hi everyone!
i'm currently scoring around 157 PTs and have a 3.46 GPA. i'm planning on applying to a variety of schools (safety, target, and reach), but part of me feels almost shameful for not applying to (or having the numbers for) higher-ranked schools. most of the schools on my list are safeties, mostly because there aren't many target schools in my area.
i'm above the medians for most of the schools on my list, but is it "wrong" per se to aim to attend a safety? i feel like a lot of social media and the app cycle community heavily prioritizes going to the best possible school, so i'm just trying to make sure i'm not doing it "wrong" i guess?
2
2 comments
I don't think you have anything to feel bad about, @ravenfaith! Your school list is your school list, and it's shaped by the factors that are most important to you. In your case, it sounds like you're taking into account "my area" and I'm going to interpret that as "where I live and where I want to work." That's a totally reasonable thing to do! If you want to go to school in your area and work in your area after law school, the best options for that are going to be law schools in that city, state, or region. And if you're at/above the medians for those schools, I'd say that that's a pretty good thing!
If you want to apply to a reach school or two, that's also totally fine! My suggestion is just to make sure you have a reason for that app. You're like to spend $100 on the app between the app and CAS fees. So if you're spending that money, make sure it's for a good reason!
This really depends on what your career goals are, where you want to practice, and what the employment and bar passage rates are for those schools. Also if they're known to give conditional scholarships, that could be a thing to consider as well. I don't think theres is anything inherently wrong in applying and looking forward to schools outside of the T50, but I think its best to always put your best foot forward. If you feel you can improve on the LSAT then definitely try.