Retake and Reapply? Forum

[DazedandHungry]

Here's my predicament, and I'd appreciate some advice.

3.86 GPA
Peace Corps Volunteer
159 LSAT

I managed to bomb the test on account of my dad losing both his brother and father within two months and then having massive heart surgery himself. A lot of my prep time was immediately after PC helping take care of him/house/rest of the family.

I'm from Wisconsin and will be returning here to practice long term. UW is lowballing me on scholarship money and Marquette is offering nearly full tuition (I'd pay about 3k/year and living expenses, which isn't much in Milwaukee). My long-term goal would be working at one of the bigger MKE firms for a few years and then as an AUSA/state DoJ before opening up my own firm or rejoining one of the larger ones. Would this be feasible, given WI's insular market, or should I retake and bring my score up by 10/12 points, which I genuinely believe is feasible.

Would it be worth reapplying this upcoming cycle with a new LSAT and seeing if I could get into higher ranked schools with $$$$, or would something like Marquette be sufficient for my goals? Likewise, what sorts of doors are permanently closed going to UW or Marquette that would be open from Mich or UChicago, or even something like H if I pulled my score up high enough?

Looking forward to all you've got to say.

[The Lsat Airbender]

You need to retake, especially since your first LSAT was marred by personal circumstances (that sounds really tough). Marquette does not line up with your goals at all - you should be aiming for a full ride at UW, or a T14, for your goals, which are fairly competitive/prestige-sensitive. Your GPA makes any school attainable with enough improvement on the LSAT.