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T15 Super Splitter Chances

splitter_sagasplitter_saga Free Trial Member
edited August 2018 in Law School Admissions 60 karma

Hi all, with a < 3.0 GPA / >170 LSAT can I reasonably think about schools in the latter half of the T15 (#7-15) range? Or are those "reaches"? If they're reaches, where would my "targets" be?

Thanks in advance for your input, I really appreciate the noticeably kinder demeanor from this community in comparison with other Pre-Law forums on the internet...

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  • 1000001910000019 Alum Member
    3279 karma

    People with your stats have gotten into T15 schools. It’s getting pretty late in the cycle tho

  • splitter_sagasplitter_saga Free Trial Member
    60 karma

    @10000019 said:
    People with your stats have gotten into T15 schools. It’s getting pretty late in the cycle tho

    Oops forgot to mention I am not applying this cycle. Thanks.

  • LSATcantwinLSATcantwin Alum Member Sage ⭐
    13286 karma

    Hey! What's up fellow splitter. I'm a 2.83/171 applicant. And right now I've applied and am going through hell....lol but my situation is unique I believe.

    That said, I think you'll have a good shot. Apply early, build your resume, make sure your softs are strong, and you'll have a chance!

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    edited January 2018 23929 karma

    @splitter_saga said:
    Hi all, with a 2.92 GPA / 173 LSAT can I reasonably think about schools in the latter half of the T15 (#7-15) range? Or are those "reaches"? If they're reaches, where would my "targets" be?

    Some background: Econ/Poli Sci major from a top public school, rough first 2 years for grades with improvement later on, have been out of school for 2 years now.

    If my chances aren't looking good - what should I be doing to buoy them? Re-take for 1-2 more pts?? Take the GRE for another 'good' data point?

    Thanks in advance for your input, I really appreciate the noticeably kinder demeanor from this community in comparison with other Pre-Law forums on the internet...

    Hey!

    So, UPenn, UMich, Duke, Berk, and Cornell will be super reaches. But Northwestern, UT Austin, GT, and UCLA seem like they're in play. Even UVA is known to love a high GPA.

    I don't think taking the GRE will help much since your LSAT score will be reported as well. If you're not applying this cycle, retaking for a few points higher would only help.

    I think I'd consider working with a professional consultant like @"David.Busis" to get tailored advice on how to navigate your cycle. You'll want to make sure to craft a good addendum to explain your grades and put together a great app to highlight what makes you a good candidate.

    As it stands now, however, I think you have a good to moderate shot at NU, UT Austin, and Georgetown. I can't see you striking out of the T14 completely with such a high LSAT. Apply broadly and hope for the best.

    Best of luck

  • splitter_sagasplitter_saga Free Trial Member
    60 karma

    @LSATcantwin said:
    Hey! What's up fellow splitter. I'm a 2.83/171 applicant. And right now I've applied and am going through hell....lol but my situation is unique I believe.

    That said, I think you'll have a good shot. Apply early, build your resume, make sure your softs are strong, and you'll have a chance!

    Hey man I actually have been following along with you once I saw your stats! Hoping they don't look too harshly upon us splitters...good luck the rest of this cycle!!

  • splitter_sagasplitter_saga Free Trial Member
    60 karma

    @"Alex Divine" said:

    @splitter_saga said:
    Hi all, with a 2.92 GPA / 173 LSAT can I reasonably think about schools in the latter half of the T15 (#7-15) range? Or are those "reaches"? If they're reaches, where would my "targets" be?

    Some background: Econ/Poli Sci major from a top public school, rough first 2 years for grades with improvement later on, have been out of school for 2 years now.

    If my chances aren't looking good - what should I be doing to buoy them? Re-take for 1-2 more pts?? Take the GRE for another 'good' data point?

    Thanks in advance for your input, I really appreciate the noticeably kinder demeanor from this community in comparison with other Pre-Law forums on the internet...

    Hey!

    So, UPenn, UMich, Duke, Berk, and Cornell will be super reaches. But Northwestern, UT Austin, GT, and UCLA seem like they're in play. Even UVA is known to love a high GPA.

    I don't think taking the GRE will help much since your LSAT score will be reported as well. If you're not applying this cycle, retaking for a few points higher would only help.

    I think I'd consider working with a professional consultant like @"David.Busis" to get tailored advice on how to navigate your cycle. You'll want to make sure to craft a good addendum to explain your grades and put together a great app to highlight what makes you a good candidate.

    As it stands now, however, I think you have a good to moderate shot at NU, UT Austin, and Georgetown. I can't see you striking out of the T14 completely with such a high LSAT. Apply broadly and hope for the best.

    Best of luck

    Thank you, that was helpful. Best of luck with your cycle as well.

  • LSATcantwinLSATcantwin Alum Member Sage ⭐
    13286 karma

    @splitter_saga said:

    @LSATcantwin said:
    Hey! What's up fellow splitter. I'm a 2.83/171 applicant. And right now I've applied and am going through hell....lol but my situation is unique I believe.

    That said, I think you'll have a good shot. Apply early, build your resume, make sure your softs are strong, and you'll have a chance!

    Hey man I actually have been following along with you once I saw your stats! Hoping they don't look too harshly upon us splitters...good luck the rest of this cycle!!

    Make sure you check your transcripts. I found out today that I'm still on academic probation at my community college. Despite passing all my classes, transferring and achieving a 4.0. I guess they just decided not to remove it? So I'm on probation at a school I haven't attended in 10 years and I had no clue about it...ouch this stung. lol

  • tylerdschreur10tylerdschreur10 Alum Member
    1465 karma

    Definitely apply early and put extra effort into your PS and GPA addendum. It's always hard to predict splitters, especially as extreme as you, but odds are good you'll get into at least one t14. I would apply everywhere but t6, write every Why School X and optional essay they offer and treat them as essential, because for you they truly are. Since you have an extra year yet, I'd say plan on retaking the LSAT. If you don't feel like you can boost your score, than don't test, but even a single point would be well worth it.

  • PearsonSpecterLittUpPearsonSpecterLittUp Alum Member
    588 karma

    Also, I'm not 100% sure, but perhaps applying binding early admission may also help?? (if scholarships aren't a must)

  • Rigid DesignatorRigid Designator Alum Member
    1091 karma

    This is an excerpt from a blog post which you can find here: http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/if-you-didnt-get-the-lsat-school-you-dreamed-of/

    In 2001, I admitted Justin Ishbia to Vanderbilt Law School. He was the last person we admitted that year and had an LSAT score that was 15 points below our median. Put another way, there were likely 1000+ people on the WL that we didn’t admit that had higher LSAT scores than he. We admitted Justin because when I met him he never flinched when he told me his LSAT score, in the lower 150’s. Of course he wanted a higher score – of course he worked tirelessly toward that in countless hours of preparation. His score, was, I am sure, a huge letdown from where he wanted it to be. But I never got a sense of that. He never brought me down with what must have felt like desperation to him. He was unflappable, upbeat, and optimistic about his legal career. He knew Vanderbilt was a long shot (and surely wasn’t his dream school, which was likely one of the top 10 schools), but he believed in an upbeat and confident manner that he could compete if fortunate enough to be admitted.

    We did admit Justin, and he absolutely thrived despite the fact that his LSAT was so much lower than he had hope for, lower than anyone else in his class, and despite the fact that we were not his dream school. We were a backup that took a chance on him.

    I guess my point is this... your GPA is locked in. Don't worry about it. It is what it is. Write a strong addendum about how it (clearly) doesn't reflect your current capabilities as a student, and be confident! Best of luck :)

  • LCMama2017LCMama2017 Alum Member
    2134 karma

    @"Rigid Designator" said:
    This is an excerpt from a blog post which you can find here: http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/if-you-didnt-get-the-lsat-school-you-dreamed-of/

    In 2001, I admitted Justin Ishbia to Vanderbilt Law School. He was the last person we admitted that year and had an LSAT score that was 15 points below our median. Put another way, there were likely 1000+ people on the WL that we didn’t admit that had higher LSAT scores than he. We admitted Justin because when I met him he never flinched when he told me his LSAT score, in the lower 150’s. Of course he wanted a higher score – of course he worked tirelessly toward that in countless hours of preparation. His score, was, I am sure, a huge letdown from where he wanted it to be. But I never got a sense of that. He never brought me down with what must have felt like desperation to him. He was unflappable, upbeat, and optimistic about his legal career. He knew Vanderbilt was a long shot (and surely wasn’t his dream school, which was likely one of the top 10 schools), but he believed in an upbeat and confident manner that he could compete if fortunate enough to be admitted.

    We did admit Justin, and he absolutely thrived despite the fact that his LSAT was so much lower than he had hope for, lower than anyone else in his class, and despite the fact that we were not his dream school. We were a backup that took a chance on him.

    I guess my point is this... your GPA is locked in. Don't worry about it. It is what it is. Write a strong addendum about how it (clearly) doesn't reflect your current capabilities as a student, and be confident! Best of luck :)

    What a great and inspirational story! Thank you for posting!

  • TexAgAaronTexAgAaron Alum Member
    1723 karma

    @"Rigid Designator" Thank you for that article! That brought my spirits up!

  • splitter_sagasplitter_saga Free Trial Member
    60 karma

    @tylerdschreur10 said:
    Definitely apply early and put extra effort into your PS and GPA addendum. It's always hard to predict splitters, especially as extreme as you, but odds are good you'll get into at least one t14. I would apply everywhere but t6, write every Why School X and optional essay they offer and treat them as essential, because for you they truly are. Since you have an extra year yet, I'd say plan on retaking the LSAT. If you don't feel like you can boost your score, than don't test, but even a single point would be well worth it.

    Thank you for the advice.

  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    @LSATcantwin, Did you call them?

  • LSATcantwinLSATcantwin Alum Member Sage ⭐
    13286 karma

    @lsatplaylist said:
    @LSATcantwin, Did you call them?

    Yep will take 4 weeks to fix minimum lol im going to have to call all the schools I applied to also

  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    @LSATcantwin, That's annoying but glad it'll be fixed.

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