PLEASE HELP. Should I take a year off? Forum

[kelssimone]

Please help me. I am currently about to start my Senior Year at the University of Texas as a Sociology major. Here is some info on me:

GPA: 3.15
African American
Female
Daughter of Single Mother (Father was murdered in 2000)
I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
I have held leadership positions in AKA, and the Pre-law National Black law students Association
I am a member of the Greek honor Society Order of Omega
I will be studying and interning in Washington DC in Spring 2015 as an Archer Fellow
I will be taking my LSAT in September
My Blueprint Class is slated to start July 20th

Okay my question is should I take a year off to study for the LSAT? I am really scared I am just not going to do well on the test. I took a practice test my freshman year and got a 146, I will be taking a practice test on the first day of my class so I will get some feedback from that. I just feel I have a lot of pressure on me right now. I will be taking a full course load in the fall as well as LSAT prep and an internship. I just feel like I am screwing myself. I also feel as though the Blueprint course isn't allowing me enough time to study. My goal was to bring my GPA up to at least a 3.2/3.3 and earn an LSAT score of 164-170. I'm just really scared right now and stressed out. My mother and other pre-law friends are telling me to just go ahead and take the LSAT in September and apply, but my gut is telling me no. I want a top tier law school, coming from UT I don't want to downgrade. My mom has told me the decision is mine, but that if I decide to take the year off she will be cutting me off and I will be responsible for my living expenses as well as studying for the LSAT. This is the first time I have ever been this scared. Can anyone please offer any words of advice or a story of experience? Let's keep a positive vibe as this is a very stressful time for me. Thanks! Oh! and here are the schools I would be applying to:

Georgetown
Howard
University of Virginia
SMU
UT
Miami
Unc-Chapel Hill
Pepperdine
UofMaryland
Michigan
USC
Vanderbuilt
LSU

[WaltGrace83]

Word of advice: DO NOT listen to anybody unless they actually know something about law school admissions from here on out (and no, attending a TTT at sticker does not count as "knowing something" about law school admissions."

People tell me all the time that I "should have taken the LSAT in June." I wasn't ready. I know myself better than anyone.

If your gut tells you to take time off, take time off. Law school isn't going anywhere and it will ONLY help you.

EDIT: and don't put the carriage before the horse. Get an LSAT score, ask yourself if it is indicative of your potential, THEN think about schools to apply to. In that order.

[MT Cicero]

Word of advice: DO NOT listen to anybody unless they actually know something about law school admissions from here on out (and no, attending a TTT at sticker does not count as "knowing something" about law school admissions."

People tell me all the time that I "should have taken the LSAT in June." I wasn't ready. I know myself better than anyone.

If your gut tells you to take time off, take time off. Law school isn't going anywhere and it will ONLY help you.

EDIT: and don't put the carriage before the horse. Get an LSAT score, ask yourself if it is indicative of your potential, THEN think about schools to apply to. In that order.

This.

Also, since you have time to bring up your GPA, I would be focused on bringing that GPA up. Between a full course load and an internship, squeezing in the LSAT doesn't make sense to me if you want to do the best you can.

Given the data you've provided, I would get every hundredth of GPA I could scratch out. I'd be targeting the June 2015 LSAT with a dedicated spring study schedule. Then, you have the Sep/Oct test if you feel like you left points on the table. If you can get that GPA up in the 3.3 range, a 170+ LSAT and your personal story will open many doors.

Good luck!

[Gray]

.

[WaltGrace83]

Living without parental support and working for a year or so is the intelligent decision. The maturity and self-awareness that come with supporting yourself can only help when it comes time to write a personal statement or go to an interview. Not to mention the fact that if you rush into the process, you run the risk of selling yourself short. As everyone else has said, If you can get the GPA up a bit and really take your time to master the LSAT, the sky is the limit.

If I've learned anything while obsessively lurking TLS, it's that the LSAT is the variable over which you have the most control. It's surprisingly easy to learn if you put in the effort - don't miss that opportunity!

Good luck!

I disagree (Gpa is probably most controllable) in part but I agree with the sentiment

[suzige]

focus on getting that GPA up right now.

[DMW723]

A year is more than enough time to stay in school full time and reach your maximum score on the LSAT. I disagree with smccgrey, while I share his sentiments about the rise in maturity that comes with supporting yourself it can also be VERY stressful studying anything full time while trying to make ends meet to live. I would absolutely put off jumping into the 'real world' as long as I possibly could, because once you're out there the fun and games can and will end pretty quickly. Surviving in America today is not a joke and you shouldn't willingly throw yourself out there if you do not have to yet. If you need to retake and study more to reach the score you would like, do so with a degree.

[MistakenGenius]

Post removed.

[Gray]

.