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I graduated from Berkeley this year with a 3.83. I'm retaking the LSAT in four days - I got a 162 last year. On the practice tests I've been doing much better than before - around 167. I'm Mexican-American on my mother's side and grew up with socioeconomic disadvantages. I speak German and Russian (but not Spanish). What are my odds for UT?

Solid. You'll probably get a lot of scholarship money.

If you're down with going outside Texas (though you'll get enough money from UT to make it worth not), apply to the rest of the T14.

Thanks a lot. I'll post my score once I get it the end of this month. I got a 162 in December and expect to get at least 164 this time around. With my GPA, background, and foreign language abilities, should that be enough for Texas (which interests me because of the economy)? And they take highest scores, not averages, right?

With a 167, you should have no problem getting into Texas, and they'll probably offer you some money.

With a 162-163, you'd be lucky to get into Texas, let alone get any money.

164-165 with my GPA and softs?

Yes, they take the highest score

Mos10 wrote:164-165 with my GPA and softs?

I get why you are asking this, because I remember being an 0L but what difference does this make. Come back when you get a score. Its not like you are going to shoot for a 164-165 and not a 167

Thanks for the info, will do. Also aiming for BYU.

Thanks for the info, will do.

Mos10 wrote:Thanks for the info, will do. Also aiming for BYU.

Don't apply and don't go to BYU. It would most likely be career and life ruining. With your GPA, you should be T-14 or bust with $$. If you cannot accomplish this, you should take your GPA to Harvard, Stanford or Penn's MBA program. The ADCOM peeps at these MBA programs would completely and absolutely soil themselves if they were to open up your app and see that GPA. MBA programs have just as much if not more of a problem getting a diverse class of students in their classrooms.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?r=ut

twentypercentmore wrote:With a 167, you should have no problem getting into Texas, and they'll probably offer you some money.

With a 162-163, you'd be lucky to get into Texas, let alone get any money.

He's MA. He's almost certainly in at Texas even with a 162, probably with some money.

OP, at this point you're taking the LSAT in order to save yourself large amounts of money. Depending upon what you score in October, I'd consider applying and then taking the test again in December or February and playing hardball for more scholarship money if you score high enough on your third try.

I cancelled today's test. The LSAT is not my strength.
Please let me reiterate. I grew up poor in an LA suburb, neither of my parents went to college, my mother is Latina, I speak Russian and German, and I got a 3.83 at UC Berkeley. Based on what prior evidence do you believe that as an MA I can get into Texas with a 162?
Many thanks for your encouragement.

Mos10 wrote:I cancelled today's test. The LSAT is not my strength.
Please let me reiterate. I grew up poor in an LA suburb, neither of my parents went to college, my mother is Latina, I speak Russian and German, and I got a 3.83 at UC Berkeley. Based on what prior evidence do you believe that as an MA I can get into Texas with a 162?
Many thanks for your encouragement.

Yea you're probably in at UT.

Thanks so much. I'll do early admissions there.

Which other top schools should I apply to, where I'd have high odds as a URM with a high GPA despite a mediocre LSAT?

http://mylsn.info/j547fw

USC seems to show love for people around your numbers as well.

Ti Malice wrote:

twentypercentmore wrote:With a 167, you should have no problem getting into Texas, and they'll probably offer you some money.

With a 162-163, you'd be lucky to get into Texas, let alone get any money.

He's MA. He's almost certainly in at Texas even with a 162, probably with some money.

OP, at this point you're taking the LSAT in order to save yourself large amounts of money. Depending upon what you score in October, I'd consider applying and then taking the test again in December or February and playing hardball for more scholarship money if you score high enough on your third try.

I cancelled today's test. The LSAT is not my strength.
Please let me reiterate. I grew up poor in an LA suburb, neither of my parents went to college, my mother is Latina, I speak Russian and German, and I got a 3.83 at UC Berkeley. Based on what prior evidence do you believe that as an MA I can get into Texas with a 162?
Many thanks for your encouragement.

There is very, very little evidence out there. That said;

URM that was waitlisted (almost definitely MA/PR)

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/biznardos

URM that was accepted (MA)

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/mexbox44

If you must go to UT, you should probably ED. Your chances everywhere else are basically nil, excluding GULC.

Why Georgetown?

Mos10 wrote:

Ti Malice wrote:

twentypercentmore wrote:With a 167, you should have no problem getting into Texas, and they'll probably offer you some money.

With a 162-163, you'd be lucky to get into Texas, let alone get any money.

He's MA. He's almost certainly in at Texas even with a 162, probably with some money.

OP, at this point you're taking the LSAT in order to save yourself large amounts of money. Depending upon what you score in October, I'd consider applying and then taking the test again in December or February and playing hardball for more scholarship money if you score high enough on your third try.

I cancelled today's test. The LSAT is not my strength.
Please let me reiterate. I grew up poor in an LA suburb, neither of my parents went to college, my mother is Latina, I speak Russian and German, and I got a 3.83 at UC Berkeley. Based on what prior evidence do you believe that as an MA I can get into Texas with a 162?
Many thanks for your encouragement.

Above are results over the past six cycles for MA/PR URMs with GPAs from 3.60-3.85 and LSAT scores from 160-163. Khaleesiqueen is almost certainly AA, but the rest (for UT) appear to be MA.

These search parameters should return pessimistic results for two reasons. First, they include data from much more competitive cycles. Second, your numbers are at the upper end of both the GPA and LSAT ranges specified. Nevertheless, almost everyone in these ranges was accepted at UT. You're basically a lock. I would not apply ED, because you don't need it to be admitted, and it would probably preclude you from receiving any scholarship money.

However, the fact that you're essentially in at UT does not mean attending would necessarily be a great decision for you. If you're not a Texas resident, the job prospects simply will not justify the cost of attendance in today's anemic legal market. Even if you're a Texas resident, your total cost of attendance at repayment will almost certainly exceed $100K, which is too much for UT. If you're going to attend UT, you need to get a job in Texas and establish residency first.

You are doing yourself an enormous disservice if you don't do whatever you can to improve your LSAT score. Your undergrad name and language abilities will essentially make no difference for you; all of those factors combined are not worth even a single point on the LSAT. The things that matter far more than anything else are your LSAT score, your GPA, and your URM status. With an increase of just three points on the LSAT, you would probably have at least a couple of T14 options, and you would probably be able to attend UT for tens of thousands of dollars less.

I appreciate the encouragement, but after three attempts at the LSAT I think I'd better bow out of this law school thing.

Mos10 wrote:I appreciate the encouragement, but after three attempts at the LSAT I think I'd better bow out of this law school thing.

Good luck!

I got in at UT. I applied ED so I got residence.
I almost didn't apply because of some of the discouragement I read here.
I'll do what I can the next few years to make up for my lack of Texas ties. From what I've read on other forums, it's nothing I can't overcome.

Mos10 wrote:I got in at UT. I applied ED so I got residence.
I almost didn't apply because of some of the discouragement I read here.
I'll do what I can the next few years to make up for my lack of Texas ties. From what I've read on other forums, it's nothing I can't overcome.

Thanks for the update!

Congratulations and good luck.

Congratulations

Happy it worked out for you.