Significant score jump and how it's interpreted Forum

[GDRUSRaven]

Hello all! This is my first post to the forum, though I have been reading threads for months now. I have gotten a lot of my own questions asked by others answered here, and it is nice to see that there are people out there with the same questions as I do.

So, like many of you, I took the June LSAT. It was a retake, due to the fact that I scored horribly the first time around. I won't be shy about it, since my question concerns scores; it was a 141 I studied for several months for the June test and felt really confident walking in, but then around the fourth section (RC) I lost my focus & I don't think it went well from there on. Anyway, I ended up with a 153. I am not terribly upset, because I know I studied hard and did the best I could at the time (though, I am saying in the back of my head now "if I only got 16 more right", like that is cake!).

Through my research I have chosen several schools to apply to, but I am really interested in Cardozo and DePaul. Both offer extensive courses in Art & Cultural Heritage Law, and that is what I would like to study. I received a 3.07 UGPA with a 3.5 major GPA, again not super, but first semster killed me. (I am proud to say I made Dean's list my last 2 1/2 years of school ). I have done research on my schools about median GPA and LSAT scores for both full-time and part-time, but I was wondering, do schools look at applicants more favorably if there is a significant increase in their score? With LOR and a strong PS aside, would I stand out for either of my top schools (DePaul or Cardozo) as a (for a lack of a better word) unique applicant?

At this point am thinking of applying to both as a part-time in the hope that I could get in that way (and also continue to work), but maybe this is just hopeful thinking...?

Thanks for reading and thanks for the advice!

[northwood]

make sure you explain your score increase in your applications. Apply for both schools, and others early!
If you think you left some points on the table, re-take in October. ( you can cancel it after the test if you want)

[GDRUSRaven]

Thanks, I will most certainly explain the reason for my first low score. Some background: I was in a minor car accident prior to the test, and having survived a serious car accident several years before, I was a little shaken up and, needless to say, a little unable to focus. Even with that being said though, do you think an admissions committee would look at the increase and think, "wow, she improved by X points and is worth considering"?

As I said I will apply part-time to several schools, though for some, I don't fall within the PT LSAT score range. Do most schools accept people with lower LSAT scores than what is actually reported?

Thanks for the advice!