Hi there: I feel like I have been playing scenarios back and forth in my head too much, so I figured I would pose this question to the 7sage community: should I delay my application for a year?
I just took the LSAT for the first time in June and was very pleasantly surprised to receive a 169. While I had scored 168 several times leading up to the test, this score was above my PT average (between 165-166). It also represents a 22 point increase from my diagnostic of 147. A large part of my progress came from taking working on 7sage, so a huge shout out for that!
With a score that is teetering right on the edge of elite, I am now wondering whether it’s worth it to just go ahead and apply now, or put off applying for a year, spend a lot of time digging in, and try to get a score in the mid 170s. Here’s my context:
Because of my personal situation, I am really only able to choose between schools in Boston. This puts me in a tight spot of having to either chase down Harvard or settle with BU or BC. Don’t get me wrong, both BU and BC are excellent options and certainly have some notable benefits for me. But Harvard is, and has been, the dream.
Unfortunately, I have a fairly low GPA for Harvard (3.77) but the degree was in Chemistry. I also have a Masters’s from the University of Cambridge (with high marks) and two years of work experience in leadership positions in my field of interest.
I currently work full time and don’t think I could effectively balance studying really hard for the LSAT while also putting together a top-notch application that could go in early. This kind of leaves me with two options: 1) Take a chance and see whether I am one of the outliers and get into Harvard with a 169 or 2) Delay for a year, continue to bust my ass on the LSAT, and apply next year with (hopefully) a score that is closer to their median.
One BIG question for me in this is: Is Harvard a realistic option? If I end up delaying and get, say, a 173, will Harvard be viable, particularly given my lower GPA? Or will I sort of end up in the same spot that I was before, which is pretty great, but not quite enough?
I would love any thoughts, comments and advice!
Seems like this is the group for those who work full time! I'm also interested and also work full time.