162/3.82 AA Male Forum

[kjshowell]

Here's a little information about myself:

School: The University of Texas at Austin, 3.82
Major 1: Business Honors
Major 2: Consulting and Change Management
LSAT: October 2012 - 162 - 85th Percentile
Work: US Army, Officer
Prior Experience: Healthcare Software Project Manager

Overall, I'm looking to get some advice on whether it is worth it to apply to the T14 schools. I've seen threads from a few years ago saying as much, but didn't know if that advice was still relevant. I've looked at the various Law School Calculators, but am not sure how reliable they are due to the small sample size. Any and all recommendations are appreciated.

Also, I'll be applying for the Army's FLEP program and will post feedback/advice on that process.

[El Principe]

You have a real good shot at least a couple of T-14s... if I were you, I'd re-take for a few more pts with that GPA and major/veteran status to have a fighting chance at HYS...

FWIW, UT should throw money at you if you wanted to stay in Texas.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and yes, those calculators are garbage. Check LSN. But honestly, the best situation is to re-take for something that's 165+.

[jbagelboy]

As an AA male veteran, you'll get every school outside the T6, and maybe a few of those too. Definitely apply everywhere.

How many times have you taken the LSAt? For a URM in your position, every extra point places you in an even more restricted bracket of like-applicants

[Mack.Hambleton]

Going off what bagel boy said, yeah you're going to have sold options now, but with a retake and 166+ you'd be a lock for T6. And since you got a 3.8 at UT you're obviously capable of doing it, you just have to put in the time.

[dowu]

If you don't re-take your lsat, I will personally moonwalk to Texas and slap you.


(Had to hyphen re.take because of the damn word filter.)

[TheSpanishMain]

Doesn't the FLEP program limit you on which schools the Army will pay for, and bar you from paying any more your own money/taking out loans? You may want to check into that.

[teampeeta]

I think you should prob re-take (thanks to whoever came up with the word filter). Your GPA and softs are strong and will serve you well- there was a guy who got into HLS this year with numbers and experience very similar to yours. But you'd prob be increasing your odds at scholarship money/ HYS if you did better. I don't even think you need the 170s-- 167+ will make you very compelling to every law school out there. If you have the time, I think it's worth considering.

If not, apply early. I'm sure you'll have a great cycle with lots of T10 opportunities!

[kjshowell]

I appreciate all the advice! I've taken the LSAT twice, with the first time being over 5 years ago. Finding the time to study for the LSAT again will be a challenge; however other Officers have done it in the past, so anything is possible. I will be putting in my applications as early as possible. The FLEP application is due 1 November, so I might as well have my apps submitted at the same time.

@TheSpanishMain - I have checked in to that. The Army doesn't have a list of schools they will and will not pay for. The Army will pay up to ~$35k for tuition, however this figure changes each fiscal year. Many schools will work with folks to lower tuition to close the gap between tuition and what the Army will pay, although historically T14 schools tend to be less willing to work with FLEP applicants to lower tuition. Also, there are restrictions to the type of scholarship you can accept e.g. you can't receive scholarships that require you to have a certain GPA/class rank.

For anyone interested in more information about the FLEP program, you should check out AR 27-1 for basic requirements and join the Army FLEP Facebook group for more detailed Q&A.

[EnormousCheese]

Dude, you're a lock everywhere except HYS. DNCG are safety schools for you. The only way you aren't cracking 7-14 is if you get yield protected. And even though you're by no means an auto-admit at HYS, you have an excellent shot at them as well.

Look at some of these LSN profiles. They all possessed stats identical to yours, and all were accepted at Harvard:

1. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/CandiKane
2. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/LawSchoolOrNah
3. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/dreusmc711

These applicants possessed stats slightly lower than yours and got accepted into Harvard:

4. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/Islander
5. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/khaleesiqueen
6. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/champion11 (note this guy got in off the WL with a 159 LSAT)

and look at how these guys (whose stats are considerably worse than yours) fared at CCN:

7. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/cyclist29
8. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/sharpshot77
9. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/blackjackjr (note this guy has a 165 lsat but a 3.14 gpa)

In my opinion, you are golden for the T-14. Assuming you take the time to craft solid applications, you have a perfect shot at CCNMVPDNCG (barring yield protection), and a strong shot at HYS. It would still behoove you to retake in order to maximize scholarship offers and lock in HYS, but as you currently stand, you're not locked out of anywhere (maybe Yale, since it's harder to get into than the oval office).

Apply with confidence my friend. Your law school cycle will probably be one of the happiest and most validating experiences of your entire life.

[californiauser]

I would be shocked if you didn't get one of Harvard or Stanford -- you should still probably retake, though

[Mack.Hambleton]

it does look like a good chance at at least one of HYSCCN currently



but with a slightly higher retake it looks like more of a sure thing



note: much better chances at S