Top Law Schools

Okay here are my stats:

3.0 and LSAT:164 (only took it once)

I have 5 years WE
Loads of volunteer and community service work (By loads I mean years)
Great PS and DS
3 great recs
Parents come from a war torn country as refugees
grew up very poor, and was working from a very young age
Not URM
significiantly economically disadvantged
speak an unsual language

What are my chances at a t-20 school?

Are the schools truthfull about giving applications a holistic review?

To answer your question....2.2UGPA/155 LSAT URM in at a top 30 school. Lots of softs. You tell me if they take a holistic view...

I'm not sure, but I honestly don't think you do. Sorry.

Edit: By the way, the above poster was an URM, and that gives a significant boost to an application.

Anyone else? Please!

I have limited capital to spend on applications, and I would like to send them out this weekend. Do I have a shot, or should I focus my efforts elsewhere?

By the way, this process is really nerve-racking.

I'm sorry to say it, but you have no shot at the T20. "Holistic review" is not entirely false, but it will only distinguish you from people with similar scores. Your numbers (particularly GPA) are just too low for a T20 school. The highest school worth a shot is #23, Indiana-Bloomington, which weights LSAT pretty heavily. Otherwise, either consider waiting until next cycle and retaking the LSAT to get a score high enough to offset the GPA or apply to tier 2 schools in the region where you would like to practice after graduating (and maybe try to transfer up after 1L if you feel good about it).

I agree with above poster. If you have limited capital, you should save your money, and be more strategic with your applications.

Sadly, it seems that the lower down the rankings you go (at least in the first two tiers) the more schools care about numbers.

If you have the time to study, I would also recommend an LSAT retake. Getting a 170 would make cracking the t-14 a possibility, and would make you competitive for schools ranked 15-25ish.

vespertiliovir wrote:Sadly, it seems that the lower down the rankings you go (at least in the first two tiers) the more schools care about numbers.

If you have the time to study, I would also recommend an LSAT retake. Getting a 170 would make cracking the t-14 a possibility, and would make you competitive for schools ranked 15-25ish.

Its more like the further down the rankings you go the less the schools care about softs. But the higher ranked schools care about softs and numbers.

Meh, six of one, half a dozen of the other.

In at two T-25s (one was a "T-20") last year with a sub-160 LSAT (you don't want to know how low precisely.. it's not great) and as a non-URM. Admittedly, my GPA was pretty strong. But yeah, if you pick the right schools and play the cards right, there is a chance.

I'm not at all saying it will be easy or that you won't have to work for it, but you really do have a shot. Pick the right schools and cast a wide net. Also, make sure your resume and PS look very strong and professional.

To add to it, I was denied by a number of "good fit" schools. So I really do think the higher-ups seem to care more about a holistic approach.

I think you have two choices (since casting a wide net is out of the questions with your limited resources): re-take lsat or go to a lower ranked school in a job market you're interested.