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Hey guys, I've posted before, but i've been doing some soul-searching, and I'd really like to know what people would do in my situation. Any thoughts would be helpful.

3.87
165
URM (Mexican American female)
VA resident

my (current) short list: NYU, UPenn, Berkeley, UVA, Duke

I did not realize that, as a Mexican American, my URM boost would be lower than say, an African American man. How should I read the boost I see from LSP?

I like UVA, and I feel okay about an acceptance there, but I also don't want to short change myself by not taking the LSAT again, especially if a few points can mean more scholarship money. I doubt I will increase my score beyond a 170 however. Taking that into account, will a retake put me into the T1-4 range? I know Harvard in particular doesn't seem to like retakers.

URM cycles can be unpredicable, so, what would you all do? Gamble with the 165 this cycle and apply to the list above with HYSCC, or gamble even more with a retake this cycle, or retake for next cycle?

This is a pretty tough one. Normally, I'd advise someone with your stats to retake, but you're a URM, so that advice is less warranted. You'd probably have a decent cycle with your current numbers. Plus, your don't seem confident that you can break 170. Still, I think your best bet is to bust your butt for a 170 and take the best full ride you're offered.

i think a 170 + retake would be the difference between ccn, and yhs

this cycle or next? I am not opposed to taking a year off, but would a 170+ in December be too late for YHSCN. Note: I won't send out an application to Chicago regardless. I very much don't want to live in Chicago.

it is probably better to take your time and take the test in feb or june. if you can wait applying next year with a 170+ would be best.

quetzal_bird wrote:this cycle or next? I am not opposed to taking a year off, but would a 170+ in December be too late for YHSCN. Note: I won't send out an application to Chicago regardless. I very much don't want to live in Chicago.

Waiting a year is rarely a bad idea. You can focus on LSAT prep, and you can make sure you really want to enter this crazy profession. I'd suggest researching the downsides before you commit.

JazzOne wrote:

quetzal_bird wrote:this cycle or next? I am not opposed to taking a year off, but would a 170+ in December be too late for YHSCN. Note: I won't send out an application to Chicago regardless. I very much don't want to live in Chicago.

Waiting a year is rarely a bad idea. You can focus on LSAT prep, and you can make sure you really want to enter this crazy profession. I'd suggest researching the downsides before you commit.

Yeah, I understand that. Law school feels like the right fit. I want to be challenged, I want to compete, and I don't mind hard work. At the same time, I'd be lying if i said i didn't have doubts about it.

quetzal_bird wrote:

JazzOne wrote:

quetzal_bird wrote:this cycle or next? I am not opposed to taking a year off, but would a 170+ in December be too late for YHSCN. Note: I won't send out an application to Chicago regardless. I very much don't want to live in Chicago.

Waiting a year is rarely a bad idea. You can focus on LSAT prep, and you can make sure you really want to enter this crazy profession. I'd suggest researching the downsides before you commit.

Yeah, I understand that. Law school feels like the right fit. I want to be challenged, I want to compete, and I don't mind hard work. At the same time, I'd be lying if i didn't have doubts about it.

There are a lot of things you can do during that year off to give yourself an edge in law school. I'm not talking about studying law. That's unlikely to help. I'm talking about researching firms, learning about the industry, figuring out the difference between litigators and transactional lawyers, and learning about law firm structure and partner buy ins. I wish I had known more about the employment prospects before I started. I'm not talking about chances of employment. I'm talking about who the employers are and what their philosophies are.

I think that's great advice, I appreciate it. I'm having my fortune told at my undergrad career center on Monday. Hopefully after that I feel more comfortable making some decisions.

quetzal_bird wrote:I think that's great advice, I appreciate it. I'm having my fortune told at my undergrad career center on Monday. Hopefully after that I feel more comfortable making some decisions.

lol

I guess that's about as legitimate as most people's justifications for going to law school.

well, I'd rather not make a decision about taking a year off of school without some planning for that year. I meant I need to get some job interviews lined up, something I wasn't thinking about a few weeks ago

quetzal_bird wrote:well, I'd rather not make a decision about taking a year off of school without some planning for that year. I meant I need to get some job interviews lined up, something I wasn't thinking about a few weeks ago

lol

I see. I misunderstood your post. I took the "fortune" line seriously. I've been doing law review cite checking all day, so my sense of humor seems to be broken.

bump
New question:

I'm inclined to give the cycle a shot this year after speaking to some career and pre-law advisers. I am not ED'ing anywhere, so I can walk away and take that year off if I decide to. So, the new questions are: is the list I have below too short? Too light on safeties? Is there anything people recommend I add (3.87/165/Mexican/VA resident)? Thanks in advance.

Columbia
NYU
Berkeley
UPenn
UVA
Duke
Georgetown