@insidesurgery489 said:

The problem I see is that you are telling “his stories”. Even if it changed or reaffirmed how you feel by hearing them. It still isn’t about you. I would think of a different topic about you and what qualities will make you a great law student.

I second this. I wrote what I thought was my best version of my personal statement, only to have a law professor look at it and plainly tell me that it wasn't my story. It hurt, but I'm extremely thankful that he gave me his honest opinion.

I think we can write the best stories about other people and external factors, but the best personal statement you can write will feature you as the main character.

@ohnoeshalpme804 said:

@huntermyers2014279 said:

@ohnoeshalpme804 said:

Apply to schools where your score is above median, like UMinn or Notre Dame and wait until you get your November scores back to apply to T14. As this is going to be a long cycle, an app in December is not going to be late at all.

I've seen the term "long cycle" in some other discussions, just wondering exactly what this means / why this year's cycle is different than others?

The long cycle for this year is due to schools trying to be more cautious about admissions this year. Last year, schools did not anticipate the rise in applicants and high scorers so they over-enrolled in the Fall and Winter. This year, the idea is that schools will hold off much of the admissions until preliminary applicant data from the Nov LSAT pool comes in before rounding out their class. For example, UMichigan apparently over-enrolled by 50 students last year so they offered extra deferrals to students.

That makes sense, thank you for explaining!

@adipick708 said:

I think you have a very good chance of getting accepted already. Just make sure your softs are strong as well. You'll definitely be high-middle of the pack if you apply now, but that's not a bad chance.

Thank you. I think I have a good PS and interesting work experience, so hopefully that should help too.

@ohnoeshalpme804 said:

Apply to schools where your score is above median, like UMinn or Notre Dame and wait until you get your November scores back to apply to T14. As this is going to be a long cycle, an app in December is not going to be late at all.

I've seen the term "long cycle" in some other discussions, just wondering exactly what this means / why this year's cycle is different than others?

@ohnoeshalpme804 said:

I'm fairly certain that the 7sage predictor factors in what month you apply! So you should plug in your 166 with an early october app, compared to let's say 168/169 with a december app and see what it says!

Also, you can apply now and still retake :)

Personally I'm very torn. The 7sage predictor says that I would need at least a 169 to justify a retake. That's not impossible given my average, but I'm not sure how to improve my score in one month to feel comfortable making that score. Studied 3 months with no job or other commitments for LSAT every single day, took 20+ timed PT's, and all my areas were very close to each other in strength. Plateaued pretty hard around 168-169 with a few scores 170+

Enjoyed the webinar! It was interesting to see how the essays and other pieces of the application affect students the most when they are closer to the medians. This provides some great motivation to try and "write yourself in" at target schools.

@huntermyers2014279 said:

As had been mentioned, GPA is the second most important aspect of your application. For some however, it is a part that is no longer within their control (unless they are in undergrad). There are schools that favor reverse splitters and put an emphasis on GPA but while you are still in studying for the LSAT I wouldn't worry about it. Focus on getting your LSAT score up and then you will get a better picture. Good luck!

LSAT is done for now, hoping for good news on the 29th :')

@mendeldenburg329 said:

@huntermyers2014279 Yeah from the sound of it you seem like a strong candidate so just apply broadly and you should get some good offers. Off the top of my head, Chicago, Penn, UVA, Berkeley, and Cornell likes the high GPA applicants. Penn is a good example of a school that takes a lot of reverse splitters. They essentially fill their entire class with high LSAT/Low GPA and high GPA/low LSAT admits to obtain their high medians, as evidenced by their relatively low 25ths.

Thank you, I'll definitely be applying to quite a few of those. Hopefully my LSAT score comes back where I don't split, or only dip below the median by a point or two. That being said, it's nice to know there's a place at very good schools for those of us who do :)

@mendeldenburg329 said:

Median LSAT means that half the people in the class have below that score so why wouldn't you think someone with above the 75th GPA and 25th to 50th LSAT could be accepted lol

lol when you put it that way I mean it seems like your chances aren't too bad. I think that when you look at stats it seems like the mentality is "median or bust" and I'm guilty of thinking that way too. Nice to have some perspective sometimes.

@leahbeuk911 said:

GPA is somewhat less significant, but still very important. It depends on the school though. Chicago is known for having higher GPA standards than any other school. But they also want a high LSAT.

Also, retaking LSAT is obviously always an option that will give you better chances. Some people argue there is no such thing as a “reverse splitter” (someone with high GPA and low LSAT) since LSAT is under your control and you can work to raise it, whereas GPA is fixed once you’ve graduated.

Yeah I've heard that certain places like Chicago place more of an emphasis on GPA than others (e.g. Stanford). I took the LSAT last Saturday and I think I'm just concerned that the "test day penalty" pushing me 1-2 points below the median at my target schools. Hopefully I won't need to retake it but it's true that it's always an option.

@mjmonte17592 said:

I have heard that acceptance is 70% LSAT 30% GPA (excluding softs).

This seems reasonable. So you think that a person above the 75th percentile for GPA could be accepted if they were under the median LSAT but above 25th percentile?

Exact same issue here, I took a PT yesterday and nearly half of my missed questions came from RC. The analytics circle that represents "InferAuthorPerspective" looks like Jupiter at this point.

@nikitamunjal950 said:

If I'm reading this right you've taken six practice tests in the span of two weeks? If so, that's waaay too many. You shouldn't do more than 2 per week. Also, are you analyzing each test thoroughly? Does your BR consist of writing out your reasoning for each question you're unsure of and not just 'no this doesn't feel right' but detailed, thorough analysis?

Also, seeing that you jumped from 40 to 60 could also explain it. But as @ebbyaldaoud858 stated, channel your frustration (after a break away) into incorporating these 'lessons' into your drills and review. It's easy to say it was caused by burnout or the switch (which I'm sure part of it was) but there must also be something deeper and more fundamental. Maybe you eliminated AC's because you felt they required an assumption or were too strong but then chose an answer choice that was much more flawed.

Yes, I've ended up taking quite a few to try and get a feel for timing. That being said, I could definitely be doing a better job of BR.

Many times, especially with LR, I'm doing exactly what you talked about in your second paragraph. I don't go back during the section and change the answer, but I pass over an answer which I think works for one that is "better" (and turns out to be wrong). Any advice for this persistent issue, or is this something every LSAT taker has to learn to struggle with?

I was lucky enough to hear Mr. Stevenson speak on my college campus this year. Without a doubt the best speaker I have ever heard in person.

@cclarez61 said:

I had a huge score drop when I took PTs 72-78. The way I always saw it was that I can gain more reviewing a bad PT than one that I actually scored well on. I personally dug deep into the reason that my score died in that range and found that the LR sections there were more difficult than the other PTs that I had done especially since that was my most volatile section at the time. Sure, I was scoring much lower in that range than I did in PTs 67-71 but I honestly felt that I was getting better at the LSAT during this time.

That's reassuring to hear. I took 36-40 and did well on 38 and 39, but had a bad showing on 40 and I skipped to 60 today (to try and get a more "modern" LSAT) and that is the worst one I've taken since the diagnostic (I actually missed more questions on this one than my diagnostic). I found the LR to be noticeably harder on 60 than any test from 36-40.

You're totally right though, in that there's a lot more to learn from a "bad" test than from a "good" test. Thanks for pointing out the silver lining.

@huntermyers2014279 said:

There's no need to view two score drops and suddenly think you're hitting some type of LSAT crisis. Relax and realize these two might be pressing your weaknesses more then others. I think it's more reliable to see your progress by averaging the last 5 PT scores like 7Sage advocates for. Every time you do a new PT, drop the fifth one and go off that score. It just becomes too stressful to ride the emotional rollercoaster basing how you're doing off only the new one you just did. Although the overall score is always from 120-180, you have to realize that each PT is very different in exactly what questions each are testing. Even section wise you might have a hard section that is your strength or it might be a hard section where you're not the best in. That's not even including how much sleep you got the night before, your mood that day, what you ate, the time of day you took it, were you distracted, ect. Just find mistakes in each one you do, keep working hard and take your notes. You don't have to stress if you're doing your due diligence.

This makes a lot of sense, I know that I can't live and die by every single score. Sometimes I think about the final score during the exam and that makes things a whole lot worse. I'm trying my best to block those thoughts out and focus on each individual question/game/passage and not worrying about the final outcome. It reminds me of a wise saying...

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

Also definitely haven't been getting enough rest either, need to make that a priority from now until September. Thank you for your help!

@amhawks84508 said:

Ok, some advice from an LSAT novice.

1.) Eat some ice-cream and watch a Wesley Snipes movie.

2.) Look at the 7Sage analytics and listen to the dulcet sounds of JY showing you how to solve the difficult problems while taking notes.

3.) Write-up the wrong LR answers. Re-do games that gave you difficulty (untimed). And write an RC journal to clarify reasoning.

Make sure you're getting plenty of rest. Cap your study to probably no more than 3 hours a day. Meditate and just relax. The test you will be taking will be nothing more than a new, proctored PT. If you don't do well, you can always take it again.

https://media.giphy.com/media/55PqlnfROGE3S/giphy.gif

This is good stuff, thank you! Especially the RC journal, that seems very helpful.