Are these schools out of my reach? NOT ABOUT HARVARD.

[lawschoolbound1]

Hi!  I'm graduating next May, hopefully with somewhere between a 3.1 and 3.2 GPA.  My GPA is so low because I partied way too hard my freshman year and I had quite a few deaths in my family in my sophomore year, and I fully recognize all of this to be my fault, so unneccessary comments are not needed.  I have steadily increased my semester GPA's.  I'm taking the LSAT in September, and I am predicting (from previous practice tests) around a 160 or higher.  My top two schools are LSU and Ole Miss.  Would these schools be ridiculously out of my reach?  Obviously, I will apply to other "lower tier" law schools, in addition, but I would love to be accepted into these two.

Thanks so much for all of your advice and help!

[ld0587]

NOOO... not at all. what undergrad did you attend? that matters since both school are public schools (accepts most in-state students. Also, although you gpa is on the lower side your lsat score would balance it out. i have learned that the law school process is more than a numbers game ... i have a 3.01 and a 146 and i will be attending lsu in the fall and was waitlisted at ole miss furthermore i had a banging personal statement and 4 letters of rec compared to the 2 recommended. hope this helps

[lawschoolbound1]

I'm actually at LSU!  What did you write your personal statement about?  I'm so nervous about writing that!  I don't even know where to begin.  Thanks so much!  You've made me feel a lot better!

[ld0587]

I'm actually at LSU!  What did you write your personal statement about?  I'm so nervous about writing that!  I don't even know where to begin.  Thanks so much!  You've made me feel a lot better!

my personal statement was on my unusual family background. My background does not tell the story of a typical college graduate..so i highlighted my ability to overcome such setbacks. Remember to write your personal statement with a sense of achievement not as a sob story. i am sure you don't won't anyone feeling sorry for you but you want the admission committee to understand you as a hardworking and motivated person. If you think the deaths that occurred during your undergrad years is relevant to your ability to overcome obstacles than definitly include that. the hardest part is figuring out what u want to write about...think about the message you want to send and how it makes you different from the other applicants.

[nerfco]

Looking at Law School Numbers, if you get a 160+ you should be in at LSU, and quite likely Ole Miss as well. focus a lot more on studying for the LSAT than on writing a great personal statement though--it is 90% a numbers game, anecdotes aside.