Top Law Schools

Hello,

I am writing this to ask about what schools would be willing to accept or waitlist with intent to accept with a LSAT score of a 146 and 3.8. Knowing that this score isn't that great, I know it is in my best interest to retake as soon as possible. Additionally, my first choice for law school is Emory Law located in Atlanta, GA, however as a URM I really don't have a concrete area to land at in order to get acceptance with some form of scholarship money. My goal is a 160, but I am not sure if a 160 will be enough to solidify both entrance into Emory and scholarship funds. Can someone please shed light on this for me. And apologies if it seems like I'm asking a plethora of things at once.

Best Regards.

Probably nowhere worth attending. Check out http://www.mylsn.info

Good luck on the retake

It's good that you're thinking of scholarships, especially at a place like Emory. It's a decent school, but it's in no way worth paying full price.

What kind of URM are you? From what I understand, the "boost" varies.

And yeah, you'll have to retake. No place worth attending will take a 146. Good news is that your GPA is very solid, so once you have a decent LSAT, you'll be in great shape. Don't screw yourself by being impatient. If you try to attend with your current numbers you will absolutely be making a mistake.

The boost varies depending on what type of URM. AA is generally larger than Latino. In addition, even at it's most extreme the boost is only really useful (as measured by over 50 percent likely producing a good outcome) once you're above a 155 at the very least, but really closer to 160.

I define good outcome earning a living wage, and paying off debt. If, however, you don't need to earn a living wage to be happy (plan to live off the land), and don't mind being in debt for the rest of your life, there are many schools that make their bread and butter feeding on URMs with 148s. You're in the range where URM status is more of a curse than it is a blessing.

Essentially, affirmative action is a tool for TTTs to heat their buildings off of the 50k a year in loans that minorities take out to attend. These institutions limit the number of sub-150 non-URM students they take, because having too many may threaten their accreditation. The ABA specifically cautions schools against this which has been the basis of some unsuccessful discrimination lawsuits against these schools, the ABA and LSAC.

Uh...

coeurdegrace wrote:I know it is in my best interest to retake as soon as possible.

Wrong.

It is in your best interest to take the LSAT at some point in the reasonable future after a significant amount of efficient study has you PT'ing on a regular basis with scores that you are happy with.

Don't waste your GPA.

Thank all of you for the advice. I'm currently weighing to actually not apply this cycle and to wait until the 2015-2016 cycle instead with hopes of a better score.

And regarding the type of URM, I am an African American.

coeurdegrace wrote:Thank all of you for the advice. I'm currently weighing to actually not apply this cycle and to wait until the 2015-2016 cycle instead with hopes of a better score.

And regarding the type of URM, I am an African American.

that's the right move, no question
if you're serious about pursuing law, commit
it takes time, you're not getting there this cycle
begin studying now for the june '15 test
treat it like a part-time job

it's not the right time to apply
you have no good options with your stats
and you don't have enough time to prep for december
look towards the june test and an app in the '15-'16 cycle

coeurdegrace wrote:Thank all of you for the advice. I'm currently weighing to actually not apply this cycle and to wait until the 2015-2016 cycle instead with hopes of a better score.

And regarding the type of URM, I am an African American.

Around a 150, top law schools will have doubts about your ability to pass the bar which is going to be more important than the medians. Get over a 160, and you'll be set. You're also not ready to do 1L if your reasoning skills are at a 146. Getting a 160 wil not only lead you to better schools with better career outlooks, but also make you better at developing good arguments and counter arguments. Essentially, you'll do better in law school also. It's a win-win.