Best law school I can get into? Forum

[Zizzer]

Hey there guys,

I am looking at applying to law school for Fall 2019, and have just taken the February LSAT. I graduated from Princeton with a 3.4 and got a 170 on the LSAT. For extracurriculars I was a D1 varsity athlete, had an internship at a law firm last summer, and am now playing my sport professionally. I am looking at schools like Columbia and NYU, but I'm also wondering what my chances would be like for Harvard/Stanford (probably not very likely I know). I was getting higher scores on my practice LSATs so it might be worth taking it again but I really don't want to if i don't have to (I'm sure you all understand). Pretty much just looking for some advice through other people's experiences. I am Canadian, so I'm not sure if this makes a difference for admissions, but I don't think it's worth it for me financially to come to the US if I don't get into a top school.

Thanks!

[albanach]

Hey there guys,

I am looking at applying to law school for Fall 2019, and have just taken the February LSAT. I graduated from Princeton with a 3.4 and got a 170 on the LSAT. For extracurriculars I was a D1 varsity athlete, had an internship at a law firm last summer, and am now playing my sport professionally. I am looking at schools like Columbia and NYU, but I'm also wondering what my chances would be like for Harvard/Stanford (probably not very likely I know). I was getting higher scores on my practice LSATs so it might be worth taking it again but I really don't want to if i don't have to (I'm sure you all understand). Pretty much just looking for some advice through other people's experiences. I am Canadian, so I'm not sure if this makes a difference for admissions, but I don't think it's worth it for me financially to come to the US if I don't get into a top school.

Thanks!

[poptart123]

There is no downside to retaking. If your scores go down you won't be penalized, and if they go up you will be helped. Already a great score though. Good luck!

[Lxwind]

Actually if your undergrad is in Canada, GPA will be recalculated by LSAC...if it is a S/AA it won't hurt as much as it would as 3.4 for a US undergrad...

[DerKatze]

Actually if your undergrad is in Canada, GPA will be recalculated by LSAC...if it is a S/AA it won't hurt as much as it would as 3.4 for a US undergrad...

He went to Princeton. Princeton is in Princeton, New Jersey, not Canada.

[stratton_oakmont]

Actually if your undergrad is in Canada, GPA will be recalculated by LSAC...if it is a S/AA it won't hurt as much as it would as 3.4 for a US undergrad...

He went to Princeton. Princeton is in Princeton, New Jersey, not Canada.

lmaooooo

[Zizzer]

There is no downside to retaking. If your scores go down you won't be penalized, and if they go up you will be helped. Already a great score though. Good luck!

Are you sure? I heard most US schools average them and if I do worse that it could hurt.

[ExperssioUnius]

Schools only have to report the highest score so from a pure numbers perspective it cannot hurt you. That said, if you talk to admissions people, they'll tell you that they generally expect a person who retakes it to gain 3 points just from having gone through the process once before. Thus, when the admissions department is considering your actual ability to contribute to the academic setting and succeed (rather than just the numbers they need to report), the same score or a score a few points lower may suggest that your first score was inflated and that you guessed correctly on a few questions.

[sparkytrainer]

Schools only have to report the highest score so from a pure numbers perspective it cannot hurt you. That said, if you talk to admissions people, they'll tell you that they generally expect a person who retakes it to gain 3 points just from having gone through the process once before. Thus, when the admissions department is considering your actual ability to contribute to the academic setting and succeed (rather than just the numbers they need to report), the same score or a score a few points lower may suggest that your first score was inflated and that you guessed correctly on a few questions.

This is pure bullshit and the raw numbers have proven this over the years. Go talk to Mike Spivey and his actual admissions officers to hear this directly.

The only school that even marginally cares about retakes anymore is Yale. But your GPA precludes Yale, so ignore it.

Schools no longer average, nor do they care if you take it twice, three times, or more. What they care about is the highest number. I can tell you from personal experience as someone with multiple lsat scores (3+) that are pretty divergent in actual score, not a single school cared in the top 10. Now one of those schools has paid for my legal education.

Retake, get the highest possible number you can. You always have a great fallback, but every single extra point for you will make the difference in $$$.

[El Otro Gato]

Schools only have to report the highest score so from a pure numbers perspective it cannot hurt you. That said, if you talk to admissions people, they'll tell you that they generally expect a person who retakes it to gain 3 points just from having gone through the process once before. Thus, when the admissions department is considering your actual ability to contribute to the academic setting and succeed (rather than just the numbers they need to report), the same score or a score a few points lower may suggest that your first score was inflated and that you guessed correctly on a few questions.

This is pure bullshit and the raw numbers have proven this over the years. Go talk to Mike MS9 and his actual admissions officers to hear this directly.

The only school that even marginally cares about retakes anymore is Yale. But your GPA precludes Yale, so ignore it.

Schools no longer average, nor do they care if you take it twice, three times, or more. What they care about is the highest number. I can tell you from personal experience as someone with multiple lsat scores (3+) that are pretty divergent in actual score, not a single school cared in the top 10. Now one of those schools has paid for my legal education.

Retake, get the highest possible number you can. You always have a great fallback, but every single extra point for you will make the difference in $$$.

+1 to this.

[ExperssioUnius]

It is straight from two admissions officers at a T-14 school other than Yale. But feel free to think that schools only care about the numbers they have to report and not the person behind the numbers.

[ExperssioUnius]

It is straight from two admissions officers at a T-14 school other than Yale. But feel free to think that schools only care about the numbers they have to report and not the person behind the numbers.

[nixy]

I mean if schools are looking at two people with the same numbers and can only take one they may consider these kinds of distinctions. But they’re going to take the higher LSAT out of multiple takes candidate over someone with a lower LSAT, and they’re going to take the multiple takes LSAT if the score is something they need to maintain medians. There’s too much evidence compiled through LSN that the highest score is what counts first/most.

[Zizzer]

Thanks so much for all the advice! More down to the specifics though, I think it would help me to get an idea of what my % chance of admission would be for Columbia and NYU given my resume. I think with that I would have a better idea of whether or not I would like to retake it. Thanks again!

[cannonballer]

Thanks so much for all the advice! More down to the specifics though, I think it would help me to get an idea of what my % chance of admission would be for Columbia and NYU given my resume. I think with that I would have a better idea of whether or not I would like to retake it. Thanks again!

Look at the chart albanach posted, that tells you your rough chances. Numbers are supreme in the admissions game - your resume will be a marginal boost at best. Given that you were scoring higher on your practice tests than you performed on the LSAT, you should definitely retake. Your LSAT is the only thing that can meaningfully compensate for your GPA at this point. Push yourself to get a 175+ and you'll have a good shot at Columbia and NYU - go fool around with the numbers at mylsn.info and you'll see what a difference a few point can make.