3.82 / 166 / Disciplinary Incident Forum

[Cucumbersome]

Basic Stuff is

3.82 GPA / 166 LSAT, retaking in October (and, if needed, December) PTing low-mid 170s for October/December so I'm anxious but confident, I know it's a huge difference. Weak-ish softs. No real work experience (looking for work atm, but I know it's too little too late), the biggest positive is Captain/Treasurer/President of my undergraduate Mock Trial Team.

The disciplinary issue is this (not just copy-pasting the addendum, I haven't gotten there yet) - During first semester of freshman year of college (5 years ago now) my roommate and I kept a blog. Likenesses of our suitemates appeared on this blog. In a fictional post my roommate jokingly described hitting one of these suitemates with a plastic toy bat. These suitemates reported feeling physically uncomfortable by the post. As a result my roommate and I moved dorms at the end of the semester and we were told to take the blog down, which we did. I was verbally reprimanded for my involvement as a contributor to the blog, but, as I was not the one who wrote the material I was only warned (no probation/suspension/honor board meeting/etc.) and told to put the hobby to good use and write a blog about the university, which I did. There is no record at the university of the incident, either on my transcript or in the school's disciplinary files. I don't believe the blog about the university is still online either.

I regret being as careless as I was, there are things you don't say or put your name by without really thinking about how it could be interpreted when not in the light most favorable to you. Even if we weren't close or friends I regret not approaching my suitemates to ask if they were comfortable using their likenesses in my tomfoolery.

that being said I'm anxious about my law school chances. I know my LSAT, as it stands, doesn't do my GPA justice but with ever-improving practice tests I'm confident and I'm doing everything in my power on that front. As it's easiest to think about it this way for me - how many points does this equate to on the LSAT? Certainly if I got a 180 I'd get in somewhere (I'd hope, I'm honestly just guessing), but if I didn't improve at all on September or December would I still have a shot at T-14?

My list is
Harvard / Yale / Stanford
Berkeley / Duke / Cornell / Georgetown
UCLA / Emory / Vandy / UT-Austin
FSU / UF
Stetson

Because it was not a conviction and there was no discipline a few of these schools don't seem like ones where I must disclose, though if there's any ambiguity I want to do so just so I don't have any C&F issues on the bar down the line.

I'm looking for money at these schools too and understand that, just like my admissions chances, my chances for money are hurt by this as well - but I was still hoping for some predictions on scholarship money from people who know or have personal experience in situations like mine. If I could get some perspectives both on applying with a 166 to these schools and with a ~169 (trying to stay confident) then that would be great, I know a few points makes a big difference at places like these. Thanks for reading this all

[CanadianWolf]

The conduct indicates a lack of maturity & poor judgment. This is not, as presented, a C&F issue, in my opinion.

With your numbers, there is no need to consider Stetson or the other Florida law schools on your list (unless planning to join A Family Law Firm based in Florida).

[Cucumbersome]

The conduct indicates a lack of maturity & poor judgment.

No arguments here

This is not, as presented, a C&F issue, in my opinion.

When you say that I take it you mean down the line on the bar? That's encouraging to hear. Given the candor of your reply (and the notion that the florida schools are below my numbers) I take it that this is a blemish but not significantly so?

Thanks for taking the time to reply

[03152016]

i don't understand your list of schools, it looks random

goals? location?

[Cucumbersome]

i don't understand your list of schools, it looks random

goals? location?

A lot personally specific stuff. Live in / went to school in Florida with reasons to pull me back towards the state which is why the safeties are all in state, I'm confident I can get $$$ somewhere in state and that felt as good a place as any for my safety baseline. I prefer the southern schools because either they place well into Florida (Emory) or are close enough that regular drives wouldn't be killers, I also shy away from large urban environments, which I realize will be a barrier to biglaw in the future (that being said I would definitely do it if the opportunities came). It doesn't hurt that, with a couple points, I should be in range of $$ at the 15-25 schools. Just have a couple, different personal connections to upstate NY, GULC, and Socal which is why they're there. Cornell in particular has been good to acquaintances of mine in regards to scholarships as well. H/Y/S are HYS and it would be hard to turn away an acceptance to any of them.

My ideal goal at the moment is shooting for federal clerkship and either transitioning into academia or into a place where I can get into courtrooms and work towards judging down the line, but I understand that those goals are contingent on getting into a truly top tier school and then performing exceptionally there and I'm not delusional that it isn't highly probable atm. I wouldn't be completely averse to biglaw as I said earlier, but I'd say I'm less in that camp than the average applicant which is why I'm worried about $$. I have a cursory interest in PI as well - would just need to learn more/experience it for myself to see if there is something in the bigger umbrella I'd be happy doing.

Stanford / Berkeley have been my 1-2 from the start, though I'm mellowing on that a bit as I do more research. Do you have any particular suggestions though given all that? Is there any real shot at those schools given my credentials?