Top Law Schools

So, June was my second LSAT. Previous score was 157.

I'm currently attending a public university (CUNY) in NYC with a double major in Political Science and Economics. I can probably swing my GPA to a 3.8/3.85 with the two semesters I have left.

Not sure what my options really are. I'd rather not retake in October.

Schools I'm looking at (not necessarily in order of preference):
Cardozo
BLS
Fordham (I can dream, can't I?)
CUNY
Hofstra
Rutgers Newark or Camden
...Maybe American?

My only real soft (and it's relevant only because it will serve as a major point in my personal statement) is that I attended the US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School.

Any others I should be applying to?
I'd like to stay in NYC, but I'm not dead-set on that.

Thanks for the help!

You'll probably get Brooklyn and Cardozo, but those'll be at or near sticker, which is not a good idea

CUNY and Hofstra(scholarship $) will be much cheaper, but you have to be willing to drop out if your GPA drops below the scholarship requirement and you lose it...and even then, its probably not a good idea

You'll need a 163/164 to have a shot at Fordham

You'll get a small scholarship at Rutgers-Newark (the one you want to go to for NYC area) and eventually qualify for in-state tuition, but keep in mind that most of the students who graduate with jobs (whatever percentage that may be) end up working in NJ, many in gov't jobs. Only the top students have a shot at NYC firm jobs.


So the short answer is retake. These options have a big chance of leaving you without meaningful employment in New York with tons of debt. If you choose not to retake, or do not improve your score, your best bets are probably to not go to law school or go to Rutgers-Newark and expand your options of where you'd be willing to work.

Thanks for the reply!

I'm just wondering, why is there so much dislike of BLS and Cardozo on TLS?

The main reason I'm on the fence about retaking is the sheer amount of time that studying pulls away from my classes and work (full-time).
I guess it's going to be a tough decision.

Should I be looking at something like Loyola Chicago as well? As I said, I'm not glued to NYC.

Thanks again.