Got my Lsat Score-What now?

[dneuman]

So, as I had posted just before the Lsat, I scored twice on PT's at exactly 155. When I opened up the email detailing my LSAT score, you can imagine my excitement, awe, and surprise, at seeing that I scored a 161!
I'm obviously incredibly excited by that score and grateful of course to how much the PowerScore course helped me. My diagnostic was 140 so I'm very excited by a 21 point increase

Now, with that said, this does pose some interesting questions. Before I took the test, as I indicated in my previous post, I definitely planned on re-taking the Lsat. I figured I would get around a 155, and that with determination and a over a month of studying, I could boost the score to somewhere in the 160's (preferably around 164). With this surprise though, a few thoughts come up. First, knowing that this score increase was something unexpected, and that I performed at a higher level, is it worth the risk of going a second time and maybe scoring less, or the same score? How bad does it look if something like that happens? On a similar note, assuming that I DO score higher, would it justify a second outing if the score only goes up by a couple points? This increased score is no doubt wonderful, but makes me unsure about what my next score could be.

To continue, (this is turning out to be a long post, but I figure I'll get all my questions out in one go!) The schools I'm looking at are in Florida (University of Miami, and Florida Int University), but as a backup plan assuming I scored high enough, I always harbored this desire to try my hand at getting into Boston College or Boston University. The good news is that I have a 3.79 GPA, but a 161 is just a tad under both of their Lsat median's. What do you think are my odds? Do I need a crazy good Application?

And that finally brings me to my last question, while I found a great resource that you guys compiled on the overall admissions process, what other material do you have that would help? On one specific note, do you have any in-depth approaches to writing the personal statement? While I saw there were some courses and resources, I am seeing if I can do this without spending too much.

Thanks so much, hopefully I didn't put too much out there. Again, thanks ultimately for the help that Powerscore was able to give me, and looking forward to hearing back!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi D,

Thanks for the message, and congrats on the great score! A 21 point increase is sensational

Let's address the questions you've posed and see where that leaves us. First, on the retake question, it would not be a big deal for you to score about the same or a few points lower. I've been posting on that topic a lot recently, and just Monday posted a blog on whether you should retake the LSAT. Our friends over at Spivey Consulting also wrote a blog for us that examined why it is that only the high score matters these days, and that all others are inconsequential. So, you could retake it and things wouldn't be at risk (and, if you knew you bombed it, you could just cancel with no harm done). If you did score a few points higher, it would be worth it, by the way. Every point counts, not only for admissions purposes but for scholarships as well.

The one hesitation I have on you retaking is the uncertainty you show on whether you could score higher. I get the sense you feel you got lucky that this happened, and that you are not at all sure if it can be replicated. So, if you do go back in for another attempt, that's one area I would work on. Make sure you have the confidence and belief that you could score better the second time around.

Let's move to the schools now. I love to start any of these discussion by referring to LSAC's "UGPA and LSAT Score Search" (https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/ ... ALSAT.aspx), which produces a percentage chance of acceptance when you input your numbers. With a 161 and a 3.79, these are the admissions chances the calculator produces:

• Miami: between 90-100%
  Florida International: between 90-100%
  Boston College: between 56-66%
  Boston University: between 52-62%

So, at both Florida schools the numbers suggest you are in, and you'll get a decent scholarship offer too. At the Boston schools you clearly have a shot, but it's just a bit over 50-50 and so it could go any way. Not to drive you crazy, but with a 164 and a 3.79, these are the admissions chances the calculator produces at the two Boston schools (at the two Florida schools they stay the same because 90-100% is the best the calculator will ever show for any school):

• Boston College: between 74-84%
  Boston University: between 70-80%

Basically, it increases your chances by around 20%, and puts you in a much more solid position. That isn't my way of telling you take it, however I'm just putting it out there so you know.

Last, let's take a look at some of the other admissions related resources that PowerScore offers. While we do have the comprehensive Admissions Consulting programs you mentioned, we also offer a host of free resources that are a great place to start:

• PowerScore's basic overview of the admissions process on Youtube
  
  My free seminar on how to put together a stellar Personal Statement — see the 7th link down
  
  An experts guide to creating a killer Law School Application
  
  Our free Admissions Help Area

That should be a pretty good start—there are hours and hours of free law school admission resources there covering most all of the basics. Please let me know if you have any questions on that. Thanks!