Top Law Schools

3.8/167
AA Female
Large Public Uni
Political Science and Economic double major
Relatively strong softs (President of clubs, Gov't agency, international exp, founder of nonprofit, math tutor, etc)

I am blanketing the top 14 with Stanford, Harvard, and University of Texas being my top three. Should I retake the LSAT (I was PTing at about 168-169, I wanted to break 170 but realize it may not be in the cards)?

From what I gather, the boost you get from your URM status is not as high as it would be for a male, but will still be substantial. I think you are pretty safe in the CCN range on down (those are pretty good numbers!), probably with some money, and significant amounts of money from MVP down. I think you would get oodles from UT. And, YHS are always a guess, but I think your odds definitely warrant an app.

Realized I forgot to address the LSAT. If you increased by a few points, your odds for HYS could increase exponentially, because very few AA students score in these ranges. You may have nothing to loose, because even if you score lower, it may not hurt your chances (I am not 100% on this, hopefully someone else can correct me). A retake also depends on how much you studied, how hard, how many PTs you have left, etc.

http://Www.lawschoolnumbers.com

P.s. Your prospects are good

If I were you, I'd hire a private tutor, shell out the dough, and do whatever I had to do get a 170+. It may seem like a big investment now, but a 170+ puts you in scholarship to full-ride range at some very nice schools. The possibility alone is well worth the investment, but only do it if you think that you can improve with the help.

167 is a fine score, btw.

you have very good odds for HYS and will probably get scholarship money at other T14s. you can retake if you want, but honestly your actual application will determine more what you end up with -- the admissions process here is a bit different than the typical 'your numbers are all that matter'.

oh, and for the lower T14s you really want, write an essay about why you want to attend. i'm not a huge believer in YP, but might as well avoid it if you can.


edit:
some similar folks from last cycle....

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/timmna
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/verranjl
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/whirledpeas86

You're most likely in at H, probably S, and unless they YP, $$$ at Texas. Definitely send an app to Y; you have a good chance there, too.

If you retake and score a 170+, settle for nothing less than HYS or a full scholarship at a T14. But to be honest, a retake isn't necessary. If you put together a great application, you're set for HYS/$$$ anyway.

Enjoy your cycle. It will be a great one.

Out at Y&S IN at H and everywhere down.

Enjoy Cambridge.

Kudos on the grades and LSAT!

1212 wrote:3.8/167
AA Female
Large Public Uni
Political Science and Economic double major
Relatively strong softs (President of clubs, Gov't agency, international exp, founder of nonprofit, math tutor, etc)

I am blanketing the top 14 with Stanford, Harvard, and University of Texas being my top three. Should I retake the LSAT (I was PTing at about 168-169, I wanted to break 170 but realize it may not be in the cards)?

I'm sure you could get a 170 plus with enough hard work, but you should take extreme comfort in the fact that your real score didn't deviate too far south from your PT scores. I say roll with the 167 and your great GPA and put together a killer application. Retake won't be necessary to get what you want. Best of luck!