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Hi there:

3.69 GPA in liberal arts from a top state UG here, except for a shitty freshman year, 3.9+ gpa in all subsequent years; good work experience in startups and finance, good travel and work experience in foreign countries, multilingual, non URM...

but ultimately none of these things matter if i can't come up w/ an impossible LSAT...I have been scoring consistently in the low 170s and know that this isn't enough for HLS. Playing around on mylsn/hourumd shows that I only have a realistic shot if I can get a near perfect LSAT score. I think anywhere from 175+ is a possibility, but I can't be sure if my understanding of the statistics are completely accurate...what score should I try to aim for in order to have a realistic shot at HLS for this cycle?

The reason I'm asking is because I took a bet and only half in jest w/ my dad at the beginning of the cycle that if I got into HLS, he would pay for my tuition! The ability to skip out on the burden of 200k+ student loans is too good to pass on, and I haven't been able to get this off my mind.

I'm going to use the next month and half to try to increase my score by as much as possible, any thoughts on what my minimally viable goal for HLS should be? Also, would applying in late Dec/early Jan matter all that much if I was able to achieve a score which appears favorable on lsn?

thanks so much!

I got in with a 3.72 and 176. I also had a few years of military experience. I feel like right around 3.7 is a gray zone for HLS where it can go either way.

Dcc617 wrote:I got in with a 3.72 and 176. I also had a few years of military experience. I feel like right around 3.7 is a gray zone for HLS where it can go either way.

I'd say around 3.7 is where it becomes more likely than not, with a 174+

3.6-3.7, probably 1/3 - 1/2 odds with 175+

Economyclass wrote:Hi there:

3.69 GPA in liberal arts from a top state UG here, except for a shitty freshman year, 3.9+ gpa in all subsequent years; good work experience in startups and finance, good travel and work experience in foreign countries, multilingual, non URM...

but ultimately none of these things matter if i can't come up w/ an impossible LSAT...I have been scoring consistently in the low 170s and know that this isn't enough for HLS. Playing around on mylsn/hourumd shows that I only have a realistic shot if I can get a near perfect LSAT score. I think anywhere from 175+ is a possibility, but I can't be sure if my understanding of the statistics are completely accurate...what score should I try to aim for in order to have a realistic shot at HLS for this cycle?

The reason I'm asking is because I took a bet and only half in jest w/ my dad at the beginning of the cycle that if I got into HLS, he would pay for my tuition! The ability to skip out on the burden of 200k+ student loans is too good to pass on, and I haven't been able to get this off my mind.

I'm going to use the next month and half to try to increase my score by as much as possible, any thoughts on what my minimally viable goal for HLS should be? Also, would applying in late Dec/early Jan matter all that much if I was able to achieve a score which appears favorable on lsn?

thanks so much!

If you can pull a 175, then you have a 50% chance or so. The closer you can get to 180, the higher that percentage will be. If you're really serious about Harvard (and the incentive to not have to pay tuition yourself is game-changing, ask any debt-ridden student), then I'd take it slowly. Don't take the LSAT until your scores on timed practice tests are basically where you want to be for the test. You could potentially take it in February and apply next cycle.

Applying in December is not as advantageous as doing so earlier, but I don't think it's a huuuge game-changer. A high LSAT score is way more important than applying early.

I bet your dad would still honor the "bet" for a similar top school. People don't make irrational decisions about hundreds of thousands of dollars so casually.

jbagelboy wrote:I bet your dad would still honor the "bet" for a similar top school. People don't make irrational decisions about hundreds of thousands of dollars so casually.

Agreed. You should also aim for Stanford and Yale.

lawlorbust wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:I bet your dad would still honor the "bet" for a similar top school. People don't make irrational decisions about hundreds of thousands of dollars so casually.

Agreed. You should also aim for Stanford and Yale.

His GPA might preclude him from those two.

Sit for the test and get a real score, then go from there. My advice is to not rush into applying, and really spend your time and energy on the test rather than putting some self-imposed deadline on when you need to go to school.

If your work experience is that good, then you have a chance with even a 172. Not a good chance, but still a chance. As everyone else said, 174/175 is when youd probably have about a 50/50 shot.

Dcc617 wrote:I got in with a 3.72 and 176. I also had a few years of military experience. I feel like right around 3.7 is a gray zone for HLS where it can go either way.

Thank you so much for this information, I have almost the exact numbers and have been wondering about my chance at HYS.