Re-taking the LSAT after 1L dismissal

jaydee25

Hey, everyone.

I never thought I'd be back at square 1 again to redo this exam. I took it in 2021 and got a 154 which was a huge jump from my 137 in 2017. I started my first year at law school from 2022-2023. Unfortunately, since I was not eligible for any loans, I worked full time and overtime throughout my 1L to pay for tuition, and attended school part time. My grades suffered and ultimately my health, too. I was dismissed just at the start of the Fall 2023 semester with no permission for an appeal, though the school was aware of my financial circumstances, and the dismissal letter stated that I was 'facing significant non-academic issues that placed tremendous demands on [your] time'. I tried to apply to a few schools just a few weeks ago after I finally got over the initial shock of being dismissed and having a tarnished record, but none of them allow me to even put in an application for another 2 years after this dismissal. I signed up for the June 2024 exam to see if I can get a higher score, with the intention to try and apply again in Fall 2024 with the hope of returning to law school in 2025 [not my previous law school and ideally a higher ranked one]. Have any of you been in this kind of situation?

For the record, I am not a poor student, but I am financially poor. As an immigrant, I am not allowed to ask for loans. I have paid out of pocket for all my education and even relied on TAP for my undergrad and grad degrees. I graduated from Harvard University with a 3.25 for my Bachelors [took 6 years] and later on with 3.69 for my Masters [took 3 years], and I have 9 years experience as a certified family law paralegal. I'm currently self-employed as an educational consultant and I prepare legal documents for low-income clients with family law cases. My hope was that I would finish law school by my late 30s so I could still commission for JAG and help military personnel going through family law cases, since military and veterans are under-represented in family law courts due to stereo-types associated with their experience, careers, and health.

I'm not saying I'm a great candidate compared to others who already hold multiple degrees and other doctorates, or those with higher LSAT scores, but this dismissal is making me doubt if future law schools would even care to consider these circumstances in conjunction with my experience and note that I am not a bad student.

At this point, is it even worth re-taking this exam and starting from scratch?

ellewoodsandmachiavelli

i don't think it'll hurt. it may even show law schools your growth and dedication to law. i'd get some letters of recs from maybe your undergrad/grad admissions dean/professors and explain to them these circumstances so they can advocate for understanding from the schools you apply to.

AlexLSAT.

Not a complete expert on this, but you're going to need a convincing reason as to why this won't happen again. Schools will ultimately want to boost their bar passage rate, and like the person above me said, academic dismissal from law school implies you wont pass the bar exam. Sign up for the fee waiver through LSAC and 7sage will let you subscribe for $1... so LSAT prep shouldn't be an issue.

DKCANADA

I think the law school that dismissed you without appeal seriously needs to ask themselves why they are even interested in law.

Lsatgamestrong

I have no particular advice because I am just about to take the LSAT too but I just want to commend you for not giving up and keeping it pushing. Truly truly inspiring and i want you to know you are not alone!! We are all pushing for something in our lives and the bigger the challenge is, in my opinion, the sweeter the reward. I am wishing you all the best on your journey and if anytime in the future i can help I definitely will!!!!!

nooralmusahwi

hi, immigrant and refugee myself I can most def relate. I can email you some resources. feel free to reach-out.

Wisdom - Student Service

Hi @nooralmusahwi,

I removed your email address from your comment in light of the forum rule, "Do not to post your email or phone number publicly. Spam bots might pick up your email & number and you'll get spam. If you want to share contact info, you can use direct messaging."

Let me know if you have any questions!

camishanvilme

Hi! You've mentioned wanting to join JAG. Why don't you join the army now? It would help the financial issues and you're already interested in the military. I just found this link:

https://www.airforce.com/careers/specialty-careers/jag/entry-programs/active-duty-military#:~:text=FUNDED LEGAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (FLEP)&text=If%20you%20are%20selected%20to,while%20you%20attend%20law%20school.

I selected the other slots and there is also a student entry program. You can join as a student in law school. The Graduate Law Program (GLP) is also available it looks like you can join this program at any point of your law career. Maybe it would be best to connect with them now through the JAG entry programs.