Dilemma!

mpits001

A lot of you know my story, but if you don't here's a link to the situation I was in about three weeks ago: http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/3178/i-m-not-really-sure-how-to-feel

So, I received the score I need to be seen as a strong applicant to the 2 schools I have in mind, but I was waitlisted because seats were full. I was able to convince my family that taking a year off was the best move (Trust me, this is hard on me as well; I had a huge timeline planned in my head, and I feel like I failed myself.) So here I am. I now have a year off, and I get to apply during early admissions to the schools I would like to go to. I still feel stuck, however. I was told that both schools don't necessarily care if I take the LSAT 3 times, because they don't average the scores, but is it worth it?

If I'm accepted early and I take the LSAT a 3rd time (this will be around December), can I even make a case that I can have more, if any, scholarship? I have not touched LSAT since my test ended on June 8th, so if I wanted to have any improvement that warrants a larger scholarship opportunity, I'd need to wait till December. However, I may not even be able to make a case for higher scholarship at that point, because a lot of money will have already been given out.

Also, to be quite honest, I'm not sure how much time I can dedicate to studying the LSAT until I find a job that pays more and work out what's going on with my potential participation in a presidential campaign (which should boost my resumé for law school.)

I've ran through 7Sage two times, and I understand it's a bit different now than when I went through it the first two times, and I've been through the trainer once. If I do study, should I go through 7Sage again or just fill the gaps (ie the new stuff added or unchecked in my schedule.) I'd probably go through the Trainer again.

So is it worth it? I still feel as though taking the test 3 times, even if they don't average it, looks bad! Also, even if I did study again, I'd only take it AGAIN if I averaged at least a score that was decently higher than my current score. Any advice is appreciated >.<!

Pacifico

Schools only care about the highest score (with very few exceptions) and the level of school you're talking about only cares about the highest score. A higher score will absolutely put you in a better position to negotiate scholarships and December is still fairly early in the admissions process, not to mention the scholarship negotiation process, so that fear is unfounded as well.

Just start back on studying as soon as you can, especially since you don't know how much time you'll have to study. I'd use 7Sage with the Trainer again but study smarter, not harder, so you can make the most effective use of your time. Use the analytics and get to understand your real strengths and weaknesses.

As an aside, I'd read the quoted post from WF's Dean Shively here on scholarship negotation, just to give you some perspective: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=177499

c.janson35

If the schools you want to apply to only consider the highest score and you are taking an additional year off anyway, I think you would be remiss to not take the exam again. You have the time, and with 2 full run throughs through the curriculum, you likely would only need to PT and BR a couple/few times a week to see improvement (and honestly, I would lay off the Trainer if you've been through it once already; studying up on theory gets to a point of diminishing returns... Practice is most important). Moreover, because the LSAT is skills based and not knowledge based, the fact that you haven't studied since June is likely not as detrimental as you may think. You may be a bit rusty but take a test or two and it'll be like you never took a break, so an Ocotber exam may be a viable option for you. There's still 2 and a half months left until the Oct test which is more than enough time to see a significant improvement in your score--especially because you've twice been through the curriculum.

I think you know it's worth it to retake, deep down.

mpits001

@Pacifico @c.janson35 Yeah I've spoken with someone within the school and he said a lot of the things you both said. Thank you for the advice and guidance ! I guess I'll be studying for December !

emli1000

I would also apply early and submit your app and indicate on your app that you are taking the Dec. LSAT.

mpits001

@emli1000 will they not accept me if they know I'm taking it again? As in, will they put my app on standby?

Pacifico

Most schools will run a report and see that you're registered for another LSAT and will likely place your application on hold. I'm sure some schools vary in their reaction to another LSAT registration depending on the scores you already have, but in general they'll likely put you in a hold until the score comes back. For example, if you had a 3.8/173 and were applying to GU, you're all but a lock, but maybe you want extra scholarship leverage and were PTing above177 consistently so you figured why not retake to increase your potential offer. In an extreme case like that, a school might just admit you anyways, but without knowing the rules of each adcom, it's hard to predict which schools would be exceptions to the put you on hold rule. Also, the dirty little "secret" of law school rolling admissions is that they'll put you in a hold anyways if you apply super early and don't have stellar numbers but might later be borderline enough to admit or put on the waitlist.

emli1000

@mpits001 all schools are different, so it depends. But I would still apply early just in case they offer you more money since it's the beginning of the cycle. You can always indicate in your app that you'll retake the LSAT in Dec. Ive read posts on here from the past that have gotten accepted and offered scholarships with their LSAT scores before their retakes.