Top Law Schools

3.88 LSDAS GPA at a run of the mill school
175 LSAT (June 2010)
165 LSAT (a 2009 test)

I was wondering if I could get some advice on how to approach this year's admissions cycle. I feel like my numbers are very strong, but am afraid that my multiple LSATs and average softs could hold me back a little. I graduated in May of 2009 and haven't done anything especially spectacular since then.

Thanks Top Law Schoolers. I bow before your wisdom.

Edit: Not a URM

I'm going to go out on a limb and say youll be jussssssssst fine. (bump for ya)

Thanks for the bump

itsfine wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb and say youll be jussssssssst fine. (bump for ya)

+1 Focus on putting together a kickass PS for Y/S

chw wrote: +1 Focus on putting together a kickass PS for Y/S

Thanks. I am definitely going to focus on formulating a strong personal statement.

so youre a 3.88 with an average of 170?? You are golden pretty much wherever you want. Congrats and good luck

northwood wrote:so youre a 3.88 with an average of 170?? You are golden pretty much wherever you want. Congrats and good luck

This. Make sure you don't insert other school's names in your PS accidentally and you're money.

enjoy Harvard

When your downside is CCN, life if good.

Hmm, judging by the replies to this point, most forum members aren't as concerned as I am by the multiple LSATs issue. Don't some schools still average (which ones?)?

HYSN still average multiple LSAT scores iirc, so don't assume that you're a shoe-in for those schools.

your gpa is higher than mine was, but we have similar stats (LSDAS 3.78/ 164-176 LSAT, average college, moderately interesting softs including a masters). pm me if you want the exact rundown of how things went in my cycle. i think some here are overestimating just a little, but not by much.

I find it hard to believe that threads like this are anything other than stealth bragging.

blsingindisguise wrote:I find it hard to believe that threads like this are anything other than stealth bragging.

I really wasn't trying to brag. I know there are people on this forum who know more about the LS admissions numbers game than I do and I wanted their advice.

Bildungsroman wrote:HYSN still average multiple LSAT scores iirc, so don't assume that you're a shoe-in for those schools.

Make up a good excuse and they might not. Nobody is a shoe in for Y & S though.

blsingindisguise wrote:I find it hard to believe that threads like this are anything other than stealth bragging.

I find it hard to believe that posts like this are anything other than jealous whining. OP has a legitimate question regarding whether HYS will average his scores.

Bildungsroman wrote:HYSN still average multiple LSAT scores iirc, so don't assume that you're a shoe-in for those schools.

Not necessarily true. Plenty of people got into HYSN with multiple, disparate LSAT scores. If these scored were assessed at their average, they probably wouldn't have been accepted.

Desert Fox wrote: Make up a good excuse and they might not. Nobody is a shoe in for Y & S though.

By this are you implying that Harvard's admissions are more numbers based than Stanford's?

GAIAtheCHEERLEADER wrote:

Bildungsroman wrote:HYSN still average multiple LSAT scores iirc, so don't assume that you're a shoe-in for those schools.

Not necessarily true. Plenty of people got into HYSN with multiple, disparate LSAT scores. If these scored were assessed at their average, they probably wouldn't have been accepted.

Clearly we have some different opinions here on whether some of the top schools average (all of the time? some of the time?) LSAT scores? Does anyone else have any input on this?

Dave Davely wrote:

Desert Fox wrote: Make up a good excuse and they might not. Nobody is a shoe in for Y & S though.

By this are you implying that Harvard's admissions are more numbers based than Stanford's?

Yes, very much so. With good numbers and no negative factors a person should get in. Unfortunately the 165 is a negative factor. I think you can get in if you write an addendum with some well thought out excuse.

Desert Fox wrote:

Dave Davely wrote:

Desert Fox wrote: Make up a good excuse and they might not. Nobody is a shoe in for Y & S though.

By this are you implying that Harvard's admissions are more numbers based than Stanford's?

Yes, very much so. With good numbers and no negative factors a person should get in. Unfortunately the 165 is a negative factor. I think you can get in if you write an addendum with some well thought out excuse.

Thanks. I take it by this you mean that Harvard, while it doesn't exactly average multiple LSATs, does take the lesser scores into consideration as a negative factor. I would assume that this also applies to the other top schools?

Dave Davely wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:

Dave Davely wrote:

Desert Fox wrote: Make up a good excuse and they might not. Nobody is a shoe in for Y & S though.

By this are you implying that Harvard's admissions are more numbers based than Stanford's?

Yes, very much so. With good numbers and no negative factors a person should get in. Unfortunately the 165 is a negative factor. I think you can get in if you write an addendum with some well thought out excuse.

Thanks. I take it by this you mean that Harvard, while it doesn't exactly average multiple LSATs, does take the lesser scores into consideration as a negative factor. I would assume that this also applies to the other top schools?

Nobody really knows, because admissions deans lie. But like Gaia says people who wouldn't get in if they strictly average, do get in.

I've heard it suggested that if they don't like you app, they average, and if they do, they don't.

I've also heard some schools don't average if you have a big gap.

..

acrossthelake wrote:
If you apply early, I'll be surprised if you don't get into Columbia or NYU. Really, just apply to the entire top 6, and maybe add one or two of the other T14's you're interested in if you're worried about the retake problem, and you should be good to go.

I'd apply to all of the T14. OP has fullride numbers for the lower T14. IMO full ride at a lower T14 > sticker at T6.

Even without the 165, I still don't think the OP would get into HYS. He'll probably get waitlisted by Harvard and rejected by Stanford and Yale. However, he's a lock at the other T14 schools.