IN LIMBO-NEED HELP!! PLEASE GIVE THOUGHTS!!!!!

[Andrea84]

Hi guys, I am new to this (glad I found it though!) I have been reading a lot and it is sooo helpful, so I thought I would ask a question myself.
So it is June, and after 6 agonizing months of rejections, bad acceptances and waitlistings, I have finally been told by THREE (and all in one week) schools that I am not longer on their waitlist and that they have chosen to reject me. Of course I saw it coming, so it wasn't a big surprise, but here is the thing. It is June and I am cutting it close to being a part of next year's incoming class. The only schools I got into are, Southwestern in L.A., Thomas Jefferson in San Diego, and Golden Gate in San Francisco. Those are basically the only 4Ts that I applied to. I already said no to GG.
Here are my options as I see them, go to SW or TJ and work my ass off to transfer to a better or at least decent school.(I actually met a girl that did it and sort of gave me hope, I do know though that it is nearly impossible)
OR to simply re-take the LSAT this Sept and apply again next cycle.
Some background info: I go to UC Irvine. I got a 147 on the LSAT the first time (I nearly had a panic attack, no joke) and the second time the lights were out, they had us wait for two hours, relocated us, then half hour later took us back to the original room, and just opened up the doors to let sunlight in (there was none though, it was a gloomy day). LSAC sent a letter explaining this to all of my law schools i applied to, but clearly it made no difference.
PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS! I am stuck between the two decisions!!!!!!!!
THANKS SO MUCH
-Andrea

[shaz]

if you are this torn, i say don't go. 

[Andrea84]

my second score was 150. I am just afraid of going to Southwestern or TJ because I've heard...mostly read on this, that the curves at low ranked schools are a nightmare, making it impossible to get good grades and transfer.

[cultural_vacuum]

If you do not feel comfortable graduating from Southwestern, you need to forget about going to law in the fall.

You can retake and reapply next year, however, you need to do some serious preparation that is markedly different from however you prepared the first two times. How did you prepare, by the way?

[Momo09]

When I decided to apply to law school, there were things that I know to be true:

1. Not everyone is meant to be a lawyer
2. Not everyone will get into Harvard, Yale, or Stanford.
3. Not everyone will make LR -- if that even matters to you.
4. Not everyone can transfer, despite what they all thought.
5. Not everyone can be in the top 10%.  90% won't be, is that a difficult concept?
6. Not what you learn in school will matter in 10 years.


Whatever.

When I applied, if SW was the only school I got in, I would have been happy to attend that school.  I would have been happy to attend any of the school I applied to because I would not have applied to anywhere that I will hesitate going.  TJ on the other hand, it's wrong for me because of location.  Sometime you just have to REALISTICALLY assess your own ABILITY and decide for yourself.  Taking a year off and study the LSAT probably will benefit only if you honest didn't study for the first 2 test and think now studying will improve your score, otherwise it's time to face yourself in the mirror and really ask what will you be capable of.

I was so happy the day I got in SW because that shows without time to study for the LSAT and too busy with work to really work on the apps that I was able to get in and have a shot at this.  Sorry to hear you are now disappointed with your options.

[revelareveritas]

You should apply to Appalachian School of Law in Virginia! They are still taking applications until July first and are only about 3/4 full for the fall. Good school, highly underrated.

[revelareveritas]

You should apply to Appalachian School of Law in Virginia! They are still taking applications until July first and are only about 3/4 full for the fall. Good school, highly underrated.

Unfortunately, how it is rated is, for the most part, what counts.

Actually it's not rated at all, so who can pass judgement? Just remember that every school went through the accrediation process at one time or another...

Top of the 4th tier isn't terrible, since we all know that if you pass the bar, it don't really matter where u went....

[kol]

Good job getting into Southwestern considering your two LSAT scores, which are well below their 25th percentile. I would jump at the opportunity of attending Southwestern if I were you. Sorry to sound pessimistic, but with your combined scores Southwestern is, by far, your best bet. I was accepted to Loyola w/ no money and Pepperdine w/ very little money and decided on Southwestern with a full scholarship (this may change if I am called from USC or Vanderbilt's waitlist). I don't believe there is a huge drop-off from Pepperdine to Southwestern. Actually, I consider them almost equal (placement & salary statistics are very comparable). Loyola, on the other hand, is significantly better than the two others (check out their OCI, wow!). There are a few reasons, besides the scholarship, that I feel comfortable with my decision to attend Southwestern:

1. New Dean (1st year) - Bryant Garth (BA, Yale & JD, Stanford) has stepped in and made some huge changes immediately. The philosophy of the administration has changed as a result of this. His goal, according the admissions and career services staff is to drop from 12-13% attrition rate to 0% attrition in one year. Sounds impossible, but it is a step forward. He is obviously trying to emulate the strategy of higher ranked schools. In the short time that he was the dean of Indiana-Bloomington School of Law, they jumped from the 60's to the 30's in US News Rankings and have remained there since. There is a brand new assistance program and first year "law basics" style course in order to decrease attrition.

2. Curve - Southwestern's curve has gone up from 2.6 to 3.0 (also as a result of the new dean.) This is huge! My scholarship is based on maintaining a 2.6 (the old curve) which makes my chances of retaining the money much higher. This also makes for much nicer transcripts.

3. Alumni Base - Southwestern has an alumni base as large a Loyola's. Although it is known as the least prestigious law school in Los Angeles, it is held in high esteem by many local firms. There are many Southwestern graduates at elite firms. More than one would expect. I find it strange that individuals who want to practice in Los Angeles are debating whether to choose Whittier or Chapman over Southwestern. Neither of those schools have much of, if any, reputation in Los Angeles. I definitely would not attend T.J.

4. Friends Experience - I know 3 Southwestern alumni personally. The first got a job at a firm making 90k straight out of school. The second failed the bar exam the first time, and passed the second. It took four months after passing the bar for him to find a job (paid 70k per year). He has been an attorney for four years now, is working at his third firm making over 100k per year. The third worked for the DA for 15+ years and is now corporate in-house counsel. She wouldn't divulge her salary, but she lives in a multi-million dollar home with her accountant husband. It's not 125k BIGLAW straight out of school, but the top 10% have a shot at it (some alumni at O'Melveny, Hastings, and a few other elites).

That's my take. Let the Southwestern bashing commence.            

[Andrea84]

Thanks so much for all the help guys. The positive aspects that people said about Southwestern really made me happy!!! I've been hearing too much of the negative I think. Just to answer the question that was posed on how I studied for the LSAT, both times I just prepped myself with the Powerscore books, but since I was going to school (senior year which was extremely stressful), working, AND dealing with a knee injury that lasted about three months, I would say both attempts were done under terrible conditions. I didn't take nearly enough practice tests. The thing is though, now I am so scared of the damn test that just thinking of re-taking it gives me a headache and makes me depressed. I think I might force myself to take a few practice ones though and then make a decision.
Thanks again!! You guys are the best source of information