Top Law Schools

As the subject says, I have a bad GPA and an okay LSAT. GPA went up dramatically my final two years, but other than that I don't have much that would impress. I'm from Colorado, it would be nice to stay here or come back after graduation. Here is my list so far, and I'm wondering if there are any other schools I'm overlooking that I could apply to in these last few days.

Cardozo
Colorado
Denver
Kansas
St. Louis
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Washburn (accepted, $16k/yr)
Wisconsin (re-applicant)

I initially had a large list, thinking it best to just blanket schools and see what happened. Ultimately I decided against it. I'm still considering:

Marquette
Case Western
Iowa (super reach)
Minnesota (another super reach)
Louisville (fee waiver, unsure about the school)

With my GPA I'm probably a long shot at a lot of these schools. WFU and Cardozo were free, and I know that means nothing at all, but free is free.

Guesses? Suggestions for a few other schools? Also, I know the standard answer is retake, but I already sat out a cycle, and I'm not doing it again. Thanks.

Don't mean to sound harsh, but don't go to any of these schools, unless you are sure you want to be a lawyer, will work for 40-60k a year minus debt repayments, etc.

It seems that this year hiring is up again at the T-14 (although it will never get back to the boom times), and biglaw is still alive.

However, people from lower schools got killed. Midlaw is not coming back like biglaw either.

Just know what you are getting into. 150-200k in debt is no joke.

Not harsh. Realistic is good.

I know this is what I'd like to do, and I have some connections in Denver, so Washburn seems like a good bet due to the scholarship, but I know I'd have to keep it. Not sure what a scholarship to a TTT means, though, even if I am in a fairly isolated region.

I appreciate the input.

Are you applying this cycle or next?

I have a 2.65/161 and am currently in at DU, waitlisted at CU, and rejected at Minnesota. I too am a CO resident like yourself, btw.

As to the rest of your list, I think you're in everywhere except CU, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Those 4 are tough to predict, but I'd say out at Minnesota and Iowa. No idea on Wisconsin. CU will probably be a waitlist that you may or may not get off.

Hope this helped.

It helps quite a bit, thanks. I have some sort of idea where a fellow resident with similar numbers is doing.

I figure Minnesota and Iowa are indeed pretty certain outs, but if they say no
I'm only out the app fee. It's too bad because Wisconsin and CU are my top two. I fear rejections from both. CU just marked my file as complete yesterday, since they have to get paper copies of everything. I'm in review at Wisconsin and Wake. Still waiting to go in at DU. How long did DU take to get back to you? Is that your first choice?

I'd take a wait list at CU at this point, if it meant I could potentially get off of it. I did part of my UG there (hence the GPA), but I love that town and school. Good luck.

gobuffs10 wrote:It helps quite a bit, thanks. I have some sort of idea where a fellow resident with similar numbers is doing.

I figure Minnesota and Iowa are indeed pretty certain outs, but if they say no
I'm only out the app fee. It's too bad because Wisconsin and CU are my top two. I fear rejections from both. CU just marked my file as complete yesterday, since they have to get paper copies of everything. I'm in review at Wisconsin and Wake. Still waiting to go in at DU. How long did DU take to get back to you? Is that your first choice?

I'd take a wait list at CU at this point, if it meant I could potentially get off of it. I did part of my UG there (hence the GPA), but I love that town and school. Good luck.

I went complete at DU on 1/13 and heard back on 2/20. So it took about 5 weeks?

It's not my first choice, CU is. If I don't get off the CU WL, I'll probably end up at Loyola Chicago.

gobuffs10 wrote:As the subject says, I have a bad GPA and an okay LSAT. GPA went up dramatically my final two years, but other than that I don't have much that would impress. I'm from Colorado, it would be nice to stay here or come back after graduation. Here is my list so far, and I'm wondering if there are any other schools I'm overlooking that I could apply to in these last few days.

Cardozo
Colorado
Denver
Kansas
St. Louis
Syracuse
Wake Forest
Washburn (accepted, $16k/yr)
Wisconsin (re-applicant)

I initially had a large list, thinking it best to just blanket schools and see what happened. Ultimately I decided against it. I'm still considering:

Marquette
Case Western
Iowa (super reach)
Minnesota (another super reach)
Louisville (fee waiver, unsure about the school)

With my GPA I'm probably a long shot at a lot of these schools. WFU and Cardozo were free, and I know that means nothing at all, but free is free.

Guesses? Suggestions for a few other schools? Also, I know the standard answer is retake, but I already sat out a cycle, and I'm not doing it again. Thanks.

You may get into some of these schools but it is definitely not worth it to goto any fo them.

Optimum scenario: Retake to 17x and ED to as many of the bottom T14 as you can, and blanket the T25. Hopefully get into Penn/UVA/Duke, but if not, still have the option of a T25 with scholarship money.

Edit: Yes I read OP and he said he's not gonna sit out this cycle. My diag was a few points higher than his first LSAT, and I ended up PTing in the 170's regularly. With his GPA every LSAT point is worth $$$. I could not, in good conscience, withold the above advice.