158/3.5 or 3.6 Non-URM Forum

[ahoff0414]

Hey ya'll I just took the LSAT after prep and got a 158. So that puts my LSAT in a pretty mediocre place with my GPA, that said I'm not looking to go T14 or anything close to that. I've got some of the following schools in mind and want to know some opinions from people in this forum on my chances:

UH *Top interest
Tulane
SMU/Baylor/All those other Texas schools in that region
Pepperdine

I've also talked to my dad about schools like South Texas or Saint Mary's where I could get tons of money, but I'd much rather find something that has at least some prestige and clout in the legal community. Thoughts on my chances? Recommendations? Note - At the end of the day the last thing I want to do is retake. I know that even bad schools in big cities like Houston or San Antonio can produce extremely good job prospects if you do well in those law schools, so a super high ranked law school doesn't matter so much to me, schools in the area that I mentioned however are where I'm looking so any thoughts on my chances would be much appreciated.

[Good Guy Gaud]

Why are you so opposed to retaking? (just wondering)

[ahoff0414]

Like I said before. Retaking would only increase the chances of going to schools I already want to go to, by that I mean I don't really want to go to a super sick school all that bad, and I'm afraid the extra 3 months of studying for October would do little to compound on the 4 I put in for June. I feel that people get too caught up in the t14/t20/t30 hype, when the truth is if you graduate top 10% from nearly any top 100 law school you are going to get a pretty decent job out of law school, which is the ultimate goal. Thoughts on my chances with my score/GPA?

[Good Guy Gaud]

Like I said before. Retaking would only increase the chances of going to schools I already want to go to. I feel that people get too caught up in the t14/t20/t30 hype, when the truth is if you graduate top 10% from nearly any top 100 law school you are going to get a pretty decent job out of law school, which is the ultimate goal. Thoughts on my chances with my score/GPA?

You've probably got a fair shot at those schools but might end up paying quite a hefty price. Retaking will increase the odds and the $$$ they dish out to you. You realize that everyone is going to be trying to get in the top 10% and that statistically it's limited to, well, 10% of the people? The odds aren't really in your favor from the start.

Retaking was the best decision I made with regard to my law school career.

[ahoff0414]

Like I said before. Retaking would only increase the chances of going to schools I already want to go to. I feel that people get too caught up in the t14/t20/t30 hype, when the truth is if you graduate top 10% from nearly any top 100 law school you are going to get a pretty decent job out of law school, which is the ultimate goal. Thoughts on my chances with my score/GPA?

You've probably got a fair shot at those schools but might end up paying quite a hefty price. Retaking will increase the odds and the $$$ they dish out to you. You realize that everyone is going to be trying to get in the top 10% and that statistically it's limited to, well, 10% of the people. The odds aren't really in your favor from the start.

Retaking was the best decision I made with regard to my law school career.

That's a good point, but UH and SMU for example are more top 25 percent schools. In the prep course I took the guy that runs it was talking about how people that go to schools with money and are well above the median are also usually high performers at those schools, the schools that are lower-tier and would require me to be top 10 percent are the ones where I could most likely DO THAT. What I mean is, if you want to practice in Houston then a very low tier school like South Texas is an excellent option, I'm confident that I could go there with a lot of money and get top 10 percent if I maintain the academics I have, this isn't ego or anything it's just what I've been told about it. The great thing there is, top 10 percent graduates from South Texas OFTEN get 80/90k offers IN HOUSTON, no one else wants them of course, but that's OK because I'm fine being in Houston (go to UT right now).

If I got into UH or SMU or Pepperdine or what-have-you, the schools that are a good bit better, I'm fairly certain I would have trouble making top 10 percent, but would hopefully be able to stay in the competitive range which is wider for a better school, you understand where I'm coming from?

[Tiago Splitter]

There is no school in America where you can go with a 158 and blindly count on top 10%. Or even top 25% for that matter.

[ahoff0414]

There is no school in America where you can go with a 158 and blindly count on top 10%. Or even top 25% for that matter.

Are you saying there are schools you can go with a 165 and count on top 10 percent? As if those extra 10 correct or so on the LSAT will dramatically change your chances. I'll worry about my ranking once I get in, until then I'm mostly just trying to figure out where my chances are good. I apologize that I was unaware of how bad my 158 was and that it bode so badly for my future in law school.

Mostly I just want to know what my chances are of getting into the above schools....

[mvp99]

Like I said before. Retaking would only increase the chances of going to schools I already want to go to, by that I mean I don't really want to go to a super sick school all that bad, and I'm afraid the extra 3 months of studying for October would do little to compound on the 4 I put in for June. I feel that people get too caught up in the t14/t20/t30 hype, when the truth is if you graduate top 10% from nearly any top 100 law school you are going to get a pretty decent job out of law school, which is the ultimate goal. Thoughts on my chances with my score/GPA?

flame

[lavarman84]

Like I said before. Retaking would only increase the chances of going to schools I already want to go to. I feel that people get too caught up in the t14/t20/t30 hype, when the truth is if you graduate top 10% from nearly any top 100 law school you are going to get a pretty decent job out of law school, which is the ultimate goal. Thoughts on my chances with my score/GPA?

You've probably got a fair shot at those schools but might end up paying quite a hefty price. Retaking will increase the odds and the $$$ they dish out to you. You realize that everyone is going to be trying to get in the top 10% and that statistically it's limited to, well, 10% of the people. The odds aren't really in your favor from the start.

Retaking was the best decision I made with regard to my law school career.

That's a good point, but UH and SMU for example are more top 25 percent schools. In the prep course I took the guy that runs it was talking about how people that go to schools with money and are well above the median are also usually high performers at those schools, the schools that are lower-tier and would require me to be top 10 percent are the ones where I could most likely DO THAT. What I mean is, if you want to practice in Houston then a very low tier school like South Texas is an excellent option, I'm confident that I could go there with a lot of money and get top 10 percent if I maintain the academics I have, this isn't ego or anything it's just what I've been told about it. The great thing there is, top 10 percent graduates from South Texas OFTEN get 80/90k offers IN HOUSTON, no one else wants them of course, but that's OK because I'm fine being in Houston (go to UT right now).

If I got into UH or SMU or Pepperdine or what-have-you, the schools that are a good bit better, I'm fairly certain I would have trouble making top 10 percent, but would hopefully be able to stay in the competitive range which is wider for a better school, you understand where I'm coming from?

I hope you're not being serious. And I don't mean that in a condescending manner. I just hope that you aren't seriously considering this.

[BigZuck]

There is no school in America where you can go with a 158 and blindly count on top 10%. Or even top 25% for that matter.

Are you saying there are schools you can go with a 165 and count on top 10 percent? As if those extra 10 correct or so on the LSAT will dramatically change your chances. I'll worry about my ranking once I get in, until then I'm mostly just trying to figure out where my chances are good. I apologize that I was unaware of how bad my 158 was and that it bode so badly for my future in law school.

Mostly I just want to know what my chances are of getting into the above schools....

You're really not understanding what Tiago is saying here.

I know people with good class rankings at UT Law (top 3rd and higher) who would LOVE to get an 80/90K job offer IN HOUSTON but they just couldn't DO THAT. NOTHING is GUARANTEED and if you go to a school like South Texas or even UH the ODDS will be quite HEAVILY stacked AGAINST YOU. You really do need to RETAKE if only for scholarship money at a school like UH. UH is the only school in Houston I would consider and I would only go there with really modest goals (things like small firm/local government jobs that pay about 50K starting out). The job placement at the other Houston schools are just too poor. Expanding out to the entirety of the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, SMU can be an ok option in the same way UH can (modest career goals and cheap cost of attendance). I wouldn't go there unless you have ties to and are targeting Dallas. And then there is UT. The job prospects are just too poor at all the rest to justify attending, especially if you're hoping for something relatively high paying (which it sounds like you are).

What from your academic career suggests to you that you'll be top 10% at a school like South Texas? You have what you admitted to be a mediocre GPA and LSAT. You have neither the natural aptitude nor the work ethic necessary to break even a 160. What can you point to that makes you confident you will outshine the vast majority of your peers?

Eta: Check out www.mylsn.info for chances