3.65.....165 SoCal resident where to apply...what to expect? Forum

[JD=Doctor]

These are my numbers

Where should i apply what should i expect?

I feel im right in that middle range of the Hastings and davis' but bellow USC/UCLA and above the loyola/pepperdines

I want to end up back in cali eventually within a few years after graduating...Where should i apply what should i expect?

[romothesavior]

Retake. Do not settle for less than USC/UCLA w/$$.

[arhmcpo]

^Above poster is not in touch with reality of the socal law school market.

Look at my profile - fairly similar to you.

If I were you I would expect...

Big Money from Pepperdine and Loyola is a given (although they will come with stipulations). Probably 80-100% of tuition scholarships.

Acceptance to Hastings and Davis with Small Grants (think like $10K after you file a FASA).

Reject or Waitlist (less likely) from USC/UCLA. Sorry but your unlikely to get in at either of these unless you've got some amazing softs... I would suggest targeted letters for your initial app and strong inevitable LOCI's and really going all out with these two to have any shot at all.

Your GPA is just good enough not to hurt you but won't really help you at the high quality schools. A 165 is part of that weird group of middle 160's lsat scores that can get you big money from 50-100 ranked schools while leave you locked out of T20 schools like UCLA and USC which are (I think) more selective than their peers, especially when it comes to socal residents.

[queenlizzie13]

I know someone who had similar numbers (GPA was slightly higher by .05 and LSAT was the exact same) and they got into UC Hastings at sticker and Pepperdine full ride, and I believe Loyola gave some money as well. They did not apply to Davis.

That should give you an idea of what to expect when you apply, though. UCLA and USC will definitely be a stretch. They were not wait listed at either school. USC did take awhile to make a decision on my friend, however. You could still apply though, you never know when you might get lucky. If you don't get into the schools you want, maybe retake and try again the following year with a 168+ LSAT score.

However, if you would be happy going to either Loyola, Pepperdine, Davis, and Hastings, etc. then keep your LSAT score and go to a school that you get $ from, that way you're not as in severe debt when you graduate.

Do you have any significant softs?

[romothesavior]

^Above poster is not in touch with reality of the socal law school market.

Yes, you're right. I forgot about the "reality" of how great things are out in California right now compared to the rest of the country. Pepperdine and Loyola have been placing graduates in biglaw like its 2005, so they are definitely worth near sticker price.

LA to 190!

[okfine]

If you are looking to reach for UCS/UCLA, I'd strongly suggest How to Get Into Law School, by Susan Estrich. She's a professor at USC.

Actually, I'd recommend this book to everyone on this board. Especially folks who really have their hearts set on a school that seems just out of reach. She has some awesome advice on how to "campaign for yourself," and she's very encouraging, too, which can really help sometimes. Good luck!

[CmonSD]

Irvine?

[NoleinNY]

If you applied as is, I predict 84k at Loyola, and WL/OUT at USC and UCLA. I had simlar #s to you (slightly higher GPA, but applied kinda late... stupid December LSAT). You have time, however. Retake in October and apply early before Thanksgiving. Just 3-4 points more give you an almost Auto-admit at USC and great shot at UCLA. 5+ and you're looking at money.

[JD=Doctor]

I know someone who had similar numbers (GPA was slightly higher by .05 and LSAT was the exact same) and they got into UC Hastings at sticker and Pepperdine full ride, and I believe Loyola gave some money as well. They did not apply to Davis.

That should give you an idea of what to expect when you apply, though. UCLA and USC will definitely be a stretch. They were not wait listed at either school. USC did take awhile to make a decision on my friend, however. You could still apply though, you never know when you might get lucky. If you don't get into the schools you want, maybe retake and try again the following year with a 168+ LSAT score.

However, if you would be happy going to either Loyola, Pepperdine, Davis, and Hastings, etc. then keep your LSAT score and go to a school that you get $ from, that way you're not as in severe debt when you graduate.

Do you have any significant softs?

First off thanks you all for the responses...

I don't really know how great my softs are: Worked in a Law firm for a year and would receive a great LOR
I have a few volunteering projects (Camp for special children, Medical centers, community positions)
1st generation american

and if i could get an interview im very sociable and charismatic.

(2 more questions right and i would have had a 167!! ...i might end up retaking in October...If my score drops a 2-3 points or i cancel how much will that hurt me?

[JD=Doctor]

Irvine?

Its not even ranked....

[romothesavior]

Irvine?

Its not even ranked....

Because it is new. It is likely to be every bit as good as Hastings and Davis.

[arhmcpo]

Yeah at least consider Irvine. If your in the area it shouldn't be that hard to visit.

^Above poster is not in touch with reality of the socal law school market.

Yes, you're right. I forgot about the "reality" of how great things are out in California right now compared to the rest of the country. Pepperdine and Loyola have been placing graduates in biglaw like its 2005, so they are definitely worth near sticker price.

LA to 190!

To clarify, your prediction for OP was completely unsupportable - unless there was sarcasm there I missed. By "socal market" I mean that while OP could certainly have a decent shot at other T20's in other parts of the country, OP's chances at UCLA and USC are slim. CA is like the pit of doom right now, but that doesn't change the fact that these schools get a ridiculous number of highly qualified applicants, partly because of the socal location.

[romothesavior]

Yeah at least consider Irvine. If your in the area it shouldn't be that hard to visit.

^Above poster is not in touch with reality of the socal law school market.

Yes, you're right. I forgot about the "reality" of how great things are out in California right now compared to the rest of the country. Pepperdine and Loyola have been placing graduates in biglaw like its 2005, so they are definitely worth near sticker price.

LA to 190!

To clarify, your prediction for OP was completely unsupportable - unless there was sarcasm there I missed. By "socal market" I mean that while OP could certainly have a decent shot at other T20's in other parts of the country, OP's chances at UCLA and USC are slim. CA is like the pit of doom right now, but that doesn't change the fact that these schools get a ridiculous number of highly qualified applicants, partly because of the socal location.

That's why I said RETAKE. He/she should not settle for less than USC/UCLA, which is why he or she should RETAKE.

[JD=Doctor]

Yeah at least consider Irvine. If your in the area it shouldn't be that hard to visit.

^Above poster is not in touch with reality of the socal law school market.

Yes, you're right. I forgot about the "reality" of how great things are out in California right now compared to the rest of the country. Pepperdine and Loyola have been placing graduates in biglaw like its 2005, so they are definitely worth near sticker price.

LA to 190!

To clarify, your prediction for OP was completely unsupportable - unless there was sarcasm there I missed. By "socal market" I mean that while OP could certainly have a decent shot at other T20's in other parts of the country, OP's chances at UCLA and USC are slim. CA is like the pit of doom right now, but that doesn't change the fact that these schools get a ridiculous number of highly qualified applicants, partly because of the socal location.

That's why I said RETAKE. He/she should not settle for less than USC/UCLA, which is why he or she should RETAKE.

if i retake and cancel how bad does that look?

[romothesavior]

if i retake and cancel how bad does that look?

Not a whole lot different. What were your LSAT study habits and strategies?

[JD=Doctor]

if i retake and cancel how bad does that look?

Not a whole lot different. What were your LSAT study habits and strategies?

Took Blueprint diag-ed at 158 went through their lesson not bad... but it was a later class so by the time i learnt all the "material" i only got to take like 6 PTs (my range 163-167 ....but i never put close to my best sections all together)

Games -3 (2 errors/1 deserved)
LR -3 -4 about where im at
RC -8....the killer i can never be consistant i range from my best -2 to my avg -6 to really bad -10 ..never spent too much time on it as well.

but my fear is messing up on a game or passage...

[romothesavior]

if i retake and cancel how bad does that look?

Not a whole lot different. What were your LSAT study habits and strategies?

Took Blueprint diag-ed at 158 went through their lesson not bad... but it was a later class so by the time i learnt all the "material" i only got to take like 6 PTs (my range 163-167 ....but i never put close to my best sections all together)

Games -3 (2 errors/1 deserved)
LR -3 -4 about where im at
RC -8....the killer i can never be consistant i range from my best -2 to my avg -6 to really bad -10 ..never spent too much time on it as well.

but my fear is messing up on a game or passage...

Retake. Start studying now. Set up a rigid and rigorous schedule and stick to it. Spend time in the LSAT Prep forum. The best part of this site is the LSAT forum.

[queenlizzie13]

if i retake and cancel how bad does that look?

Not a whole lot different. What were your LSAT study habits and strategies?

Took Blueprint diag-ed at 158 went through their lesson not bad... but it was a later class so by the time i learnt all the "material" i only got to take like 6 PTs (my range 163-167 ....but i never put close to my best sections all together)

Games -3 (2 errors/1 deserved)
LR -3 -4 about where im at
RC -8....the killer i can never be consistant i range from my best -2 to my avg -6 to really bad -10 ..never spent too much time on it as well.

but my fear is messing up on a game or passage...

I took blueprint too - Irvine course. Which one did you take? Anyways, I sometimes have trouble on RC for sure. It is the section I tend to neglect while studying. I figure by taking more full PT's this time around that will force me to do more RC, whereas when I was just taking the course, more focused on trying to do all the LR homework and getting to games (which comes naturally for me - it is by far my best section).

RC on recent tests tends to be more difficult and more dense...at least that is what I have noticed. Hopefully the LR Bible will help me improve on LR (it is still my weakest section).

[bearsEATtrees]

I just finished my cycle- 164/3.55 September LSAT/mid-November applications complete (a bit worse than yours but my cycle may help you put things into perspective)

UC Hastings- admit with $20k scholly
USC- waitlist/accept (late june)
UCLA- reject

I didn't apply to davis/pepp/loyola but I think with your numbers you'd get into all three with varying levels of $$

Admittedly I'm a weird outlier with how my cycle went and my stats. But yours a stronger so I wouldn't be surprised if you saw something similar in your cycle.

[JD=Doctor]

I just finished my cycle- 164/3.55 September LSAT/mid-November applications complete (a bit worse than yours but my cycle may help you put things into perspective)

UC Hastings- admit with $20k scholly
USC- waitlist/accept (late june)
UCLA- reject

I didn't apply to davis/pepp/loyola but I think with your numbers you'd get into all three with varying levels of $$

Admittedly I'm a weird outlier with how my cycle went and my stats. But yours a stronger so I wouldn't be surprised if you saw something similar in your cycle.

I just need a USC waitlist and then i'd work my magic
did you do anything to merit a usc waitlist (and anything while waitlisted to get accepted?) any special softs or personal statments? (not to be racist but are you native american or something that would help...)

[bearsEATtrees]

I just finished my cycle- 164/3.55 September LSAT/mid-November applications complete (a bit worse than yours but my cycle may help you put things into perspective)

UC Hastings- admit with $20k scholly
USC- waitlist/accept (late june)
UCLA- reject

I didn't apply to davis/pepp/loyola but I think with your numbers you'd get into all three with varying levels of $$

Admittedly I'm a weird outlier with how my cycle went and my stats. But yours a stronger so I wouldn't be surprised if you saw something similar in your cycle.

I just need a USC waitlist and then i'd work my magic
did you do anything to merit a usc waitlist (and anything while waitlisted to get accepted?) any special softs or personal statments? (not to be racist but are you native american or something that would help...)

I think they liked my softs so they threw me on the waitlist just in case; I have a ton of unique internships, taught classes at my undergrad, and had VERY strong letters or rec. But once I was on I sent in a few LOCI's explicitly stating how much I wanted to attend. And I had a professor who split his time between my university and being the director of one of USC's institutes write me a strong letter of rec. As well as anyone I knew who was an alum send in a letter of rec.

Persistence pays.

And no offense taken. I'm URM hispanic (but barely). I don't think that helped too much though.

[tallboone]

retake, always retake. especially if you are going somewhere other than Harvard. If you can improve 2-3 points, you are looking at being a reach at UCLA, strong at USC and almost guaranteed UCI.