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Hey guys! So I am currently in the midst of the law school application process right now and reading the forums has definitely made me a little bit nervous about my prospects. I have a 3.45 GPA and a 167 LSAT currently, and I have been deadset about starting law school this coming Fall. However, I feel like everything is so rushed. I took the LSAT for the first time in November after months of studying about 40-50 hours a week and I woke up the morning of super sick and got a 162. Retook in February, got my 167 and I sent out all of my applications by 2/22.

So far, I've gotten a full ride to SLU, $70k from Arizona State, and a waitlist from UVA. Other schools I'm waiting to hear back from are BU, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Ohio State, Minnesota, UT-Austin and Alabama. I have been PTing in the 170+, and I'm pretty confident about my abilities. I'm sure the absolute logical decision would be to put it off one year, take the exam in June and send out all my applications right when they open in September. I'm sure I can get into some T14s that way with good scholarship money.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the rest of my schools, but I'm leaning more and more into this option. I know it's the smartest decision, but I don't know why I'm still so hesitant. I think I was just looking forward to getting my life started with law school. Please give me that extra push to help me convince myself to just wait a year. I see this advice all the time, but it's still a hard decision when I've invested all this time and money already into attending law school this fall. Thanks!

Law school isn't going anywhere, and as you correctly noted, you're leaving a lot of better admissions and a lot of money on the table if you rush this decision.

cavalier1138 wrote:Law school isn't going anywhere, and as you correctly noted, you're leaving a lot of better admissions and a lot of money on the table if you rush this decision.

+1 to the above. OP, as you correctly recognize, applying in late February puts you at a substantial disadvantage, especially for scholarships. It also doesn't make sense to apply with a 167 when you have the ability to hit 170+. Don't go to SLU or ASU when you're on the cusp of getting into the T13/T20 with $. Do what you know is right. Retake and reapply next cycle.

Agreed that I think you should wait, if you have that option (which I know can be a luxury for some folks). I had similar stats to you and same mindset--I didn't want to put this next step on hold and jumped to a school. It worked out for me, but I didn't get into/go to better-ranked schools that I think I could have gotten into if I had just taken another year to spend more time on my applications and more targeted applications. Of course, this decision is dependent on a lot of other personal factors that only you can know, but otherwise, it sounds like you're in a good position to wait to get into a better school.

I think the fact you got waitlisted at UVa with those #'s suggests they may like your application, and you'd be a shoo-in if you hit a 170. You can also try and see what will happen if you take the test in June by asking some of the schools you're waitlisted at if they would consider a June LSAT. If so, you may be able to still start this year.

At the very least, you can put down a seat deposit at one of the schools you've been in and possibly maneuver a better LSAT to a better scholarship offer - assuming retaking and negotiating doesn't violate the terms of the seat deposit. However, a lot of these schools are randomly spread throughout the country. I don't think Arizona State would be a good call if you are not from the area.

Thanks guys for the help! I had the opportunity to visit UVA over spring break and I spoke with one of the admissions officers. She told me with my current application and applying early, if I can get my LSAT up to a 169+, I would be a pretty competitive applicant next cycle. I think it would definitely be helpful to take a gap year. I really think I rushed the process and I can polish up my application with my extra time. Thanks again!

juicemaker22 wrote:Thanks guys for the help! I had the opportunity to visit UVA over spring break and I spoke with one of the admissions officers. She told me with my current application and applying early, if I can get my LSAT up to a 169+, I would be a pretty competitive applicant next cycle. I think it would definitely be helpful to take a gap year. I really think I rushed the process and I can polish up my application with my extra time. Thanks again!

Thanks for circling back in to update us, and kudos on making a wise decision to retake and reapply next cycle.

Best wishes, enjoy your gap year and don't hesitate to come back for more advice or just to hang out!