Scholarship Question

[libertybelle1]

Hi! So, I took the LSAT in October of 2015 and did significantly worse (10 points ) than my practice tests so I knew I could do better and always planned on retaking. Ended up with a 163. Unfortunately, my dad fell ill this summer, with me taking care of him daily, and later passed, which kept me from doing the necessary preparation for the past three LSATs.

I was accepted to my dream school yesterday (WUSTL) but with my LSAT score, I assume scholarship money will be slim or nonexistent. I have a great GPA (3.92) that combined with a higher LSAT score could seemingly get me a full ride or close to it. WUSTL is by FAR my dream school, but it's hard to justify paying sticker or close to it when I could get a full ride at a state school. My question is, is it common to retake the February test solely for scholarship purposes? Does this work? Could I submit say, a 168 or something and then negotiate for more money?

Thanks in advance!

[Adam Tyson]

First, libertybelle, my condolences on your loss. Second, congratulations on being accepted to your dream school - that's wonderful news!

It is indeed common to take the LSAT a second or even third time, even after you have received an offer from a school, in order to increase your chances of an aid package that might include scholarships (here's an example of LSAT scores being used to not only get applicants off the Wait List but to also increase scholarship offers: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/the-law ... -june-lsat). At this point you have nothing to lose, as long as the deadline for responding to your offer isn't until after you will get your February score. Don't accept until you have to - once you do, the negotiation is over. If you get a scholarship worthy score, you can then discuss that with them prior to your accepting their offer, and if they don't sweeten the pot to your satisfaction and you are happy to go to another school that will cost you less, either because of lower tuition or a better aid package, go where you feel makes the most sense for you.

Sounds like you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking the test again in February. Study hard, bring that score up, and go to the negotiating table with WUSTL! Good luck!

[libertybelle1]

Thank you so much for the information! I appreciate it!