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150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:14 am
by evanvanreg
I'm a 40 year old male, USMC Disabled Vet...took LSAT 3x, 148-49-50. Don't know what my friggin problem was. I'm a History major and haven't used this logical reasoning very often, but damn I should've done better. Anyway, my LOR's are pretty good, NY Knicks coach, Preeminent African History scholar, a pastor of a very large church in NYC, and an entertainment lawyer in LA. My Sft's are good, own my own company, Marine Corps Military Policeman, etc. I'm also a CLEO Scholar (Native American).

I applied very late in the cycle, after the Feb test. I have only been accepted to Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Ave Maria, Gonzaga, and New Hampshire. I got rejected from all Tier 2 schools, not even waitlisted, i.e. LSU, SMU, MIami, Santa Clara, Louisville, Ohio State, DePaul.

I'm just wondering what I should do, go 1L and try transfer ( I know I will do at least 3.00) or wait a year and apply 1st day. Being 40 I really don't want to wait, but I also want a quality education. Not trying for BIGLAW, but would love to work as an A.DA, or Clerking, etc.

Very Depressed, as I usually excel

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:26 am
by kalvano
evanvanreg wrote:I'm just wondering what I should do, go 1L and try transfer ( I know I will do at least 3.00)

Just like you "knew" you could score better on the LSAT?

How do you know you will get at least a B?

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:41 am
by ptblazer
Wait THE NY Knicks? That is one of the more bad ass LOR I have ever heard.

I can understand not wanting to wait another year, but unfortunitly an LSAT score of 150 isn't going to yield very much, as you've discovered. I know it isn't what you want to hear, but I honestly think you should retake in October.

A GPA of 3.0 may sound simple, but you have to look at what the school you're considering curves to. Also, you should almost never go to a school with the intention of transfering.

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:43 am
by dr123
You got an LOR from mike d'antonio?! :shock:

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:45 am
by jkay
evanvanreg wrote:(Native American)
Apply broadly. Look for $$$. You never know.

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:54 am
by evanvanreg
kalvano wrote:
evanvanreg wrote:I'm just wondering what I should do, go 1L and try transfer ( I know I will do at least 3.00)

Just like you "knew" you could score better on the LSAT?

How do you know you will get at least a B?
Yeah, Yeah, I know....this forum is full of those sentiments. The reason I know is I have always done well in class, its just some sort of mind blank, or whatever on the test...anyway, you're right, but I'm confident....hell, if I don't then I don't transfer and I guess I shouldn't have gone to law school...

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:56 am
by evanvanreg
dr123 wrote:You got an LOR from mike d'antonio?! :shock:

No, lead assistant Phil Weber, the cool lookin', slick back hair dude...its on Knick stationary....its pretty dope

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:56 am
by kalvano
evanvanreg wrote:
kalvano wrote:
evanvanreg wrote:I'm just wondering what I should do, go 1L and try transfer ( I know I will do at least 3.00)

Just like you "knew" you could score better on the LSAT?

How do you know you will get at least a B?
Yeah, Yeah, I know....this forum is full of those sentiments. The reason I know is I have always done well in class, its just some sort of mind blank, or whatever on the test...anyway, you're right, but I'm confident....hell, if I don't then I don't transfer and I guess I shouldn't have gone to law school...

I'm sure you're very confident. One of my classmates is an extremely smart guy who scored far better on the LSAT than you did, and he is sitting below a 3.0 because of one foul grade. This isn't undergrad.

Law schools tend to be full of people who have "always done well".

I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm pointing out that there is a reason why that sentiment is so common. It's because it's 100% accurate.

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:58 am
by evanvanreg
ptblazer wrote:Wait THE NY Knicks? That is one of the more bad ass LOR I have ever heard.

I can understand not wanting to wait another year, but unfortunitly an LSAT score of 150 isn't going to yield very much, as you've discovered. I know it isn't what you want to hear, but I honestly think you should retake in October.

A GPA of 3.0 may sound simple, but you have to look at what the school you're considering curves to. Also, you should almost never go to a school with the intention of transfering.
Can't re-take, 3rd time in two years.....yeah, the LOR is pretty cool, he's a great guy....

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:59 am
by evanvanreg
Wait....could it be the Knicks suck so bad that I'm getting dinged?......at least I still have my sense of humor

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 2:24 am
by JamMasterJ
evanvanreg wrote:
kalvano wrote:
evanvanreg wrote:I'm just wondering what I should do, go 1L and try transfer ( I know I will do at least 3.00)

Just like you "knew" you could score better on the LSAT?

How do you know you will get at least a B?
Yeah, Yeah, I know....this forum is full of those sentiments. The reason I know is I have always done well in class, its just some sort of mind blank, or whatever on the test...anyway, you're right, but I'm confident....hell, if I don't then I don't transfer and I guess I shouldn't have gone to law school...
how do you know that your mind won't "blank" on one or more of the tests that counts for literally 100% of your grade?

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 3:23 am
by TheFactor
Don't go to a school with the intent of transferring because you probably won't have that opportunity. And please don't go to any of those schools at sticker.

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 3:30 am
by Lawl Shcool
You should wait and apply on the first day of the next cycle. Amazing soft factor with the vet status, a URM, and a pretty good gpa: you will greatly outperform your numbers. Good luck.

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 7:03 pm
by mrtoren
If you really can't wait and you absolutely know you want to go into criminal prosecution, then you may be able to make it at one of those schools. I'm interning with a moderately-sized State's Attorney's Office in Illinois and I have met only one attorney from a T14 school..in fact, he's the only one from a T100 that I have met so far. Many of the ASA's came from Southern Illinois University Law School (Tier 4), and at least two of the judges are SIU Law Alumni too. Another ASA came from Northern Illinois University (Tier 4), and another from Cooley (Tier 4). The bigger cities are bound to be more competitive, but you will probably be able to find work some where if you do well in school. Of course, transferring would be the smarter option if you can manage it. Retake if you can.

IRB and the Public Service Loan Repayment program will keep your loan payments down for 10 years and abolish any remaining balance after that.

Re: 150/3.50gpa Disabled Veteran USMC...Tier 3 or next cycle?

Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 11:04 pm
by tittsburghfeelers
mrtoren wrote:If you really can't wait and you absolutely know you want to go into criminal prosecution, then you may be able to make it at one of those schools. I'm interning with a moderately-sized State's Attorney's Office in Illinois and I have met only one attorney from a T14 school..in fact, he's the only one from a T100 that I have met so far. Many of the ASA's came from Southern Illinois University Law School (Tier 4), and at least two of the judges are SIU Law Alumni too. Another ASA came from Northern Illinois University (Tier 4), and another from Cooley (Tier 4). The bigger cities are bound to be more competitive, but you will probably be able to find work some where if you do well in school. Of course, transferring would be the smarter option if you can manage it. Retake if you can.

IRB and the Public Service Loan Repayment program will keep your loan payments down for 10 years and abolish any remaining balance after that.
Based off of the descriptions of the attorneys, I think the moderately-sized State's Attorney's Office that you're working at is in my hometown lol.