<p>I've heard there is a very good UCLA sponsored LSAT-prep course for around $800. Has anyone heard of this or know anything about it? I'm assuming it's available to transfer students as well.</p>
<p>I think 800 dollars is a bit much to spend--more reasonable than going over a thousand, but still. A sizable portion of the people who take expensive prep courses end up just improving by a few points.</p>
<p>Well gabe, that was un-helpful lol. I didn't ask if anyone APPROVED of it, I asked if anyone KNEW about it.</p>
<p>A few points on my LSAT is worth $800 to me. Consider the following website, bearing in mind it isn't completely accurate but gives a relatively good representation of what law schools look for...</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiashu.com/lsat.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.chiashu.com/lsat.html</a></p>
<p>Let's say I want to go to UCLA law. Type in a 3.7 GPA and a 165 LSAT. The probability of me getting in is:</p>
<p>0.2951710771393304 </p>
<p>Now with the same GPA enter 168 for the LSAT (3 points):</p>
<p>0.5229089490133596 </p>
<p>Now my chances shoot up to 52%</p>
<p>And just for fun lets say an LSAT prep course makes my score jump 5 points to 170....</p>
<p>0.6754851772616627</p>
<p>That's more than double what my original chances were with my original LSAT and GPA.</p>
<p>Every point you get on your LSAT in the upper 160's helps your admissions chances</p>
<p>That calculator is extreeemely dubious. Admissions websites will even say they harshly criticize any kind of adherence to a formula.</p>
<p>The UCLA figures it came up with illustrate how unreliable the formula is as well. The average GPA of admits to UCLA Law is 3.65, the average LSAT score: 165.</p>
<p>It is insane that a person who has the average LSAT score and exceeds the average GPA of admits only has a 30% chance of admission. That's ridiculous. I think it's just about a bad idea any time to get a GPA or other figures and boil them down to a percent chance--it just doesn't work that way.</p>
<p>I'll correct myself a little--the class of 2008 had a 3.68 average GPA and a 166 LSAT.</p>
<p>I would have to disagree. While it's not entirely accurate, as I said, it does give you a relative overview of what type of people get accepted to law school. It seems with your presence on this board that you should know very well that extremely qualified people often get rejected from the schools to which they apply. Now I'm not big on stats but I do know what an average is. There are obviously some applicants with much higher LSATs bringing that 166 average to where it is. Then there are probably some applicants with lower LSATs getting into law schools at the benefit of socio-economic class (Which is still used in public institutions, although race is not.) 35% for a 3.68 GPA and 166 LSAT is probably not all that inaccurate. Although I don't know know what year this calculator uses for its information, I do believe it is a bit outdated. BUT I also believe it still gives one an accurate representation of how much of a difference a few points on one's LSAT in law school admissions.</p>
<p>Where is the methodology explained for the calculator? </p>
<p>If I had my statistics book I would look into the critical values to find the percentage for it.</p>
<p>Sometimes it shows you as having a higher chance at some unknown school compared to the ivies...theres somethin fishy with it man.</p>
<p>I just entered a 3.0 and a 180 and it says 42 percent chance at Columbia compared to a 4 chance at Berkeley, and a 67% chance at UCLA, 60% chance at cornell.</p>
<p>It doesn't show maybe I'll email the guy later and find out.</p>
<p>I was thinking...35% could be very accurate based on past statistics. Just because someone has the mean LSAT and GPA doesn't mean they have a good shot at being accepted.</p>
<p>Like I said I'm not mathematician but lets say</p>
<p>100 people with 168 LSATs are accepted.
50 people with 167 LSATs are accepted.
and
30 people with 161 LSATs are accepted (because of Socio-economic factors)</p>
<p>Let's just say that this averages out to the 166 LSAT average for UCLA. Hypothetically, it isn't necessary that ANY admits have a 166, right? (I'm asking I don't really know) While this would be highly unlikely it could happen. This being the case, and this calculator using exact LSAT and GPA scores, it is very possible (insane as you may think it is) that the admit rate for applicants with 3.68GPAs and 166 LSAT was only 35% or so. Again I don't know the methodology or the year of the statistics which makes this discussion difficult.</p>
<p>gabew42,</p>
<p>Good questioning. I too find the calculator to be of dubious value.</p>
<p>THe Boalt law school at berkeley is known to favorably look at applicants with high GPAs</p>
<p>that's what i was thinking too. Some schools might weigh certain aspects differently. I didn't make this calculator so I really don't care if you guys believe it to be "dubious", but I'm thinking its fairly accurate. Maybe Berkeley puts more weight on GPA as posted above. I really don't know and, gabe, you don't know either. So we can't prove anything, but rather invite "hearsay". Furthermore, nothing bad can come out of my law school admissions quest by raising my LSAT score (even by a few points), period. So back to my original question....anyone know of a good LSAT test prep at UCLA?</p>
<p>another one someone might know...do you think UCLA Law gives any preference to UCLA students in law school admissions?</p>
<p>most law schools give preference to undergraduates of the same university.</p>
<p>As far as test prep is considered - if you are going to spend $800, you should spend a few more hundred (around $1000-1100) and take a class at Powerscore or Testmasters. Or if you can, look into the BLueprint test prep company. Go to the forums at lawschooldiscussion.org for further information. You'll find many answers to the questions you have at that forum rather than the one here at CC.</p>
<p>"Maybe Berkeley puts more weight on GPA as posted above. I really don't know and, gabe, you don't know either. So we can't prove anything, but rather invite "hearsay."</p>
<p>That's not right. You're choosing to be speculative. What Berkeley considers is largely explained on their website. For example (just a few things):</p>
<p>"The GPA and LSAT alone are not dispositive."</p>
<p>"If hypothetical weights were assigned to the three factors considered (academic record, LSAT score, and personal statement/recommendations), each would be about one-third."</p>
<p>"No applicant is automatically admitted or denied solely on the basis of scores and grades."</p>
<p>Also, I'd like to hear more info about the supposed preference to undergrads at a specific university. Just because they end up admitting a lot of students who were undergrads at the university doesn't mean they have an actual preferential system. So please provide official information that discusses that.</p>
<p>I think any percentage is dubious--it's difficult to narrow down the process like that, as much as we may enjoy doing it.</p>
<p>While the calculator may need some work, chunkphat has the right idea in saying $800 is well worth a few points on the lsat. </p>
<p>Also.. when you see a school's "class statitistics" for gpa and lsat they are for the entering class that year, not ALL accepted. </p>
<p>For example: On the berkeley law website it provides the following info on Berkeley's law school applicants.</p>
<p>Berkeley's law school is ranked 13 and the average gapa and lsat OF THE ENTERING CLASS IN 2004 was 3.65-3.9 and 160-168.
Now if you look at the average gpa and lsat for all those accepted, but that didn't necessarily enroll it is 3.89 and 168.</p>
<p>Many other law schools provide this same info and we can see how competitive the application process is and especially how numbers driven it all is. The best students are accepted at more schools than the mediocre ones that simply fall into the school's averages. I show this info to stress the importance of even one extra point someone could work for and earn on the lsat.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.yale.edu/career/students...tistics2004.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.yale.edu/career/students...tistics2004.pdf</a>
This site also shows the difference between accepted students' numbers and maticulated students' numbers.</p>
<p>I don't know much about law schools, but does major play a role in admission? SOmeone once told me that law schools like Engineering majors? anyone hear that?</p>
<p>Good distinction to make Devo.</p>
<p>Your thing about Berkeley is weird though. Aren't those numbers just for graduating seniors from Berkeley? </p>
<p>"Now if you look at the average gpa and lsat for all those accepted, but that didn't necessarily enroll it is 3.89 and 168."</p>
<p>Yeah...these are just Berkeley applicants.</p>
<p>majors play a minor and relatively insignificant role.</p>
<p>Law schools only really care about LSAT and GPA, usually in that order. As long as the major is a non-fluff one, it doesn't matter what a student majors in. Although it does seem like from admissions data (look up lawschoolnumbers.com and the forums at *******.com and lawschooldiscussion.org) that many law schools give some leeway to students who graduated with difficult majors - i.e. Electrical Engineering.</p>
<p>Law Schools, save Yale and Stanford, are generally a numbers game. High LSAT and high GPA are the only two components that one really needs to get into a top program.</p>
<p>What do you make of the following then...</p>
<p>"If hypothetical weights were assigned to the three factors considered (academic record, LSAT score, and personal statement/recommendations), each would be about one-third."</p>