Top Law Schools

Hello-

First time poster; not very familiar with the abbreviations :)

I took the LSAT a year and a half ago as something of a lark. I did not study very much at all. I was graduating from school with a liberal arts degree and had no idea what I would do with it, so like everyone else, I briefly considered Law School. I scored a 168 on that test, and then promptly decided I didn't want to be a lawyer anyway.

This June, with a new-found desire to go into a legal career, I took the test again, studied, and got a 179. I was overjoyed until I remembered the whole 'averaging' policy which all of my top choice schools seem to have. My GPA is a solid but not particularly spectacular 3.74 from NYU. Consider the rest of my application average but for a strong personal statement.

My question is, considering the 11-point spread between my scores, how much did my original 168 cripple my chances at Harvard, Columbia and NYU? Thanks very much for your help! While I didn't post at all, this board calmed my addled nerves both while studying and waiting for my scores.

If the schools you mentioned did actually average your score, that would leave you 173.5 (lets say 174 for rounding sake.) LSP gives you great odds at Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Berkeley, and all the way down. Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are certainly worth a shot even under the hypothetical 174. Of course, it's all moot if they take the highest score in which case I say to you "Mazel tov, you lucky SOB!"

I doubt that many schools strictly average; usually they will treat you as your higher score with your lower score in mind. That being said, Harvard seems to take multiple LSATs more into account than Columbia or NYU. Your GPA alone may be a little low for Harvard, but I would not be stunned if you were admitted with a 179/3.74- it's simply not a lock due to the 168. Also, there were several people in my cycle who were rejected or WLd with a 3.7x and 178+, so even without the low score it wouldn't be a lock. I'd say with those numbers and decent softs you would be WL/in at HLS. As far as Columbia and NYU, I'd say your chances are quite good at both, and I wouldn't let the lower score worry you too much. HTH

NYU and Columbia won't care, and you have great numbers for both schools. Harvard won't average, but they'll interpret your higher score with the lower one in mind--or so the evidence this cycle suggests. You are a splitter for Harvard (below the GPA 25th), but they do take some 3.7-3.75 GPAs. If I had to guess I'd say in at NYU/Columbia and waitlisted at Harvard.

LSN says your odds as a 179, 3.74 are about 50-50, although it seems Harvard's averaging policy isn't always consistently used. You're definitely in at CLS and NYU, I think your HLS odds are a bit over 50-50