3.76 Forum

[co7]

Hey guys,
So I'm a junior and I'm at a 3.76 and haven't taken the LSAT yet. I don't know if I should apply my senior year with the GPA I have and the score I get (hypothetically 165-172) or take a year off and get my GPA to a 3.82, which would include my grades senior year. What are my chances at different law schools with the 2 GPAs and if you have any advice I'm open to it! Thanks!

[LoganCouture]

Your chances are 0 without an LSAT score. Not trying to be mean dude but no one can predict this for you without a score and 165-172 is a huge range.

Taking a gap year (or several) is generally best though, not just for the GPA thing.

Play around with mylsn.info but without a score that's all people will tell you to do.

[MattM]

Your chances are 0 without an LSAT score. Not trying to be mean dude but no one can predict this for you without a score and 165-172 is a huge range.

Taking a gap year (or several) is generally best though, not just for the GPA thing.

Play around with mylsn.info but without a score that's all people will tell you to do.

I don't think OP needs to worry about GPA....should be fine there.

LSAT is much more important....if you haven't taken a practice one it is also impossible to judge chances.

[LoganCouture]

Your chances are 0 without an LSAT score. Not trying to be mean dude but no one can predict this for you without a score and 165-172 is a huge range.

Taking a gap year (or several) is generally best though, not just for the GPA thing.

Play around with mylsn.info but without a score that's all people will tell you to do.

I don't think OP needs to worry about GPA....should be fine there.

LSAT is much more important....if you haven't taken a practice one it is also impossible to judge chances.

Yeah sorry, I didn't mean to imply the GPA would matter a ton. I don't think 3.76 -> 3.82 makes a big difference, but obviously it could help on the margins.

The year off suggestion is more because I think everyone would benefit from taking some time to gain full-time WE before committing to law school.

[4LTsPointingNorth]

Your chances are 0 without an LSAT score. Not trying to be mean dude but no one can predict this for you without a score and 165-172 is a huge range.

Taking a gap year (or several) is generally best though, not just for the GPA thing.

Play around with mylsn.info but without a score that's all people will tell you to do.

I don't think OP needs to worry about GPA....should be fine there.

LSAT is much more important....if you haven't taken a practice one it is also impossible to judge chances.

Yeah sorry, I didn't mean to imply the GPA would matter a ton. I don't think 3.76 -> 3.82 makes a big difference, but obviously it could help on the margins.

The year off suggestion is more because I think everyone would benefit from taking some time to gain full-time WE before committing to law school.

This is all good advice.

Taking a gap year, especially if your GPA will go up (and further, assuming the time off will help you to both improve your LSAT score and to obtain at least some work experience), is a great decision. Take an extra year or two to work and experience life outside of school.

There's not much difference between a 39 year or a 37 year-long legal career, and you'll feel much happier in your first few years of BigLaw if you can look back at your early 20s with fewer regrets knowing that you had full prior knowledge of what you committed yourself to.

Your work experience during this time will also make your applications more competitive and compelling, thereby increasing your admission chances at target schools along with your prospects for some or much scholarship money.

[Tiago Splitter]

I agree it's a good idea to wait but I think a better GPA could actually matter here. 3.76-->3.82 would take you from below the GPA median to above at Duke, Berkeley, USC, and UCLA among others, and with applications continuing to decline some of the GPA medians in the mid-3.8's could fall soon enough. That last part is important: The number of people taking the LSAT continues to decline, which means the number of people applying continues to decline, so there's no rush.

Still, you'll need an excellent LSAT to make law school worthwhile. None of this matters if you go score a 155.

[pancakes3]

Also don't assume that just because you're good at standardized tests, have a good GPA, that you're also going to crush the LSAT. The LSAT is rough sledding even for a successful student.

[ChemEng1642]

My vote would be to get the GPA as high as possible while you can. Once that window's closed, it's closed. No going back and changing that number.

The LSAT on the other hand...

[Kratos]

Great info ab your chances here