3.75 GPA/ 156 LSAT Forum

[cestlavie1]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and thought I would post my December LSAT score, which I received just yesterday. After graduating last June, I decided to take off this year to study for the LSAT and work on law school applications. Well, that didn't go over so well. I barely studied in the summer and kept postponing the LSAT until I finally took it in December. After receiving my LSAT score of 156 (the same exact score I got when I took the LSAT for the first time without studying, about a year ago), I am unsure whether it's a good idea for me to apply for 2013. While I really do not want to take any more time off, I don't think I should attend a bottom-tier law school in today's economy. Do I have any chance of being accepted to a top-20 school? My GPA is 3.75 from a public college (CUNY City College of New York). Thank you for your advice.

[nickb285]

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[potterpirate04]

Retake. You have wayyyy too high of a gpa to waste. Sit out this cycle and apply next year. Seriously. You'll be happy you did.

[Nova]

Dont attend law school until you have maxed out your LSAT potential.

Your GPA is too good to waste on a sub 160.

Retaking in June and applying in August would probably be the your best option. Then retake again in Oct if necessary.

[deadpanic]

Definitely retake. Take it from me, a person that had a similar LSAT where I under-performed, you should retake before making a bad decision.

[BerkeleyBear]

After graduating last June, I decided to take off this year to study for the LSAT and work on law school applications. Well, that didn't go over so well. I barely studied in the summer and kept postponing the LSAT until I finally took it in December.

Firstly, retake. Shouldn't even be a question. It's this simple, how bad do you want LS? Sounds to me you are a logical person who needs some honesty.

Your GPA is very good. Good enough to get you into some/most of the T14. All you have to do is crack the LSAT, which means you have to buckle down and really push yourself. You didn't try on your 1st test and could've tried harder for the second. The year off specifically for studying and applying is kind of a red flag. If you want LS and a T14/20 at that, the balls in your court. Keep drilling and PTing until you reach your goal. The good thing is, you determine your own success and I'm sure you can crack the 170+ if you can afford the various test prep materials. I personally like the Manhattan series and highly recommend them. I wish you the best and good luck.

[cestlavie1]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I was leaning towards applying this cycle but now seriously re-considering after reading your replies. It's just that I have a lot of family pressure to go to law school ASAP, which is one reason I wanted to apply right away. Would it harm my chances if I apply this cycle (with fee waivers) and re-apply using the same application materials but a higher LSAT score in 2014?

P.S. family is not the reason I want to attend law school (I am very passionate about being a lawyer). They are just sick of me being at home all the time and I am finding it difficult to land a decent job.

[Nova]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I was leaning towards applying this cycle but now seriously re-considering after reading your replies. It's just that I have a lot of family pressure to go to law school ASAP, which is one reason I wanted to apply right away. Would it harm my chances if I apply this cycle (with fee waivers) and re-apply using the same application materials but a higher LSAT score in 2014?

Thats fine. It wont harm you.

You can use the exact same LoRs and you definitely dont have to completely rewrite your PS.

[nickb285]

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[uvabro]

All terrible. You need to start law school right away because law schools don't take people who are 24+. You also can't get a job to move out of your parent's house because that is a lot of work and working is beta behavior. The cool kids all have their mom do their laundry, and chicks love guys who live with their moms.

You must go next year, because this way you can move back in with your parents in 3 years and have awesome lawyerly advise to rock nd roll when the gardener doesn't plant her flowers fast enough. Chicks panties will drop quicker than a bipolar girl on a ledge.

[suralin]

Tell your family that waiting a year will drastically reduce the likelihood that you'll have to live at home while paying back your student loans after law school. Going to law school is a decision that will affect the rest of your life, and especially the decade or so after graduation; don't let them pressure you into making a decision that's going to hurt you in the long game just to save them nine months of you living there.

+1

[dan k]

well I know there are probably alot of ppl who might jump on me for saying this, but depending on soft factors i think it might be worth applying to maybe one or two T20, my recommendation would be UWash and UMinn. i say this only because i'm in a similar boat with numbers (you have me by a couple points in lsat, i have you by a couple tenths in GPA). i was just accepted to UMinn a few days ago and was surprised, but in a good way. I would say select a few in the T20, probably a waste of time with T14 unless you don't care about fees/time. Applying doesn't prevent you from scheduling to retake, but you may get a surprise or two.

That having been said I know the feeling of wanting to get on with your life. The nice thing about LS apps is that you can apply and still retake if you don't like your cycle. So my answer is essentially do both.

[052220151]

well I know there are probably alot of ppl who might jump on me for saying this, but depending on soft factors i think it might be worth applying to maybe one or two T20, my recommendation would be UWash and UMinn. i say this only because i'm in a similar boat with numbers (you have me by a couple points in lsat, i have you by a couple tenths in GPA). i was just accepted to UMinn a few days ago and was surprised, but in a good way. I would say select a few in the T20, probably a waste of time with T14 unless you don't care about fees/time. Applying doesn't prevent you from scheduling to retake, but you may get a surprise or two.

That having been said I know the feeling of wanting to get on with your life. The nice thing about LS apps is that you can apply and still retake if you don't like your cycle. So my answer is essentially do both.

OP, you should really listen to dan K's first bit of advice. This is your dream, sitting out another year won't help, it will only add to your stress. I'm sure you could snag some really nice acceptances. People will try to freak you out with the cost, but hey, that's what loans are for. Retaking is really a shitty idea generally.

[Rahviveh]

Any "surprise" acceptances you get with a 156 are going to be dwarfed by the acceptances (and scholarships) you would get with 165.

OP ignore the last two posts. And uvabro is still trolling

[052220151]

Any "surprise" acceptances you get with a 156 are going to be dwarfed by the acceptances (and scholarships) you would get with 165.

OP ignore the last two posts. And uvabro is still trolling

Whatever Papi, you're just trying to dissuade OP from going because you're afraid she'll do better than you, even though she doesn't have the best LSAT.

OP, your score is really good, ignore what everyone else says, what do they know?

[BigZuck]

What's with all the sarcastic trolling lately?

OP your unwillingness to put forth the neccessary effort on the LSAT twice now is a red flag. Do you really think you have the requisite work ethic necessary to do well in law school and have a career as a lawyer (or any career really) if you aren't willing to buckle down and study for what is arguably the most important test of your life?

If you want to go to law school do the right thing and give the test your best preparation/effort.

[timbs4339]

People will try to freak you out with the cost, but hey, that's what loans are for. Retaking is really a shitty idea generally.

LOL.

[banjo]

I don't understand the excess sarcasm either. Is this new?

OP, I think you might be a good candidate for a prep course--maybe testmasters.net or powerscore? I like the courses that cover all of the LSAT questions available. Attend all of the classes, complete all of the homework in a timely manner, take advantage of online resources, and take all of the proctored tests seriously. You seem like you could use the added structure.