Realistic Schools with 3.5/165 Forum

[zanardin]

Hey everyone,

I have a 3.5 from Boston College (political science major) and I have been out of school working at a non-profit for a year. I have a 163 on the June LSAT, and I just took it again. Like in June, I got really nervous and did not do as well as I hoped (very frustrating because I scored 168-170 on every single practice test I took). I think I got somewhere around a 165. This is my current list of schools. I would appreciate any feedback regarding how realistic these schools are for me. Thanks!

Reaches:
UC Berkley
Georgetown
Vanderbilt
Fordham
Boston University
Boston College
George Washington

Targets:
University of Washington
University of Minnesota
University of Colorado
UNC
UC Davis
UC Hastings

Safeties:
American University
University of Denver
Lewis & Clark University
Brooklyn Law School
Northeastern University

[BigZuck]

Hey everyone,

I have a 3.5 from Boston College (political science major) and I have been out of school working at a non-profit for a year. I have a 163 on the June LSAT, and I just took it again. Like in June, I got really nervous and did not do as well as I hoped (very frustrating because I scored 168-170 on every single practice test I took). I think I got somewhere around a 165. This is my current list of schools. I would appreciate any feedback regarding how realistic these schools are for me. Thanks!

Reaches:
UC Berkley
Georgetown
Vanderbilt
Fordham
Boston University
Boston College
George Washington

Targets:
University of Washington
University of Minnesota
University of Colorado
UNC
UC Davis
UC Hastings

Safeties:
American University
University of Denver
Lewis & Clark University
Brooklyn Law School
Northeastern University

Berkeley, Georgetown and Vandy aren't even worth the application fee (unless maybe you're URM). Every school other than that are in the "generally not worth it except in special cases category" except for schools like American which you shouldn't even apply to because they are a dumpster fire and there is no such thing as a safety law school.

To figure out which of those schools in the "maybe" category are worth applying to we need to know more about you. Things such as where are your ties, how will this whole venture be paid for, etc.

Also, mylsn.info

Also, retake

[iditarod]

you'll probably get at least one of bc/bu/fordham with 165.

what did you do to study? i know retaking doesn't sound attractive, but 168 would get you georgetown and/or cornell and probably decent money at [at least one of] bc/bu/gw/fordham.

[jbagelboy]

You might hit a lot of WLs and then some fast WL -> admit with $

Honestly nearly all these schools (except berkeley, lost cause) took such bad LSAT hits this year that who knows, a 165 could see a great cycle with these selections.

You wont get T14 or Vandy without a retake

[lawrence1917]

you'll probably get at least one of bc/bu/fordham with 165.

what did you do to study? i know retaking doesn't sound attractive, but 168 would get you georgetown and/or cornell and probably decent money at [at least one of] bc/bu/gw/fordham.

fordham doesn't give much money, at all. i wouldn't expect much with a 168.

i went to a stronger college than B.C., had more extensive work experience, a master's degree, and an LSAT score around 168 and fordham only gave me 10k a year.

[Arcticlynx]

Deleted, because law school admission probably do not fit a normal distribution. See http://admissionsbythenumbers.blogspot.com/.

[hephaestus]

The 3.5 makes a retake for a 168+ imperative. Otherwise, going to law school will make very little sense for you.

[cotiger]

Regression Model for class rank in class of 2016 by LSAT/GPA with a 165/3.5.


Reaches:
UC Berkley: 0.5%
Georgetown: Didn’t Model
Vanderbilt: 33.2%
Fordham: 54.7%
Boston University: 37.6%
Boston College: 53.8%
George Washington:44.7%

Targets:
University of Washington: 50.6%
University of Minnesota: 44.6%
University of Colorado: 55.4%
UNC: Didn’t Model
UC Davis: Didn’t Model
UC Hastings: Didn’t Model

Safeties:
American University: Didn’t Model
University of Denver: 86.0%
Lewis & Clark University: 74.9%
Brooklyn Law School: Didn’t Model
Northeastern University: Didn’t Model

*It has been brought to my attention that (%) could be confused with % chance of admittance as other online calculators may measure. This is percentile of the class of 2016, which is different from chance of admittance - which is a relatively subjective measurement. 50% means that you're equal to the median student of the class of 2016 at the respective school, being equal to the median probably equates to a greater than 50% of being admitted.

Not true. If the medians at a school are 3.7/168, then a 3.65/167 (slightly below both medians) might have a score of 45% but have a very low chance at acceptance, while a 3.55/169 (slight splitter) might also have a score around 45% but would be quite likely to get in.

Medians are the primary determining factor of admissions, not combined index scores.

[zanardin]

Hi, thank you for the comments.

I actually scored 168-169 very consistently on all my practice tests leading up to the real thing. I scored a 168 on a proctored practice test. But I just got so nervous taking the actual exam, my mind blanked for the first few sections. I retook a few weeks ago (oct 5) but honestly didn't feel like I did much better, got very nervous again. It is very frustrating because I know I can get a better score, but I've messed it up twice now, and I really want to get my applications in before the dec lsat so retaking is not ideal.

[BigZuck]

Hi, thank you for the comments.

I actually scored 168-169 very consistently on all my practice tests leading up to the real thing. I scored a 168 on a proctored practice test. But I just got so nervous taking the actual exam, my mind blanked for the first few sections. I retook a few weeks ago (oct 5) but honestly didn't feel like I did much better, got very nervous again. It is very frustrating because I know I can get a better score, but I've messed it up twice now, and I really want to get my applications in before the dec lsat so retaking is not ideal.

Well then, the only reasonable thing to do is keep on retaking. 169 is probably the minimum score you should roll with with that GPA

[Steveloblaw]

Hi, thank you for the comments.

I actually scored 168-169 very consistently on all my practice tests leading up to the real thing. I scored a 168 on a proctored practice test. But I just got so nervous taking the actual exam, my mind blanked for the first few sections. I retook a few weeks ago (oct 5) but honestly didn't feel like I did much better, got very nervous again. It is very frustrating because I know I can get a better score, but I've messed it up twice now, and I really want to get my applications in before the dec lsat so retaking is not ideal.

You can wait another year. No one is forcing you to go to law school this year - take your time, study more, and retake in June. Please.

[$alty]

if test day anxiety is your big problem, i'd focus on meditation. also take pts in weird places. there's nothing like going into your test and telling yourself, "i got my target score in a loud lunch spot, there's no reason i can't do that here."

that said, anxiety might be tough to iron out 100%. at 168-170 you still have holes in your prep. recognize your flaws and drill them (and look at prep materials in the lsat forum)