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Hey guys! I'm a 3.53 with a 171 LSAT (first and only) and I'm in a bit of a bind here. UPenn is far and away my first choice (I'm actually an undergrad there) so initially I was planning on applying early this cycle. However, it's occurred to me that I might be shooting myself in the foot; would it be better to work hard bringing my GPA up this year (ideally to 3.60-3.65) if I'm not 100% set on applying this cycle? Or is the difference so negligible to not matter?

Law School Predictor lists the difference in GPA as the difference between a consider and a strong consider, but I question the ability of a machine to make these kinds of distinctions. I know that at any rate, I'm very borderline, so I need to make sure my essays and LOR's are in good shape.

Dead set on UPenn? ED. You will likely get in. Though it limits you to one school, you can still withdraw from attending LS next year, and re-apply if you believe your higher GPA will allow you to go to a place you'd rather attend, or possibly increase scholarship money.

I agree, you should definitely ED. Did you check out LSN? It looks like you'll most likely be waitlisted with anything between a 3.4 and a 3.7, so I think that applying ED will give you a much better edge than bringing your GPA up a little. I really don't think they will outright reject you with a 171 LSAT, especially with an ED, so you'll probably have the chance to bring up your GPA which may help you get off the waitlist if you do land there.

Penn's definitely my first choice (even above hypothetical acceptances to higher ranked schools -- although I also think Penn's about as good as I'm going to get in any case). And I'll certainly be EDing whether I apply this cycle or next.

Edit: That's actually a great point I hadn't considered; getting waitlisted lets me send my fall semester grades in. And I agree about that LSN suggests it doesn't make a big difference and that I'll most likely be waitlisted with either a 3.53 or 3.63. So I guess it boils down to how much ED helps and how much I can reasonably do to get myself off the waitlist.

Why does Penn waitlist people with 3.4 to 3.7? I have a 3.58 and 174 and was worrying about being WLed as yield protection, not for a low GPA. Am I not getting $ there, even with a good 5 year plan essay?

sgtgrumbles wrote:Why does Penn waitlist people with 3.4 to 3.7? I have a 3.58 and 174 and was worrying about being WLed as yield protection, not for a low GPA. Am I not getting $ there, even with a good 5 year plan essay?

You have some unpredictable numbers.. There's a good chance your GPA will get you waitlisted but if the rest of your application is strong, I think you have a very good shot at getting in. Getting $ might be a long shot, but it could happen. You just have to convince them that they NEED you at their school.