Is Law School for ME? Forum

[erudite.2010]

Hello Board,

So, I got my Dec. LSAT score. It was 133. My pre-test scores were 150-160s. A few weeks before my Dec. test, I had to be a character witness for a case. The case was for the drunk driver, who killed my sister two years ago. I thought that I could function before the test. However, getting close to the test I was an emotional wreck. I already have a weakness for standardized test. My Act score was a 19. However, I was an A student in high school.

I'm a Black male, senior --graduating in fall 10.
I have a 3.89 GPA
I'm a part of the University Honors Program. I defend my Honors thesis in the fall.
I'm a Government/Legal Studies major. I have taken Pre-law courses such as Real Estate law, Personal Injury, Legal Analysis and Writing, and Legal Research receiving all A's.
I was an intern at the Louisiana State Capitol.
I'm a part of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma.
I have won Phi Eta Sigma's National Scholarship.
I received Who's Who twice.
I have received about 7 continuing scholarships from my college.
I have worked all four years as a Resident Assistant
Also, I will be inducted into Phi Kappa Phi next Sunday!

But with all this, the LSAT will stop me from getting into a school!
I think I will give up

[d34d9823]

Or you could retake?

Legitimately though, you need a 160 or so to get into a school with even decent job prospects. So I'd say, see if that's a possibility. Almost no schools average scores, so you can basically erase that 133 if you include an addendum explaining what happened.

Edit: actually, with that GPA, I think even a 155 might be good. I'd study hard and retake.

[erudite.2010]

I'm thinking about re-taking in Oct. I purchased the Atlas LSAT prep material.

[09042014]

.

[Drake014]

Hello Board,

So, I got my Dec. LSAT score. It was 133. My pre-test scores were 150-160s. A few weeks before my Dec. test, I had to be a character witness for a case. The case was for the drunk driver, who killed my sister two years ago. I thought that I could function before the test. However, getting close to the test I was an emotional wreck. I already have a weakness for standardized test. My Act score was a 19. However, I was an A student in high school.

I'm a Black male, senior --graduating in fall 10.
I have a 3.89 GPA
I'm a part of the University Honors Program. I defend my Honors thesis in the fall.
I'm a Government/Legal Studies major. I have taken Pre-law courses such as Real Estate law, Personal Injury, Legal Analysis and Writing, and Legal Research receiving all A's.
I was an intern at the Louisiana State Capitol.
I'm a part of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma.
I have won Phi Eta Sigma's National Scholarship.
I received Who's Who twice.
I have received about 7 continuing scholarships from my college.
I have worked all four years as a Resident Assistant
Also, I will be inducted into Phi Kappa Phi next Sunday!

But with all this, the LSAT will stop me from getting into a school!
I think I will give up

Sounds like a traumatizing event fucked up your test. Perfectly understandable. If you can get a high 150 to anywhere in the 160s, you can make the T14. I wouldn't give up on it just because of this one bad score. I'm also an AA male. I just finished my first year of law school at Berkeley.

[d34d9823]

I'm thinking about re-taking in Oct. I purchased the Atlas LSAT prep material.

I don't know them, but the best prep is to take lots of practice tests and redo them to understand your mistakes.

I might be able to hook you up, PM me if interested.

[kalvano]

Retake, score 160 or better, enjoy the good life.

[autarkh]

If you really dropped from an average in the mid-150s to a 133, your problem isn't necessarily understanding (though there is certainly room for improvement), but test anxiety.

Get a hold of some PTs, and take them under realistic conditions. That means: 3 sections, 15 min break, followed by 2 more sections. Use only an analog wristwatch, non-mechanical pencils, and don't change answers reasoning that you "would have got it" on test day. Simulate the test. Review and understand your mistakes. Then do it again. And again. Keep doing it until it becomes a routine. Then go and retake it.

[erudite.2010]

I really appreciate this. I really have tried hard in college. Law school has always been my dream. I feel like I would let my sister down, if I do not attend.

I'm not even trying to attend a top law school because I feel like I'm not cut out for it. Those students are score 165 LSATs and above.

I just want to be an Intellectual Property lawyer within the Entertainment industry.

Thanks again for the support. Before starting this post, I was going to dump my Atlas LSAT prep books in the trash.
I really thank you for the advice.

[kalvano]

Get a Powerscore Bible. I found them much better than the Atlas.

[erudite.2010]

Although I have the Atlas LSAT prep books, I have the LG and LC bibles as well.

Is there a study plan that I could follow for the Oct. LSAT. I thought about not working for the summer and just focus on the test....

Thanks again for taking time out to help!

[Drake014]

Although I have the Atlas LSAT prep books, I have the LG and LC bibles as well.

Is there a study plan that I could follow for the Oct. LSAT. I thought about not working for the summer and just focus on the test....

Thanks again for taking time out to help!

Different methods work for different people. Sounds like you have a fairly good idea of what works for you.

[februaryftw]

As others have intimated, there is no reason you can't do this if your practice scores have put you in that range. I also had anxiety issues before taking my exam. I took a few practice tests with my LSAT prep class and was scoring 5-6 points lower every proctored exam, even though I was very strict with myself when taking them on my own (and in noisy places, etc.). I found that taking enough proctored exams with other students got me over that mental hump. If you can find a way to do this, it might be worth a shot.

And do as many practice tests as you can. The more you do the more the test becomes second nature. If you can not work in the summer and just concentrate on the test, I think that is a great idea--just have some other things to do to relax (exercise, etc.).

Good luck; everything you've posted suggests you are capable of hitting a 160+, so do it. You'll be in a great position with that GPA (if you don't want a top school you'll have schools lining up with scholarships).

[Dr. Strangelove]

Just from reading your posts, you seem like someone who could do way better than a 133 on the LSAT- probably 160 or higher.
Don't get discouraged and best of luck!

[Mr. Pablo]

Although I have the Atlas LSAT prep books, I have the LG and LC bibles as well.

Is there a study plan that I could follow for the Oct. LSAT. I thought about not working for the summer and just focus on the test....

Thanks again for taking time out to help!

Search this forum for Pithypike's LSAT study guide. Do it. You had shit luck with your first go-round, don't let that discourage you. You can do better, just study, study, study. Don't settle for less. The internet is rooting for you.

[JOThompson]

+1 for Powerscore.

Retake the LSAT. Don't waste your excellent GPA. With your URM status and other softs, you'll do well next cycle.

[erudite.2010]

Thank you

[Always Credited]

Although I have the Atlas LSAT prep books, I have the LG and LC bibles as well.

Is there a study plan that I could follow for the Oct. LSAT. I thought about not working for the summer and just focus on the test....

Thanks again for taking time out to help!

Search this forum for Pithypike's LSAT study guide. Do it. You had shit luck with your first go-round, don't let that discourage you. You can do better, just study, study, study. Don't settle for less. The internet is rooting for you.

/root root root

[atlantalaw]

no need to give up. getting a lower lsat score than you were expecting can be a blow to the ego, but don't let that get to you. you seem intelligent - smart enough to do some research and find out your chances. you know you can do better, so study (the above suggestions are good for studying) and get in the score range you know you can. that will put you in a really good position.

[romothesavior]

Don't waste that GPA and URM status. If you can get upper 150s or 160s, you'll be in great shape.

Although on the other hand, a 133 makes me question your PT conditions. Were you taking them under strict conditions? There is no way you drop from the 160s to a 133, no matter how bad your personal life is. A 133 is horrendously bad. And a 19 on the ACT? A monkey can score a 13. Maybe standardized tests are just not your thing.

If you really think you can score in the 150s/160s, then retake. You could get into a good school. But if not, then giving up and joining the workforce is your best bet.

[Drake014]

Don't waste that GPA and URM status. If you can get upper 150s or 160s, you'll be in great shape.

I'm a URM and oddly enough I feel this way. What's the unemployment rate for URMs from the T14? I don't know the answer to that, I'm just curious.

[traehekat]

For the love of God, if you actually want to go to law school don't give up! You have a great GPA and URM status going for you. The LSAT is way too learnable to just quit after one try, even for someone who is a poor standardized test taker.

Read the PowerScore Bibles.
Do a ton of logic games every week.
Take a bunch of full length, timed practice tests.
Identify your weaknesses and spend extra time in those areas.
Own the LSAT, get into a great school, and love life.

[drdolittle]

Don't let the LSAT determine whether or not law school's for you. Instead, try to get some experience working at a firm, talk to attorneys, get a job related to your field of interest, etc...This will all take some time, but it'll be well worth in the long run. Then, if law school is really for you, you'll be more motivated to get the score you need, which should not be a problem with your diagnostics in the 150s.

[GATORTIM]

I don't think having a great GPA and being a URM means you should go to law school. Do you want to practice law? If you answered yes then you must attend law school to do so. The majority of answers to your question are centered on your fantastic GPA and your minority status; however, only you can answer the OP.

[erudite.2010]

Thanks everyone. Yes, I want to be a lawyer!