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My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:01 pm
by Aqua
I'm accepted at Mich, Berkeley, GULC, UCLA. I was put on hold at Columbia in Feb. and on hold at Harvard today and am still waiting to hear back from Stanford.
Was just REJECTED from Penn:( I wrote a "Why Penn" essay and am pretty bummed to have not even been waitlisted. I was planning to retake LSAT in June, but there will be no point if I don't get waitlisted to the higher ranked schools. Does my Penn rejection mean I should pretty much give up on HYS Columbia?
Stats: 165/3.8/half AA and half German female.
Thanks so much for your suggestions on this!

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:04 pm
by bk1
It might, it might not. Nothing to lose by retaking in June. If your score goes up and they don't accept you this cycle, you can always reapply.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:06 pm
by Aqua
bk187 wrote:It might, it might not. Nothing to lose by retaking in June. If your score goes up and they don't accept you this cycle, you can always reapply.
thanks. i really wonder what my holds at columbia/harvard really mean. does being held mean i'll be waitlisted or rejected? or is there actually a shot of getting in w/o being waitlisted first?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:07 pm
by Tiago Splitter
Aqua wrote:Does my Penn rejection mean I should pretty much give up on HYS Columbia?
I don't think so. You were below both medians at Penn, but are above Columbia's GPA median. URM cycles can be hard to explain sometimes. Go through some URM LSN profiles and you'll see what I mean.

There's no harm in retaking if you think you can do better.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:10 pm
by yankees42789
I know you're disappointed about the Penn ding, but I don't think you should necessarily consider that to be a harbinger for how the rest of your cycle will play out. Plenty of people get into higher ranked schools and get waitlisted/rejected at lower ranked schools for a variety of reasons so anything is certainly still possible.

Having said that, I doubt a June retake will improve your chances for this cycle if only because there's rarely a lot of movement that late in the cycle (late June/July) at most of the top schools. I do think you're probably slightly underperforming your numbers thus far, though, so if you're not satisfied with your options at the end of the cycle, I don't think retaking and reapplying would hurt.

ETA: what about NYU? I think you'd have a pretty good shot of getting in.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:14 pm
by t14fanboy
Retaking in June will be too late to have an impact this cycle. Pointless if you want to go to law school starting this fall. But if you think you can score better and want to get into better schools next year go for it.

And quick question: what about your cycle is "NUTS" exactly?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:16 pm
by Aqua
yankees42789 wrote:I know you're disappointed about the Penn ding, but I don't think you should necessarily consider that to be a harbinger for how the rest of your cycle will play out. Plenty of people get into higher ranked schools and get waitlisted/rejected at lower ranked schools for a variety of reasons so anything is certainly still possible.

Having said that, I doubt a June retake will improve your chances for this cycle if only because there's rarely a lot of movement that late in the cycle (late June/July) at most of the top schools. I do think you're probably slightly underperforming your numbers thus far, though, so if you're not satisfied with your options at the end of the cycle, I don't think retaking and reapplying would hurt.
didn't know penn's median lsat is above a 3.8--that is so high! i'm below the medians for both lsat and gpa for harvard/stanford/yale--does that mean i'm cooked? how am i underperforming my numbers? i thought i was doing pretty well for a 165, but maybe the AA boost is supposed to be bigger?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:21 pm
by yankees42789
Aqua wrote:
yankees42789 wrote:I know you're disappointed about the Penn ding, but I don't think you should necessarily consider that to be a harbinger for how the rest of your cycle will play out. Plenty of people get into higher ranked schools and get waitlisted/rejected at lower ranked schools for a variety of reasons so anything is certainly still possible.

Having said that, I doubt a June retake will improve your chances for this cycle if only because there's rarely a lot of movement that late in the cycle (late June/July) at most of the top schools. I do think you're probably slightly underperforming your numbers thus far, though, so if you're not satisfied with your options at the end of the cycle, I don't think retaking and reapplying would hurt.
didn't know penn's median lsat is above a 3.8--that is so high! i'm below the medians for both lsat and gpa for harvard/stanford/yale--does that mean i'm cooked? how am i underperforming my numbers? i thought i was doing pretty well for a 165, but maybe the AA boost is supposed to be bigger?
I'm hardly an expert on URM cycles so my assessment could easily be off base, but just by glancing at LSN graphs, there definitely seem to be a few URMs with similar numbers who have gotten into at least one of CCN so that's where I was coming from. I've heard the AA boost can be as big as 10 LSAT points, but again, there are others who could speak to that far better than I.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:23 pm
by t14fanboy
Aqua wrote:
yankees42789 wrote:I know you're disappointed about the Penn ding, but I don't think you should necessarily consider that to be a harbinger for how the rest of your cycle will play out. Plenty of people get into higher ranked schools and get waitlisted/rejected at lower ranked schools for a variety of reasons so anything is certainly still possible.

Having said that, I doubt a June retake will improve your chances for this cycle if only because there's rarely a lot of movement that late in the cycle (late June/July) at most of the top schools. I do think you're probably slightly underperforming your numbers thus far, though, so if you're not satisfied with your options at the end of the cycle, I don't think retaking and reapplying would hurt.
didn't know penn's median lsat is above a 3.8--that is so high! i'm below the medians for both lsat and gpa for harvard/stanford/yale--does that mean i'm cooked? how am i underperforming my numbers? i thought i was doing pretty well for a 165, but maybe the AA boost is supposed to be bigger?
Image

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:27 pm
by Aqua
t14fanboy wrote:Retaking in June will be too late to have an impact this cycle. Pointless if you want to go to law school starting this fall. But if you think you can score better and want to get into better schools next year go for it.

And quick question: what about your cycle is "NUTS" exactly?
I find it strange that I would get into Berkeley/Mich/GULC/UCLA and be waitlisted at TX despite the fact that TX is not as highly ranked and is supposed to care about socioeconomic disadvantage. I find it strange that I should be held at Columbia/Harvard (T5) which have always been higher ranked than Penn and dinged at Penn.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:33 pm
by Aqua
Aqua wrote:
t14fanboy wrote:Retaking in June will be too late to have an impact this cycle. Pointless if you want to go to law school starting this fall. But if you think you can score better and want to get into better schools next year go for it.

And quick question: what about your cycle is "NUTS" exactly?
I find it strange that I would get into Berkeley/Mich/GULC/UCLA and be waitlisted at TX despite the fact that TX is not as highly ranked and is supposed to care about socioeconomic disadvantage. I find it strange that I should be held at Columbia/Harvard (T5) which have always been higher ranked than Penn and dinged at Penn.
Care to explain this, T14 fanboy? I made sure to do optional essays and tailor my apps to the specific schools.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:34 pm
by Tom Joad
Aqua wrote:
t14fanboy wrote:Retaking in June will be too late to have an impact this cycle. Pointless if you want to go to law school starting this fall. But if you think you can score better and want to get into better schools next year go for it.

And quick question: what about your cycle is "NUTS" exactly?
I find it strange that I would get into Berkeley/Mich/GULC/UCLA and be waitlisted at TX despite the fact that TX is not as highly ranked and is supposed to care about socioeconomic disadvantage. I find it strange that I should be held at Columbia/Harvard (T5) which have always been higher ranked than Penn and dinged at Penn.
Holds at Columbia and Harvard are death sentences so there is really no difference.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:35 pm
by Tiago Splitter

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:38 pm
by ahnhub
Tom Joad wrote:
Aqua wrote:
t14fanboy wrote:Retaking in June will be too late to have an impact this cycle. Pointless if you want to go to law school starting this fall. But if you think you can score better and want to get into better schools next year go for it.

And quick question: what about your cycle is "NUTS" exactly?
I find it strange that I would get into Berkeley/Mich/GULC/UCLA and be waitlisted at TX despite the fact that TX is not as highly ranked and is supposed to care about socioeconomic disadvantage. I find it strange that I should be held at Columbia/Harvard (T5) which have always been higher ranked than Penn and dinged at Penn.
Holds at Columbia and Harvard are death sentences so there is really no difference.
Well, I'm sure my Harvard hold is a death sentence but it isn't for everybody--there were quite a few holds who just got JS1's in the past couple of weeks.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:49 pm
by lobolawyer
Who the hell voted that a June retake will help during this cycle?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 12:33 am
by Geneva
My cycle is not nuts but I am also considering a June retake because I think it could potentially help me get off potential WLs. Small probability perhaps but worth the effort.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:00 am
by 20130312
lobolawyer wrote:Who the hell voted that a June retake will help during this cycle?
Did it for the lulz. Would do it again.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:01 am
by Tom Joad
How is your cycle nuts?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:02 am
by FryBreadPower
InGoodFaith wrote:
lobolawyer wrote:Who the hell voted that a June retake will help during this cycle?
Did it for the lulz. Would do it again.
What a trendsetter.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:05 am
by Geneva
i've heard of people being waitlisted at mich and getting off the waitlist w/ scholarship money due to high june lsat retakes. not impossible. on the other hand, could the penn ding actually be a yield protect when you are below both their medians?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:11 am
by Richie Tenenbaum
Geneva wrote:i've heard of people being waitlisted at mich and getting off the waitlist w/ scholarship money due to high june lsat retakes. not impossible. on the other hand, could the penn ding actually be a yield protect when you are below both their medians?
This happened to me. WL'd at top choice school and another similarly ranked school. Increased LSAT score by [8] points, told both schools about the increase, and pretty much got off both waitlists immediately with $$ at both.

[Edited score increase--forgot how to count temporarily.]

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:13 am
by Tom Joad
Richie Tenenbaum wrote:
Geneva wrote:i've heard of people being waitlisted at mich and getting off the waitlist w/ scholarship money due to high june lsat retakes. not impossible. on the other hand, could the penn ding actually be a yield protect when you are below both their medians?
This happened to me. WL'd at top choice school and another similarly ranked school. Increased LSAT score by 9 points, told both schools about the increase, and pretty much got off both waitlists immediately with $$ at both.
And that's why they call you Richie Tenenbaum.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:42 am
by Richie Tenenbaum
Tom Joad wrote:
Richie Tenenbaum wrote:
Geneva wrote:i've heard of people being waitlisted at mich and getting off the waitlist w/ scholarship money due to high june lsat retakes. not impossible. on the other hand, could the penn ding actually be a yield protect when you are below both their medians?
This happened to me. WL'd at top choice school and another similarly ranked school. Increased LSAT score by 9 points, told both schools about the increase, and pretty much got off both waitlists immediately with $$ at both.
And that's why they call you Richie Tenenbaum.
My friends actually call me Baumer.

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:35 am
by silverino123
ahnhub wrote:
Tom Joad wrote:
Aqua wrote:
t14fanboy wrote:Retaking in June will be too late to have an impact this cycle. Pointless if you want to go to law school starting this fall. But if you think you can score better and want to get into better schools next year go for it.

And quick question: what about your cycle is "NUTS" exactly?
I find it strange that I would get into Berkeley/Mich/GULC/UCLA and be waitlisted at TX despite the fact that TX is not as highly ranked and is supposed to care about socioeconomic disadvantage. I find it strange that I should be held at Columbia/Harvard (T5) which have always been higher ranked than Penn and dinged at Penn.
Holds at Columbia and Harvard are death sentences so there is really no difference.
Well, I'm sure my Harvard hold is a death sentence but it isn't for everybody--there were quite a few holds who just got JS1's in the past couple of weeks.
Can you explain more what you mean about a Harvard hold being a death sentence? I applied in Dec and just heard from them today that I was being held..should I stop holding my breath that I have a chance?

Re: My cycle is NUTS. Should I retake LSAT in June?

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:40 am
by HeavenWood
Tom Joad wrote:How is your cycle nuts?
srsly

URM cycles are extremely unpredictable, especially if you're not fully URM.