Should I wait a year and try again? Forum

[Asleep]

.

[dukey]

Holy essay batman, but stick with me!

My Stats 3.65/Cancel,167,168

My cycle is pretty much complete and its been a bit disappointing. I was rejected from Penn ED (Stats were 3.6/167 at the time) and Georgetown ED. I was also rejected from Duke and Virginia and waitlisted at Michigan. I was accepted at GW no $$ and accepted at W&M with 15k a year, c-average stip.

My goals - to return to my home state, a small state in New England, to work in or for government.

I believe there is room for some improvement. At the risk of sounding like I am making excuses, I got the 167 ill with practically no sleep. I then was stupid and prepped very little in the intervening months. I was preptesting in the low 170s and feel that after spending a significant time on these boards I may be able to up that by at least a little bit through more effective study habits.

For reference, my baseline lsat (cold with no prep) was a 164.

I also believe my personal statement was not as good as it could have been and I did not apply until december.

This lead me to two questions. Assuming that I don't increase my lsat into the 170s, do you think I can do better waiting a year, fixing up my personal statement, and applying earlier? Second, does potentially a few point increase into the 170s change your answer?

Please dont quote post. Thanks!

(Edit: I know I'd need to get permission for a fourth test)

YES - get a good score for chance at $$ T14. Depending on your softs & your future LSAT score, you might even have some chance at HYS.

[Patriot1208]

To actually answer your question, no, if you don't increase your LSAT you are likely looking at a similar outcome if you apply to the same schools. 168 3.65 is right around GW territory. It is possible you could sneak into a few other higher ranked schools but it certainly isn't much of a guarantee. It seems you neglected to apply to some of the schools you would have had the best shot at such as WUSTL, Vandy, Cornell, BU, BC, etc. Now, of course you could get into better schools if you retake and score better. Certainly if I were you that's what I would do.

[tea_drinker]

Please dont quote post. Thanks!

YES - get a good score for chance at $$ T14. Depending on your softs & your future LSAT score, you might even have some chance at HYS.

1. OP asks don't quote post

2. I don't think OP's chance at HYS is high enough to merit the wait given his/her GPA

OP: Yes, apply early matters although just a bit. And, yes, breaking 170 is important because you can get accepted to several lower t14s.

[Asleep]

Thank you for all the feedback! I have applied to Cornell, but I am still waiting to hear back and am not optimistic at this point.

[Asleep]

Sorry to bump, but this is a big choice for me and I'm looking for any more insight if anyone has it

[CanadianWolf]

Wait a year. It seems clear that you are not excited about Wm. & Mary, while Michigan could be an option next year, along with BU, BC or a $120,000 scholarship from Indiana.

P.S. Wm. & Mary is a solid law school, but you seem disappointed with this as an option.

[Magnolia]

I would wait and reapply. The fact that you're here asking this question should tell you that you aren't happy with your options. Don't sink 3 years and 200k into law school unless you're confident in your choice.

If you can get your PT range into the low- to mid-170's, I would definitely retake. Breaking the 170 threshold will open up a whole different caliber of schools and get you scholarship money at your current range. Even if you don't retake, applying early and to a broader range of schools could help you a lot. I would add Vandy, WUSTL, UCLA, USC, BC and BU to your list. Worst case scenario, you'll end up with pretty much the same options you have now and you'll know for sure that you didn't miss out on better opportunities by rushing into school.

Good luck!

[keg411]

If you want to work in New England, why no BU or BC? OP, those should be your target schools (with $$).

[splitmuch]

Wait and retake. If you don't improve broaden the apps (BC, BU, WUSTL etc.)