<p>Right now I'm a rising junior at a private college in the Midwest. I'm thinking about applying for law school, but know that it will be more difficult because my GPA is quite average. I have a pretty good resume, and my writing and speaking skills are above average. I have had one impressive internship and will likely do another before I graduate. I'm also an URM.</p>
<p>I just want to get someone's perspective about people being accepted who are average number-wise, and what the chances are. What is a good LSAT score to aim for, and how far in advance should I begin studying? How can I compensate for my GPA if when I graduate it is good, but not great? I know the Ivy Leagues will probably be out of the question, but I'd still like to go to a respectable school. </p>
<p>Any advice/insight would be great. Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>Depends on how high you want to go. And depends on your GPA. If it’s below a 3.0, then you’re in bad shape, but with your URM status, and an LSAT in the high 160s may get you into G-Town.</p>
<p>I’m definitely above a 3.0, and I’m going to work very hard to get 160 or above. I’m actually taking summer classes at Georgetown right now through a journalism institute I’m attending in D.C. I plan on buying some prep materials very soon and beginning the process of studying.</p>
<p>It’s accuracy may be a bit outdated and questionable, but it’ll give you a general idea. According to this though, bad news. With a GPA in the 3.0-3.2 range, you’ll need an LSAT score with a 171 (very hard to get) or higher, even with the URM status, to have a good chance at the lower t14 schools.</p>
<p>But with a 165 or above, you should have a good chance at the law schools in the 20s.</p>
<p>Is there any particular reason for a low GPA? Were you majoring in a very hard science, or did something else happen? If you have a good reason, that could increase your chances too. (not by much though, since law school admissions are overwhelmingly numbers driven)</p>
<p>As of now, I have a 3.3…I had a B average this past semester due to health issues. I go to a private college, and the coursework is pretty rigourous. I didn’t do very well in the statistics class I took, which definitely brought it down, but that was my freshman year. </p>
<p>I feel like I’m much more talented in the comprehension and analytical side, which has served me well in my two majors: English, Rhetoric and Political Communication. </p>
<p>I’m also trying to figure out my timetable for taking the LSAT. If I study this year, I could do a practice run in the spring, then study all summer and take it again that fall as I am preparing to apply. </p>
<p>I think I could do really well on the LSAT, I just need a little guidance and need to bump my GPA up in the next two years. I’m not obsessed with going to a t14 school, but that doesn’t mean I won’t aim for it.</p>
<p>Many take the lsat more than once, but it’s true that the average of the scores is what most law schools will look at. I can’t post to blogs here, but I know a young woman who recently aced the lsat using advice she got from the lsat blog on blogspot. She worked hard at it through junior year, and took it the following June. One and done, happily. </p>
<p>There’s a website called lawschoolnumbers that many students use for prediction purposes. It’s hard to predict what kind of bump URM status will give you - depends where you apply and what type of URM, to some extent. But it will certainly help you, so long as you score above 160 for tier 1 schools.</p>