Top Law Schools

LSAT: 168
GPA: 3.7 (not ivy)
Softs/LORs: nothing terribly exciting; (PS about being in foster care)


Reaches: Berkeley?, Michigan, Duke, GULC, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Texas, UCLA

Target: WUSTL, UIUC, BU/BC, ND, USC

Safety: Loyola, Ohio State, Wisconsin


Assuming I will not retake the LSAT, what would you add/subtract or move around on this list? I would like biglaw, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't happen. Still, I'd probably go to the best place I got into unless I was given a ton of money from somewhere decent. I'm from Chicago, but I don't really have a preference for which region I end up in.

Thanks

You have decent chances at Cornell, Vandy, Texas, and UCLA, but the other T14's on your list are reaches.

You have a really good list for your numbers, I think.

Have you only taken the LSAT once? If you took it again and improved just 2 points, to a 170, you'd be a lock to land somewhere in the lower half of the T14.

This cycle, with those numbers, I was in at Vandy with $$. Texas and Duke haven't gotten back to me, but I applied fairly late. You'd have a shot at Cornell and Michigan. You should get into WUSTL with some nice cash, not sure about the other targets.

List looks pretty solid.

This cycle with a 168/3.9 (non-traditional) I was in at Michigan ($) and Waitlisted at Duke. Cornell dicked me around for a while so I withdrew after being Held.

"not Ivy"... not all non-Ivy schools are the same. (There IS a difference between Stanford and Western Illinois).

thinkbig wrote:"not Ivy"... not all non-Ivy schools are the same. (There IS a difference between Stanford and Western Illinois).

Yeah, should have clarified. I just meant I didn't go to an incredible school (loyola).

well, i don't know about a 168, but i can tell you how a 167 might do:
i have a 3.7x, 167

as of today, i am shut out of every school in the top 12, waitlisted in the 14-15 range, and in at places below. basically, i got into the places that i was supposed to get into and rejected from places i was supposed to be rejected from, based on the school medians. i heard that it was harsh, but i never knew that the standards were THIS accurate. it's kind of sad seeing how little my gpa matters.

thus, hellloooo june 2010 lsat.

wasting another year of my life on another cycle, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

k im done venting.

I know I am disregarding your instructions to assume you're not retaking, OP, but unless you feel you truly exhausted your preparation for the 168, I'd retake. You are right in the range where more or less arbitrary small differences in your LSAT score have an oversized impact on your prospects of admission.

Double down on the prep and bump it to 170-172, and it is an entirely different ballgame.

chunkystrohs wrote:LSAT: 168
GPA: 3.7 (not ivy)
Softs/LORs: nothing terribly exciting; (PS about being in foster care)


Reaches: Berkeley?, Michigan, Duke, GULC, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Texas, UCLA

Target: WUSTL, UIUC, BU/BC, ND, USC

Safety: Loyola, Ohio State, Wisconsin


Assuming I will not retake the LSAT, what would you add/subtract or move around on this list? I would like biglaw, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't happen. Still, I'd probably go to the best place I got into unless I was given a ton of money from somewhere decent. I'm from Chicago, but I don't really have a preference for which region I end up in.

Thanks

Consider adding:
-Emory and W&L, both places where you have a decent shot at serious $$$.
-Northwestern if you have at least one year of work experience.

Consider getting rid of:
-One or two (or all) of your safeties. I don't see how you could go 0/6 on those targets. I actually don't see how you could not get at least one of those target schools to offer some $.
-Berkeley. Prob not going to happen, unless you have some killer softs you haven't mentioned. That said, if it's a dream school and you don't mind paying the app fee, then go for it.

If you have the time to study for the June test and feel you can improve just a few points it would make you a lot more competitive for T14. You are right on the cusp with that score and run the very possible risk of getting shut out.

I appreciate all the input.

I'm not too confident that I could raise my score. I put a good amount of time into studying and took about 30 PTs with a 166 average. I occasionally scored in the 170s, but those were outliers. So, I'm not positive if retaking would be a great idea for me.

Richie Tenenbaum wrote:

chunkystrohs wrote:LSAT: 168
GPA: 3.7 (not ivy)
Softs/LORs: nothing terribly exciting; (PS about being in foster care)


Reaches: Berkeley?, Michigan, Duke, GULC, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Texas, UCLA

Target: WUSTL, UIUC, BU/BC, ND, USC

Safety: Loyola, Ohio State, Wisconsin


Assuming I will not retake the LSAT, what would you add/subtract or move around on this list? I would like biglaw, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't happen. Still, I'd probably go to the best place I got into unless I was given a ton of money from somewhere decent. I'm from Chicago, but I don't really have a preference for which region I end up in.

Thanks

Consider adding:
-Emory and W&L, both places where you have a decent shot at serious $$$.
-Northwestern if you have at least one year of work experience.

Consider getting rid of:
-One or two (or all) of your safeties. I don't see how you could go 0/6 on those targets. I actually don't see how you could not get at least one of those target schools to offer some $.
-Berkeley. Prob not going to happen, unless you have some killer softs you haven't mentioned. That said, if it's a dream school and you don't mind paying the app fee, then go for it.

If you have the time to study for the June test and feel you can improve just a few points it would make you a lot more competitive for T14. You are right on the cusp with that score and run the very possible risk of getting shut out.

+1 If you like WUSTL and could see yourself there, you can drop the safeties. A 168 is all but a guaranteed admit if you don't apply late. Same for UIUC. You're actually likely to go 6/6 on your targets.

Richie Tenenbaum wrote: Consider adding:
-Emory and W&L, both places where you have a decent shot at serious $$$.

Consider getting rid of:
-One or two (or all) of your safeties. I don't see how you could go 0/6 on those targets. I actually don't see how you could not get at least one of those target schools to offer some $.

+1

anyone think i'm crazy to suggest adding NYU? Your LSAT's a little low for them (yes, you already know that), but I think they might give you a second look if your PS is really good. Maybe I'm optimistic, but I know a lot of interesting applicants with low numbers who got NYU love.

Also, something I wish I knew going in: apply to "good match" schools you don't want to go to if you're going to want to negotiate scholarship money.

Reaches: Berkeley?, Michigan, Duke, GULC, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Texas, UCLA

Target: WUSTL, UIUC, BU/BC, ND, USC

Safety: Loyola, Ohio State, Wisconsin

Given your stats, it wouldn't be crazy to try anywhere except for Yale/Harvard/Stanford/Columbia..

I'd consider Berkely, Michigan, Duke, GULC, Vanderbilt & UCLA to all be reaches- schools which you are about 50/50 with.. you could reasonably get in- whether it's right away or off the waitlist.

The other places (including Cornell) will likely take you.
Chances of getting money are high at your safeties, UIUC, BU, BC, ND & USC! You don't need to apply to all of these and I'd recommend cutting that list in half.

As someone already said, I'd add Emory to the list- if finances are a concern of yours.

glowhard wrote:anyone think i'm crazy to suggest adding NYU? Your LSAT's a little low for them (yes, you already know that), but I think they might give you a second look if your PS is really good. Maybe I'm optimistic, but I know a lot of interesting applicants with low numbers who got NYU love.

Yes. NYU is the biggest numbers whore of CCN, and OP's numbers are below both medians -> auto-reject. NYU does take some reverse splitters of the 3.9/168 variety, though.