Top Law Schools

I know you people will say none of this shit matters, but heres the dish anyway.

- 179 is on 3rd attempt (167/170/179)
- 3.49 GPA (Strong upward trend, double major in Hist/Poli Sci)
- 3 years out of undergrad, mostly occupied by waiting tables / bar tending to pay the rent.
- Weak softs (1 political internship, otherwise just restaurant jobs)

Should I even bother applying to any of HYS or does my GPA shut me out of all three? Does my lackluster resume significantly hurt me at any of the top schools? Any scholarship money? Anyone with similar numbers care to share your experiences? And yes, I know about LSN.

Probably no reason to apply to Harvard. I did for kicks but there was never a chance. YS definitely out.

I'd apply CCN on down and blanket the T14.

I'll echo what Tiago said: I had slightly worse stats, didn't apply to Harvard and I don't lose sleep over it. You should be a lock at CCN though and you do have a shot at some money.

RETAKE, no just kidding. Seriously though, you'll get CCN. HYS will be a virtual impossibility with that GPA though.

dpk711 wrote:RETAKE, no just kidding. Seriously though, you'll get CCN. HYS will be a virtual impossibility with that GPA though.

This. You'll get CCN. Don't lose sleep about HYS.

Good luck OP!

Helicio wrote:

dpk711 wrote:RETAKE, no just kidding. Seriously though, you'll get CCN. HYS will be a virtual impossibility with that GPA though.

This. You'll get CCN. Don't lose sleep about HYS.

Good luck OP!

Well I thought about posting in this forum, but the OP basically hit my nail on the head (some slight difference in WE and softs but unlikely to make much of a difference except maybe at Stanford). Oh well, I'll still apply to HYS, though I'm totally fine with winding up in Chicago or NYC.

That said, there were some surprises on LSN for this last cycle. Who knows what the changing law school applicant pool will do for us in the upcoming cycle?

shinton88 wrote:

Helicio wrote:

dpk711 wrote:RETAKE, no just kidding. Seriously though, you'll get CCN. HYS will be a virtual impossibility with that GPA though.

This. You'll get CCN. Don't lose sleep about HYS.

Good luck OP!

Well I thought about posting in this forum, but the OP basically hit my nail on the head (some slight difference in WE and softs but unlikely to make much of a difference except maybe at Stanford). Oh well, I'll still apply to HYS, though I'm totally fine with winding up in Chicago or NYC.

That said, there were some surprises on LSN for this last cycle. Who knows what the changing law school applicant pool will do for us in the upcoming cycle?

Yeah, the pool this year should be weaker than past years given the trend. So maybe we can all slightly overperform our numbers? One can hope.

Helicio wrote: Yeah, the pool this year should be weaker than past years given the trend. So maybe we can all slightly overperform our numbers? One can hope.

There isn't much to slightly overperform with a 3.49 GPA. Only real hope is that Harvard starts relaxing their GPA floor, but that's typically been a 3.7.

Why wouldn't you apply to Harvard Law with a 179 LSAT score ? Fear of rejection ? If you can afford to take the LSAT three times, then the application fee shouldn't be a barrier.

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CanadianWolf wrote:Why wouldn't you apply to Harvard Law with a 179 LSAT score ? Fear of rejection ? If you can afford to take the LSAT three times, then the application fee shouldn't be a barrier.

I certainly plan to, along with the rest of the T14. The extra effort is minimal, and my expectations aren't unrealistic (i.e. I don't expect to get in) so I won't be crushed if I'm not admitted.

But some with similar stats might understandably decide not to bother at all. It would be quite a rare occurrence for HLS to admit someone with our GPAs. Like hasn't-happened-in-years rare, even considering our LSAT scores. That said, I'll toss an app their way and see what happens. The pool of high-scoring LSAT takers is shrinking faster than the group of all LSAT takers as a whole, so there just aren't as many 170+ applicants to go around these days. I plan to leave no stone unturned.

nbagirl73 wrote:for what it's worth, i'll be attending HLS with a 3.50/178. understand I was unusually lucky, but I'm certainly glad i spent the $100 to apply

Any softs or anything that might have helped your application? I'm very interested in the stories of people with stats like yours. I need anecdotal success stories to cling to!

nbagirl73 wrote:for what it's worth, i'll be attending HLS with a 3.50/178. understand I was unusually lucky, but I'm certainly glad i spent the $100 to apply

URM or amazing softs to go with those stats?

Helicio wrote:I'd apply CCN on down and blanket the T14.

+1

Im gonna give HYS a shot. I'm gonna make them tell me I can't go there. I think its worth the money as I'm sure I'll get plenty of fee waivers to cover the rest of my apps.

I was also wondering, is there any reason I should write an addendum to any schools explaining my multiple LSAT scores? I am of the understanding that it's an unnecessary waste of time. Seconded?

WhiskeynCoke wrote:Im gonna give HYS a shot. I'm gonna make them tell me I can't go there. I think its worth the money as I'm sure I'll get plenty of fee waivers to cover the rest of my apps.

I was also wondering, is there any reason I should write an addendum to any schools explaining my multiple LSAT scores? I am of the understanding that it's an unnecessary waste of time. Seconded?

Some ask for one if you have a decent increase between scores (usually around 4-5 points). I went up 12 points, so I'll probably submit one with every app.

Yeah, looking at your stats, you seem to be in nearly the same boat LSAT-wise. I would definitely add the addendum. Some schools explicitly request it, and the others would still probably like to see something explaining your journey from 167 to 179. As a splitter, cover all yo bases, son.

WhiskeynCoke wrote:Im gonna give HYS a shot. I'm gonna make them tell me I can't go there. I think its worth the money as I'm sure I'll get plenty of fee waivers to cover the rest of my apps.

I was also wondering, is there any reason I should write an addendum to any schools explaining my multiple LSAT scores? I am of the understanding that it's an unnecessary waste of time. Seconded?

FWIW I didn't write one. 166-->178.

It's worth the app fees to HYS but don't expect anything. Your LSAT is going to be extremely valuable next year though so CCN with $$ is probably very much in play. I would probably do the T6 plus whatever T14s give you waivers and that's it. NU, Michigan, and GULC would be good choices as they give splitters money and you could use that to leverage CCN.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone. Any opinions on my chances at Berkeley? I know it tends to be among the least predictable and also heavily favors GPA, so I'm wondering if I'm still shit out of luck. I would love to spend law school in the bay area as I find it more pleasantly laid back than NYC and much of the East Coast in general.

splitsplat wrote:

nbagirl73 wrote:for what it's worth, i'll be attending HLS with a 3.50/178. understand I was unusually lucky, but I'm certainly glad i spent the $100 to apply

URM or amazing softs to go with those stats?

I would also love more information!

I have not taken the LSAT, but am curious where a 3.5 GPA leaves me (best case). Been working as an electrical engineer for four years, and was considering a career change.

Edit: Sorry if this is considered necromancy here. I didn't realize the top of page 4 was a month old!
I'm fairly confident in my testing ability (based on my limited practice experience), but am not sure if I want to put down the money for it if I've already horribly maimed my chances

andygator wrote:

splitsplat wrote:

nbagirl73 wrote:for what it's worth, i'll be attending HLS with a 3.50/178. understand I was unusually lucky, but I'm certainly glad i spent the $100 to apply

URM or amazing softs to go with those stats?

I would also love more information!

I have not taken the LSAT, but am curious where a 3.5 GPA leaves me (best case). Been working as an electrical engineer for four years, and was considering a career change.

Edit: Sorry if this is considered necromancy here. I didn't realize the top of page 4 was a month old!
I'm fairly confident in my testing ability (based on my limited practice experience), but am not sure if I want to put down the money for it if I've already horribly maimed my chances

Your WE and Engineering degree will be good softs but nothing to overcome a bad LSAT. A 170+ will make you competitive for the bottom T14. A 173+ and you're looking at some of CCN. Almost certainly HYS and probably B are out with that GPA though.