What would the job prospects look like for me? - LSAT 158 Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a prospective law student, and I'm trying to figure out, realistically, what my future job prospects will be like -given my test score and the school/schools I've applied to attend.

My LSAT is 158 and my undergrad GPA is 3.9
I've gotten into DePaul College of law (ranked 89), and am waiting to hear back from Indiana University and Notre Dame.
DePaul also offered me a scholarship for half my yearly tuition (about 20K) which is renewable for the second and third year.

I would love to hear from recent graduates who have similar LSAT and GPA scores and/or have attended one of the three schools that I have applied to attend. How's the job hunt going? What are your prospects like? Do you have any advice for a prospective student with my prospects?

Thank you so much!

[Judge Philip Banks]

For the love of god retake the fucking LSAT. Do not waste a 3.9 gpa...

[DaftAndDirect]

For the love of god retake the fucking LSAT. Do not waste a 3.9 gpa...

yup

[Elston Gunn]

For the love of god retake the fucking LSAT. Do not waste a 3.9 gpa...

[MrPapagiorgio]

For the love of god retake the fucking LSAT. Do not waste a 3.9 gpa...

[EMZE]

You dont have job prospects. You just have a potential 3 years of woe, 10s if not 100s of thousands of dollars in debt, a degree that overqualifies you for most back up jobs, and shame. Endless shame.

[traehekat]

For the love of god retake the fucking LSAT. Do not waste a 3.9 gpa...

[Judge Philip Banks]

OP, no matter what the job prospects are at DePaul (or even Indiana or Notre Dame), if you improve your LSAT by 10 or more points, you will crack into the T14 and have better job prospects than any of the three mentioned schools. There is nothing wrong with taking another year off before starting law school and focusing on increasing your LSAT. If anything, taking more time will be very beneficial to you, as you can mature/grow/save money that year. Possibly more importantly, delaying a year means you would graduate in 2016 (and not 2015), which is another year removed from the shit economy (hopefully things improve more by then).

[RedBirds2011]

You dont have job prospects. You just have a potential 3 years of woe, 10s if not 100s of thousands of dollars in debt, a degree that overqualifies you for most back up jobs, and shame. Endless shame.

This is a bit of an exaggeration.

[MrPapagiorgio]

OP, no matter what the job prospects are at DePaul (or even Indiana or Notre Dame), if you improve your LSAT by 10 or more points, you will crack into the T14 and have better job prospects than any of the three mentioned schools. There is nothing wrong with taking another year off before starting law school and focusing on increasing your LSAT. If anything, taking more time will be very beneficial to you, as you can mature/grow/save money that year. Possibly more importantly, delaying a year means you would graduate in 2016 (and not 2015), which is another year removed from the shit economy (hopefully things improve more by then).

I like what you say, but it won't be 2016, it will be 2014. OCI bro

[traehekat]

You dont have job prospects. You just have a potential 3 years of woe, 10s if not 100s of thousands of dollars in debt, a degree that overqualifies you for most back up jobs, and shame. Endless shame.

This is a bit of an exaggeration.

not by very much, though.

[RedBirds2011]

Don't waste that great GPA.

[Gabriel1888]

Thanks guys. Sound advice.

But here's the thing: I studied about 3 weeks for the LSAT (completed about 12 practice tests) for about 4 or 5 hours a day, and 158 was what I got. Will retaking it boost me all that much? +10 points?

How long did y'all study? And what should I do to get me that many more points?

Thanks again!

[EMZE]

So much for anonymous.

Personally, I studied a month, but you'll find most people on here put in anywhere between 1 week and 1 year studying. Some people do every single practice test. It is a learnable test dude. With your GPA, if you settle for anything other then HYSCCN, you are cheating yourself.

[LawIdiot86]

Thanks guys. Sound advice.

But here's the thing: I studied about 3 weeks for the LSAT (completed about 12 practice tests) for about 4 or 5 hours a day, and 158 was what I got. Will retaking it boost me all that much? +10 points?

How long did y'all study? And what should I do to get me that many more points?

Thanks again!

I upped mine 13 points (164->178) taking a 6 month review class and doing every test I could find.

[kwais]

the question isn't how long should you study for, it's just a matter of studying until 170+ is the norm. That is different for everyone. Make it happen

[MrPapagiorgio]

So much for anonymous.

Personally, I studied a month, but you'll find most people on here put in anywhere between 1 week and 1 year studying. Some people do every single practice test. It is a learnable test dude. With your GPA, if you settle for anything other then HYSCCN, you are cheating yourself.

HYSCCN is not the automatic goal just because of the GPA. As learnable as the test is, 170+ is not in the realm of possibility for everybody. But yes, OP you need to put more time into studying. I studied for 4 months the second time around and improved my LSAT 13 points. It's doable, and worth it.

[EMZE]

So much for anonymous.

Personally, I studied a month, but you'll find most people on here put in anywhere between 1 week and 1 year studying. Some people do every single practice test. It is a learnable test dude. With your GPA, if you settle for anything other then HYSCCN, you are cheating yourself.

HYSCCN is not the automatic goal just because of the GPA. As learnable as the test is, 170+ is not in the realm of possibility for everybody. But yes, OP you need to put more time into studying. I studied for 4 months the second time around and improved my LSAT 13 points. It's doable, and worth it.

dude you get my point...

[gaud]

OP, take it from me, I was in a situation similar to your last cycle. I let this site talk me into retaking and it has truly been one of the best decisions I've ever made. After retaking, especially with a GPA like that, you can go to those schools with full rides, or much better schools if you choose so. Wouldn't better options for your life career be worth taking a year off?

I'll send you a PM of how I studied for my retakes in case you're interested

[linquest]

Odd question. Your LSAT has no relevance once you actually start law school. It's not like you put your score on your resume or applications...not any that I've seen anyway. Once you're in, what employers consider are your law school GPA/rank, work experience, personality, and law school reputation (and possibly undergrad reputation if well-regarded).

I would love to hear from recent graduates who have similar LSAT and GPA scores and/or have attended one of the three schools that I have applied to attend. How's the job hunt going? What are your prospects like?

In my experience, LSAT mattered not a whit in the job hunt. My UGPA/LSAT were both lower than yours, law school USNWR rank was similar to Depaul. I had no problem getting the internships I wanted (though I wasn't aiming for BigLaw) and landed my dream job in fed gov. I had more unusual, specialized work experience than most law students though.

Also agree with others that you should retake. 3 weeks is about the shortest amount of prep I've heard of, aside from a couple folks I knew who took law school on a lark stone-cold. Doesn't sound like you have a compelling reason not to re-take.

[traehekat]

Thanks guys. Sound advice.

But here's the thing: I studied about 3 weeks for the LSAT (completed about 12 practice tests) for about 4 or 5 hours a day, and 158 was what I got. Will retaking it boost me all that much? +10 points?

How long did y'all study? And what should I do to get me that many more points?

Thanks again!

Check out the LSAT prep forum, there is plenty of solid advice there (especially pithypike's thread). Honestly, studying for only 3 weeks and scoring a 158 isn't bad at all, but given that it was still only 3 weeks there is plenty of room for improvement. I think you will find most people on here study between 2-4 months, but as someone else said, you should just study until you are scoring in the 170+ range somewhat consistently. If you don't get a 170+ on the retake, then just retake again.

[Gabriel1888]

OP, take it from me, I was in a situation similar to your last cycle. I let this site talk me into retaking and it has truly been one of the best decisions I've ever made. After retaking, especially with a GPA like that, you can go to those schools with full rides, or much better schools if you choose so. Wouldn't better options for your life career be worth taking a year off?

I'll send you a PM of how I studied for my retakes in case you're interested

Definitely interested! Thank you!

[mattviphky]

Thanks guys. Sound advice.

But here's the thing: I studied about 3 weeks for the LSAT (completed about 12 practice tests) for about 4 or 5 hours a day, and 158 was what I got. Will retaking it boost me all that much? +10 points?

How long did y'all study? And what should I do to get me that many more points?

Thanks again!

Took me 5 months to hit 170s consistently. Everyone is different, but you NEED to study longer than 3 weeks. I'm thinking you need 3 months. Seriously, RETAKE!!! You have a Harvard GPA, why not get a Harvard LSAT, too?

btw, most of us are retakers, and we know what we are talking about. Don't waste the GPA.

[Judge Philip Banks]

OP, no matter what the job prospects are at DePaul (or even Indiana or Notre Dame), if you improve your LSAT by 10 or more points, you will crack into the T14 and have better job prospects than any of the three mentioned schools. There is nothing wrong with taking another year off before starting law school and focusing on increasing your LSAT. If anything, taking more time will be very beneficial to you, as you can mature/grow/save money that year. Possibly more importantly, delaying a year means you would graduate in 2016 (and not 2015), which is another year removed from the shit economy (hopefully things improve more by then).

I like what you say, but it won't be 2016, it will be 2014. OCI bro

Good catch - thanks.

And OP, as everyone in this thread is saying, you should definitely retake. If you got a 158 with only three weeks of studying, devote three months to studying and see how much higher you'll score (spoiler: it will be much higher).