3.94 GPA from Berkeley, mid-150s LSAT. Chance at Hastings? Forum

[twenty]

We have a poster on here who was going to go to a T1 with a decent scholarship when he decided eff-it, took the cycle off, retook the LSAT, and is now at Columbia.

That decision probably increased his lifetime earning potential by at least 2-3 million dollars, depending on how old he is.

Cancel the score. You're not applying with it, anyway.

[jk148706]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not waste that GPA. RETAKE

[nacal]

Thank you!

[BigZuck]

I think it's a sign that I've become a bitter old jaded-ass TLSer when I think this is a flame. To see someone accept the retake advice instantly just feels too good to be true, almost as if someone made this account to mess with the "Retake" crowd.

Anyway, good for you OP! I'm starting to sound like a broken record but I jumped from the low 160s to high 160s and went from facing schools like Hastings and Santa Clara at sticker (and WL-Reject at Davis, lulz) to near full rides at UCLA/USC, not to mention 90K at Duke and Cornell, 60K at UVA, etc. And my gpa wasn't nearly as good as yours. If you apply yourself by using the study techniques on this site your cycle will be world's better. You can do it!

Go Bears!

[ManoftheHour]

I think it's a sign that I've become a bitter old jaded-ass TLSer when I think this is a flame. To see someone accept the retake advice instantly just feels too good to be true, almost as if someone made this account to mess with the "Retake" crowd.

Anyway, good for you OP! I'm starting to sound like a broken record but I jumped from the low 160s to high 160s and went from facing schools like Hastings and Santa Clara at sticker (and WL-Reject at Davis, lulz) to near full rides at UCLA/USC, not to mention 90K at Duke and Cornell, 60K at UVA, etc. And my gpa wasn't nearly as good as yours. If you apply yourself by using the study techniques on this site your cycle will be world's better. You can do it!

Go Bears!

Meh. It doesn't matter if it's a flame or not. If there's a possibility the person is real, we'd be doing a disservice to that person if we didn't tell him/her to retake. If it weren't for TLS, I might be in South Bend paying sticker. You can check my post history to confirm that.

Back to studying.

[nacal]

I think it's a sign that I've become a bitter old jaded-ass TLSer when I think this is a flame. To see someone accept the retake advice instantly just feels too good to be true, almost as if someone made this account to mess with the "Retake" crowd.

Anyway, good for you OP! I'm starting to sound like a broken record but I jumped from the low 160s to high 160s and went from facing schools like Hastings and Santa Clara at sticker (and WL-Reject at Davis, lulz) to near full rides at UCLA/USC, not to mention 90K at Duke and Cornell, 60K at UVA, etc. And my gpa wasn't nearly as good as yours. If you apply yourself by using the study techniques on this site your cycle will be world's better. You can do it!

Go Bears!

Meh. It doesn't matter if it's a flame or not. If there's a possibility the person is real, we'd be doing a disservice to that person if we didn't tell him/her to retake. If it weren't for TLS, I might be in South Bend paying sticker. You can check my post history to confirm that.

Back to studying.

I am new to the forum and don't make much use of these things too often, but I am real and truly appreciate all the guidance I've gotten from people like you on the forum so far. Thank you again.

[Vincent]

If you hit 165+, that'll open up a world of possibilities. This one girl got into UVA with a similar GPA (I think hers was slightly lower too) and I believe a 164.

Forget about Yu See HasTTTTings. Don't waste that Cal degree and GPA.

Check this thread out. Pay attention to the dates of the posts:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=186738

TLDR: Girl was about to go to TTTs at sticker price. Ended up retaking and got a 10+ higher score on her LSAT. Went from deciding between Loyola and Pepperdine to ending up at CAL. Also, she was offered 30k/yr at Loyola and 46k/yr for Pepperdine. Wow. Just by retaking.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... le&u=99157

) this is getting exciting. I'd LOVE to go back to Cal for law school but I hear they, like many others, don't like to accept their own. But I'm sure I'll be hard to resist with a good LSAT score.

Kind of unrelated, would you happen to know if being published is any plus? I have 2 published articles in 2 different undergraduate journals.

Thanks for everything!

If you leverage your Cal connection well - e.g. getting rec letters from law professors (who do teach Legal Studies classes), I think you can turn this into a strength.

I'm not sure where the "Cal doesn't like its own" stereotype comes from. Boalt has an acceptance rate of around 10%. Over the past three years (I could go further back, but the past three cycles are a little bit different when compared to historical averages), 57/344 Cal students have been accepted (not including WL>>> Acceptance), for an acceptance rate of 16.6%.

Berkeley is also the most well-represented undergrad, though that could be because more people apply.

[BigZuck]

If you hit 165+, that'll open up a world of possibilities. This one girl got into UVA with a similar GPA (I think hers was slightly lower too) and I believe a 164.

Forget about Yu See HasTTTTings. Don't waste that Cal degree and GPA.

Check this thread out. Pay attention to the dates of the posts:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=186738

TLDR: Girl was about to go to TTTs at sticker price. Ended up retaking and got a 10+ higher score on her LSAT. Went from deciding between Loyola and Pepperdine to ending up at CAL. Also, she was offered 30k/yr at Loyola and 46k/yr for Pepperdine. Wow. Just by retaking.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... le&u=99157

) this is getting exciting. I'd LOVE to go back to Cal for law school but I hear they, like many others, don't like to accept their own. But I'm sure I'll be hard to resist with a good LSAT score.

Kind of unrelated, would you happen to know if being published is any plus? I have 2 published articles in 2 different undergraduate journals.

Thanks for everything!

If you leverage your Cal connection well - e.g. getting rec letters from law professors (who do teach Legal Studies classes), I think you can turn this into a strength.

I'm not sure where the "Cal doesn't like its own" stereotype comes from. Boalt has an acceptance rate of around 10%. Over the past three years (I could go further back, but the past three cycles are a little bit different when compared to historical averages), 57/344 Cal students have been accepted (not including WL>>> Acceptance), for an acceptance rate of 16.6%.

Berkeley is also the most well-represented undergrad, though that could be because more people apply.

Isn't Berkeley one of, if not the, most represented UG in law schools across the country?

In CA at least I believe Berkeley is the most represented UG in the state bar.

[nacal]

If you hit 165+, that'll open up a world of possibilities. This one girl got into UVA with a similar GPA (I think hers was slightly lower too) and I believe a 164.

Forget about Yu See HasTTTTings. Don't waste that Cal degree and GPA.

Check this thread out. Pay attention to the dates of the posts:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=186738

TLDR: Girl was about to go to TTTs at sticker price. Ended up retaking and got a 10+ higher score on her LSAT. Went from deciding between Loyola and Pepperdine to ending up at CAL. Also, she was offered 30k/yr at Loyola and 46k/yr for Pepperdine. Wow. Just by retaking.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... le&u=99157

) this is getting exciting. I'd LOVE to go back to Cal for law school but I hear they, like many others, don't like to accept their own. But I'm sure I'll be hard to resist with a good LSAT score.

Kind of unrelated, would you happen to know if being published is any plus? I have 2 published articles in 2 different undergraduate journals.

Thanks for everything!

If you leverage your Cal connection well - e.g. getting rec letters from law professors (who do teach Legal Studies classes), I think you can turn this into a strength.

I'm not sure where the "Cal doesn't like its own" stereotype comes from. Boalt has an acceptance rate of around 10%. Over the past three years (I could go further back, but the past three cycles are a little bit different when compared to historical averages), 57/344 Cal students have been accepted (not including WL>>> Acceptance), for an acceptance rate of 16.6%.

Berkeley is also the most well-represented undergrad, though that could be because more people apply.

Thank you. I do hope that it was just a misconception I had. I do agree that Berkeley is very well represented in law schools across CA. I'm hoping a retake and at least mid-160s will get me there or to UCLA.

[nacal]

If you hit 165+, that'll open up a world of possibilities. This one girl got into UVA with a similar GPA (I think hers was slightly lower too) and I believe a 164.

Forget about Yu See HasTTTTings. Don't waste that Cal degree and GPA.

Check this thread out. Pay attention to the dates of the posts:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=186738

TLDR: Girl was about to go to TTTs at sticker price. Ended up retaking and got a 10+ higher score on her LSAT. Went from deciding between Loyola and Pepperdine to ending up at CAL. Also, she was offered 30k/yr at Loyola and 46k/yr for Pepperdine. Wow. Just by retaking.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... le&u=99157

) this is getting exciting. I'd LOVE to go back to Cal for law school but I hear they, like many others, don't like to accept their own. But I'm sure I'll be hard to resist with a good LSAT score.

Kind of unrelated, would you happen to know if being published is any plus? I have 2 published articles in 2 different undergraduate journals.

Thanks for everything!

If you leverage your Cal connection well - e.g. getting rec letters from law professors (who do teach Legal Studies classes), I think you can turn this into a strength.

I'm not sure where the "Cal doesn't like its own" stereotype comes from. Boalt has an acceptance rate of around 10%. Over the past three years (I could go further back, but the past three cycles are a little bit different when compared to historical averages), 57/344 Cal students have been accepted (not including WL>>> Acceptance), for an acceptance rate of 16.6%.

Berkeley is also the most well-represented undergrad, though that could be because more people apply.

Isn't Berkeley one of, if not the, most represented UG in law schools across the country?

In CA at least I believe Berkeley is the most represented UG in the state bar.

I agree and that is precisely why I don't want to "waste" my undergrad degree and GPA, when with that and a decent LSAT score I can most likely go to a really good law school.

[iamgeorgebush]

Please please please wait until at least February, if not June, to take the test. You should plan for another 4-6 months of studying, if not more, because it's highly unlikely (unless you're studying 40+ hours per week) that you'll hit your potential with any less. With a 3.94 from Berkeley, aim for SHY!

In fact, Stanford would be a great aim for you if you want to practice in California, especially considering that they seem to weight GPA more heavily. If you can get a 172+, methinks you'd stand a very good shot at SLS: --LinkRemoved--

(Anyone else think SHY is a better acronym than HYS and YHS?)

[twenty]

aim for SHY!

This is not going to be a thing.

edit> until TaipeiMort shows up again.

[iamgeorgebush]

Oh, it's going to be a thing.

[rseaney]

retake, but yes you can probably get into hastings withh $

[nacal]

Thank you all!