fellow worry worts! advice!

[TBoneUCLA]

hey guys,

here is my question: like most everyone else i took my little lsat class and all that. near the end i was doing well on diagnostic tests (168, 173, 172) was feeling pretty good about my chances of scoring well on the real deal and, with my 3.4 from ucla, getting into a handful of top 20 schools.

for various reasons that were pretty circumstantial i scored a 164 (nerves, forgot my little timer, who cares. i didnt do my best)

at the time i was so relieved i A) didnt COMPLETELY f*ck up and B) was done with it, i figured it was still a good enough score to get me into a top school. even if it wasn't a top 1% score....

now i am not so sure....

if i dont get into a top tier school should i just take it again, get my 170 and apply next year? should i attend my 2nd tier school and look to transfer?

if i didnt know that i CAN ACTUALLY get a better score on the LSAT i wouldn't bug so much. but it looks as though those 8 points can make the difference between a top 10 and a top 50 school.

what would you do?

[shortckt]

I would never ever want to take the LSAT again.
A 172 is asuming you do your very best.
And besides, most T14 averages LSAT scores.
So, even if you get a 172, your average is 168.
NOt sure how many T14 would be open for 168.
Ony GULC and Northwestern takes the highest for sure as far as I know.

But then again, Burghblast rocked the LSAT for over 170 after a 169 and got admitted to Northwestern.

I think this depends on if you are willing to wait a year and if you are really that positive about improving so much.

[LordofLight]

If you really want to become a lawyer, you can get into a good school right now to make that happen. If you are absolutely sure you will score significantly higher on the LSAT, and you are absolutely sure you need to go to a top school, then waiting might be best. But beware: No matter how confident you are that you'll score much better, there will always remain a possibility that you won't, and you could even do worse. I know of one girl who didn't score so well and spoke eloquently about her ability to do better on the LSAT..she took it again and did worse.

You ask what I would do and I'd just get into the law school that was the best fit for me and go. Rankings are bull. You won't build your career on them.

[HKrustofsky]

If you're not happy with the results and have something meaningfull to do for one year then just apply next year. An added bonus MAY be an easier cycle next year. It's probably much harder to ace 1l for transer purposes than it is to ace the LSAT, especially given your practice scores.

[TBoneUCLA]

If you're not happy with the results and have something meaningfull to do for one year then just apply next year. An added bonus MAY be an easier cycle next year. It's probably much harder to ace 1l for transer purposes than it is to ace the LSAT, especially given your practice scores.

its like this: i don't need to go to columbia to feel i am at an adequate law school. or northwestern. or usc...

if i get into wustl or hastings i would honestly feel perfectly content. i just know my shot at these schools would be magnified tenfold with a score closer to what i was hitting in diagnostics.

and on top of it all getting into wustl is not impossible, but it would most likely be with out the help of $$$. now, if i had a 170+ lsat on that application, that is a very different story. (yes, i think i have a compelling enough story to urge an adcom to dismiss my first score)

[edworld]

I think it all depends on how badly you want to go start law school now...I cannot wait to start and would not even think twice about taking the LSAT...then again, what is 1 year if you really think...snot much...

[TBoneUCLA]

I think it all depends on how badly you want to go start law school now...I cannot wait to start and would not even think twice about taking the LSAT...then again, what is 1 year if you really think...snot much...

let it be known, too, that i am a very independant thinker and certainly have my own views on what to do if the winds of acceptance do not blow my way. but it still is an interesting question, and worth discussion.

[steves]

I am almost in the same boat you are...I was rocking my LSAT prep tests toward the end and choked on test day and ended up with a 165. I am thinking about putting off school for another year. One question that I have is whether my recommendations will still be good, or if I will have to go through the whole process again.

[shortckt]

If you don't get into Hastings or Wash U, try again next year.
You obviously would not be happy otherwise.  Never spend 3 years at a school that you don't like and pay tons of $$$ for tuition to boot.
You are young.  Get some cool experience.  Maybe for hiking like BIGTEX!
He got into Michigan and Penn with 162.

I practicing in the mid 160s and then took the LSAT (2X), got 155 and then 156.
I really wanted GW PT, but obviously got dinged.
I'm too old to be waiting anymore (32 years old).
I'm going to LS this year. But that's me.
Luckily, I somehow manged to get into Hastings.

Good luck.

[inla]

T bone it depends on where you want to go to law school and if you get admitted there this cycle. Sure, 170 significantly increases your chances...but the avergare of the two may not (this is assuming they don't take your higher score based on what you write in an addendum.)  If it were me I would like take the June lsat and see if I can do better, if not then cancel and attend the school I had already gained admissions to..this year! Inla

thanks by the way for explaining to me what you did post grad in the PM box.