Super Traditional Splitter Advice! Forum

[mechtolaw]

Hey guys!

I'm looking for some advice on where you think I should apply. I'm a mechanical engineering major with an economics minor at a "prestigious" university and I currently have a 2.6 GPA (3.4 in my major courses - I screwed up when I was a freshman ). I just took the November LSAT so I am still waiting on the results but prior to the exam I was consistently scoring in the 173-176 range. Do you guys know of any splitter-friendly law schools that I should aim for? I'm not going to be picky about what school I end up at; I'm just thankful for the opportunity to continue my education at the best school I can get into!

Also, would you recommend hiring an admissions consultant to tighten up my personal statement and splitter addendum?

Thanks!

[QContinuum]

I think basically you've got to apply broadly, and blanket the entire T20. (You can make your own decision on how strong your softs are and whether Y/S are worth trying - they are willing to bend for truly out-of-this-world softs, but if that isn't the case for you, then probably save on your app fees.) As a super splitter, your cycle will be very unpredictable, though I think you certainly have a shot at a T13/T20 if you indeed get a ~175 on the LSAT. You might get into Columbia but be dinged by Berkeley. You never know. So you've really just got to try it all. (You should also be prepared to pay sticker or close to it; schools don't tend to be very scholarship friendly to super splitters.)

NW is reputed to be splitter friendly, and they have historically also given a real ED boost. But it'll also be December by the time you get your LSAT. So rather than trying to ED NW, I'd advocate in favor of simply blanketing the T20 at that point, as soon as you can. Get everything else pulled together (all your LORs in, all your essays and Why Xs written) so you can submit as soon as your LSAT hits. This is assuming you do get a ~175 on the LSAT; if for whatever reason you score substantially lower, you should probably sit out the cycle and retake and reapply next cycle (which would also give you the chance to try EDing NW).