Top Law Schools

I applied ED at Notre Dame, my lsat was 162 and a GPA of 3.9. Non-URM, Top Public Undergrad. Can anyone tell me what they think my chances are?

Retake.

Yes, retaking is the only sensible choice here. Apply next cycle.

With a 3.9 GPA, most people will encourage you to raise your LSAT score given the competitiveness of your application to many T14 schools raising your LSAT score even a few points. However, if your goal is to get accepted to Notre Dame, you are in a very good spot, especially ED, but the scholarship offer will not be extremely high. Just something to consider! Good luck

albanach wrote:Yes, retaking is the only sensible choice here. Apply next cycle.

So you’re saying I have no chance to get in with these numbers? Because I already applied in September...

albanach wrote:Yes, retaking is the only sensible choice here. Apply next cycle.

Yes, I understand my LSAT is a little below the median, but you really think I have no shot at admission? Even with Early decision and a GPA>75th percentile?

lschool28 wrote:

albanach wrote:Yes, retaking is the only sensible choice here. Apply next cycle.

Yes, I understand my LSAT is a little below the median, but you really think I have no shot at admission? Even with Early decision and a GPA>75th percentile?

We're not saying you have no chance of getting into Notre Dame. You may very well get in to Notre Dame, but you will likely not get substantial (if any) scholarship aid.

We're saying that you're wasting your 3.9 GPA on a 162 LSAT. With a higher LSAT, you'd be in line for the T13/T20, possibly with a substantial scholarship (depending on how high your LSAT goes). You should be able to get a better LSAT, given your 3.9 GPA at a "top public undergrad." At a minimum, you should be able to get to the high 160s (167-169).

lschool28 wrote:

albanach wrote:Yes, retaking is the only sensible choice here. Apply next cycle.

Yes, I understand my LSAT is a little below the median, but you really think I have no shot at admission? Even with Early decision and a GPA>75th percentile?

That GPA is what we're getting at. You're what's commonly referred to as a reverse splitter - high GPA, low LSAT. Reverse splitters are rare because while your GPA is fixed, your LSAT score is not and can be improved. The cost benefit of doing so is immense.

You're restricted in what schools you can currently attend because of the low LSAT. It's likely below the cutoff for every top school. For a regular splitter that would be akin to having a GPA below 3.0.

Sure there are schools you can get in to. Possibly Notre Dame. But to do so would be a mistake. Your GPA will not prevent you from admission to any school in the country. The LSAT will determine almost everything. Given the bimodal nature of legal salaries and the vastly different employment outcomes from the top schools versus those ranked lower, retaking to improve the LSAT makes sense.

You might not improve a lot (though that 3.9 suggests you're capable) in which case you could be looking at similar schools to those that might admit you today, but with a good scholarship which will make the subsequent 10-30 years of your life much easier. Or, you might improve a lot and score in the high 160s or low 170s and open up the T-14 schools. Then there's the chance that, with almost a year to get ready, you can master the LSAT and score in the 99th percentile. Now you have the potential - though no guarantee - of attending somewhere like Harvard, Yale or Stanford, or going to somewhere lower in the T-14 potentially for free.

So, in short, going to law school now, after a single attempt at the LSAT, is doing yourself a disservice. Most if not everyone here would advise against it.

Just a 5 point bump to 167 could net you up to 120k at a top 13 law school