Hi. So I am in the process of applying for this cycle. My GPA is a 3.4 and LSAT most recently in September was a 152. I’ve been PTing in the 170s too. Since August, I’ve had really terrifying health scares and I’m registered to take October next week. I really don’t have much confidence in myself for October. My health still isn’t amazing but I’m doing a bit better.
As for GPA, it all goes back to freshman year. I was working around the clock while balancing 5 classes to support my family after my dad had a severe car accident. (Amazing luck guys right) I also finally got diagnosed with adhd junior year and my semester GPAs since then have been a 3.8+.
And I would say, my ECs are very strong. (Can elaborate more in chat to keep anonymity)
I’m really not in a position to take a gap year because of undergrad loans. and honestly.. I don’t care about top law schools. I have addendums I can write but I’m just at a loss right now and was thinking if anybody could give me genuine advice. Thank you!
7 comments
i might not be super qualified to give you advice -- but you sound like you're persevering through a lot right now and thats a quality i'd want my lawyer to have. you got this! if you're pting in the 170s but scored a 152, it was prob testing nerves and stress. you got this retake and i'm sure you'll end up at an amazing school :)
i aprpeciate your kind words <3
ofc! good luck, rooting for you!
Probably the best advice I can give is that you deserve to take the time and space to perform your best. That gap between a 152 and consistent 170 PTs is really something. As another poster wrote, I'm sure that that gap is really a matter of nerves and just trying to do too much at once.
Let's put this another way. Even if you aren't aiming for a "top" school, the difference between a 152 and - heck - a 165 is the difference between being admitted to schools towards the bottom of the rankings versus really, really solid local and regional options with scholarship money. That's a generational shift for you and for your family.
I know I'm all over this message board saying that it's better to apply earlier, but you also have to apply when your app is at its best. This is a pretty clear one - to me, at least - where taking a little more time seems to make a lot of sense.
Good luck with everything!
@JacobBaska Is it true that schools will be more likely to let applicants in with lower stats towards the beginning of the cycle and less likely towards the end of the cycle? If yes, what month does that door usually start to close by?
Are schools more likely to admit lower stat applicants earlier in the admissions cycle? Yes. Because of the nature of rolling admission, they have more flexibility in the kinds of statistical "buckets" that they can fill earlier in the cycle (ie, "It's early so we can still admit anyone we want"). That comes into greater focus later in the cycle and restricts who they may be able to admit (example: "I just ran our numbers and we're running high on high LSATs, are low on high GPAs, and are low on women; so we ideally would like to admit high GPA women at the moment to balance out our numbers").
Regarding the timeline, it varies by school. But this still falls into the category of "it's better to apply earlier unless you have to take a later LSAT or there's another significant factor delaying your apps."
I’m in the same exact boat and same score. R u planning on taking October? I signed up for October n Nov to be my final attempts ever :(