<p>So..what if your GPA (at Cornell, in ILR, particularly) is like 3.5-3.7ish and your LSAT is 175+? Would a top 20 law school still be realistic, despite the (relatively) low GPA?</p>
<p>oh..and I mean, technically I'm African American because I'm 50% Moroccan, but I'd rather not rely on that...</p>
<p>In at all schools excpet HYS with money at T10-14</p>
<p>Did not see that you were URM. In at Harvard, still a reach at Yale and Stanford (probable ding) with money at all other schools. URM Status plays a huge role</p>
<p>I don't think I'd be comfortable applying as a URM, since my "African" father is a sephardic Jew and I am clearly very white, but I would, if I didn't do that well on my LSATS...</p>
<p>Thanks for the response, I feel better about my freshman pre-med mishap of a GPA.</p>
<p>I don't think North African counts as anything but White. </p>
<p>There's also a huge difference between a 3.5 and a 3.7 when it comes to top schools.</p>
<p>well, just assume 3.7 because I assume that I'll give many a **** junior year</p>
<p>my main point was finding out how much a 175+ would compensate for in GPA..</p>
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I'm African American because I'm 50% Moroccan
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<p>You will not be considered african american as it is defined as</p>
<p>
[quote]
A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm not applying as a URM, anyways (I was being semi-sarcastic). Good to know, though.</p>
<p>But anyways, would a really great LSAT score compensate for a GPA that isn't as high as the average at top law schools?</p>
<p>My degree GPA should be a 3.8, because my first year isn't factored into it, since I switched majors.</p>
<p>First of all, you really shouldn't bank on getting a 175+ LSAT. Just work on your GPA, study for your LSAT and things will fall into place. </p>
<p>To answer your question, again, w/ a 3.6 and a 175+, you'll be in at every school except Harvard, Yale and Stanford. 3.6 is a fairly competitive GPA, a bit on the weak side, but the 175+ LSAT is so good that it'll make up that much for it.</p>
<p>Sweet. I think I can probably get a 175+ if I start preparing this summer. I have to bank on a high LSAT since I won't be able to get my GPA over a 3.7, thanks to freshman year.</p>
<p>Unless you got a 1500 (M+V) SAT, don't think you can get a 175. You'll most likely just let yourself down.</p>
<p>I got a 720 and 730 on math and verbal, respectively and an 800 on writing. I figure if I seriously study for the LSATs (I didn't really for the SATs) I should be fine. I guess I'll find out in a year or so. I was just trying to find out if I should bother putting all this time into the LSATs with my anticipated GPA.</p>
<p>I'll echo what has been already said: Don't bank on a 175+ LSAT. Getting a score over 175 is very difficult and often entails a bit of luck. Remember, anything over a 170 puts you in the 99th percentile of a very competitive pool of test takers. This isn't the SAT, where getting a high score can be achieved if you study and are reasonably smart.</p>
<p>That said, 175+ is a great goal to have. If you work very hard and have a good brain getting something in the 170s is attainable.</p>
<p>I'm not sure I see the point of having a target score in mind when you take the LSAT. Your goal should be to walk out of the test saying to yourself, "whatever my score is, that was my best performance."</p>
<p>Or when you're preparing. You should be shooting for a 180... There's no reason not to</p>
<p>I never said I was shooting for any particular score, I simply presented a hypothetical situation so I could find out if the LSAT might compensate for my GPA.</p>
<p>Have you done a timed, published LSAT? If not, don't even guess about your score.</p>
<p>I disagree with Mr. Payne, I received a 1390 on my SATs back in high school through self-study and, since studying for the LSAT, have improved my score dramatically from a 155 to high 160s-low 170s. I plan on achieving a score in the mid 170s once I get some tips from a tutor that I've hired. Pomona College refined my critical thinking skills and has improved my Reading Comprehension. I feel that a person can change a lot depending on how challenging their college and courses are. Additionally, the LSAT is a test you can easily LEARN. I went from 12 wrong on logic games to a consistent perfect on that section. That is the easiest section to improve on with the Powerscore Logic Games Bible. Logical Reasoning for me takes more practice, but with time, I'm understanding and noticing the nuances in the answer choices. It's fine to shoot for a 180, but understand that there IS a certain level (in the high 170s) where achieving that score will be VERY difficult. Just by taking so many practice tests, I've realized that I probably will never get a 177-180, but I'd be happy with a score in the mid 170s! </p>
<p>Good luck to you. Study hard, regardless of what others say.</p>
<p>Using the algorithm I read somewhere on here, a 1390 projects to a 168. Of course, this is, as usual, plus or minus a few points.</p>
<p>A 1450 SAT score is roughly at the 98th percentile of test takers. A 175 LSAT is at the 99.5th percentile. Needless to say, the gap between 98th percentile and 99.5th percentile is pretty damn hard to close.</p>
<p>Correlations have been done between SAT scores and LSATs already and a 1450 turning into a 175 is out of the norm. An LSAT of 168-172 is much more plausible.</p>
<p>"Needless to say, the gap between 98th percentile and 99.5th percentile is pretty damn hard to close."</p>
<p>Really? I mean it's just 1.5%... it seems like that much can be accounted for with a bit of luck on 2 or 3 questions that you guessed on...</p>