I need help decided where I should apply! Forum

[dmansh55]

I’m wondering if anyone can accurately gauge my chances of getting into the law schools I’m interested in. My GPA according to my academic summary report is around 3.25, while on my school’s transcript page it’s at 3.34. I’m not really sure what accounts for the discrepancy, but I did retake two courses, so as of now I’m assuming they have something to do with it. I took the LSAT in June, pretty much unprepared, and got a 156, and then again in October and got a 165. If you calculate my GPA for my final 70 credits, it’s around 3.7 – I was essentially in school for the fun of it for my first few years. I was a political science major, but I also had a biology minor and went above and beyond my course requirements in terms of upper level science courses. I received A’s in classes that frequently give students a lot of trouble, such as organic chemistry, physics, and evolution…so I’m wondering if schools will see that and recognize my ability to succeed in rigorous and challenging conditions. I’m sure if I retook the LSAT I could score at or around 170 – not positive, but the 156 was cold, and the 165 didn’t require all that much preparation. I would, however, like to simply accept the score I have and move on if it’s enough to get me into a few of the following schools.

One other note, while I’ve never had a full time job per se, I currently work over 40 hours between my two jobs, and have routinely worked around 25 hours while in school. Right now, I work as a server at a local restaurant, and I “volunteer” (I use quotations because I am paid a living stipend, but the amount is very small) through the AmeriCorps in the town where I went to school. For that, I spend about 25 hours a week at an elementary school in the area, where I tutor 3rd and 6th graders, primarily in math and reading. It’s a big part of my life at this point, and has had seriously impacted my outlook on the community and public service. I’m thinking about incorporating this into my personal statement, and I would like to know if law schools will look at this service in a positive light, and whether or not it will increase my chances of gaining admission.

Here is a list of schools I’m interested in applying to:
University of Minnesota: a reach, but I am a Minnesota resident
University of California Davis
University of California Hastings
University of Wisconsin
University of Colorado Boulder

In addition I was offered fee waivers to William and Mary, The University of Iowa, and the University of Cincinnati (plus quite a few lower tier schools) so I’m thinking I may apply to these as well.
Any enlightenment anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.

[patrickd139]

Where do you want to live/work?
Where are you from originally?
What are your career aspirations?