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TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
edited January 2019 in Off-topic 155 karma

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Comments

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    3652 karma

    Yes

  • NicholasDayNicholasDay Alum Member
    86 karma

    How far away are you? If you are close, then it may be worth taking the test and getting a feel for the real deal. If you are nowhere close, then I would reccommend withdrawing. There is no need to take the test until you are ready.

  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    I'd say yes. However, it's going to be undisclosed in January so just keep that in mind.

  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma

    @TylerPKP said:
    Hi 7Sagers, I'm a senior in undergraduate and I plan to enroll in law school for the Fall of 2019. At the moment I'm not scoring where I need to be for the November LSAT. Should I withdraw and take the January LSAT?

    Yeah, it's close enough that if you're not scoring consistently where you want to be at this point I'd take January's LSAT administration. That gives you roughly 10 weeks to get closer to your goal so so you can go in confident and kill it. That's my plan anyway :)

    Best of luck

  • LAWYEREDLAWYERED Alum Member
    335 karma

    Wouldn't you be applying a little late in the cycle (January)? Isn't it better to apply with a November score and then apply in December (and let your schools know that you're testing again in January?)

  • TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
    155 karma

    @NicholasDay said:
    How far away are you? If you are close, then it may be worth taking the test and getting a feel for the real deal. If you are nowhere close, then I would reccommend withdrawing. There is no need to take the test until you are ready.

    I'm scoring in the low 150's and my goal score is 165. I'm just worried applying with the Jan LSAT will be too late in the cycle. I haven't even completed the CC yet.

  • TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
    155 karma

    @Alex said:

    @TylerPKP said:
    Hi 7Sagers, I'm a senior in undergraduate and I plan to enroll in law school for the Fall of 2019. At the moment I'm not scoring where I need to be for the November LSAT. Should I withdraw and take the January LSAT?

    Yeah, it's close enough that if you're not scoring consistently where you want to be at this point I'd take January's LSAT administration. That gives you roughly 10 weeks to get closer to your goal so so you can go in confident and kill it. That's my plan anyway :)

    Best of luck

    Thank you for the advice!

  • TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
    155 karma

    @LAWYERED said:
    Wouldn't you be applying a little late in the cycle (January)? Isn't it better to apply with a November score and then apply in December (and let your schools know that you're testing again in January?)

    The schools I have talked to said they won't even look at my application until I submit the LSAT score I want them to look at.

  • TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
    155 karma

    @lsatplaylist said:
    I'd say yes. However, it's going to be undisclosed in January so just keep that in mind.

    Can you explain why taking the undisclosed LSAT would put me at a disadvantage?

  • drbrown2drbrown2 Alum Member
    2227 karma

    @TylerPKP said:
    Can you explain why taking the undisclosed LSAT would put me at a disadvantage?

    You won't be able to see the test and review it or try to use it like a prep test and learn from questions you missed

  • msk12345msk12345 Alum Member
    247 karma

    If you are scoring in the low 150s and your goal is the mid-160s, you shouldn't take it in November. You should withdraw. If you do that, the earliest you could apply in this cycle would be February, I'd assume. That would put you at a disadvantage. Were I in your position, I'd withdraw and try to find a full-time job for a year before law school and plan on applying to start in 2020.

  • TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
    155 karma

    @msk12345 said:
    If you are scoring in the low 150s and your goal is the mid-160s, you shouldn't take it in November. You should withdraw. If you do that, the earliest you could apply in this cycle would be February, I'd assume. That would put you at a disadvantage. Were I in your position, I'd withdraw and try to find a full-time job for a year before law school and plan on applying to start in 2020.

    I don't have that option.

  • LouislepauvreLouislepauvre Alum Member
    750 karma

    @TylerPKP said:

    @msk12345 said:
    If you are scoring in the low 150s and your goal is the mid-160s, you shouldn't take it in November. You should withdraw. If you do that, the earliest you could apply in this cycle would be February, I'd assume. That would put you at a disadvantage. Were I in your position, I'd withdraw and try to find a full-time job for a year before law school and plan on applying to start in 2020.

    I don't have that option.

    I’m curious why you don’t think that taking a year off between undergrad and law school is an option. I’m 38, have been teaching at universities for 8 years, and it would be an option for me (to forego another year). What’s the rush?

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member ⭐
    8392 karma

    Yeah I had a feeling this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I agree with @msk12345 and @Louislepauvre. Your best solution is to take a year off to work after school and take the LSAT only when you're ready. You're not even close to your goal score now, so you shouldn't take the LSAT. However, January LSAT is too late for many schools.

    You should spend some time on lawschoolnumbers.com and check out people's acceptance rates that applied in February at your desired schools to see how many have been accepted then. For regional schools, which is likely your aim at low 160s, it may be ok. But for more competitive schools, February is generally too late to have good luck both with acceptances and scholarship money. (I applied last year in late January and February, and got a lot of wait lists at what should be target and safety schools.)

    Many schools also look favorably on people with work experience prior to law school. It would only help you in the admissions process to have a little more experience under your belt.

  • thetrinabaileythetrinabailey Core Member
    138 karma

    This discussion is exactly what I needed today. I am going to stop rushing and trying to force the process. I am enrolled to take the exam in November, too. Still scoring in the low 150's also. Like others, I feel pressured to apply and attend in the fall (2019). Some of the discussion back and forth, is helping to allay some of my worry about possibly not being able to attend this fall. This is a marathon; not a sprint.

  • TylerPKPTylerPKP Live Member
    edited January 2019 155 karma

    @Louislepauvre said:

    @TylerPKP said:

    @msk12345 said:
    If you are scoring in the low 150s and your goal is the mid-160s, you shouldn't take it in November. You should withdraw. If you do that, the earliest you could apply in this cycle would be February, I'd assume. That would put you at a disadvantage. Were I in your position, I'd withdraw and try to find a full-time job for a year before law school and plan on applying to start in 2020.

    I don't have that option.

    I’m curious why you don’t think that taking a year off between undergrad and law school is an option. I’m 38, have been teaching at universities for 8 years, and it would be an option for me (to forego another year). What’s the rush?

    @"Leah M B" said:
    Yeah I had a feeling this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I agree with @msk12345 and @Louislepauvre. Your best solution is to take a year off to work after school and take the LSAT only when you're ready. You're not even close to your goal score now, so you shouldn't take the LSAT. However, January LSAT is too late for many schools.

    You should spend some time on lawschoolnumbers.com and check out people's acceptance rates that applied in February at your desired schools to see how many have been accepted then. For regional schools, which is likely your aim at low 160s, it may be ok. But for more competitive schools, February is generally too late to have good luck both with acceptances and scholarship money. (I applied last year in late January and February, and got a lot of wait lists at what should be target and safety schools.)

    Many schools also look favorably on people with work experience prior to law school. It would only help you in the admissions process to have a little more experience under your belt.

  • ChardiggityChardiggity Alum Member
    336 karma

    If you have to take a gap year, it really really will be ok. As far as the job market, if you can't find what you feel is a good fit, find something just to pay the bills if you need to, and look into volunteering for a nonprofit, a campaign, etc. to make that year as meaningful for you and your resume as you can. It'll feel amazing to come in first thing on the next cycle with the score you want in hand. Heck, maybe something in your gap year will end up making for a killer personal statement. Best of luck!

  • LouislepauvreLouislepauvre Alum Member
    750 karma

    @TylerPKP said:

    @Louislepauvre said:

    @TylerPKP said:

    @msk12345 said:
    If you are scoring in the low 150s and your goal is the mid-160s, you shouldn't take it in November. You should withdraw. If you do that, the earliest you could apply in this cycle would be February, I'd assume. That would put you at a disadvantage. Were I in your position, I'd withdraw and try to find a full-time job for a year before law school and plan on applying to start in 2020.

    I don't have that option.

    I’m curious why you don’t think that taking a year off between undergrad and law school is an option. I’m 38, have been teaching at universities for 8 years, and it would be an option for me (to forego another year). What’s the rush?

    @"Leah M B" said:
    Yeah I had a feeling this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I agree with @msk12345 and @Louislepauvre. Your best solution is to take a year off to work after school and take the LSAT only when you're ready. You're not even close to your goal score now, so you shouldn't take the LSAT. However, January LSAT is too late for many schools.

    You should spend some time on lawschoolnumbers.com and check out people's acceptance rates that applied in February at your desired schools to see how many have been accepted then. For regional schools, which is likely your aim at low 160s, it may be ok. But for more competitive schools, February is generally too late to have good luck both with acceptances and scholarship money. (I applied last year in late January and February, and got a lot of wait lists at what should be target and safety schools.)

    Many schools also look favorably on people with work experience prior to law school. It would only help you in the admissions process to have a little more experience under your belt.

    Going straight into law school has always been the plan for me. I focused my whole summer on the LSAT and denied internships to go full force on the test. With that being said, being a political science major with no relevant work experience would give me poor chances in the job market after graduation. Everyone I know is telling me to take the test since I withdrew from the September test. So I been skeptical to withdraw again. But I think I will withdraw from November test because I'm not ready. I have been looking at law school numbers, and my chances are not good to get a scholarship money if I apply with my January lsat. If I don't get accepted into the schools I wanted to this cycle I have no choice but to take a gap year.

    Don’t worry so much about having relevant work experience (like working in a law firm or having a cool interesting job). I think law schools would see that you’re a year out of school and wouldn’t expect too much. If you’re concerned about that, you could do some volunteer at some cool non profits or tutor underprivileged kids or something. More importantly, you don’t want to apply with a low LSAT score. And how can you get a high LSAT score when you’re still in undergrad? For now, you have to focus on ending college with good grades, graduate, and then figure out the job. Take that year to boost your LSAT in the high 160s and 170s, then apply. My buddy took a year off and waited tables. He didn’t have anything impressive on his resume. And then he got a full scholarship to Brooklyn Law School, currently has a 3.94 GPA, and has one of the most prestigious public interest internships in the country lined up. That’s all to say, don’t rush this. This process is too hard to rush.

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member ⭐
    8392 karma

    Agreed with the others above! You don’t need to have some impressive thing on your resume. If you work for a year as a barista and take your spare time to raise the LSAT, you’d be in so much better shape than trying to rush. I know it might feel disappointing or something for it not to work out to go straight into law school, but that year “off” could end up being so valuable. You can use the time to boost your LSAT enough to get in a higher ranked school or just get more scholarship money. A year off that gets you a $100k scholarship? What a freakin bargain!

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