ADVICE PLEASE

[rezamza]

Hey there,
Im just hoping for a bit of advice or steering in the right direction if someone has the time and knowledge to assist...

Background info: 27 years old and have been working aimless jobs since graduating from university (with a 3.0) a few years ago in order to pay back student loans. I have recently, within the past year, began to manifest my goals of pursuing law. After a bit of laziness and complacency, I began studying (on my own and without classes or tutoring due to my financial situation) and finally took the June 2014 LSAT. My practice scores were constantly fluctuating, which prevented me from developing a solid, average score. I decided to cancel my score due to the paranoid speculation that I may not have realized how intensely anxious and ill-prepared I was. I signed up for the September 2014 test and due to instances concerning family and financial issues, have been unable to devote the kind of time and energy needed to increase my score to 165+. So I hesitatingly changed the date of my test to December.

My main concern is that after taking the December LSAT (which Im maintaining a strong disposition towards earning something in the high 160s), I wont have the kind of GPA, adequate references, nor the work/internship experience necessary to get me into a good school.

Id really appreciate any advice with regards to the kind of pursuits others are venturing on in order to be accepted into their target law schools. Im in the bay area and am hoping to stay close by. Boalt doesnt seem feasible, but Santa Clara, Hastings or Davis maybe?

Thank you!

[Ron Gore]

Hi, Rezamza!

Welcome to the forum.

Believe it or not, I was in a very similar circumstance at about your age. I graduated from a good undergraduate school with a decent but not great GPA. I kicked around various jobs until I was in my late 20s and then decided to go to law school. So, you are definitely not alone.

The first step is to hammer down the details of what you need in order to get admitted to the school of your choice. LSAC has a UGPA/LSAT calculator that can help you play around with the numbers. You put in your UGPA and an LSAT score, and it helps you determine your chances (by percentile bands) of getting into the various schools.

One of the great things about the LSAT is that it counts so heavily in the admissions decision -- for some schools it is as much as 80% of the admissions decision. So, a strong showing on the LSAT can overcome a lower GPA.

As to your work experience and references, I find it nearly impossible to believe that your life story does not have at least a few really interesting twists and turns. The benefit of being older is that you gain a little bit of experience every day. Look at yourself and your life from a different perspective. Don't take for experience for granted. Even if you have held numerous, seemingly disconnected jobs, and even if you feel like your resume isn't stellar, find the common thread in all of your experiences that shows who you are. You don't need to have the most amazing resume in the world to be someone who can contribute a unique and helpful voice to a law school community. Discover your voice and let the law schools hear it.

There is an admissions post on our blog that might be helpful to you, and there are other resources on the internet as well for non-traditional law school applicants, including this post from Ann Levine.

The bottom line is not to be trapped by the version of yourself that you've developed in your mind over the years. You're looking to make a big change by going to law school. Why are you doing that? You must think you have something to contribute, that you can be successful as an attorney. Why do you think that?

Focus on what makes you unique and share that version of yourself with the law schools. In the meantime, get down to details about what you actually need to get into specific law schools and focus on crushing the LSAT. There's not a whole lot that a 170+ LSAT score can't overcome.

Best wishes,

Ron

[rezamza]

Thank you so much, Ron...your advice is very helpful and motivating. Im truly grateful for it...