3.85 gpa (cornell), 153 (on 2 diags). Forum

[masterthearts]

And URM (hispanic, but not mexican or puerto rican). Will any law schools appreciate a Cornell degree?
I'm really nervous now. I have 2 diagnostics and scored 153 on each. On the first one I suffered on logic games. I then practiced logic games and took another diag. I went from getting only 35% correct, to getting 59% correct. But, on the 2nd diag my reading comp dropped. Net result is that my 2 diag scores are the same at 153.
Do I have a prayer of getting into a top 100 school?

[dakatz]

Well your GPA is very good, so even if your final score ended up a 153, I think you would still manage to crack the top 100. But I think you just need to refine your study methods and perhaps take a prep-course or hire a tutor. Your first two diagnostics don't tell you much about your full potential. So just hit the books and study. Buy a bunch of old tests and become familiar with the trends and tendencies of the test. During my prepcourse, the instructor said most people start a bit above 150, so you shouldn't be at all worried. Many of the people who started in the 150's went on to get scores in the high 160's and a few managed to crack 170.

[am060459]

wat urm are you if your a hispanic and neither a mexican nor a puerto rican. there are no other hispanics that are qualified as urms. just curious.

[masterthearts]

Yes, my TA for one of my classes is a law student at cornell. Her first diag was a 154 and she ultimately scored 167. Isn't is unrealistic to expect a 13 pt. increase?
I am in the category of "other Hispanic." My grandparents were from Chile.

[am060459]

Yes, my TA for one of my classes is a law student at cornell. Her first diag was a 154 and she ultimately scored 167. Isn't is unrealistic to expect a 13 pt. increase?
I am in the category of "other Hispanic." My grandparents were from Chile.

ur not a URM.

[cr073137]

Of course he is an URM, as long as you have the last name and you can manage a few words in spanish, MAKE SURE you mark that you are Hispanic. Besides, if you consider yourself as such, why wouldnt you put it

[masterthearts]

Sorry to tell you, but I am URM. In HS I qualified for the National Hispanic Recognition Award and had various scholarship offers related to hispanic heritage. Sorry if I disappoint you, but I most definitely am of Hispanic heritage

[am060459]

Of course he is an URM, as long as you have the last name and you can manage a few words in spanish, MAKE SURE you mark that you are Hispanic. Besides, if you consider yourself as such, why wouldnt you put it

Sorry to tell you, but I am URM. In HS I qualified for the National Hispanic Recognition Award and had various scholarship offers related to hispanic heritage. Sorry if I disappoint you, but I most definitely am of Hispanic heritage

in HS yes. thats the same as law school. i so forgot that. good luck.

[dakatz]

OP, don't listen to the people on here who tell you whether or not you get a URM boost. They try to break it down to a simple yes/no question, but it is far more complex than that. Typically, those of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent get a very large boost because their cultures are so underrepresented in law schools and the legal field. Most other hispanics, such as South Americans, are not as underrepresented. But that doesn't mean many schools don't want to increase their general hispanic populations. Given a choice of two identical candidates with the same numbers, one is white and the other is hispanic with a good diversity statement, I can almost guarantee the hispanic gets picked. So yes, that is a "boost" but not the large boost that Mexicans or Puerto Ricans get. Key thing is to not think of it in black and white.

[am060459]

i think someone is about to get their URM dream crushed.

[am060459]

Of course he is an URM, as long as you have the last name and you can manage a few words in spanish, MAKE SURE you mark that you are Hispanic. Besides, if you consider yourself as such, why wouldnt you put it

lmao at that.

[vanwinkle]

Sorry to tell you, but I am URM. In HS I qualified for the National Hispanic Recognition Award and had various scholarship offers related to hispanic heritage. Sorry if I disappoint you, but I most definitely am of Hispanic heritage

Only Mexican and Puerto Rican applicants are known to receive a URM boost. There is no real evidence that non-MX/PR Hispanics get such a boost.

I'm not challenging whether you're a minority, I'm Hispanic too, but I'm not a URM either.

[masterthearts]

i think someone is about to get their URM dream crushed.

I sense a bit of jealousy on your part, but I think you'll get over it.

[am060459]

I sense a bit of "dream-crushed" on your part, but I think you'll get over it.



lol not jealous but more annoyed. people swear everyday on this board their an URM without doing any real diligence on the qualifications of being considered an URM.


wait i think im an URM.

[chadwick218]

OP, I think that you will very likely crack the T25 given you URM status and GPA from Cornell (despite the Ivy League Grade Inflation). If you can crack a 160, you stand a very good chance of cracking the T14 (NU, in particular).

[masterthearts]

I sense a bit of "dream-crushed" on your part, but I think you'll get over it.



lol not jealous but more annoyed. people swear everyday on this board their an URM without doing any real diligence on the qualifications of being considered an URM.


wait i think im an URM.

There is no check box on the apps for "URM". But, there are boxes for "other Hispanic", and I plan to check that box, because that is what I am. I am also bilingual spanish/english. The law schools can interpret it however they want.

[masterthearts]

OP, I think that you will very likely crack the T25 given you URM status and GPA from Cornell (despite the Ivy League Grade Inflation). If you can crack a 160, you stand a very good chance of cracking the T14 (NU, in particular).

There is no grade inflation at cornell. I do hope to crack the T14, but I realize I'll need to get my lsat up when I actually take it. T25 won't be bad either. But, if the job market doesn't pick up, someone from Harvard will be lucky to get a job.

[vanwinkle]

OP, I think that you will very likely crack the T25 given you URM status and GPA from Cornell (despite the Ivy League Grade Inflation). If you can crack a 160, you stand a very good chance of cracking the T14 (NU, in particular).

There is no grade inflation at cornell. I do hope to crack the T14, but I realize I'll need to get my lsat up when I actually take it. T25 won't be bad either. But, if the job market doesn't pick up, someone from Harvard will be lucky to get a job.

Oh, those were just your first diags? I misread that and thought you actually got a 153 twice.

I went up from 157 to 170 with 4 months of intensive studying. You can make a similar improvement. Get up into the high 160s and with that GPA and a solid DS you'll make the T14 for sure. You could probably get into Cornell's law school if you wanted to stay in Ithaca.

[chadwick218]

I sense a bit of "dream-crushed" on your part, but I think you'll get over it.



lol not jealous but more annoyed. people swear everyday on this board their an URM without doing any real diligence on the qualifications of being considered an URM.


wait i think im an URM.

There is no check box on the apps for "URM". But, there are boxes for "other Hispanic", and I plan to check that box, because that is what I am. I am also bilingual spanish/english. The law schools can interpret it however they want.

I would also include a diversity statement ... and if you can pull off in your PS how you want to use your law degree for more humanitarian with respect to your bilingual skills (even if you have no such desire), you are likely a shoe-in.

[masterthearts]

OP, I think that you will very likely crack the T25 given you URM status and GPA from Cornell (despite the Ivy League Grade Inflation). If you can crack a 160, you stand a very good chance of cracking the T14 (NU, in particular).

There is no grade inflation at cornell. I do hope to crack the T14, but I realize I'll need to get my lsat up when I actually take it. T25 won't be bad either. But, if the job market doesn't pick up, someone from Harvard will be lucky to get a job.

Oh, those were just your first diags? I misread that and thought you actually got a 153 twice.

I went up from 157 to 170 with 4 months of intensive studying. You can make a similar improvement. Get up into the high 160s and with that GPA and a solid DS you'll make the T14 for sure. You could probably get into Cornell's law school if you wanted to stay in Ithaca.

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, the 153 (x2) was only a diagnostic. I never sat for the LSAT, but hope to take it for the first time in June. I'm taking a course. If my score doesn't go up on the practice tests, I won't take it till Oct.

[vanwinkle]

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, the 153 (x2) was only a diagnostic. I never sat for the LSAT, but hope to take it for the first time in June. I'm taking a course. If my score doesn't go up on the practice tests, I won't take it till Oct.

I took a course and the learning comes in fits and spurts. I went from 157 up into the 160s after a couple weeks, and then got stuck around 165 for like two months, and finally had worked at it enough that I started getting into the 170s. I had a 170 on the real thing. So just keep working at it and you'll get there, even if you feel stuck for a while.

[ndirish2010]

Cornell does not have grade inflation like the other Ivies. If you have a 3.85 GPA at Cornell, you should be able to do much better than 153 on the LSAT.

[JLGal24]

If you keep studying you have a really good shot at breaking 160 at the very least.

[Drew2010]

I sense a bit of "dream-crushed" on your part, but I think you'll get over it.



lol not jealous but more annoyed. people swear everyday on this board their an URM without doing any real diligence on the qualifications of being considered an URM.


wait i think im an URM.

fail

[wjnahill]

The answer here is to study a ton for the LSAT and get well into the 160s (at least). Don't worry too much about early diagnostics. If you're a month or two into extensive studying and you still haven't cracked 160, you might want to beginning hitting the panic button.

But if you have a 3.85 from Cornell I kind of doubt that will happen.

FYI... most reasonably intelligent people who really study end up getting 100% correct on nearly all of their Logic Games sections. Reading Comp is also pretty learnable.

So study up and good luck.