Wait to apply or push for January LSAT? [26M/159/3.47]

surfbortersurfborter Core Member
edited December 2020 in Law School Admissions 11 karma

So I took the November LSAT for the first time and scored a 159. I had been studying part time after work and on the weekends since mid June, so I probably put in a solid 3-4 months of study for about 8-10 hours a week. I was scoring 161-163 in practice tests and feel that I could still improve. I feel like I'm under too much pressure to apply this cycle but am worried about waiting another year due to my age.

Been working full time the last 4 years in project management in commercial construction.

Does anyone have any thoughts or have been in a similar situation?

Comments

  • Granger DangerGranger Danger Alum Member
    717 karma

    Age is a number! I'm in a similar situation and I'm waiting a cycle. Get your dream score and apply early.

  • VerdantZephyrVerdantZephyr Member ⭐
    2054 karma

    It really depends on what schools and what scholarships you are looking for. 26 is not too late though, neither is 27. I just turned 35 and I am applying now. I am also hardly the oldest applying this cycle from the 7 sage boards. Law schools really value age, maturity, and experience. That will certainly be easier to sell 4-5 years out of undergrad instead of 1-2. Nothing to worry about pushing a whole cycle.

    As for your question, is 159 above the medians of the schools you are interested in? 3.47 is going to be below most schools' medians and you will want to be able to make up for that with a strong LSAT. If it isn't retaking is a better option, but the number of spots remaining will also drop. Spend some time with the 7 sage predictor and see how much you would need to improve to increase your odds at the schools you want then ask yourself if it is reasonable to improve that much. If your odds are really low (or you need scholarships and your scholarship odds are very low) at all the schools you are looking at then pushing to next year is a strong option you should not count out at 26.

    A related aside, I thought I would be one of the oldest in my MA class, turning 29 in my first semester. While I was not the youngest there nearly everyone was at least 26 or 27 and a quarter of my class was in their late 30's or early 40's. Law school classes are usually younger than that but there will be many of us old folks around too.

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