With my "soft" factors, what are my chances? Forum

[thuydnle]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying to law school for the F16 term, and my LSAT and GPA aren't as high as I'd like, though they're at the median for my choice schools. I've checked the TLS stats, but I'm hoping my extracurriculars will give me a boost. Here's an overview of my profile:

162 LSAT
3.645 GPA
Political Science Major, Chemistry Minor
Extracurriculars: Volunteer at local VA clinic for 3 years, AmeriCorps VISTA for the summer, President of a campus organization for 2 years. I also maintained a 20 hrs/week job alongside this.

My resume has seems to emphasize public service, and I've applied to the BU Public Interest Scholarship. I'm also applying to Emory, BC, GW, University of Illinois - Champagne, and Tulane because they have a JD/MPH program, which is what I'm going for.

Will my public service and activities help with my application and boost my chances, or do my medium LSAT and GPA pretty much sink my competitiveness?

[BigZuck]

Those softs aren't going to help you outperform your numbers

Check out www.mylsn.info for chances

I would acquire a bit more geographic focus, I can't really think of a person who should realistically be applying to all those random regional schools

Joint programs are of dubious worth. Maybe the job you want really requires it but generally speaking if you want to be a lawyer you should get a JD and if you want to be a Master of Public Health you should get an MPH but the two together aren't necessarily better than one individually, nor do they neccessarily make you more employable.

[TheSpanishMain]

Your softs are pretty average. The kinds of softs that actually move the needle are things like military service, substantial and impressive professional work experience (as in, not a part time job while in college), etc.

The good news is your GPA isn't bad. Retake the LSAT and you will probably end up with some decent options.

[thuydnle]

Those softs aren't going to help you outperform your numbers

Check out http://www.mylsn.info for chances

I would acquire a bit more geographic focus, I can't really think of a person who should realistically be applying to all those random regional schools

Joint programs are of dubious worth. Maybe the job you want really requires it but generally speaking if you want to be a lawyer you should get a JD and if you want to be a Master of Public Health you should get an MPH but the two together aren't necessarily better than one individually, nor do they neccessarily make you more employable.

Actually, I'm applying to those schools because as I have family in Boston, Atlanta, and Illinois, and I live in New Orleans. I want to focus on health law and health policy and eventually get work with the CDC; I feel that having an understanding of both fields will make me better equipped for that, whether it makes me more marketable or not. While I'm selected my schools partially based on their ranges and have about 50% at most, I've been playing with the idea of taking a year off and reapplying next cycle after taking the October 2016 LSAT. Any opinions?

[TheSpanishMain]

I've been playing with the idea of taking a year off and reapplying next cycle after taking the October 2016 LSAT. Any opinions?

Yes. Do that.

[zhenders]

I've been playing with the idea of taking a year off and reapplying next cycle after taking the October 2016 LSAT. Any opinions?

Yes. Do that.

We literally all agree.