1 year to prepare application, 3 months to prepare for LSAT Forum

[Donnis]

I plan on taking the December 2011 LSAT as it would give me 3+ months to prepare for it.

I recently graduated with a UGPA of a 2.6. I understand that is trash and extremely low. This is why I need to do exceptionally well on my LSAT. I know that all T1 schools and pretty much all T2 schools will be out of my reach. I want to try for T2 regardless.

I am currently part-time in grad school but plan on stopping in the Spring if I do well on my LSAT.

I am unemployed and have no other obligations than Grad school and the gym.


How can I make my law school application the strongest with time given to me? Should I volunteer at a non-profit or find a job or internship with a law firm?

I basically want to devote my full time to making my application the strongest.

I am Cuban, which is Hispanic, but not a URM. I feel I should focus on my ethnicity in my PS and essays to show them that I would "diversify" their class.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[cinephile]

T1 is not necessarily out. There are decent schools that accept low GPAs if you can ace the LSAT.

Also, the standard response is to get 2 years full-time work experience and apply to Northwestern.

[JamMasterJ]

T1 is not necessarily out. There are decent schools that accept low GPAs if you can ace the LSAT.

Also, the standard response is to get 2 years full-time work experience and apply to Northwestern.

+1. Sub-3.0 makes a lot of schools with floors difficult, but some of the midwestern T1s are definitely open if you score 165-170

[PurplePirate]

I plan on taking the December 2011 LSAT as it would give me 3+ months to prepare for it.

I recently graduated with a UGPA of a 2.6. I understand that is trash and extremely low. This is why I need to do exceptionally well on my LSAT. I know that all T1 schools and pretty much all T2 schools will be out of my reach. I want to try for T2 regardless.

I am currently part-time in grad school but plan on stopping in the Spring if I do well on my LSAT.

I am unemployed and have no other obligations than Grad school and the gym.


How can I make my law school application the strongest with time given to me? Should I volunteer at a non-profit or find a job or internship with a law firm?

I basically want to devote my full time to making my application the strongest.

I am Cuban, which is Hispanic, but not a URM. I feel I should focus on my ethnicity in my PS and essays to show them that I would "diversify" their class.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why don't you spend more time prepping for the LSAT instead? You can take it in February (~5 months of studying) or even June (~ 9 months of studying) and still have plenty of time to prep your apps. You need a high score to offset that GPA. Best of luck.

Edit: Also, there isn't much you can do in a year that will make your application shine. Again, focus on getting a high score. Unfortunately, it's almost purely a numbers game. Especially if you're just out of undergrad.

[Donnis]

I was debating taking it either 2 times or 3 times. I have not researched enough if it is wise to take it 3 times.

I am ready to devote full-time to the LSAT. However, how would I explain my time spent unemployed and only 2 classes deep in grad school studying Criminal Justice?

[cinephile]

Hopefully you can find a job. Any job will count as work experience. Legal work experience will not give you a boost, but it might help you get an idea of what the work will be like.

[TTH]

Go work for a few years and make sure you want to do law school. Your GPA isn't wonderful. Do you have reason to think you'll do better in law school? Coming out of a low T1 to T3 law school below median will leave you with shit for options and a ton of debt.

If, after a few years of work, you want to go back, law school will still be there. The job market for lawyers might be better as well, and you'll have some substantive work experience to separate you from your lackluster GPA.