Top Law Schools

Softs are probably below avg. (athletic dept. internship, archives internship, part-time job throughout college, not much else )

I really love some of the T14 schools, regardless of ranking. Wondering what my chances will be for next cycle. I'm considering re-taking the LSAT to boost my chances, because, at least on LSN, a lot of the people who've been admitted with my numbers seem to have awesome softs, especially great WE.

Anyway, here are the four schools I'd like to target:

Penn
Duke
UVA
Michigan

I think I'd be thrilled to go to any of the four. I know I'm not auto-admit at any, but if anyone with more familiarity with previous cycles/the admissions process in general could help me figure out where I stand, I'd really appreciate it! Seems like I'm a middle-of-the-road candidate at all four, and I know my softs won't be helping my case.

P.S. I know I'd increase my chances by trying for more T14 schools, and I likely will, but I'd like to narrow feedback down to these four. Thanks for any help!

Here are my thoughts...
1. If you think you can get a couple more points on the LSAT, then by all means do it. 171 is amazing but 173 is that much better.
That being said...
2. I can really only speak of UVA here because I didn't apply to the other three (wasn't that interested in either location or school in general). But for UVA, if you are willing to commit, try for ED. They will get back to you within 15 days and if they end up WLing/deferring/rejecting you, you can still apply for the others. I applied pretty late this cycle and thought I had no shot in hell for UVA, and finally switched to ED to up my chances and got accepted the same day. My numbers are lower than yours as well, so unless they really liked my softs (which were relatively decent)... I also know there were a few other ppl with borderline numbers who got into UVA this cycle.
Good luck!

Retaking and getting a higher score might actually hurt your chances at Michigan. Try to find zing instead.

Richie Tenenbaum wrote:Retaking and getting a higher score might actually hurt your chances at Michigan. Try to find zing instead.

True... UVA also did some YPing this cycle.

Richie Tenenbaum wrote:Retaking and getting a higher score might actually hurt your chances at Michigan. Try to find zing instead.

Yeah, I kinda got that sense from the interview on TLS.

Thanks for the help so far, guys.

deleted

ashleigh wrote:3.59/171 here and I've been accepted to all those schools you mentioned (and chicago) if that helps you any.

no special softs, non-URM.

also had 171/3.59
i have 2 yrs nonprofit WE and some softs which i think helped, but no curing-cancer or anything.

got into all of those pretty quickly too. i think if you re-take and do better look to t6.
i think you will get into one, if not more of these at your current numbers

ashleigh wrote:I've been accepted to all those schools you mentioned (and chicago) if that helps you any.

You must've had something compelling to get into Chicago with those numbers...

los blancos wrote:

ashleigh wrote:I've been accepted to all those schools you mentioned (and chicago) if that helps you any.

You must've had something compelling to get into Chicago with those numbers...

+1

Congrats man, I'm languishing on the WL with a similar GPA and LSAT a few points higher.

granger wrote:

Richie Tenenbaum wrote:Retaking and getting a higher score might actually hurt your chances at Michigan. Try to find zing instead.

Yeah, I kinda got that sense from the interview on TLS.

Thanks for the help so far, guys.

My first post my have had a bit too much snark in it. I always recommend retaking if a person can devote the time and energy to study again and they feel they can bump their score by a few points. The downside for retaking for the schools you listed is an increased score won't increase your chances significantly at any of them (though you may increase your odds for scholarship money). A few points will increase your chances substantially at CCN though (175+ for Columbia and 173+ for NYU adn Chicago).

You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

im_blue wrote:You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

eh, stranger things have happened. i have freakishly similar numbers to OP and I got a nice scholly from duke. but i would not be surprised if i don't get any of the other three, and i definitely would have been waitlisted at duke if i hadn't wrote the why duke.

on balance, i agree with you, but MVP is annoying. 171/3.6 is a bad place to be because you honestly start feeling like MVP don't like people in your numbers range and you're just an LSAT point or two away from being a viable CCN contender.

los blancos wrote:

im_blue wrote:You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

eh, stranger things have happened. i have freakishly similar numbers to OP and I got a nice scholly from duke. but i would not be surprised if i don't get any of the other three, and i definitely would have been waitlisted at duke if i hadn't wrote the why duke.

on balance, i agree with you, but MVP is annoying. 171/3.6 is a bad place to be because you honestly start feeling like MVP don't like people in your numbers range and you're just an LSAT point or two away from being a viable CCN contender.

Yeah, I know what you mean. A 3.5-3.6/171-172 can easily get shut out of CCN as well as MVP due to YP. And it looks like Duke is starting to follow that trend, as well.

im_blue wrote:

los blancos wrote:

im_blue wrote:You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

eh, stranger things have happened. i have freakishly similar numbers to OP and I got a nice scholly from duke. but i would not be surprised if i don't get any of the other three, and i definitely would have been waitlisted at duke if i hadn't wrote the why duke.

on balance, i agree with you, but MVP is annoying. 171/3.6 is a bad place to be because you honestly start feeling like MVP don't like people in your numbers range and you're just an LSAT point or two away from being a viable CCN contender.

Yeah, I know what you mean. A 3.5-3.6/171-172 can easily get shut out of CCN as well as MVP due to YP. And it looks like Duke is starting to follow that trend, as well.

I think it happens to a lot of people...I got the WL @ MVP, but only admitted at NYU out of CCN. It really is a bummer that it works out that way.
I <3 NYU tho

im_blue wrote:

los blancos wrote:

im_blue wrote:You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

eh, stranger things have happened. i have freakishly similar numbers to OP and I got a nice scholly from duke. but i would not be surprised if i don't get any of the other three, and i definitely would have been waitlisted at duke if i hadn't wrote the why duke.

on balance, i agree with you, but MVP is annoying. 171/3.6 is a bad place to be because you honestly start feeling like MVP don't like people in your numbers range and you're just an LSAT point or two away from being a viable CCN contender.

Yeah, I know what you mean. A 3.5-3.6/171-172 can easily get shut out of CCN as well as MVP due to YP. And it looks like Duke is starting to follow that trend, as well.

Duke seems to care more about the why duke than anything else. Their LSN is still fairly consistent with basically no YP. Michigan's LSN graph from 08/09 is pure evil.

I would hesitate to call a 3.5/171 WL at MVP YP. But if you're 3.6/172 and you don't get into NYU, you could have a really rough cycle.

I honestly believe at this point that I have a better shot at Chicago than UVa. Which is kind of absurd if you think about it, because the two really are on different levels.

im_blue wrote:

los blancos wrote:

im_blue wrote:You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

eh, stranger things have happened. i have freakishly similar numbers to OP and I got a nice scholly from duke. but i would not be surprised if i don't get any of the other three, and i definitely would have been waitlisted at duke if i hadn't wrote the why duke.

on balance, i agree with you, but MVP is annoying. 171/3.6 is a bad place to be because you honestly start feeling like MVP don't like people in your numbers range and you're just an LSAT point or two away from being a viable CCN contender.

Yeah, I know what you mean. A 3.5-3.6/171-172 can easily get shut out of CCN as well as MVP due to YP. And it looks like Duke is starting to follow that trend, as well.

Because of YP? I'm 3.63/170 and I feel like my numbers aren't good enough for UVA. Didn't apply to Michigan or Penn because I missed the deadline (February score)

becauseimaddicted wrote:

im_blue wrote:

los blancos wrote:

im_blue wrote:You're a lock to get into at least 1 of these 4, IMO.

eh, stranger things have happened. i have freakishly similar numbers to OP and I got a nice scholly from duke. but i would not be surprised if i don't get any of the other three, and i definitely would have been waitlisted at duke if i hadn't wrote the why duke.

on balance, i agree with you, but MVP is annoying. 171/3.6 is a bad place to be because you honestly start feeling like MVP don't like people in your numbers range and you're just an LSAT point or two away from being a viable CCN contender.

Yeah, I know what you mean. A 3.5-3.6/171-172 can easily get shut out of CCN as well as MVP due to YP. And it looks like Duke is starting to follow that trend, as well.

Because of YP? I'm 3.63/170 and I feel like my numbers aren't good enough for UVA. Didn't apply to Michigan or Penn because I missed the deadline (February score)

Extending the ED deadline changed everything this cycle at UVa. If you look at last year, though, they loved 170s.