Ideas for strengthening application

CoffeeBeans

Hi,

For the past five years, I have been working online, teaching English to students oversees, while staying home to take care of my little ones. Before that, I was a middle school ELA teacher.

My passion has always been to attend law school, and I think I am at a point in my life where I am ready. I am 32. I took the June LSAT and scored 161. My undergrad GPA was 3.64. I plan on taking the LSAT again, hoping to pull it up in the 165-172 range. My dream school is Northwestern Law.

I will probably apply for Law School during the 2020 cycle. Until then, I have some time for volunteering/ working on my softs.
What can I do for the next year that would strengthen my application?

Ohnoeshalpme

Obviously your first priority should be the LSAT but I am guessing that you are taking the steps in that area that you need to. Just make sure when picking volunteer work that you are not prioritizing that over study time. The key to getting into Northwestern is a good LSAT score. You already have the ample work experience and maturity that Northwestern favors. But keep in mind that they prioritize the LSAT more than anything else. With a GPA of 3.64 you will need a 170 or better to be considered at Northwestern. The fact that you already scored in the 160's tells me that you are capable of scoring in that range with a consistent, long-term devotion to the test.

In terms of your softs, do you have letters of recommendation? It seems like that might be a challenge for someone in your position as you work online as a teacher and you've been out of undergrad for some time. I'd seek wisdom about these. I am not the expert that you need, but it stands to reason that anyone who has been out of undergrad for 5 years or more is better served by letters from colleagues and employers. I expect that admissions officers will want recent ones as well. The only problem here is that many schools require you to have at least one or, in some cases, two academic letters.

In terms of volunteer work, you want to demonstrate to admissions officers that you can handle multiple professional responsibilities simultaneously. To demonstrate this, find something that suggests a good deal of devotion. You'll have an easier time devoting yourself if your volunteer work complements a particular law-related interest that you have.

I hope this helps, good luck

MissChanandler

In addition to the above, I would recommend seriously considering applying ED to Northwestern.

Leah M B

Above advice is great. Really, the best thing you can do is get a great LSAT score to bolster the GPA. Since you have a pretty busy life, I'd make sure to spend a good amount of time studying. You'd be best off with a 170+ to balance out the GPA, and getting past the high 160s is no joke. It becomes much more difficult to raise your score the higher you go.

That said, if you'd really like to get a little more on your resume, anything is fine. It doesn't have to be law related. Any particular cause or non-profit you are passionate about and would enjoy helping is nice. Volunteer at blood donation sites, walk dogs for your local shelter, look for a non-profit that's seeking people to be on its board. Maybe something education related if that's what you're interested in? It really doesn't have to be anything specific. Softs are nice and can be a tie-breaker between you and similarly credentialed applicants, but the most important factors will always be LSAT and GPA.

And second the advice to apply ED if you know Northwestern is your #1! Their $150k scholarship is great. I'm considering it myself this cycle.

CoffeeBeans

Thank you for the very helpful advice. You guys are awesome!

@MissChanandler and @"Leah M B" I did not know about the benefit of applying ED to Northwestern, nor about their scholarship. You guys totally gave me something to work towards.

@Ohnoeshalpme Yes! I do need those LORs. Will work on it. Thanks so much!