<p>i took a practice lsat for the first time the other day and got a 171. I am just beginning community college. Could i expect to get into a t14 law school if i transfer and carry a 3.6 throughout undergrad? Even if i transfer to a less prestigous undergrad program?</p>
<p>Probably, yes. Assuming that’s the score you got on an actual test.</p>
<p>You’re not going to be applying to LS for a LONG time…and nobody has a crystal ball. I don’t think you can look at what would happen now and predict what will happen at least a few years down the road. </p>
<p>Personally, I think it’s unlikely that a 3.6 will be good enough to get into a T-14 at least 3years from now. I may be wrong, but if I were the OP, I’d aim for a higher gpa than that.</p>
<p>a 3.6 is plenty if you go to a good undergrad school, it just depends on the LSAT, if you score 172+ and get a 3.6 you will prolly get in somewhere in the 7-14 range.</p>
<p>jonri’s point was that standards are slowly getting higher over time.</p>
<p>ah crap, really? that means I am screwed, this is not good.</p>
<p>I would disagree. Standards are becoming higher of late because more people are looking to graduate degrees as job opportunities become more competitive in our current times. After this recession, I would say standards will decrease slightly. </p>
<p>Regardless, a 3.6 is perfectly fine with that LSAT score to get into a t14, even though this is hypothetical.</p>
<p>What do you base your certainty upon?</p>
<p>There is historical data. LS apps are probably up right now. However, gpa and LSAT trends among successful top-14 LS applicants do not correlate perfectly with supply and demand. </p>
<p>Here’s a link to the historical data re the # of applicants:
[url=<a href=“http://members.lsac.org/Public/MainPage.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2FPrivate%2FMainPage2.aspx]LSACNet.org[/url”>http://members.lsac.org/Public/MainPage.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2FPrivate%2FMainPage2.aspx]LSACNet.org[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Look under data.</p>
<p>The # of apps for the class beginning in the fall of '04 was 100,600. The # of apps for the class beginning in the fall of '08 was 83,400. At the tier 14 LSs I’m most familiar with, the median LSAT and GPA of accepted applicants both went up during that time frame. </p>
<p>Again, I don’t claim I KNOW what will happen. The point is that nobody does. I just don’t think anyone can ask at least 3 years in advance what LSAT and gpa will be “good enough” to make the 7-14 group.</p>
<p>Yes, but the number of applications is not the same as the number of people. You’ll notice that since 2007, the number of LSATs administered has risen greatly. This is a much better reflection of the number of people applying. Of course application numbers have risen: 1. It is easier to submit multiple applications now with technological developments and 2. There is more uncertainty with these higher standards due to my above reasons, so people submit more applications in an effort to ensure their entering law school. But as the economy becomes better, and more people enter the job market directly, numbers of applicants (and applications, for that matter) will slightly decrease from the previous recession period, and then most likely begin to slightly rise again after a period of decrease.</p>
<p>just following the trends over the past year or two- it does seem like gpa is playing a bigger role in admittance. But I also feel, the higher the LSAT score, the more flexibility you have with your gpa.
Will a 171/3.6 get into a T-14? Most probably- especially if you target the 7-14 schools.
Will a 168/3.6 get into a T-14? Lot of waitlists and with alot of luck, maybe an acceptance. </p>
<p>two years ago a 168/3.6 should have gotten you into a few T-14’s.</p>
<p>Philo–</p>
<p>I’m not very good at statistics, but I think you’re wrong. We agree that the number of people is what matters. The closest approximation, I think, is the number of LSDAS registrations. Yes, they are good for 5 years and that creates issues. </p>
<p>But using the # of LSATs administered is invalid IMO because of the fact that some LSs now consider only your highest LSAT–a fact which has lead to a dramatic increase in the number of folks taking the LSAT a second time. That’s a recent change in policy–it wasn’t in effect in the fall of 2004. Back then VERY few people took the LSAT more than once–and it’s probable that most of the folks who did so were those with lower LSATs.</p>
<p>The data for the # of repeat LSAT takers for recent years is set forth in the same section. 21.8% of LSAT takers take the test twice. 4.5% take it more than twice. I don’t know what the percentages were before the rules changed, but I suspect that at least some of the increase in the # of LSAT administrations is due to the fact that some LSs now look at your highest score. Before, ABA rules required them to average them.</p>
<p>In other words, I don’t think the increase in the # of LSATs administered is made up entirely of additional people taking the test. I think it’s because of the increase in the # of folks taking the LSAT a second time. </p>
<p>BTW, while there is a slight increase in the # of LSDAS registrations, there’s also an increase in the # of slots at ABA-accredited LSs.</p>
<p>I mean, the analysis will be simple enough if somebody has access to lawschoolnumbers.com. Just look at the graphs over the last few years. That’s not rigorous either, but at least it doesn’t involve proxies.</p>
<p>The best way would be to get our hands on a few years’ worth of US News and see what’s happening to the means, etc.</p>
<p>Well, I’m at a computer with flash now, so here goes.</p>
<p>Looks like Georgetown 08/09 wants a [3.3</a>, 171](<a href=“http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0809/]3.3”>http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0809/).
07/08, they were looking for a [3.3</a>, 170](<a href=“http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0708/]3.3”>http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0708/). Some more flexibility in LSAT, too: 168/3.7 would also do the trick.
06/07: [3.1</a>, 170](<a href=“http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0607/]3.1”>http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0607/). (Or 3.7/168.)
05/06: [3.3</a>, 170](<a href=“http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0506/]3.3”>http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0506/). (Or 3.8/168.)
04/05: [3.3</a>, 170](<a href=“http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0405/]3.3”>http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0405/). (Or 3.8/168.)
03/04: [3.3</a>, 170](<a href=“http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0304/]3.3”>http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/0304/). (Or 3.8/168.)</p>
<p>Key points: these are just my subjective estimations, and of course LSN has its own statistical concerns.</p>