I need some fellow 7Sager opinions on the Feb LSAT...

JumpmanJ

So I just got my December LSAT results back, and as expected, I didn't do very well (155), I knew right after that exam that it hadn't gone great. I choked on the logic games section, and underperformed on the LR. I need some advice on whether I should take the February one, or wait until June... Essentially my situation is as follows:

I am from Canada, and my GPA is slightly lower than the median for most people applying to law schools here. The average applicant has an A- average which is 80-83% (with a 162 LSAT), mine is a B+ 77%, or so (differs from school to school but this is just a snapshot). This isn't from lack of ability (I got straight A's my final year of university), just lack of focus or motivation my first few years. I already paid for a handful of applications for this coming admission cycle and obviously would like to go somewhere but I am not sure if I should put myself through 1 month of extreme stress with a large chance of not getting a high LSAT mark (163-165) I currently need (and blowing another LSAT write). From what I have learned in JY's course, crushing the LSAT is a habitual process that most people get to from months and months of constant repetition and practice. I put in a couple months of full time studying but clearly that wasn't enough.

A handful of people have recommended that I register for classes at the university I graduated from as an unclassified student and take a year of classes that I am interested in (I am a huge history/politics buff) to bring up my GPA. On average, Canadian law schools tend to weigh GPA slightly higher than the LSAT. I shot myself in the foot by not becoming absolutely stellar at LG's, I was averaging 16/23 on the 8 PT's I took before my actual write. Assuming I did well in all these classes, It would alleviate some LSAT pressure.

The only downsides to waiting until June is that I wasted $800 on applications since February's LSAT is the last score accepted for admission in Fall 2017, and I delay my law school aspirations a bit (I am currently 26 years old).

Anybody who has advice, opinions, or general comments....please let me know!

inactive

Bumping so more people can see.

Sprinkles

@JumpmanJ said:
The only downsides to waiting until June is that I wasted $800 on applications since February's LSAT is the last score accepted for admission in Fall 2017, and I delay my law school aspirations a bit (I am currently 26 years old).

While that's a lot of money, it seems as though retaking in June would seem like a good option if you put work into it and will end up getting a better chance at a nice scholarship. I'm not sure how Canadian law schools value classes taken after undergrad, but if this was advised by knowledgeable people in Canadian school admissions that too can be an option. At the end of the day you shouldn't beat yourself up over delaying LS another year or whatever the case may be. More and more students are applying to law school later on in life anyway; a K-JD candidate isn't as common anymore. Don't treat your age as a disadvantage, heck Obama entered law school in his late 20s as well lol.

cam

I'm not sure if the Canadian side is different, but I thought that LSAC only calculated your GPA based off of the classes you completed PRIOR to completing your first BA/BS degree. If it is different for Canada, or if you haven't completed your degree-disregard this tidbit.

As far as that shooting you in the foot, I can relate. I withdrew after the deadline for two different semesters, about two years apart (two different schools, two different majors), so I have more WF's and F's than I really want to admit. I'm 7-8 years after I last withdrew, and am back in school with a 3.4 cumulative (at this school) GPA with a 3.75 for this past semester. However, my max LSAC GPA is a 3.0 (out of 4.0) with about a year of school to go.

Since you've already put in your applications, could you wait it out and see what the results are? Maybe a school that you would like to attend will throw you enough scholarship to make it worth your while?

I feel like it wouldn't hurt to wait out a cycle so you can study for the June 2017 test. As far as the money goes, is there a significant chance that retaking in June could result in getting a far greater return in scholarship/acceptances?

I wouldn't let the age get to you. I don't know if there is a related thread on this board, but on TLS there is an "OLD TIMERS" thread in the admissions forum. I'm 30 now. I'll be 32 when I'm applying to school, and would be matriculating at 33.

Cant Get Right

If you were born in the 90's, you're too young to be concerned about age;) Just kidding, I'm 31 and that was a big factor for me in making my decision about whether or not to delay a cycle last year.

I was in a very similar situation. If I had it to do all over again and could only change one thing, there is no question what I'd change: I'd save my second take. I took two before I was ready and then only had one left. I feel pretty comfortable saying I'd mastered this thing by my final take, but I underperformed. It all worked out, I have a great score, but man if I had one more go at it I have no doubt that I could at least hit my average.

So I vote to hold off on February and start preparing for next cycle.

I made a thread recently that goes more into my decision to delay if you're interested in anything more from me on this topic: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/9910

JumpmanJ

Thanks everybody! I ended up withdrawing from Feb's LSAT and am either going to take June's or September's! Being able to boost by GPA after graduating is a pretty good way for me put some control in the application process instead of relying on just one exam. Look's like I will have to renew my 7Sage account and keep at it for a while longer