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I took the June 2010 lsat and got a 157. My current cumulative GPA is 2.96 but after my final semester this fall I think it will be 3.0 or above. A little background to help with advice; I began UG on an athletic scholarship in 2003. I was there for 2 years and did terrible had 2.0 (didn’t think school would matter, stupid me). I left school to pursue sport professionally for 3 years. Came back to school and have had a 3.8+ since. Probably end up graduating Summa Cum Laude. Have some good soft’s URM, learning disability, sports, and work experience. 3 good LOR's from Professors and from what everybody says a really good PS. Looking to start applying within next week for 2011.

Schools Applying;
Minnesota (fee waiver)
BC (legacy)
UF
FSU
Stetson
Nova
Miami
UI
Lewis and Clark (fee waiver)
Albany (fee waiver)
Michigan State (fee waiver)
Richmond (fee waiver)
Kentucky (fee waiver)
UNC
Indiana Bloomington
Wisconsin

If you could let me know what schools I have got a good shot at and which I don’t.

Where do you want to work?

FWIW, I would recommend retaking.

Cant retake just don't have time with last semester. Most likely Miami, FL but have no problem trying somewhere else.

I dont think legacy is going to help you with BC. I'd retake. BC's medians are 166/3.6. You are significantly below both. With that GPA you need into the 170's to have a shot.

yea don't think BC will probably happen but I know of 2 people that got in with 157 and 159. They did have good GPA's though 3.6+

tas817 wrote:yea don't think BC will probably happen but I know of 2 people that got in with 157 and 159. They did have good GPA's though 3.6+

they are exceptions lol.

This is probably not what you want to hear but I'll throw it out there:

Depending on how much/well you studied for the 157, and depending on where you want to work, I would consider postponing applying a year. It would give you the chance to raise your GPA to over a 3.0, which is a big deal to schools, and get a higher LSAT. If you can snag the mid 160's or even better you have a shot at some of the T14, specifically ED'ing to UVa (they took a 3.3/159/URM this year, iirc). The year wait, to me, is definitely worth the increased job prospects from better schools. I applied last cycle and decided that I would be better off retaking and reapplying. Had I started school now I would be attending a low T1 with dismal job prospects but now I have a shot at the T14 or at least a strong regional school.

If you want to practice in a large market, NY/DC/Chi then I would definitely recommend waiting, retaking, applying next cycle. If you want to work in Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, places with strong regional schools and minimal competition (UNC, IU-B, UF, UMiami, etc) that accept lower numbers then I could see applying this cycle. However, increasing your numbers would also give you access to larger scholarships. It does suck waiting a year, I am doing it now. But the increased job prospects at graduation will definitely be worth the wait.

You are clearly a non-traditional applicant. It would be difficult to predict your results without reading your entire application package. If you have fee waivers, then use them.

yea dont know the 157 well but the 159 had Rudy type softs

I dont think I can sit out a year getting older quick already looks like wont be done with bar exam till 30. Are jobs that hard to find unless you go to a top school? I hang out with a Nova grad that makes 200K+ 5 years out of school. Worked his butt off but doing really well. Maybe he is just lucky.

tas817 wrote:I dont think I can sit out a year getting older quick already looks like wont be done with bar exam till 30. Are jobs that hard to find unless you go to a top school? I hang out with a Nova grad that makes 200K+ 5 years out of school. Worked his butt off but doing really well. Maybe he is just lucky.

He might not be lucky (it could have been a ton of hard work and a little luck), but he is in the smallest minority. Strictly by the odds, you will not be making 200K+ 5 years out of the schools you listed in your OP.

tas817 wrote:I dont think I can sit out a year getting older quick already looks like wont be done with bar exam till 30. Are jobs that hard to find unless you go to a top school? I hang out with a Nova grad that makes 200K+ 5 years out of school. Worked his butt off but doing really well. Maybe he is just lucky.

Think about the difference between being 30 and 31.

Now think about the difference between a 10% shot at 160k salary and a 50% shot at 160k salary.

Pick which difference matters most to you.

I have heard that even though there is almost no difference 2.99 vs 3.0 it makes a big difference to schools. Is there any truth to that?

tas817 wrote:I have heard that even though there is almost no difference 2.99 vs 3.0 it makes a big difference to schools. Is there any truth to that?

There is. Look at LSN and see that there are very few acceptances for sub 3's, even when they have high LSAT's. UMich and UPenn are good examples of this, iirc. It may be irrational, but AdComms really like seeing a 3 in front of your GPA.

bk187 wrote:

tas817 wrote:I dont think I can sit out a year getting older quick already looks like wont be done with bar exam till 30. Are jobs that hard to find unless you go to a top school? I hang out with a Nova grad that makes 200K+ 5 years out of school. Worked his butt off but doing really well. Maybe he is just lucky.

Think about the difference between being 30 and 31.

Now think about the difference between a 10% shot at 160k salary and a 50% shot at 160k salary.

Pick which difference matters most to you.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

--ImageRemoved--

Had a feeling it was coming.

Is there any chance that b/c of the big seperation between times I went to school and sharp contrast in grades that they will ignore the first two years with a really good addendum. Or b/c of ranking system there is no chance that will happen. Thanks for the advice so far.

No. They won't ignore it.

Yea thats what I have been thinking. Well I guess I have to get lucky or work @$$ off and transfer. Know a few ppl that did transfer route say it worked for them. Thanks for the help.

tas817 wrote:Yea thats what I have been thinking. Well I guess I have to get lucky or work @$$ off and transfer. Know a few ppl that did transfer route say it worked for them. Thanks for the help.

You're better of retaking the LSAT and applying next year than trying to transfer.

Transferring will require you to be in the top 10%, likely better, of your class. Your chances of scoring an LSAT good enough to get you into a better school are likely better than 1/10 and don't require you to pay for a full year of law school tuition. Retake the LSAT.

I didn't read all the responses (sorry) but I think if you want to work in Miami, go to U. of Miami! You'll get in. Your LSAT is their median or so, and your GPA is a litttttle low but you are a URM so that will help.

If you want to work in Florida, then you should definitely at least apply to Florida schools and see what happens! Also, you could write somewhere in your application that you predict to have a 3.0 upon graduation (only do this if you seriously calculated your grades and it's possible). It's not T14 or bust if you wanna be in Florida!

edit: or you could wait until you graduate this fall and send in your transcripts then, so that they SEE the 3.0!

Barbie wrote:I didn't read all the responses (sorry) but I think if you want to work in Miami, go to U. of Miami! Go to You'll get in. Your LSAT is their median or so, and your GPA is a litttttle low but you are a URM so that will help.

If you have a connection to Miami already, better off with UF. Or many other T20ish schools.

Miami's not worth is unless you get something resembling a full scholarship.

Hold on, what URM are you? URM cycles are known to be unpredictable, so I just want to know.

rad law wrote:

Barbie wrote:I didn't read all the responses (sorry) but I think if you want to work in Miami, go to U. of Miami! Go to You'll get in. Your LSAT is their median or so, and your GPA is a litttttle low but you are a URM so that will help.

If you have a connection to Miami already, better off with UF. Or many other T20ish schools.

Miami's not worth is unless you get something resembling a full scholarship.

I don't think he will get into UF with those numbers. And he has a good shot at Miami.