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Mature Student--what counts most on application after LSAT

vanessa fishervanessa fisher Alum Member
in General 1084 karma

Hi there,
I'm a mature student (33 years old, and have been out of school for 8 years). I've been studying for the LSAT through 7Sage for the last 5 months, and I'm already scoring quite high in my practice tests. I take the LSAT in September, so I feel I have a realistic chance of scoring in the 170s on the test based on how I've been doing.
That said, my GPA from my undergrad degree from 8 years ago is only 3.6. Not horrible, but not amazing. If I want to get into a top school (my dream school would be Yale, but I'm also looking into Uof Toronto here in Canada), am I just automatically out of the race because I don't have a 3.9 GPA? I mean I know there are always exceptions, but how many really?

Since leaving school I have done a lot of things, like living abroad in 5 countries teaching english, and I also published a book with New York University Press on sex and gender issues. So I feel that could all work in my favor. I'm not sure how much those top schools weigh your GPA if you've been out of school for more than 5 years. Would my book and other publications be more what they focus on?
Any thoughts appreciated!

Comments

  • 120_or_bust120_or_bust Core Member
    124 karma

    Bumped as I have a similar question, but not as high stats.

    Been out of school 14 years, worked/travelled around the world with the federal government and still doing so, prob to the detriment of my LSAT studying!

    I'd be surprised if I got 170 or higher but am putting the effort for it, but my cGPA was 3.1 (L2 of 3.6)

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member ⭐
    8392 karma

    @wetcoastcanuck said:
    Bumped as I have a similar question, but not as high stats.

    Been out of school 14 years, worked/travelled around the world with the federal government and still doing so, prob to the detriment of my LSAT studying!

    I'd be surprised if I got 170 or higher but am putting the effort for it, but my cGPA was 3.1 (L2 of 3.6)

    Hiya! General rule of thumb is that soft factors like work experience, publications, etc don't really make up for a low LSAT or GPA, but they can give you a slight edge if you are up against other candidates with similar numbers.

    You'll definitely want to try to knock the LSAT out of the park to help balance out your GPA though. Ultimately, it depends on what your goals are here. Do you have particular schools you are interested in or a target of ranking like T14 or T20 or T50 etc?

    Law schools will still consider your GPA even if you've been out of school quite a while. Regardless of the age of your GPA, it will still factor into their acceptance stats so they will keep it in mind. Some schools are friendlier to splitters than others though, so it really depends on what your goals are.

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma

    Hey @"vanessa fisher"

    You won't automatically be out of the Yale race because of your GPA, but it will be a big reach, even with such a strong soft as a published book. There are always exceptions, and I'm sure there are a good amount of people with lower GPAs who ultimately got Yale over the years, but at the end of the day, they're still exceptions. I think your best bet going forward would be to try to aim for a 175 or better to be above Y's 75%tile LSAT.

    Being out of school for 8 years means that admissions will be more interested in your work experience.

  • Trust But VerifyTrust But Verify Alum Member
    432 karma

    Super broad, but everything non-traditional on your application, have a great explanation for it.

    Im 28, and as I'm studying for a high score, I am putting a lot in making my application really good.

    You'll land where you're suppose to. Keep the optimism.

    Namaste.

  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    OWLs unite! We're going to do great things with our career transitions.

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