On my resume with the education section, I added "High school dual-enrollment student, non-degree seeking" for each school I dual-enrolled at in high school. I also didn't add a GPA for any of those schools (I'm honestly not sure what they were at this point. Sighs.) I think specifying it on my resume I can skip the addendum for having a shit-ton of schools on my undergraduate record. I don't think it'll hurt at all, but I don't want the admissions people thinking I'm a total flake and couldn't stay put in one school for very long.

@ Well, exactly. I don't know what is has to do with character either, but it's still part of the Character and Fitness part of the applications. The "why" is a moot point. I just need to know how to respond.

I really just want to know if I have to check the box for "yes" for the criminal violation/being charged for a crime questions, and then if I have write an addendum for that one time I was driving my mom's car I got pulled over because her registration expired. Judge threw out the charges in court, said I was "not guilty" so I didn't have to pay anything and my driving record stays clean. But at one time I was "charged" with blablabla driving stuff and don't know if I should disclose that.

If anyone on this forum has ever been pulled over for a minor traffic violation (such as a registration issue), would that person please comment and let me know if you know how to answer?

@ Thank you for the response! I don't think I the question pertains to me, but I'll shoot an email out to an admission counselor to double check. I was really hoping someone on the forum might have an easy answer so I could avoid asking a school lol.

@ I received an email with a very similar response. The email did tell me that if we do decide to go for the center change, the deadline is the 11th. It's not a great option. I mean, by Monday if the damage is bad enough to close the test center, I probably won't have wifi/cell reception, and leaving the area probably won't even be an option. So, yikes. Fingers seriously crossed for 1. the center being okay, or 2. LSAC giving us a new date.

At this point, I'm not leaving Florida. I live south of Jupiter, and apparently the 7 million of us south of Jupiter have been asked not to leave unless we're in a flood zone. My house is not in a flood zone, has a new roof, and has hurricane windows. I'm not gonna panic until it's time to panic. Also, I'm actually concerned about trying to leave, getting stuck in the grid-locked traffic of people getting out, then running out of gas and then having to sit through a hurricane in the middle of nowhere stranded in my car. But I really hope they'll give us an alternate test date. There's literally no where else in Florida to evacuate to, and if all our applications get screwed because of a hurricane it'll seriously suck.

I'm just gonna pass on the hurricane-preparedness wisdom I was raised with (anyone else a native Floridian? lol):

Tip for success: shower the night before the storm hits so if/when you lose power, you start out fresh and clean. Also do your laundry and sheets before it hits... for the same reason.

DO NOT go out during the eye of the storm. It ends abruptly, often trapping people outside during the storm. It seems safe because it's calm, but if you wander out and the hurricane starts back when you're still outside, you'll probably die.

DO NOT step in a puddle/standing water if you cannot see where the water ends. There could be a live wire in the water thereby leading to your death.

If you can, park your car in a covered/secured place above ground level. So if you have access to a parking garage at school or apartment complex, use it. Or even pay to park in an airport parking garage. The way I see it, I'd way rather pay to have my car safe and sound, than have it totaled with my neighbor's mailbox through the windshield and a dead raccoon in the back seat.

Hey there,

I'm down in Palm Beach county, FL. Right now, I'm living right where it'll touch down, so the damage will be pretty epic; it'll be a direct hit if it stays on its path. Currently deciding with my family if we'll leave or stay. I emailed LSAC asking about what they'll do, and below I've copied and pasted what they told me as of this morning.

"Thank you for writing. We do understand your concern, and we are actively monitoring the situation in the region. Please know that your safety is our primary concern. Because there are so many open questions, we do not have any additional September test center information to share with you at this time. In the case of a closing we will notify affected examinees of their options as soon as possible. That notification would be sent to you by email, so please make sure you have an active email address indicated in your LSAC online account.

If you know you will be unable to take the September LSAT, or if you do not wish to wait for additional information about available test centers for September, you may request a test date change to the December 2017 or the February 2018 LSAT. Or, if you would prefer to take the September LSAT at an alternate location, you may request a test center change to a center outside the affected region. Please call 215.968.1001 to speak with a representative, or contact LSACinfo@.org to submit your request. Our representatives will complete either a test date or test center change for you at no charge. If you are opting for a test center change for September, please contact us by Monday, September 11.

We will continue to contact you by email regarding the September LSAT in your region once more information is available. We thank you for your patience while we work to provide you the best possible options."

I seriously do not want to push back my test date until December. I'm retaking having taken the exam in June. If I push back to December I think I'll be epically burned out, and it'll effect my timing for when I want applications to be in. From what I can tell, LSAC is letting Harvey victims just take in December of February without a change fee or something. Personally, I'm leaning towards just changing locations and flying somewhere to take the exam. I'm not going to let Irma screw up my future in law school.

@ thank you! I emailed them as well, but they didn't email me back with any specific information like that. It's what I was hoping they'd say. (Seriously - if they just "let us" take the December exam free of charge I will not be happy. The timing of the December exam would 100% throw off getting in applications early(ish).)

I'm pretty sure taking the GRE is just a racket to get more applicants and thereby boost rankings. I had to take the GRE for my last master's degree (including the subject test), and it's a pretty ridiculous test. I remember from my prep for the GRE that while it is supposed to predict how well one will perform in grad school, it usually isn't an accurate predictor of one's success. Also, it isn't really a test that looks for logical capabilities. Unlike the LSAT which is strictly logical and there is one definitively correct answer, and four wrong answers, the GRE runs off of "the most right answer" methodology of questions. One of the reasons people don't need that much time to adequately prepare for the GRE (unlike the LSAT in which preparation is partly just learning how to think) is because most of the prep just comes down to test-taking strategies and learning what the GRE does to trip up test takers. As in, GRE prep is to help a person learn how to take the GRE, but does not require one to learn how to think logically and prove one's ability to apply that logic to questions. I predict the GRE option for law school admissions will be short lived.

Side note: when Harvard announced it was going to accept the GRE for law school, one of their reasons was to be "more inclusive" (or was it diverse?) in the application process. Ironically, for years the GRE has been under fire for NOT being inclusive and favoring wealthier people who can afford the prep, putting minorities and lower-income applicants at a disadvantage.

@ Thanks for the response! I just ordered the LSAT Trainer, so I can get working through that. I scored a 156 in June, but the PTs the month before the exam I was in the low 160s. I'm disappointed in my score, but not discouraged. I still made a 10 point gain from my very first diagnostic (a 146), but I want to get at least another 4 points. I want my 160+!

@ Thank you for the response! I'm still researching all the schools I'm looking at, but the links and info you attached are actually really helpful. I haven't actually discovered the them on my own, so I'll be devouring them over the next few days. I'm certainly not going to go to law school on the flip of a coin; I've been thinking about it for years. That being said, I'm also trying to be careful to go to a school that gives me a fighting chance of helping me find a job.

To clarify though, I never clerked for the appellate judge - we're just close. And, the clerks who's backgrounds I was surprised to see weren't all that prestigious were in their mid-twenties having just graduated LS.

But seriously - your advice is solid. Thank you!

Edit: @ that Law School Transparency website is awesome. I was going strictly off US News, but OMG. lstreports.com is the best! Thank you so much for pointing me to it!

These have been interesting comments to read through. As a fellow 156 scorer (yes, I'm retaking in September. My diagnostic scores leading up to the exam were decently higher so), I feel the need to weigh in on the conversation.

First, I believe there are schools out there I could get into right now that are worth attending. Grand it, they're schools I only have a 1/4 chance of getting in, but I believe are still worth it. For example, I could get into Washington & Lee, Indiana University, or Ohio State - all of which are in the top 50. I won't get money and it'll be tough to get in (hence, ahem, retake), but it's possible. I know a T14 is out of the question for me, but I'm okay with that. Honestly, I don't even really want to go ta T14 - I just want the score for one so I can get a scholarship at a top 50. I mainly care about getting into a top 50 (which is possible with a 156), and going to a school with a high bar pass rate, high employment rate 10 months out of graduation, and in a location where I would actually want to practice. I know even with a scholarship for the first year, I'll still be under a LOT of debt when I graduate. I'm not a fan of the debt aspect, but it is what it is. And ultimately, in the end I just want to practice law. Does that make it worth it to attend law school with a 156 even if I don't pull up my score? To me, that's a definite yes.

During my studying for the LSAT and prep for applications, I've had the benefit of being able to talk to an appellate judge for advice. When I first talked to him about my going to law school, he told me not to get all hung up on the T14 hype train. He told me I could go to a state school and get just as good of an education in law as any Ivy League, because the curriculum is so streamlined. The only schools he told me to stay away from were in California (and judging from that state's overall low bar pass rate, I can see why he'd say that). He told me what schools he likes to fish from for hiring his clerks, and which schools he just liked in general. Those schools varied in ranking form T14 to a top 100. Basically, a lot in choosing the schools just came down to where I want to practice, and area of specialty. Considering he's the guy hiring people for prestigious clerkships, I tend to listen to his advice about which schools to apply to.

Also, when I lived/worked in DC I came in contact with a lot of judges and clerks. I worked in a circuit court law library and so had a lot of contact with the judiciary and their clerks, as well as a lot of local attorneys who utilized the library. When I began thinking about law school even back then, I naturally looked into the educational backgrounds of many of the attorneys I knew. Surprisingly to me, none of the clerks I met went to an Ivy League or even a T20. A lot of them actually went to surprisingly low ranked schools (like top 90? 100? yikes) and yet still manage to practice law. The same surprising background applied to many of the local attorneys I worked with. Sure I met a few who went to Georgetown, but it wasn't a death sentence if you didn't go there. I also met a lot of attorneys who had the "I wish I had gone to a better school/didn't go to law at all" mentality. Honestly, from what I gathered they were just people who were unhappy in general, worked in corporate law, or divorce law; the school they attended didn't seem to change things too much.

The main point of my little essay here is really that a 156 isn't a death sentence to practicing law. It won't lead to a prestigious career in Manhattan, but it isn't a score that will keep a person from practicing. Like I said earlier, I'm still retaking in September because I'm personally not overly pleased with my 156. But I am happy that I'm in the lower end of the range of going to law school at all. It works with my career/life goals, and I think that matters more than anything else.

@ when you look at the grade report form, it tells you what you answered as compared to the actual answer. It's annoying, but you can see there. What's really pissing me off is that not only was the curve steep, but it was one of those ones that totally eliminated certain scores. Like, it wasn't possible for ANYBODY to score a 179 or a 175. (Not that I was close, but that's a side point). It just makes the LSAC's bell curve that much more pronounced. Like, okay, keep it at a -9 curve. But at least make every score an option.

Study group for all of us poor souls retaking?

Just got it. Time to retake. Ugh

So, if I still don't have a score tomorrow, does anybody know of a number to call at LSAC? I'm dying here

Zilch

They could just load the scores to their webpage like the MCAT does, or the GRE. But whatever. They can torture us more this way.

Still waiting. Ugh

GREY!!!! I'm so so so so happy!!!

GREY DAY!!!!!!!!!!

It's only come out late once. And that was because of Hurricane Sandy (LSAC was closed for three days). Chances are, it'll be today or tomorrow. I doubt it will be late, though.