app strategy help/chances! 2.90 GPA, 160/173/171 LSAT - t14? Forum

[supergrapes]

2.90 lsada GPA, 160/173/171 lsat scores so retaking is not an option unfortunately. I am not any of the under represented minorities and I do not have a compelling gpa addendum, nor a compelling "why my lsat score dropped addendum. I have a masters degree that shows an upward trend in grades (3.6 gpa). I have a few years of part time work experience... worked all through college and graduate school, but never full time. I have no other compelling reasons why a school should admit me.


Seeking application strategy advice. I am trying to keep my options open for scholarships at the lower end (i.e. some money at 2nd tier schools... don't worry, I'm not gonna dip down too far!). Hoping to stay on the east coast (new england) so I'd like to see what, if any, scholarships i can get at some smaller regional schools around here. Due to kids, family stuff, etc, I'm trying not to move too too far away. I mean, I'd move to another planet for three years for a shot at yale or something, but i'm also a realist

So, ED is not really an ideal option for me (but I will if I have to--please see below!). Do have any chance at the top fourteen regular decision? I see that northwestern has been taking most 170+ people lately, anywhere else where I stand a chance regular decision?

Obviously cornell is the best fit for me geographically, but do I even have a shot?

Or, would it make significantly more sense for a supersplitter like me to use my ED on a long shot? The schools around me are NYU, cornell, Penn (first choices, since they are the closest other than schools i'm totally locked out of: H, Y, Columbia). Next closest but certainly not ideal would be like mich, georgetown, uva.

It seems silly to me to apply ED to schools in cities that I don't really want to live in, but if the career prospects are just that much better and if I have a good (decent) shot... i guess it's only three years.

What do the geniuses on TLS think? Do I have a shot at the top fourteen regular decision? Or do i absolutely need to use an ED if I want to get a top fourteen? Thank you for helping a splitter.

[Daily_Double]

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[twenty]

You'll be lucky to get ED to UVA.

But at least there is hope for you.

EDIT> Maybe it's just the tone of your post, but it doesn't seem like you're fully set on the idea of being an attorney. Please don't take offense, but my gut feeling says you're looking for another three years of school somewhere, and you don't really care about jobs on the other end. If that's your aim here, please do yourself a favor and don't do law school.

[objection_your_honor]

You'll be lucky to get ED to UVA.

But at least there is hope for you.

EDIT> Maybe it's just the tone of your post, but it doesn't seem like you're fully set on the idea of being an attorney. Please don't take offense, but my gut feeling says you're looking for another three years of school somewhere, and you don't really care about jobs on the other end. If that's your aim here, please do yourself a favor and don't do law school.

I think a full time job might help a little with this concern while also boosting app to NU.

[supergrapes]

I see where you're getting that. I'm one of those people who got set on the idea of law after they've already settled down and had a family.

I think you're getting a lot of it based on my toying around with the ideas of lower-ranked schools (with much less favorable employment outcomes) in exchange for a scholarship, I am set on the idea, and I realize that most people that think like this (I want to stay in the area! I'll take any law school that will have me! Especially for a small scholarship!) haven't done their research or aren't dead set on being an attorney. I'm pretty stuck on the east coast... as I mentioned, the amount I'm willing to travel and be away from my kids is directly related to the school's employment prospects. I'm aware that the scholarships I'm talking about are small, and I'm aware of the employment numbers from bad schools.

When I'm talking about regionals, I'm not talking about TTT for-profit schools. I'm talking about pretty solid 1st or second tier regionals, and not at sticker. Given my stats, regardless of how much one wants law, it seems prudent to say, "well, there are occasions where a top fourteen at sticker makes sense. There are situations where a regional at a discount makes sense. And then, if none of these pan out, it makes sense to not go".

So, I'm hoping to maximize my odds of getting a favorable outcome AND trying to get a better understanding of how likely a favorable outcome actually is given my situation. The maximization of a favorable outcome is manifested in my questions about app strategy (to ED or RD), whereas the 'trying to understand how likely a favorable outcome might be' is the part where I ask about my general odds.

So, in the ED vs RD discussion, if I have shots at some top fourteen schools that might give me a favorable outcome REGULAR decision, that'd be great news. If not, I have to decide whether a top fourteen applying ED will give me ENOUGH of an advantage to make potentially missing out on any kind of scholarship down the line worth it.

I'm also trying to get a handle on which places I have a shot at ED, and which places I have a shot at RD (within the top fourteen). It would be stupid to ED to a place I have a shot at RD, or stupid to ED to somewhere if I have a shot at a higher ranked school, and equally as stupid to ED somewhere where I have no chance at, even ED. So there's a sweet spot somewhere, I just don't know where it is. LSN offers me very little help on this front, so, as per the "should I post in the what are my chances thread" infographic, I posted here looking for info!

But, I do appreciate the advice and everything thus far. I promise I've been doing tons and tons of research and lurking here for months and more set than my post suggests. I mean, what the heck kind of noncommited law school applicant studies their butt off to retake a 173? haha.

edit: spelling

[stonecoldlaw]

I'm from the east coast too. I'd say consider applying to Northeastern, BC, and even Suffolk. Suffolk might not be a great idea if your thinking big law or corporate, but as far as the public sector goes, they dominate Massachusetts. Suffolk also dishes out a lot of money to people with high scores and/or GPAs. Just an idea!

Obviously apply to the schools you've mentioned already too! Also BU has a binding ED program where you receive 3 years full tuition if you are chosen, so you have nothing to lose in applying, except of course the application fee..

[Lavitz]

Obviously cornell is the best fit for me geographically, but do I even have a shot?

I'm just going to weigh in on this point. Cornell usually isn't very splitter-friendly. They've had a pretty hard GPA floor at 3.0. I only managed to find 3 non-URMs in the past 5 years with similar numbers who got in.



However, this is the first cycle Cornell has an ED option, so I have no idea how they're going to use it. They may be willing to take super-splitters ED to get their LSAT median back up. I think you may have a shot--but you'd probably have to ED.

But even Penn and UVA don't look too good ED:



And for RD, only NU and GULC look good in the T-14.