172/3.1. T14 Chances? Forum

[LawHopeful312]

As the title says, I got a 172 first time I took it, though I'm retaking in September. I have above-average softs, but I doubt those will play a huge role. I have good GPA addendums, though I have no idea if those actually work/whether they care about those. I plan on writing an essay for every school I apply to. I've checked MyLSN already, and I'm hopeful about Georgetown because of that, but frankly there just wasn't much data for anyone in my range. Anyone wanna take a crack at my chances for the following schools? (As of right now, pending HUGE money from a non-T14, I'll go to any T14 I get into including Georgetown.)

-NYU (Seriously unlikely, but maybe if my retake gets me 175+?)
-UVA (Heard it's splitter friendly, but the phrase splitter is a little too vague to mean that much)
- Mich (Same as UVA)
- NU, maybe (No WE so seems like a waste)
-Cornell (Heard mixed opinions on it being splitter friendly, but it's in New york which is a huge advantage)
- G'town (Most likely out of T14, seems to be the only one with a decent shot, but who knows)
-WUSTL (Doubtful that I'd go due to location, but they do give good money from what I've seen)
-BC
-BU
-Fordham
-Any recommendations?

On a slightly unrelated note, has the desire for high LSAT scores that accompanied decreasing law school applicants still held/gotten better? I read that schools were looking for high LSATs due to falling LSAT medians, but have I thrown my hat into the ring too late for that? Also, this is even more picky/impossible to answer, but how big is the difference between, say, 3.1 and 3.3 to law schools?

[CanadianWolf]

Not sure that improving upon a 172 LSAT score will help with a 3.1 GPA & no post undergraduate work experience among the T-14. Harvard, Yale & Stanford are unlikely to admit you due to your GPA. Same with respect to Chicago.

Best bet remains ED to Northwestern even without work experience (hopefully your undergraduate major was in engineering), Georgetown, Michigan, Virginia & Cornell. Blanket the bottom 7 of the T-14 & see what develops. Otherwise apply to a regional where you would like to live & work after law school. May really come down to how competitive next cycle is for each law school.

Consider working for a year or two before entering law school.

[swampman]

ED UVA is a guaranteed admit, assuming nothing horrible in your app. Less likely regular decision, especially later in the cycle.

[Mack.Hambleton]

Daily reminder that NWs ED includes a full tuition scholarship and is not for splitters trying to get in

That being said, T14 doesn't really make sense for you OP because you'll be paying sticker if you get in anywhere, assuming you don't have outside support, GI Bill etc

I'd be surprised if you didn't get into at least one of the lower T14 tho

[chuckbass]

Daily reminder that NWs ED includes a full tuition scholarship and is not for splitters trying to get in

That being said, T14 doesn't really make sense for you OP because you'll be paying sticker if you get in anywhere, assuming you don't have outside support, GI Bill etc

I'd be surprised if you didn't get into at least one of the lower T14 tho

OP could get something at GULC though considering they've been more generous (and also sometimes actually do need-aid), but that's probably his/her only shot and probably won't be enough to be worth it.

[antiworldly]

With a little distance between your GPA and your application you'll have a better shot at T14. Bank the 172 as a good LSAT, see how it goes in September, and get a job for a couple of years. LSAT scores are valid for five years, so no need to worry about it going stale.

[tskela]

1. You mean October LSAT, not September
2. I think scoring 175+ would put you increase your chances quite a bit