159 LSAT, 4.0 GPA, retake? Forum

[alisonnk]

Hello,
Thanks in advance for any advice you all can give!
First of all, I have a really strong college GPA.
When I was taking practice LSATs, I was getting 163-166 by the last 4, although I wasn't necessarily taking them under real test conditions. I took them in the comfort of my own home, which I think made me really nervous when the test came around.
Thirdly, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I am not even interested in applying to any schools outside of Washington, Oregon, and California. I am particularly interested in University of Washington. UC Davis and Lewis and Clark are also high on my list.

Should I retake the LSAT?? I'm not going to apply to any of the top 10 schools, and my lawyer sister says its not necessary.
Let me know what you all think! Thanks!

[PourMeTea]

Post removed.

[elterrible78]

You may as well have titled this thread "A bear, does it shit in the woods?"

[rinkrat19]

I don't understand why there is a question mark in the thread title.

Nobody who has a 4.0 could possibly be dumb enough to think a 159 is acceptable.

[Redfactor]

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[blink]

You may as well have titled this thread "A bear, does it shit in the woods?"

One of my favorite replies of all time.

[hephaestus]

You should retake and be shooting for Berk or Stanford. Honestly, I think your lawyer sister is wrong. Its not necessary to go to a T14, but you have a very high chance of never becoming a lawyer from places like L&C and UC Davis. Do not sell that GPA short.

[serdog]

Even if you have no interest in Berk or S a retake and score around your average will mean far more money from the lower ranked schools

[twenty]

You may as well have titled this thread "A bear, does it shit in the woods?"

One of my favorite replies of all time.

[stuckinthemiddle]

[Chromakey]

Definitely retake. With your GPA, you could get some serious scholarship offers from a lot of the PNW schools if you improve your LSAT.

And I know this advice might be blasphemous to some, but don't discount some of the lower ranking schools. Depending on your career goals, a hefty scholarship could be the deciding factor. That's one of the reasons I elected to go to L&C over a number of schools in the T-14. I am an older student who wants to live and practice in Oregon as a public defender, so for me, going into a lot of debt didn't make sense.

I would also recommend thinking seriously about what city you want to live in immediately after graduating. Being able to network and develop relationships among local attorneys can be the make or break factor when job hunting. Particularly in Portland, the big firms like to see you are invested in the community, so there is something to be said for being local. Check out the websites of places you'd consider working and look at the profiles of their recent hires. This will give you an idea of which schools they are hiring from.

I can't speak to the other PNW schools, but feel free to message me if you have any questions about L&C.

Good luck!

[jingosaur]

You absolutely need to retake. If you get to a 164, you'll probably get a full ride at pretty much every law school in the PNW. I think that you should also consider Cal-Berk and Stanford. Any other law schools in Cali are way too expensive and have much more competitive job placement.

[rinkrat19]

L&C is notoriously stingy with money... It'd probably take more than a 164 to get a full ride out of them.

[twenty]

Yeah. Berkeley with lots of money or Stanford is definitely in the cards here. If nothing else, don't go unless you can go to UWashington on a full ride. Study for the LSAT like you've never studied before.

We're talking a year of study if necessary.

[Humbert Humbert]

You should retake and be shooting for Berk or Stanford. Honestly, I think your lawyer sister is wrong. Its not necessary to go to a T14, but you have a very high chance of never becoming a lawyer from places like L&C and UC Davis. Do not sell that GPA short.

[wtrc]

Yeah. Berkeley with lots of money or Stanford is definitely in the cards here. If nothing else, don't go unless you can go to UWashington on a full ride. Study for the LSAT like you've never studied before.

We're talking a year of study if necessary.

[Toby Ziegler]

I looked heavily into UW as well, and they are just so stingy with money. I imagine if you could get above their median LSAT which is like 164ish? I am not sure. You might have a CHANCE at the full ride, but still unlikely. The fact of the matter is, your LSAT needs to compliment your GPA. Right now you're just throwing money down the drain by not retaking. Don't settle for Seattle U or ANYschool in Oregon. If you really won't branch out of the west coast you shouldn't settle for anything but Stanford or Berk. Both of those schools will bring you back to the PNW and firms like Perkins Coie in Seattle.

[052220151]

Don't be a dummy. PNW native with T14 degree is the best/easiest way to get a good job in PNW. If you aren't from WA, UW is a shitty choice cause they are stingy and you don't get in-state, the rest of the schools on the west coast are objective shit holes. Retake and blanket the T14. Leave no stone unturned, even if you only apply for negotiating purposes.

ETA - UCLA/USC aren't shit holes.

[PRgradBYU]

159 / 4.0 and you're wondering whether you should retake? Let's put it this way: I've rarely seen someone with as much to gain from retaking as you. Retake for 170+ and enjoy HYS.

[jbagelboy]

Lol having one lawyer acquaintence and making major life decisions on the basis of their singular advice: bad call

Retake and go to a school for low cost where you can find FT legal employment

[20141023]

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[Clearly]

[Innovative]

^ Agreed. The LSAT may not have a lot to do with the law, but it certainly has a lot to do with a strong work ethic. If you are serious about law school, such determination is definitely something you'll need.