Major: Computer Science and Engineering
GPA : 3.83
LSAT: 167
Chances at the the TOP14? What is the likelihood of Berkeley?
Its going to be a slight reach, where something closer to 170 would be analogous at Boalt—you are not totally outside the range, but those schools that are inside the top 10 have a large density of their scores in the 170+ range.
Boalt loves high GPA’s but love stories of overcoming adversity more…
@johnd27: You have a pretty good [url=<a href=“http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm%5Dchance%5B/url”>http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]chance[/url] at somewhere in the T14. Not as good as when you retake the LSAT and get a 170, because it’s just silly to leave it in the top of the 160s.
I hope you like Cornell… but for anything higher than Cornell you may as well ED to UVA, UPenn, Duke or Michigan (pick 1)
I always wonder about the advice to retake the LSAT. There must be students who do less well the second time and both will be considered. It seems to be that results on the the logic/game portion can differ because sometimes you can set them up easily and occasionally you cannot not. So I would question advising someone who got high 160s, 167-169, to retake and hope for 170+. I really don’t know but I am not sure it is good advice. I guess it could depend on performance on practice tests and how much the student studied the first time.
True, if they don’t study well.
Realistically no. It is in the law school’s own best interest to count only your best score – it raises their rankings.
With the hundreds of tests available, and with proper prep time, there is no reason to miss any on LG. It’s the easiest to prepare for.
As an example, Michigan’s website says that they consider all scores, but report (and are required to report) the highest score.
The LSAC report for an applicant who has sat for the LSAT more than once will show every score or cancellation, as well as the average score. The ABA requires law schools to report score information based on an admitted student’s highest score, and therefore, that is the score to which we give the most weight. We do, however, consider the average score as well, because data provided by the Law School Admissions Council suggests that it has the greatest predictive utility. The average score becomes less useful, though, as the disparity between two scores increases; for that reason, if you have a significant disparity between scores (six or more points), it would be very helpful to address any explanation for the difference in an optional essay or addendum.
Bluebayou: You said: “There is no reason to miss any on LG. It’s the easiest to prepare for.” This is one reason I worry about the advice given in CC on retaking the LSAT. Some people who give that advice may have done very well on the test and think that anyone can study their way to a 175-180. But I cannot believe that is true for everyone. Some readers simply may not be able to get to the 170s. I just want those readers to consider a potential risk of retaking a 169, for example. With good grades, a 169 can get you into a T14. A 169 together with a 160 could make it harder. I don’t know if it would but it is something to consider.
I have stated just the opposite many times on cc. (Unless one is a top test taker in general, one could study for months and never clear 170. OTOH, someon with a 169 only needs 1 extra correct question…)
Really terrible advice. There is no way a LS that desires a 169 is gonna care about anything lower. There just aren’t enough 169’s to go around for the law schools that need them to hold their medians.
btw: with good grades, a 17x can not only get you into the T14, but it would include big bucks in the form of merit aid. That is tax-free money, and the easiest money that most folks will ever earn in a lifetime.
In the OP’s case, she/he’d need 3 more questions to clear 170 but the financial reward/upside is HUGE, given that there is no downside. But as an Engineer with a 3.8+ GPA, 100% on LG should be easily doable with prep.
I would think that a 3.83/167 would open plenty of doors, although it’s difficult to say where. Yale is out of reach, but I wouldn’t rule out anywhere else, even though the top 5 will be a stretch.
I also agree that the advice that’s doled out here: “just retake and get a 170+” and “just take a few more classes and get your GPA up to a 3.9” simplifies the hard work involved. The original poster in this thread, though, already has very strong numbers and so getting up a few more points should be doable.