Terrified of the LSAT

[angiej]

Eh, that is frusturating.

[CTL]

Tim's right.  The only way you can have this NOT factored into your LSAC gpa is by having the grade appealed and somehow removed completely from your IU official transcript.  It's not the end of the world if it does show up.  If it is the only grade of its kind, you can explain the situation with an addendum.  Honestly, I used to think that each +/- was a make-it or break-it factor for law school, but schools don't seem to care about GPAs as much as I thought while I was in undergrad.  1/2 points on a LSAT will definitely make a difference though.

[EarlCat]

Time to lay down the tough love.

Angiej, your outlook sucks.  You titled your post "Terrified of the LSAT."  Really?  Terrified?  This is not the language of a winner.  Yeah, it's the LSAT, a big-ol' ugly test, but get real.  Nobody ever died of a low LSAT score.

Second, I'm really disturbed by your goals which are frankly shooting for mediocrity.  150 so you can barely get into a state school??  Come on.  You've got three friggin years before you're gonna take this test, and you're hoping for a score below the median??  Again, not the language of a winner.

You are doing like I've seen so many people do before--setting yourself up for failure.  STOP IT.

The language you use will truly have an effect on the way you think.  Put another way, you can seriously change your thinking by changing the language you use.  Try it.  Talk about how you're not afraid but determined, and excited because you have tons of resources available to you.  Talk about how you're going to invest your time and effort towards a 168.  Talk about how your goal (not your elusive pie-in-the-sky dream, but your tangible, attainable goal) is Notre Dame.  Then figure out the next step toward making it happen and take it.

You've got about 1000 days.  How are you going to use this one?

[Lindbergh]

Thank you for saying that its good I am thinking ahead.  I get really tired of people telling me to focus on my undergrad and that I may change my mind, etc.  I hate to admit this, but the entire reason for going ahead with my bachelors is specifically so that I can get into law school.  Sure, there is a pretty large possibility that I may not get in, etc. and then atleast I will have a bachelors to compliment my paralegal certificate, but I am pretty goal oriented and hell bent on law school.

I guess I just want to know, is it possible to go to a state law school with an lsat score around 150?  That is pretty average, right?

150 is very average.  (The statistical median is right around 151/152.) 

That said, most law schools require higher scores, including most public schools.  You should generally shoot for at least a 155 to be reasonably competitive.

On the other hand, there are some schools where you can get in with an LSAT below 150.  They're obviously not the best, but they're still out there.

One thing to think about -- if you have a strong relationship with your current firm (and it seems that you do), then you may be able to get a job there even if you just attend a modest local law school.  It depends on the firm, but if it's not a real snooty place, and they know you and like you, and know you're a good worker, they might be able to take you on once you get your JD, regardless of where it's from.  Studying PT and continuing to work may be good for this, as it will maintain the relationship and make the segue from paralegal to attorney fairly seamless.

In other words, you're relatively well-positioned.  You have grades and contacts, which are a huge part of the picture.  Just work steadily on the LSAT -- it's very learnable -- starting out completely untimed, and just focusing on the concepts.  Start with a basic Kaplan book, and then carefully work through the powerscore books, or take a quality course.  Give yourself a good amount of lead time, ease into the process, and you'll feel much more comfortable with the test fairly soon.

Awesome, thanks for the advice.  I hope you are all right about the LSAT being "learnable."  I do have several years to work on it which is helpful.

I do not think I could maintain my position at my firm while I am attending school b/c the nearest local school that would accept part time students is 2 hours away.  I am about 30 mins away from Notre Dame, but I do not believe they have part time programs.  (Plus I highly doubt I could get into ND, though it has been a life-long dream). My hope is to be accepted to either IU Bloomington or IU Indy.  Bloomington would be my first choice (ND is just a fantasy) but I read somewhere on the IU Bloomington website that this year their accepted students had higher gpa and lsat scores than the norm.  So the bar has been raised! 

It's definiteliy learnable.  I helped someone go from 120's to 160's recently. Just work steadily on it over time.

If you can't study part time, then ask your favorite lawyer about the possiblity of working as an attorney with the firm down the road, and what kind of school/GPA they'd require.  Start laying the groundwork for a future position, just in case it's needed.

[Lindbergh]

In the city in which I live which is 20 miles east of South Bend, most of our workers are laid off and our companies have shut down which is very, very scary.  South Bend is home to the AM General Plant (where they make hummers) so that's sort of a big deal, other than that, not much to boast about.

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that plant is next.  Hummers = the way of the dinosaurs.

Yep, I'm afraid you are right on that.  They make humvees too for the military, but if our entire government is broke, then that will be cut back as well.  Anyway, do not want to get into an economic debate, but def this part of the country and my part of the state is certainly feeling the "pinch."  (sucker punch).

Fwiw, the government's not broke, and the military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us.

They may also start making hybrid/electric humvees, but I would agree the civilian market will probably shrink for the forseeable future.

[Lindbergh]

Also, someone asked earlier about the chances of me getting in at my firm.  Well, I think I have a good repor with them, but I have seen their requirements that they send to law schools when scouting.  Have to be cum laude, have to be on law review or journal, and have to be top 25% of class.  They only recruit from Top 100 schools. Maybe I would be an exception though given my prior history with the firm?
 

You might be, you need to ask.  You should also obviously work there during your law school summers if possible, if you want to work there after law school.

If you really prefer a public interest job, though, then this becomes irrelevant.

[CTL]

In the city in which I live which is 20 miles east of South Bend, most of our workers are laid off and our companies have shut down which is very, very scary.  South Bend is home to the AM General Plant (where they make hummers) so that's sort of a big deal, other than that, not much to boast about.

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that plant is next.  Hummers = the way of the dinosaurs.

Yep, I'm afraid you are right on that.  They make humvees too for the military, but if our entire government is broke, then that will be cut back as well.  Anyway, do not want to get into an economic debate, but def this part of the country and my part of the state is certainly feeling the "pinch."  (sucker punch).

Fwiw, the government's not broke, and the military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us.

They may also start making hybrid/electric humvees, but I would agree the civilian market will probably shrink for the forseeable future.

I'll just strengthen your point a bit.  The military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us, and/or as long as we want to kill people.

[Lindbergh]

In the city in which I live which is 20 miles east of South Bend, most of our workers are laid off and our companies have shut down which is very, very scary.  South Bend is home to the AM General Plant (where they make hummers) so that's sort of a big deal, other than that, not much to boast about.

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that plant is next.  Hummers = the way of the dinosaurs.

Yep, I'm afraid you are right on that.  They make humvees too for the military, but if our entire government is broke, then that will be cut back as well.  Anyway, do not want to get into an economic debate, but def this part of the country and my part of the state is certainly feeling the "pinch."  (sucker punch).

Fwiw, the government's not broke, and the military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us.

They may also start making hybrid/electric humvees, but I would agree the civilian market will probably shrink for the forseeable future.

I'll just strengthen your point a bit.  The military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us, and/or as long as we want to kill people.

I'll just complete your point a bit.  The military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us, and/or as long as we want to kill the people who want to kill us.

Obviously, there are many in the U.S. today who don't feel the need to do so, so it's good that you raise this distinction.

[Mitchell]

In the city in which I live which is 20 miles east of South Bend, most of our workers are laid off and our companies have shut down which is very, very scary.  South Bend is home to the AM General Plant (where they make hummers) so that's sort of a big deal, other than that, not much to boast about.

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that plant is next.  Hummers = the way of the dinosaurs.

Yep, I'm afraid you are right on that.  They make humvees too for the military, but if our entire government is broke, then that will be cut back as well.  Anyway, do not want to get into an economic debate, but def this part of the country and my part of the state is certainly feeling the "pinch."  (sucker punch).

Fwiw, the government's not broke, and the military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us.

They may also start making hybrid/electric humvees, but I would agree the civilian market will probably shrink for the forseeable future.

I'll just strengthen your point a bit.  The military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us, and/or as long as we want to kill people.

I'll just complete your point a bit.  The military will need humvees as long as people want to kill us, and/or as long as we want to kill the people who want to kill us.

Obviously, there are many in the U.S. today who don't feel the need to do so, so it's good that you raise this distinction.

[angiej]

Time to lay down the tough love.

Angiej, your outlook sucks.  You titled your post "Terrified of the LSAT."  Really?  Terrified?  This is not the language of a winner.  Yeah, it's the LSAT, a big-ol' ugly test, but get real.  Nobody ever died of a low LSAT score.

Second, I'm really disturbed by your goals which are frankly shooting for mediocrity.  150 so you can barely get into a state school??  Come on.  You've got three friggin years before you're gonna take this test, and you're hoping for a score below the median??  Again, not the language of a winner.

You are doing like I've seen so many people do before--setting yourself up for failure.  STOP IT.

The language you use will truly have an effect on the way you think.  Put another way, you can seriously change your thinking by changing the language you use.  Try it.  Talk about how you're not afraid but determined, and excited because you have tons of resources available to you.  Talk about how you're going to invest your time and effort towards a 168.  Talk about how your goal (not your elusive pie-in-the-sky dream, but your tangible, attainable goal) is Notre Dame.  Then figure out the next step toward making it happen and take it.

You've got about 1000 days.  How are you going to use this one?

Okay, good point. Are you an inspirational speaker or something?  I guess my basis for the negativity or low self esteem is that 2 years ago I never would have even thought about college. I barely passed highschool with something like a 2.0 gpa.  I never thought I was capable of anything college-related.