Top Law Schools

-3.89 GPA (from a top 15 undergrad) / 165 LSAT
-Double majors (in STEM fields), double minors (in humanity fields)
-Excellent letters of recommendations
-Excellent work experience (1 year in consulting at a top firm, part-time actress/model)
-Planning on applying very early in cycle (Sep/Oct)
-non-URM female

What are my chances at Columbia (dream school), UPenn, Northwestern, Harvard?

I know that my LSAT is pretty low and I'm planning to retake it, but I'm not sure how much it can improve (I'm not great at the LSAT). Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

lawstudent201920 wrote:-3.89 GPA (from a top 15 undergrad) / 165 LSAT
-Double majors (in STEM fields), double minors (in humanity fields)
-Excellent letters of recommendations
-Excellent work experience (1 year in consulting at a top firm, part-time actress/model)
-Planning on applying very early in cycle (Sep/Oct)
-non-URM female

What are my chances at Columbia (dream school), UPenn, Northwestern, Harvard?

I know that my LSAT is pretty low and I'm planning to retake it, but I'm not sure how much it can improve (I'm not great at the LSAT). Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Great chances at Columbia & Penn, Virtual lock at Northwestern, very slim at Harvard w/out getting closer to 170.

10b5 wrote:

lawstudent201920 wrote:-3.89 GPA (from a top 15 undergrad) / 165 LSAT
-Double majors (in STEM fields), double minors (in humanity fields)
-Excellent letters of recommendations
-Excellent work experience (1 year in consulting at a top firm, part-time actress/model)
-Planning on applying very early in cycle (Sep/Oct)
-non-URM female

What are my chances at Columbia (dream school), UPenn, Northwestern, Harvard?

I know that my LSAT is pretty low and I'm planning to retake it, but I'm not sure how much it can improve (I'm not great at the LSAT). Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Great chances at Columbia & Penn, Virtual lock at Northwestern, very slim at Harvard w/out getting closer to 170.

Wtf are you smoking?

lawstudent201920 wrote:-3.89 GPA (from a top 15 undergrad) / 165 LSAT
-Double majors (in STEM fields), double minors (in humanity fields)
-Excellent letters of recommendations
-Excellent work experience (1 year in consulting at a top firm, part-time actress/model)
-Planning on applying very early in cycle (Sep/Oct)
-non-URM female

What are my chances at Columbia (dream school), UPenn, Northwestern, Harvard?

I know that my LSAT is pretty low and I'm planning to retake it, but I'm not sure how much it can improve (I'm not great at the LSAT). Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Your softs will not make up for your LSAT score. As things stand, you will certainly be dinged by Harvard and Stanford and almost certainly dinged by Penn and Columbia. You have maybe a coin flip's chance at Northwestern. Also, if you do manage to get into any of these places, you will almost certainly be paying full sticker price which is a terrible decision in my opinion. Retake for a 168+. It will literally change your life.

With your GPA you could be competitive at Columbia with a 169+ and competitive at Harvard with a 171+. The other aspects of your application don't really help or hurt you except on the margins.

You say you have good softs, but 1 year of work experience is pretty slim. If I were you I would take an extra year to get more work experience and potentially retake the LSAT two more times or until you score 170+. Nothing but good things will happen to your ultimate legal career if you take the year to do this.

FWIW I took two separate LSAT prep courses (one after the other, but I didn't sit for an administration of the LSAT after the first one because I didn't feel ready) and studied for the test 5-15 hours a week for over a year and a half while working full time, and I think that is the smartest decision I ever made.