Should I retake? (splitter)

Comments

• 6 Likes

  casandra.rose20 Member

  March 2021 31 karma

  TBH I'd say you're at the point of diminishing returns
• 2 Likes

  Ad Hominin Member

  March 2021 16 karma

  If you are pretty sure you could get a 174+ then I say do it. Pretty sure that will begin to open to the doors into higher ranked T1 schools, granted it is still no guarantee that you'll get into them. At the end of the day, if a 172 got you to your ultimate goal, then be content with it.
• 2 Likes

  ceejay55 Core Member

  March 2021 edited March 2021 31 karma

  I would probably not retake but I would add more schools to that list. This past cycle and by extension next year's cycle has been really unkind to splitters---at most schools but particularly the t14. LSAT scores have been inflated by the flex and after this cycle LSAT scores for most schools are going to shoot up. Now, I'm not saying you won't get into a t14 BUT from a purely bargaining standpoint unless you can afford full price at these schools I would expand further downwards than just WashU. If you don't believe me, watch the medians before you apply and check law school numbers and forums for scholarship outcomes.
• 2 Likes

  noonawoon Alum Member ⭐

  March 2021 3481 karma

  Keep in mind the Yield Protect implications of retaking a 172. You are above or at all of these schools 75th percentile class scores I believe. If you retake a 172, schools may assume that you are gunning for HYS (who have medians above 172) and be more inclined to hand you a WL on the assumption that you aren't interested in them. People with your stats tend to fare better at schools like Michigan and Virginia than people who scored 175+.
• 1 Like

  aszane21 Member

  March 2021 350 karma

  @noonawoon said:
  Keep in mind the Yield Protect implications of retaking a 172. You are above or at all of these schools 75th percentile class scores I believe. If you retake a 172, schools may assume that you are gunning for HYS (who have medians above 172) and be more inclined to hand you a WL on the assumption that you aren't interested in them. People with your stats tend to fare better at schools like Michigan and Virginia than people who scored 175+.

  I don't think I'm understanding exactly what you're saying. I'm sure people retake all the time to get better scholarship $.
• aszane21 Member

  March 2021 350 karma

  Bumping this because I just heard from a friend who got his tenth(!) waitlist email
• VerdantZephyr Member ⭐

  March 2021 2054 karma

  @aszane21 I think that people were unsure if you've already applied this year or were thinking of applying next year. Are you already waitlisted? Anticipating waitlists? If you haven't been waitlisted yet and you're tired of studying I don't think there's much point. I believe that the June LSAT is open for registration until May some time. I'd wait and see. If you're already waitlisted and aren't concerned enough about scholarships to push to next year then definitely retake in June. It gives schools a tangible reason to pull you off the wait list.
• aszane21 Member

  March 2021 350 karma

  @VerdantZephyr said:
  @aszane21 I think that people were unsure if you've already applied this year or were thinking of applying next year. Are you already waitlisted? Anticipating waitlists? If you haven't been waitlisted yet and you're tired of studying I don't think there's much point. I believe that the June LSAT is open for registration until May some time. I'd wait and see. If you're already waitlisted and aren't concerned enough about scholarships to push to next year then definitely retake in June. It gives schools a tangible reason to pull you off the wait list.

  I'm applying in the 2021 cycle (so the fall)
• 1 Like

  VerdantZephyr Member ⭐

  March 2021 edited March 2021 2054 karma

  If you're applying next year it's really hard to say honestly. I think a lot of people are operating under the assumption that numbers will be lower (both applications and 170+ LSATs) next year but no one really knows. Complicating forecasting that is the fact that law schools themselves won't know either. While we can be confident that medians will have risen when they release this year's numbers, I suspect that they will be hard to maintain for a second year even if they still wind up a bit above the 2019/2020 entering class numbers. My personal best guess is that schools will probably grab high stats early in the cycle (so I encourage you to apply as close to September 1st as possible) to ensure a base from which to operate and then slow play it as they try for the second year in a row to figure out what in the world their targets should be. That may mean that ED will be the best way to lock up a spot at a first choice school early before things get complicated again, but that also limits scholarship potential. What that means for you is that having a score even one or two points higher may make a big difference at T14. It could take you from the "wait and see/slow play" pile to the "admit early so that we have a set number of high scores safety margin" pile. Again, that assumes that I'm right but I think striking early with a score at or above the medians that will be released later on will allow you to avoid long months of uncertainty. That future median is likely to be 1-2 points higher than this year at most schools.

  What I am not saying is that you necessarily need to improve anything for admission next year. Even this year those numbers could potentially get you into the schools listed above so long as they liked your application. It's about increasing your odds and hopefully getting auto-admitted early before the cycle gets going and gets too chaotic. I say this of course not being an admissions counselor and not having a crystal ball. Good luck with your journey.
• SufficientCondition Alum Member

  March 2021 311 karma

  @aszane21 said:
  CAS UGPA: 3.68
  LSAT: 172

  Schools:
  UPenn
  NYU
  Georgetown
  Duke
  Northwestern
  UVa
  Michigan (in-state; undergrad school)
  WashU

  Strong and unique softs (3 years working in DC working on a niche policy issue by the time I matriculate, lots of publications)

  I think I could get a 174+ if I retook it in June/August but is it worth the extra studying time and the cost of the test and of more prep?

  I would not, but it really depends more on what you'd be sacrificing in the rest of your life to retake.
• 1 Like

  aszane21 Member

  March 2021 350 karma

  Hi all,

  Thanks for the comments! I've decided that I'm going to operate like I'm going to retake but hold of on registering for June until the last week to give myself some wiggle-room. Honestly, I'm salty that I didn't score higher and want another crack at it so there's a personal element to this as well.

  To VerdantZephyr's point, I agree that the 21/22 cycle is impossible to predict. However, the economy is projected to hit its fastest growth since just after WWII so the economic considerations of a lot of students will likely change in a direction that disincentivizes law school relative to the cycle in the economic downturn itself (maybe, I'm no economist), at least in the US. Will be interesting to watch.
• SufficientCondition Alum Member

  March 2021 edited March 2021 311 karma

  @noonawoon said:
  Keep in mind the Yield Protect implications of retaking a 172. You are above or at all of these schools 75th percentile class scores I believe. If you retake a 172, schools may assume that you are gunning for HYS (who have medians above 172) and be more inclined to hand you a WL on the assumption that you aren't interested in them. People with your stats tend to fare better at schools like Michigan and Virginia than people who scored 175+.

  I thought this was a good point. It relies on the assumption that the schools may not recognize other reasons someone would retake. Still, if yield protection is a strong impulse, I could imagine that assumption taking hold. My friend who went 174-->176 and applied Nov had not had an acceptance from T-14 as of February.

  EDIT: Sorry, just saw the above. Good luck @aszane21 !!