Epic Fail - Retake?

Law School Admissions What are my chances?
1

Retake & Reapply for T-14 or USNWR 40’s w/ $$$?

  • Retake 4th LSAT and Reapply to T14 next year?
  • Don’t retake but reapply EARLY next year?
  • Suck it up and go to low-ranked school in competitive target market with $$$?
0 voters

GPA:

SOFTS:

LSAT:

Top PT is a 177. My problem is LG. I only got -1 or -2 on RC and LR but just could not stop getting -9 or -10 on LG, because of timing and freaking out. I know its supposed to be the easiest to learn but I just can’t increase my speed or stop freaking out. I’ve already been through all the PTs and studied well. I’d just need to drill and drill and drill. Or am I rolling the sisyphean stone here?


THIS CYCLE:
Went complete in January after receiving December LSAT score.

Held at Columbia, haven’t heard back from the other T14’s I applied too. I think I’ll be waitlisted at just about all of them, as most others with my stat-range and complete dates have already been rejected or waitlisted.

Got a full ride at a school in the USNWR 40’s that would probably be okay for public interest practice, but this would really bum me out. I want to go to a top school, and be challenged by exposure to top students. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking, “if only.”

SO:
Do yall think it’s worth a June retake to reapply, or possibly to get off waitlists if I can do 174+?

Thank you.

2

No GPA and a 167-170? You should easily be in a t14 with an earlier and well done application.

3

Thanks for your response. I’ve been under the impression, though, that my no GPA is hurting me, not helping me. Are you suggesting that because it’s not a factor, schools would be more likely to just take the decent LSAT and good softs?

4

Didn’t you just answer your own question?

5

Don’t retake, but DO reapply next cycle. Many people vastly underestimate the power of applying early in the cycle. You didn’t just apply ‘not early’, you applied LATE in the cycle. That significantly hurts your chances. If you get your apps in 9/1 with the same record you’ll get T14. And why not throw an ED somehwere?

6

That might be a good option. . . Edited the poll to add that in.

That’s kind of the way I feel about it . . . it’s just daunting to think about postponing this another year. Then again, I guess there’s not much difference between getting out of law school at 30 versus 31.

Just wondering what others think because I’ve definitely made some stupid choices so far (taking LSAT first time without studying LG enough, etc) so I appreciate the advice. Keep it comin yall.

7

Retake if you are/can be PTing in the mid-to-upper 170s by mid-May (the June cancellation deadline).

8

I hate this TLS stock answer BUT:

Retake

I think it would be a shame for a 170/(what I’m assuming is a strong academic performance) to end up in a low T1 school. You can and will do better. However, I would follow the advice about not retaking unless almost every PT is 173+.

9

Happy update: just got into Northwestern.

Depending on how generous their LRAP is (gotta read up), this could be a great option.

Thanks everyone, for your help.

10

I would have been schocked if you didn’t get a t14 with those stats.

11

With a 170, you may be waitlisted at every T14 at which a 170 is not above median. So, you shouldn’t be anticipating getting into any school at which has a median above 170.

Cornell?

12

Got into Georgetown, too . . .

Just wish I coulda cracked my top choices in the lower T6 . . .

I wonder if waiting a year would give me a better shot.

Then again it might be a huge waste of time.

13

You’d have to retake to get into a t6