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Without getting sappy or giving excuses I'll just cut to the chase, my weighted GPA is a 3.25 and my current LSAT score is a 155. I retook the exam yesterday and felt much better and obviously hope I did better but with my current situation I'm not getting into any good schools (at least in Texas where I currently live). I chose to try the law school route because I took a lot of literature courses and really enjoyed them and saw some correlation with the legal field that incorporates some of the same general skills. However I'm not interested in burying myself in debt going to a T3 school and working as a public defendant. If my second attempt on the LSAT doesn't net me a respectable score (mid-low 160's) then should I begin looking for alternative career choices?

You can always re-take

CardozoLaw09 wrote:You can always re-take

I did retake it, I just hate sitting around waiting for my score and want to plan things out in the event that my score didn't improve much.

OlegPerry97 wrote:

CardozoLaw09 wrote:You can always re-take

I did retake it, I just hate sitting around waiting for my score and want to plan things out in the event that my score didn't improve much.

You can re-take it a third time if you don't get the score you want

Don't go to law school because you took some literature courses that you liked--to say literature courses are irrelevant is an understatement. Go to law school because you've extensively researched what actual lawyers do, actually talked to several, and then feel you'd be unfulfilled by any other career. If that's the case, retake and don't settle for less than a 170. Otherwise, I'd consider a PhD or something related to literature since you've expressed interest in that

OakBrook2021 wrote:Don't go to law school because you took some literature courses that you liked--to say literature courses are irrelevant is an understatement. Go to law school because you've extensively researched what actual lawyers do, actually talked to several, and then feel you'd be unfulfilled by any other career. If that's the case, retake and don't settle for less than a 170. Otherwise, I'd consider a PhD or something related to literature since you've expressed interest in that

I have talked to attorneys and researched the field (as well as interned), I was just stating where my interest in the field came from..somewhat irrelevant I guess.

Don't get a Ph.D.

OlegPerry97 wrote: I have talked to attorneys and researched the field (as well as interned), I was just stating where my interest in the field came from..somewhat irrelevant I guess.

Ok cool, didn't mean to sound like a jerk or anything. Just know too many people that went to LS for the wrong reasons. This is all up in the air since you don't know your dec score, but if I were you I'd retake if you don't get into UT with $ or one of the regional schools at or near full ride (assuming you aren't biglaw or bust)

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Don't get a Ph.D.

Full disclosure: I have not done much research on outcomes of PhD students. Just the first thing that came to mind for someone who is interested in literature

OlegPerry97 wrote: I have talked to attorneys and researched the field (as well as interned), I was just stating where my interest in the field came from..somewhat irrelevant I guess.

OK, so what about the legal field interests you now that you've done your research?
What is drawing you to this profession? What are your goals in going to law school? Hopefully your LSAT score goes up a bit, but if not, and if you've hit your theoretical maximum, and you still want to be a lawyer, you're going to need to calibrate your goals to the schools you get into and the opportunities available to you.

It's not necessarily terrible to go to a non-T1 school but you need to get a decent unconditional scholarship and you need to be realistic about what will happen when you graduate.

OakBrook2021 wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Don't get a Ph.D.

Full disclosure: I have not done much research on outcomes of PhD students. Just the first thing that came to mind for someone who is interested in literature

PhD programs are much more difficult to get into than law school, and the outcomes are worse.

OakBrook2021 wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Don't get a Ph.D.

Full disclosure: I have not done much research on outcomes of PhD students. Just the first thing that came to mind for someone who is interested in literature

Yeah, this person seems like they want a job. don't go the PhD route generally, really don't if you simply want a job, and especially don't get one in literature

I wouldn't go to law school in your situation. Take some time off. You might circle back to it, you might not.