3.87/169 Forum

[zjs4]

LSAT: 169
GPA: Originally 3.85, 3.86 when adjusted by LSAC. Updated after Fall 2010 = 3.87, hasn't been adjusted/resent by LSAC yet

Schools Applied to:

Stanford
Duke
UC Berkley
USC
Cornell
Chicago
Virginia
Northwestern
Michigan
Notre Dame
UCLA
NYU

[ATR]

We have almost identical stats. My predictions:

Stanford -- out
Duke -- WL/in
UC Berkeley -- in (if your application is well-done)
USC -- $$
Cornell -- in, $
Chicago -- WL/out
Virginia -- out (unless VA resident)
Northwestern -- in (assuming work experience; without it, out)
Michigan -- $
Notre Dame -- $$$
UCLA -- $
NYU -- WL/out

E: misspelled "Berkeley."

[zjs4]

Thanks!

Above Average PS, Above Average Resume, Excellent LORs, straight out of undergrad (I hear that hurts sometimes, especially Northwestern), Intermediate Spanish, Graduated semester early, Studied Abroad (Might help?)

[Cade McNown]

Thanks!

Above Average PS, Above Average Resume, Excellent LORs, straight out of undergrad (I hear that hurts sometimes, especially Northwestern), Intermediate Spanish, Graduated semester early, Studied Abroad (Might help?)

FWIW, I would hesitate to describe yourself as having an above average resume when you're still in (or just finished) undergrad. Even if you've had some killer internships or other pt WE, the schools you're looking at will favor applicants with a couple years of good ft WE. That said, I think you get into most of those schools.

[zjs4]

Thanks!

Above Average PS, Above Average Resume, Excellent LORs, straight out of undergrad (I hear that hurts sometimes, especially Northwestern), Intermediate Spanish, Graduated semester early, Studied Abroad (Might help?)

FWIW, I would hesitate to describe yourself as having an above average resume when you're still in (or just finished) undergrad. Even if you've had some killer internships or other pt WE, the schools you're looking at will favor applicants with a couple years of good ft WE. That said, I think you get into most of those schools.

Actually, I have a question about this. I have some really good internships and volunteer work. But I think my real home run ball is honors and achivements. Summa Cum Laude, Presidential Scholar, Highest Honors all Semesters, Dean's Award from my Study Abroad University, Major Nat'l Honor Society, Nat'l Society of Leadership and Success, Golden Key, International Scholar Laureate Program, etc. All that Jazz. Does that stuff actually matter in terms of the resume? Or should i just assume every single applicant has these things.

[romothesavior]

Thanks!

Above Average PS, Above Average Resume, Excellent LORs, straight out of undergrad (I hear that hurts sometimes, especially Northwestern), Intermediate Spanish, Graduated semester early, Studied Abroad (Might help?)

FWIW, I would hesitate to describe yourself as having an above average resume when you're still in (or just finished) undergrad. Even if you've had some killer internships or other pt WE, the schools you're looking at will favor applicants with a couple years of good ft WE. That said, I think you get into most of those schools.

Actually, I have a question about this. I have some really good internships and volunteer work. But I think my real home run ball is honors and achivements. Summa Cum Laude, Presidential Scholar, Highest Honors all Semesters, Dean's Award from my Study Abroad University, Major Nat'l Honor Society, Nat'l Society of Leadership and Success, Golden Key, International Scholar Laureate Program, etc. All that Jazz. Does that stuff actually matter in terms of the resume? Or should i just assume every single applicant has these things.

All good things, but there are many, many students just like you out there. Unless you accomplished these things at a really prestigious undergrad, it usually isn't a big bump. Schools love to see those things, obviously, but a lot of T1 law students can claim things like this. Your numbers will be by far the biggest factor, and anything else is just a very small dab of icing on the cake.

That said, you have pretty good numbers. I think atresia was pretty much on with his predictions.

[zjs4]

Out at Berkley.

[NorCalBruin]

Out at Berkley.

Really hard to say.

90% of people are out at Berkeley. They are extremely selective. But that GPA gives OP a worthwhile shot. Berkeley is just too much of a black box to say much of anything.

[subtle]

Out at Berkley.

Really hard to say.

90% of people are out at Berkeley. They are extremely selective. But that GPA gives OP a worthwhile shot. Berkeley is just too much of a black box to say much of anything.

I think that *is* the OP saying that (s)he found out that (s)he is out at Berkley.

[NorCalBruin]

Yep! Sorry. Looked at their LSN today to. Looks like this week was all about rejections... sorry

[zjs4]

Should I consider a June retake of the LSAT and some ED applications next cycle? I applied RD to everywhere this year, and I was disappointed with my LSAT score but was assured, and reassured, and reassured, that it would be sufficient for the schools that I wanted given my GPA. Apparently that may not be entirely true. I was scoring around 173-177 consistently on my practice tests for the three months leading up to the exam and I really, really messed up with reading comprehension on the actual exam.

[jwrash]

Should I consider a June retake of the LSAT and some ED applications next cycle? I applied RD to everywhere this year, and I was disappointed with my LSAT score but was assured, and reassured, and reassured, that it would be sufficient for the schools that I wanted given my GPA. Apparently that may not be entirely true. I was scoring around 173-177 consistently on my practice tests for the three months leading up to the exam and I really, really messed up with reading comprehension on the actual exam.

If you don't mind paying sticker, you'll be a lock if you ED to UVA next cycle.

[Ialdabaoth]

All good things, but there are many, many students just like you out there. Unless you accomplished these things at a really prestigious undergrad, it usually isn't a big bump. Schools love to see those things, obviously, but a lot of T1 law students can claim things like this. Your numbers will be by far the biggest factor, and anything else is just a very small dab of icing on the cake.

That said, you have pretty good numbers. I think atresia was pretty much on with his predictions.

Romo (and others), do you think the honors societies like Golden Key really make any difference as in "schools love to see those things"? I was under the impression that they were worthless, so I haven't joined any that I've been invited to. I thought about doing Phi Kappa Phi since it's supposedly supposed to be almost as prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. I should still have a good shot at PBK and would join it if invited, but I'm not exactly sure how my school makes their selections.

[romothesavior]

All good things, but there are many, many students just like you out there. Unless you accomplished these things at a really prestigious undergrad, it usually isn't a big bump. Schools love to see those things, obviously, but a lot of T1 law students can claim things like this. Your numbers will be by far the biggest factor, and anything else is just a very small dab of icing on the cake.

That said, you have pretty good numbers. I think atresia was pretty much on with his predictions.

Romo (and others), do you think the honors societies like Golden Key really make any difference as in "schools love to see those things"? I was under the impression that they were worthless, so I haven't joined any that I've been invited to. I thought about doing Phi Kappa Phi since it's supposedly supposed to be almost as prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. I should still have a good shot at PBK and would join it if invited, but I'm not exactly sure how my school makes their selections.

They aren't worthless, but I don't think the boost is much at all. IMO, they just want to see that you have some things on your resume, so they know you contributed to your school in undergrad and will be a productive member of the law school community. They are going to see a lot of resumes with things like PBK and other honors societies, especially at tier 1 schools, so it doesn't really distinguish you. Unless you have something unique on your resume, don't expect it to change your cycle much.

If your resume is bare right now, adding something like this not a bad idea. Just don't expect it to get you into anywhere that you wouldn't have otherwise gotten into.

[Ialdabaoth]

They aren't worthless, but I don't think the boost is much at all. IMO, they just want to see that you have some things on your resume, so they know you contributed to your school in undergrad and will be a productive member of the law school community. They are going to see a lot of resumes with things like PBK and other honors societies, especially at tier 1 schools, so it doesn't really distinguish you. Unless you have something unique on your resume, don't expect it to change your cycle much.

If your resume is bare right now, adding something like this not a bad idea. Just don't expect it to get you into anywhere that you wouldn't have otherwise gotten into.

Yeah, I shouldn't have used the word "worthless," and I see what you're saying. I have a good number of college ECs/awards/scholarships/etc. on my resume already, so I'm not going to worry about joining any honors societies since I'd rather spend that money on more apps. Thanks!

[tigertim]

They aren't worthless, but I don't think the boost is much at all. IMO, they just want to see that you have some things on your resume, so they know you contributed to your school in undergrad and will be a productive member of the law school community. They are going to see a lot of resumes with things like PBK and other honors societies, especially at tier 1 schools, so it doesn't really distinguish you. Unless you have something unique on your resume, don't expect it to change your cycle much.

If your resume is bare right now, adding something like this not a bad idea. Just don't expect it to get you into anywhere that you wouldn't have otherwise gotten into.

Yeah, I shouldn't have used the word "worthless," and I see what you're saying. I have a good number of college ECs/awards/scholarships/etc. on my resume already, so I'm not going to worry about joining any honors societies since I'd rather spend that money on more apps. Thanks!

Doesn't having a bunch of honor society stuff just serve to reinforce the point that your GPA rocks? I don't get what joining a club for people with high GPAs does other than prove you have a high GPA and are a social resume whore.

Or am I misunderstanding the purpose of PBK?

[zjs4]

Well, I mean, Golden Key opened up some opportunities for me. Through Golden Key I got invited to an International Scholar Laureate deal in China, so I'd consider that a bonus of the honor society.

[zjs4]

LSAT: 169
GPA: Originally 3.85, 3.86 when adjusted by LSAC. Updated after Fall 2010 = 3.87, hasn't been adjusted/resent by LSAC yet

Schools Applied to:

Stanford:
Duke: WL
UC Berkley : Out
USC: In
Cornell:
Chicago: WL
Virginia: WL
Northwestern: Hold
Michigan:
Notre Dame:
UCLA: In, $$$
NYU:

Predict rest?

[ATR]

Predict rest?

Cornell: in
Michigan: in (I got in with nearly identical numbers last week)
Notre Dame: in (unless they're YPing you)
NYU: WL