3.65(degree)/156 lsat - Veteran (soft factor importance?) Forum

[RyanVet]

I'm not entirely sure how my soft factors may impact my applications, would anyone mind a quick look and and off the hip commentary?

GPA: I have a bit of a checkered past, my lsac GPA will probably be in the mid 2.0s. My degree GPA (history), however, will most likely be between 3.65 and 3.7 and will be inclusive of the past two years of earned grades. I understand some schools consider degree GPA which is why I mention this.

LSAT: I have tested twice. The first, Oct '11, I scored a 152. Not happy, I took it again in Dec '11 and scored a 156. A bit better. I'm sure I could manage a few more points with enough continued study and preparation but it is what it is, for now, and I'm not entirely sure how three LSAT scores would look to admissions officers compared to two.

Soft Factors:

No URM consideration.

I am 37 years old and have a family.

I am a veteran, both conventional and combat. Army infantry with one extended tour in Iraq.

My academic performance falls squarely into two periods of time... pre military service (poor performance) and post military service (good performance). Not a commentary on the military service, it has everything to do with my now being older, focused and goal oriented at this point.

Law School Objectives:

The easiest, given that I have a family that would need to move with me, would be to stay in western Washington. Seattle University and the University of Washington are right here. Barring that, the west coast in general would be preferable (though not exclusively). If it was even possible that someone might take a closer look at my application at just about any ~T30, I'd send an application, regardless of location. Really, though, I'm just not sure what kind of weight a holistic look at my application might bring to bear on my "bigger picture" and how it might affect my choices for applications. Purely by the numbers, for instance, I know that I would never make it past a first glance at most upper tier 1. But might some admissions officers look again upon seeing my background, a well written personal statement, etc?

Should I be considering my intangibles when determining my application spread, and if so, how?

Many thanks for any thoughts. And thanks for all the helpful reads in other threads.