Chances of getting in at SLU law Forum

[Ruxin1]

Yes I want to do criminal prosecution. The ultimate goal is to end up in the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Louis.

Federal Gov't is on a hiring freeze. Most likely path to USAO is Biglaw ----> USAO so definitely get a 4.0 this year, take a year off and retake the lsat

Agree re: hiring freeze & GPA. Disagree re: most likely path. The USAOs I know were all prosecutors and not from big time law schools. They all built up a great rep as excellent prosecutors. The number one thing the feds look at is experience. Then, they move on from there. Also, from going through the hiring process with the feds just for an internship with the FBI, I know they LOVE experience in criminal law. They also look at people with language fluency, military experience, computer knowledge, accounting degree as an undergrad, etc.

TWIST: It's not Boom Times anymore.

[msanders44]

Westi, you can PM me if you don't want to say it on here.

[msanders44]

Well does it make any difference that I don't have any loans from my undergrad? Every school is super expensive so I'm not really seeing how I don't have any options with my current score

[Ruxin1]

Well does it make any difference that I don't have any loans from my undergrad? Every school is super expensive so I'm not really seeing how I don't have any options with my current score

You are too caught up on this current score.

[msanders44]

what do you mean?

[Ruxin1]

what do you mean?

If your current score is making schools very expensive and a higher score (in a year when you have more time to study) would lower the cost and/or better schools, then you obviously should retake. Don't be in such a rush to get to law school.

[Nova]

what do you mean?

Retake

[romothesavior]

what do you mean?

If your current score is making schools very expensive and a higher score (in a year when you have more time to study) would lower the cost and/or better schools, then you obviously should retake. Don't be in such a rush to get to law school.

Agreed.

OP, look at it this way. If I told you I would pay you $100,000 to take a year off and retake the LSAT, would you do it? Of course you would. And that's pretty much the decision you have here. A handful of LSAT points could net you tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to law school.

You've already said that you didn't put as much time into this as you would have liked due to other time commitments. It doesn't sound like you studied anywhere near as hard as you could have, which means you almost certainly left a number of points on the table. Pre-med students studying for the MCAT eat, breathe, and sleep that shit for months, but for some reason, pre-law students blow off the LSAT and don't truly commit to it. Which is really a shame, because it leads to situations like the one you are in: considering an average school at an insane price. If you were to take a year off, and spend a few months studying (and I mean really studying the right way), you could easily pick up a few points, maybe 10 or more. The LSAT is very learnable. This isn't a radical idea, as many people on TLS have done it and are VERY glad they did.

You could go back to STL, work (maybe as a paralegal or something?), make connections as a 0L, and put the time into the LSAT that it deserves. This is the most important test of your life, and you could fairly easily save 100k+ on a retake. I think you should give it some thought. Don't just rush into a six-figure mistake. The horror stories of the market are real, and you could easily find yourself un- or underemployed with debt up to your eyeballs. SLU at sticker ITE is financial idiocy. You owe it to yourself to retake and put yourself in the best position you can.

[westie25]

....

[westie25]

Westi, you can PM me if you don't want to say it on here.

I can't remember the person's name. I worked with her about 7 years ago. Wish I could remember. I just remember her leaving for the USAO.

[jared6180]

you mind me asking what company you did your prep with? If you used Kaplan, Princeton, or any company that teaches you the tricks of the LSAT you are WASTING your money. I would recommend you seriously look into BluePrint, PowerScore, TestMasters. If they help you raise your score just 5-7 points it will pay big dividends when you apply to SLU and maybe push you into WUSTL range if you work hard enough.

[msanders44]

Yes, I used Kaplan test prep.

[jared6180]

Yes, I used Kaplan test prep.

oh hai I found your problem

EXACTLY!!! Use PowerScore, TestMasters, BluePrint, and I am sure you will see at least a 5-10 point increase. In Kaplan you are not learning why and how the LSAT really works. I prepped with Kaplan for a while and dropped 2 points. You need to get started with one of these other companies NOW and get ready for a much better October score.

[Nova]

OP, the LSAT is learnable. I know many who have improved from the 140s to the 160s. Of course its a grind, but it is definitely worth it. SLU is a fine option for you, but SLU at sticker, without exhausting your retakes, is a mistake. You really need to score high enough (158+) to earn a substantial scholarship for it to be worth the price tag. http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... &start=625

If you are willing to self study, I would suggest Manhattan,

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-LSAT-Se ... roduct_top

Then work through these,

http://www.amazon.com/More-Actual-Offic ... pd_sim_b_4

http://www.amazon.com/Next-Actual-Offic ... gy_b_img_b

http://www.amazon.com/Actual-Official-L ... pd_sim_b_1

So thats 30 PTs plus guide books for just $130 + shipping. A very worth while investment.

[msanders44]

I have like 8 Kaplan books with thousands of questions and several tests. Is that not the same thing?

[msanders44]

A little off topic, but I see that SLU's application doesn't have anywhere for a diversity statement which surprises me actually. I was wanting to enter one, so how should I go about doing that?

[mattviphky]

do not use kaplan. Buy powerscore bibles, 10 real lsat books, and recent lsats...all can be found on amazon. Logic Games is the section that gives people the most trouble at first, but it is the most learnable! Finish undergrad with the best GPA you can, find another 25 hr a week job (if you need to work) and study, retake/reapply. This is what I, and many people on this site, have done, and I couldn't be happier. Plus, if you take an October lsat, you can go work full-time until law school starts. I started with a 155, and then went up to a 158 last june. Finally, I retook one last time in October, and got a 164. I took this past year off so I could study hard for October, and then work the rest of the year. I got into a great school with a great scholarship, and I'm working at a really great job. Consider this route.

[msanders44]

I'm still in school until December so I wouldn't be able to study anymore for October than I did before. I'm graduating early in December