Please be nice Forum

[jgirl]

I decided to take the LSAT a few months ago and am still unsure about where I stand in the pecking order admissions-wise. I'm from the metro-Detroit area and my worst fear is not having any options besides Cooley. I feel woefully unprepared, since I spent my entire UG career gearing up for a journalism job and not paying attention to grades.

Everything about my profile is pretty mediocre.

UGPA: 3.0 (state school) journalism and political science.
LSAT practice is currently trending around 163-166. (I'm a decent test taker, so I've been putting a 160 into any type of 'chances' calculator).

I'm not completely trusting the LSAC calculator, so I figured I'd post here.

I'll be getting work experience over the next year and am starting a job in the newspaper industry (so stable, right?) in about a month.

All of my experience basically lends itself to a career in journalism right now:
-Did the requisite congressional internship
-Multiple internships at various media outlets
-Campus paper Editor-in-chief


Should I apply for Fall '13 or would my chances be a lot better after gaining more work experience for Fall '14 admissions? I'd probably end up being fine with a T3 school, but would another year of experience help put me over the top into, say, the bottom of T2 or even Michigan State?

[CanadianWolf]

The LSAT is the single most important factor in law school admissions, therefore you need an actual score before seeking law school suggestions, in my opinion. Nevertheless, a score of 161 should yield a substantial scholarship from MSU.

[alwayssunnyinfl]

I decided to take the LSAT a few months ago and am still unsure about where I stand in the pecking order admissions-wise. I'm from the metro-Detroit area and my worst fear is not having any options besides Cooley. I feel woefully unprepared, since I spent my entire UG career gearing up for a journalism job and not paying attention to grades.

Everything about my profile is pretty mediocre.

UGPA: 3.0 (state school) journalism and political science.
LSAT practice is currently trending around 163-166. (I'm a decent test taker, so I've been putting a 160 into any type of 'chances' calculator).

I'm not completely trusting the LSAC calculator, so I figured I'd post here.

I'll be getting work experience over the next year and am starting a job in the newspaper industry (so stable, right?) in about a month.

All of my experience basically lends itself to a career in journalism right now:
-Did the requisite congressional internship
-Multiple internships at various media outlets
-Campus paper Editor-in-chief


Should I apply for Fall '13 or would my chances be a lot better after gaining more work experience for Fall '14 admissions? I'd probably end up being fine with a T3 school, but would another year of experience help put me over the top into, say, the bottom of T2 or even Michigan State?

http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-co ... ograms.htm

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

Check both of those sources to get an idea of where you stand. If you actually score a 166 or higher, you're pretty much a shoe in for any T2 school and have a shot at T1's. Try to aim into the 170's so you can minimize debt. If you can't consistently score in the 170's on practice tests, find a strategy that works until you can. What strategy, if any, have you been using to study?

You're also probably going to end up being a "splitter," which means you have a GPA below most schools' 25th percentile and an LSAT above their 75th percentile. Samara made a great post for splitters here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=162680

And the general consensus here is almost always that taking a year off and working is the best choice.

[franklyscarlet]

You could have lots of options other than Cooley! don't worry. get a 170+ (higher the better), some WE, and you might have a shot at Michigan or Northwestern. a 3.0 won't keep you out.

[twenty]

First off, there's a reason everyone laughs about Cooley. Job prospects are absolutely terrible. Michigan State, on the other hand, isn't all that much better.

However, with a 3.0, not all is lost. With an LSAT above 172, you have a reasonable shot at Northwestern and GULC. With a 170, you may be able to pick up WUSTL, GWU, or UMinn. Work super hard on the LSAT, take the test when you're PTing around 172, and profit from there.

[CanadianWolf]

But a full tuition & fees scholarship, or even a 3/4 scholarship, to MSU is a reasonable option for one wishing to remain in the region. It's always smart to have a large scholarship option to a law school in your target geographical region.

With a 3.0 GPA, T-14 options are unlikely. NU gives leeway for engineering degree GPAs, but maybe not so much for journalism majors.

In short, OP needs a 161 or higher LSAT score to have reasonable law school options.

[jgirl]

I decided to take the LSAT a few months ago and am still unsure about where I stand in the pecking order admissions-wise. I'm from the metro-Detroit area and my worst fear is not having any options besides Cooley. I feel woefully unprepared, since I spent my entire UG career gearing up for a journalism job and not paying attention to grades.

Everything about my profile is pretty mediocre.

UGPA: 3.0 (state school) journalism and political science.
LSAT practice is currently trending around 163-166. (I'm a decent test taker, so I've been putting a 160 into any type of 'chances' calculator).

I'm not completely trusting the LSAC calculator, so I figured I'd post here.

I'll be getting work experience over the next year and am starting a job in the newspaper industry (so stable, right?) in about a month.

All of my experience basically lends itself to a career in journalism right now:
-Did the requisite congressional internship
-Multiple internships at various media outlets
-Campus paper Editor-in-chief


Should I apply for Fall '13 or would my chances be a lot better after gaining more work experience for Fall '14 admissions? I'd probably end up being fine with a T3 school, but would another year of experience help put me over the top into, say, the bottom of T2 or even Michigan State?

http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-co ... ograms.htm

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

Check both of those sources to get an idea of where you stand. If you actually score a 166 or higher, you're pretty much a shoe in for any T2 school and have a shot at T1's. Try to aim into the 170's so you can minimize debt. If you can't consistently score in the 170's on practice tests, find a strategy that works until you can. What strategy, if any, have you been using to study?

You're also probably going to end up being a "splitter," which means you have a GPA below most schools' 25th percentile and an LSAT above their 75th percentile. Samara made a great post for splitters here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=162680

And the general consensus here is almost always that taking a year off and working is the best choice.

I'm taking a PR prep class and I'll be stepping up my preparation leading into the June test, so hopefully I can improve on that score.