GPA/LSAT Law school predictor

[Nfontes93]

Dear Powerscore,

My undergrad gpa from BC is around a 3.76 and my highest LSAT score is a 161. I am applying this fall and I am very concerned and confused by what law schools I should be targeting. The GPA/LSAT calculators online have left me quite concerned and they're also giving me conflicting results, which I know may be an indicator that the calculators aren't that helpful. I've taken the LSAT now twice and don't plan to take it again. I am taking two years off to work (I graduated last May) before applying. I am looking to go into litigation. With all this information, can you help me determine my chances with the following list of schools? I am doing my best to have a good range of schools, but am really confused and lost at this point. I appreciate any insight you can provide.

Here's my list:
Georgetown
BC
BU
GW
William and Mary
Fordham
Northwestern
Columbia
NYU
Notre Dame

Thanks!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi N,

Thanks for the question! We generally try to be as helpful as possible, but the task you've set before us is nearly impossible, and any numbers we generated would be about as valid as the predictors Why is that? Because although you've given us the two important hard numbers, we can't see anything else in your application, including your transcript, your ECs, your recs, and your personal statement. While those are less important than LSAT/GPA, they do make a difference, and they tend to shade the percentages one way or the other. So, without the ability to review your entire app in the manner a law school would, and to compare it to the other applicants in your pool, there will never be a truly accurate statistical estimation that anyone can produce. Because of that, the LSAC calculator is about as good as anything out there.

I'll give you an example of how not seeing this info makes it impossible to provide a useful analysis. I once had a student with an excellent GPA from a very well-regarded school, and an LSAT score of 180. Slam dunk, right? Nope. He was rejected from most of the top schools, including his main target school. Afterwards he came to me and couldn't figure it out. In his email to me, he sent along his personal statement. After reading the first paragraph, I knew why he was being rejected—absolutely no one would want him in the class given the way he described himself (briefly, he was pretty sure he was god's gift to the world and was quite intent on letting every living thing know that). We got him into an admissions consulting program asap and the next year he reversed his situation and went to his first pick, but the point is that numbers only tell part of the story.

I wish we could be more help here, but I hope this explains why no one can really produce what you want without spending several hours going through your app and the schools you list.

Thanks!