to be straight with you. That still doesn't mean you shouldn't aim for the highest possible LSAT score, however. The fact that you have some distance between undergrad and applying to law school is a plus.

WUSTL is a solid school. Here are their employment stats: http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/washu/

If you're considering schools in DC, unfortunately, other than Georgetown and GWU, the employment statistics are not great. You can compare some of the schools here: http://www.lstscorereports.com/compare/ ... holic/udc/

[Lexaholik]

1) What do you all think of WUSTL for my situation?

It's fine for your goals. You're probably not going to land a job at Covington, but DOJ/agency jobs aren't school-snobby.

2) I know you all probably don't like hypotheticals but let's say I get a 167, is it safe to assume I pretty much have no chance of t14?

Yes that's a safe assumption. A 167 is not enough.

3) Will any realistic score put me into the t14 running?

170 and up

4) If I don't get t14 then what would be my best bet for a school that can place in DC?

I'd recommend any DC-area school that you can get into with a sizable scholarship. So really it depends on what you actually get on the LSAT. Once in DC, you can intern/extern at agencies during the school year which will help with full time hiring.