close please Forum

[abc5667]

close please

[swfangirl]

ITE, I def. would not go to any school where those numbers work unless I had some other way of paying other than loans. Do research, be prepared, and yeah no 3 weeks is not enough. If you're serious about this, you need to do next cycle instead.

[Adjudicator]

You CAN do better than that. DON'T go to law school with that score.

Retake! Consider aiming to retake in June and reapply next cycle.

[MrSparkle]

Best thing to do is to suck it up, quit your job, and study full time for 6 months. Own it in June and send in your apps Sept 1. That is, if you are completely serious into getting into the best school possible.

P.S. tons of people do well on other tests but not the LSAT. It's common. Also, IQ scores are divided by age, so chances are you are no longer 136

[fathergoose]

Wait a year and reapply. You have a pretty solid GPA but that LSAT is awful. Take 3-4 months to prep for the LSAT, then take it in June and apply early to the schools you want to attend.

[amers73]

Take some practice tests before the real test and see how you are doing along the way while you study. If improvement then great if not than retake at a later date after you have studied until your brain hurts. Don't know about law schools in Atlanta, but you might get into tier 3/4 in California if you have an alright GPA and some good softs.

[crumpetsandtea]

Yeah.. that's right.. 147.. I suppose I didn't prepare for the LSATs as hard as I should've.. Thought I'd scored in the 160s... Got my actual score (147) and was completely shocked. Cried a few good tears to say the least. I didn't think I'd score so low considering I got a 1300 on my SATs and an IQ of 136 (just throwin' it out there). I no longer hope to go to a top law school but just a decent one.. What are my chances at ANY law school (preferably in california or atlanta) Do you think I'd do better on my Feb LSAT, only got 3 weeks to study.. (i registered last min shortly after gettin my dec score).. I'm pretty depressed about life right now..

Do NOT take the February LSAT. This would be a waste of your time and money. Instead, start preparing for June at the earliest. What initial prep work did you do for the last one you took? Don't want to offend, but it's silly to just walk into the test cold and expect a 160+, regardless of how great your SAT or IQ is. e_e If you did take PTs prior to sitting for the actual exam, what were your scores like? If you were consistently scoring in the 160s, then it seems rather strange that you fell by 20 points. Did something happen on the day of the test?

Here's my suggestion--check out http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/month-ls ... plans.html for monthly schedules of how to study. Get your hands on some good materials for studying (Powerscore Bibles, Old LSATs to use as PTs). Take a look at what you missed on the last test--which section was the hardest for you? Did you make silly mistakes because you were reading too fast? Do you have timing issues? Etc etc.

I second the person who posted above regarding not taking offers to law schools that would accept those numbers. Especially since you probably won't be receiving too many offers of money, those schools would not be worth your time and would leave you with some pretty intense debt and very few job opportunities, IMO.

Basically: study your ass off, retake, reapply this fall.

[abc5667]

I thought i'd get into a law school and then transfer to the one I want? I mean it's not just 3 weeks.. I studied on and off a year before this. It saddens me that I would have to wait another year.. But I think my game plan is to retake in Feb. Apply to some schools with late deadlines and if i get rejected, retake lsat in june?

Also I'm surprised because I did a few PTs and got 160. I don't think I took this test seriously enough and was too overconfident. I'm really disappointed in myself... I know I know.. I also just got the PowerScore Logic Games & Logical Reasonable bibles if that helps.

[crumpetsandtea]

I thought i'd get into a law school and then transfer to the one I want? I mean it's not just 3 weeks.. I studied on and off a year before this. It saddens me that I would have to wait another year.. But I think my game plan is to retake in Feb. Apply to some schools with late deadlines and if i get rejected, retake lsat in june?

Also I'm surprised because I did a few PTs and got 160. I don't think I took this test seriously enough and was too overconfident. I'm really disappointed in myself... I know I know..

You're banking on a lot. It's NOT EASY to simply transfer up from one law school to another, particularly if you're in a T3/T4 school. You would need to have EXTREMELY good grades, and on the off chance you don't, you're screwed and you have to saddle a lot of debt. It's better to wait it out.

How many PTs did you get, and were they all in the 160 range, or were they scattered all over the place? One high PT score is not enough to guarantee a high actual-exam score: you need to be averaging a few points above where you want to be (to account for potential score drops due to anxiety/nervousness/etc). Also, you say you studied 'on and off for a year'--is this like, studying a week every few months, or solid studying throughout the year? Again, it seems strange that you were averaging in the 160s and got a 140's score without noticing anything strange about the day of the exam.

[abc5667]

.

[crumpetsandtea]

crumpetsandtea, I didn't study regularly, that's probably the problem. Didn't really have time to study the weeks leading up to the exam either. In fact, my finals & my birthday party planning fell on the week of the exam.. Thanks for the tip about transferring. I'm just trying to get into Georgia State Uni (top 50 somethin') which is where I'm getting my bachelors now. I'm not really a slacker but I guess I slacked off when it came to LSATs because there was always some other homework or exams to study for first. I also was super distracted by my party girl roommate. Sigh. I only did like 2-3 PTs to tell you the truth. With the Dec Lsat, the logic games really threw me off.

Yeah I heard the LG were rough. The general consensus I've heard about the LSAT, though, is that unless you're one of those people for whom it 'clicks' right away, it's not something you can just glance at and then nail. I know people who didn't drink for months before their test and took 50-60 PT to get ready. While this might not be absolutely necessary, it certainly is more helpful than on-and-off studying and 3 PTs while planning your birthday party and working on finals.

If you've gotten a 160, there's a sign that you have the potential to be consistently scoring much higher than your actual score was. Be smart about this--you have a high GPA so I assume that you worked to get A's in those classes. Would you just show up to 2 or 3 classes in a semester and then get distracted the week before finals because of your birthday, and still expect an A? (If your answer is yes, you're either incredibly gifted in your major subject or your school has some serious grade inflation) The same goes for the LSAT. Put some serious time and effort if you want positive returns. The TLS forums have some great threads for LSAT resources and suggestions on how to study effectively. I would recommend setting up your study schedule for the June LSATs as soon as possible. (:

[Veyron]

Yeah.. that's right.. 147.. I suppose I didn't prepare for the LSATs as hard as I should've.. Thought I'd scored in the 160s... Got my actual score (147) and was completely shocked. Cried a few good tears to say the least. I didn't think I'd score so low considering I got a 1300 on my SATs and an IQ of 136 (just throwin' it out there). I no longer hope to go to a top law school but just a decent one.. What are my chances at ANY law school (preferably in california or atlanta) Do you think I'd do better on my Feb LSAT, only got 3 weeks to study.. (i registered last min shortly after gettin my dec score).. I'm pretty depressed about life right now..

You are not qualified, dedicated, or hard working enough to be a lawyer. I suggest you find another profession. You will be unemployable as a graduate of any school to which you could be admitted.

[abc5667]

Thanks for the great advice. I'm going to study daily for the next 3 weeks and if I'm doing well on my PTs, then I'm gonna go for the Feb LSAT. If not. I might just study the entire summer and take in June or Oct again. I have to go to law school... My undergrad major is crap.

[dr123]

Thanks for the great advice. I'm going to study daily for the next 3 weeks and if I'm doing well on my PTs, then I'm gonna go for the Feb LSAT. If not. I might just study the entire summer and take in June or Oct again. I have to go to law school... My undergrad major is crap.

you shouldn't go to law school if you don't really want to be a lawyer

[crumpetsandtea]

Thanks for the great advice. I'm going to study daily for the next 3 weeks and if I'm doing well on my PTs, then I'm gonna go for the Feb LSAT. If not. I might just study the entire summer and take in June or Oct again. I have to go to law school... My undergrad major is crap.

you shouldn't go to law school if you don't really want to be a lawyer

[abc5667]

So much hostility. I'm depressed enough as it is. No need to rub it in. I work hard in school, but I have trouble focusing when it comes to the LSATs. I'm one of those people who read a passage and have to re-read because my mind was wandering when I read it the first time.

[trudat15]

DO NOT take it in Feb. Please. You will not be ready in 3 weeks, no matter what you think. Prep now for June. With 5 months of solid study, you can raise your score and go to a school that your GPA isnt totally wasted on. Remember, even if you get a passable score in Feb to get in now, you will likely get no money. Take it in June, get a high score, apply early, and get some good offers.

DO NOT bank on transferring.

[fathergoose]

Don't come on TLS for sympathy

[dr123]

what the fuck is with law school? I've never heard of students who didn't really want to be doctors apply to med school or students who didn't really want to be librarians apply to Master of Library sciences programs (or what ever the fuck its called)

[policestate1234]

Yeah.. that's right.. 147.. I suppose I didn't prepare for the LSATs as hard as I should've.. Thought I'd scored in the 160s... Got my actual score (147) and was completely shocked. Cried a few good tears to say the least. I didn't think I'd score so low considering I got a 1300 on my SATs and an IQ of 136 (just throwin' it out there). I no longer hope to go to a top law school but just a decent one.. What are my chances at ANY law school (preferably in california or atlanta) Do you think I'd do better on my Feb LSAT, only got 3 weeks to study.. (i registered last min shortly after gettin my dec score).. I'm pretty depressed about life right now..

Geez a 1300 sat and an IQ of 136 golly gee that's great.

[ATR]

No law school worth getting into at this point. Don't retake in February; wait until June or October to sufficiently give yourself time to prepare. Raising a 147 will take some time.

[abc5667]

I'm not here for sympathy. I'm just seeking advice. Well anyways if there's no more advice and just ridicule, then good night. I will consider everyone's suggestions. Thanks again.

& PS I do want to be a lawyer. Ever since I worked as a legal secretary I wanted to be a lawyer. I just added that my major is crap because it is. And I never wanted to do anything with my undergrad major because I wanted to go to law school.

& Please i did not include my Sat score & IQ to show off. They are not high numbers but they are decent enough to show that I am not a total idiot who is incapable of getting a higher LSAT score.

[Veyron]

3 fucking weeks? 3 months is the low end. Why are you so keen to throw away 200k for a degree that will actually make it MORE difficult for you to get a job (JDs are thrown in the discard pile as "overqualfied" for non-legal jobs and you won't be getting a legal job)?

[abc5667]

3 week is a short time but it's not like I'm studying all of it for the first time. i think with the dec lsat I was too stressed out and nervous because of the timing of it all (finals, birthday, holidays) and didn't perform my best. I wanna go to Georgia State Uni (deadline is march 15), is it bad that I'm going to apply with a Feb score? If I get rejected, then I get rejected. Study and reapply next cycle?

[crumpetsandtea]

So much hostility. I'm depressed enough as it is. No need to rub it in. I work hard in school, but I have trouble focusing when it comes to the LSATs. I'm one of those people who read a passage and have to re-read because my mind was wandering when I read it the first time.

It's not hostility, it's trying to help you before you end up spending 3 years miserably accumulating possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and find yourself forced to continue to work in the field that makes you miserable for another...oh, let's say...lifetime, to work off said debt. If you are legitimately interested in being a lawyer, please take the LSAT and I hope you do well. If you're only doing it because you need to do /something/, please reconsider. Law is not a 'fun job' that you do 'because it sounds cool' and your major doesn't offer any immediate job openings.

I'll quote some Richard Montauk regarding this issue:

A JD has long been considered the most flexible of degrees insofar as it will prepare you to do almost anything. This is utterly wrong. A law degree does nothing but teach you about practicing law.

...You can readily determine what law school will be like by spending time in law classes...Do not just drop in once or twice. Instead, do the required reading and prepare for the class as if your grade (and life) depended upon it...You might think you already have a fair idea of what law school will be like because you took political science or pre-law courses in college. Such courses, however, hardly resemble true law school courses, so do not take your enjoyment of these as a sign that you will like law school. Do not rely, either, on what is written or filmed about law school. You need to investigate it for yourself. If you do not go to this small amount of effort because you deem it too much trouble, you will deserve whatever you encounter later on!

...Deciding to go to law school is a risky decision that is surprisingly hard to reverse. Many people attend law school for lack of anything better to do or despite major misgivings. They do not drop out at the top schools, despite the fact that a fair-sized minority dislike law school itself (Harvard's attrition rate is typically under 1%). Those who dislike law school and those who are unsure of whether they are going to like practice (having not enjoyed their summer employment between years of law school) nonetheless enter practice. They console themselves in the first years of practice that the reason they dislike it is because they are simply at the bottom of the totem pole, learning necessary skills and establishing credibility. They assume that matters will improve. For those who find themselves still unhappy after three or more years, the natural instinct is to switch practice areas within the firm (if they enjoy their colleagues) or to switch firms (if they do not particularly care for their colleagues.) This guarantees another few years of hoping that matters will improve.

...Thus, law represents a decade's commitment, or more. They tell themselves a law degree has at least prepared them to do anything. Unfortunately, they discover how untrue that notion actually is...They learn that they will have to gut their salaries by two-thirds and be willing to start at the bottom of another field, unless they find a job closely related to law. (If they take a job closely related to law, such as being the executive director of a public interest organization, they will have to accept a substantial salary cut). Given that many lawyers will still owe $80,000-$125,000 in law school loans, changing professions may not be feasible.

If you're absolutely sure you want to go into law already, then maybe this was unnecessary and I'm sorry if for some reason you find it hostile or offensive. If, however, you haven't actually considered the implications of entering into the field of law and attending law school, I hope this is helpful in putting things into perspective.

(PS: mods, let me know if quoting the above isn't allowed for some reason and I'll take it down (: Montauk just writes it WAY better than I would have)