Should I Apply This Year or Wait Forum

[gigem1620]

Hello! I graduated from Texas A&M in the Spring of 2020. As everybody knows, it was arguably the worst time to graduate from college in recent memory. I lost interest in applying to law school (I planned to take one gap year after undergrad) at that time and figured I could just seek other opportunities.

Now, fast forward two years later, and I am once again interested in applying to law school. I recently landed an entry level job at a law firm after working at a fast food restaurant for a few months (had to settle for whatever job hired me at the time). However, I have not really started LSAT prep. Last time I did a practice test, I got a 145. Can I get up to a 160 or 165 in time for the November LSAT? Or is it best to wait until next year. Would waiting to start three years after finishing undergrad look bad?

BTW, the schools I am most interested are University of Houston, St. Mary's, and South Texas, all in-state. What kind of LSAT do I aim for with a 3.29 GPA?

[cavalier1138]

First, don't apply until you actually have a decent LSAT in hand. What "decent" means is determined by your goals.

So more importantly, what are you hoping to do with your degrees? St. Mary's and South Texas have terrifying outcomes for their graduates, so I'm curious to hear what you think you'll be doing after graduation and how you plan on paying for school.

[crazywafflez]

Houston is the only one that should be on that list unless you plan to live and die in SA. Where in TX do you wanna be? SA is huge on ties, H and D less so. You can absolutely bring up your LSAT to 160, but as Cav said, your goals are important. Want biglaw? Houston places 20% of its class in biglaw (most are in the top20% of the class), so I wouldn't roll the dice on that. SMU has better odds though, albeit, it is pricey as hell if you don't get a scholarship and not worth it. If you want to do small firm stuff or govt/ public interest at a local level, A&M law on a scholarship is a great outcome. I wouldn't go to South Texas or St. Mary's though unless I got a full ride and knew I wanted to be in the area forever, and even then I'd be weary.

[gigem1620]

Thank you for the replies! Two weeks ago I took a practice test and got up to 152. Lately, I've been busy balancing work and studying for the LSAT so I didn't check back until now. I've been told 160-165 is very doable, if not higher.

My dream is to practice either PI or corporate law (those are the two areas the firm I work for practices) in a small firm. As far as where I want to go, I like San Antonio the best of the major Texas cities. Fort Worth is fine too. Houston, Dallas, and Austin I just don't like as much, although that's where the bigger opportunities are.

I'm definitely applying to Houston, South Texas, St. Mary's, North Texas, and A&M. Maybe roll the dice with SMU. My biggest fear, however, is my 3.295 GPA will kill me. I switched majors from Chemistry to Political Science (my initial dream was Patent Law for pharmaceuticals), and have solid extracurriculars, if that means anything.

[obamalaw]

I'm a little late to this, but I am at South Texas currently. I have really enjoyed my time here and have received an excellent education thus far. They give you every opportunity to succeed.

If you want to go to big law, go to Texas, SMU, Houston, or Baylor.

If you have DEEP connections to smaller Texas cities (Galveston, Tyler, McAllen, Texarkana, Lufkin, etc.) or want to work in the city where the school is based, then going to St. Mary's, South Texas, TX Southern, A&M, or UNT.

However, the smaller cities will not pay as much as big law. Student debt is a serious problem. Will you be able to realistically service the loans while making $50,00 to $60,000 a year? Add in living, taxes, healthcare, and so on. It is a tough world.

If you want to live and work in San Antonio, do everything in your power to crush the LSAT, get into a great school, do well in law school, and network with attorneys in San Antonio.