Part-Time Law School prospect

[Dajpol]

I graduated from undergrad 11 years ago. I went for my first jog in about two months because I was singularly focused on preparing for the LSAT and I pulled out my back. I am old.

I have been in insurance for a decade, and am currently working at a brokerage firm specializing in large complex commercial risks. I plan on staying in this niche for the rest of my career. I applied to law school back in 2010 and decided against attending; at the time I was considering law school as more of a career change than a career supplement, and with the compressed economy I decided it was not a sound financial decision for me at that time.

Now that I'm further along in my career I feel now more than ever that going to law school will really help me solve my client's issues from a more holistic approach, and help my progression within my niche/small brokerage shop. Going to law school will not be a career change. I would be an insurance professional with a law degree.

I understand the LSAT to still be as big of a factor as it was 6 years ago when I took it last (I took the live classroom powerscore course to refresh my memory and it was terrific). My question is - as I wait for the September LSAT results, 1) how much can I deviate from a school's posted average LSAT in determining my chances of acceptance, given my story? 2) Do some (1-99%) part-time law school student story look something like mine? In other words, is my story as unique as I think it is and would therefore help bolster my chances if I score lower than I hoped or not really? 3) Does my undergrad record carry little weight now that I'm a decade+ removed from school (I was a two-sport D1 athlete that graduated with honors. I imagine that means little now though).

I apologize for the lack of brevity - this started off as a sentence or two about me being old and kind of got away from me.

Thank you for any input you can provide

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi, Dajpol,

Anecdotally, your story is not at all uncommon. As an instructor, I have tutored professionals nearing retirement from their first career, PhD students who wish to pursue law instead, college professors, people seeking a midlife career change, and people like you who view a law degree as an asset to their existing career. Personally, outside work, I know at least half a dozen people of many ages and professions who have earned law degrees for a variety of personal, professional, or non-traditional reasons.

At many law schools, your undergrad GPA is a significant factor for admissions even over a decade after you were graduated. The importance of this factor varies from school to school. Some schools are known to attract non-traditional or older students, Northwestern for instance has an average entering age of around 27 I think (I could be mistaken). You will need to contact the admissions departments of schools you're interested in to find out more about each school's specific requirements and culture.

You should reach out to and visit schools that you wish to attend. Law school is not only about where you are accepted but also about where you want to be for the next three years and will have a big impact on your future career trajectory should you choose to practice law. Of course a stellar LSAT is an important component of your application anywhere. I hope you are pleased with your results from September! Best of luck and feel free to reach out to us with further questions.

[Dajpol]

Thank you for the reply.

I do have a follow-up question--

Dream school - I am at the 25% for the LSAT, though I am sitting for the December exam and have reason(s) to believe I should improve by 3+ points. My GPA is slightly above the median for the school. Somehow, when plugged into the LSAC admissions estimator, I have about a 50% chance of getting in.

I have met with admissions folks, sat for a class, interacted with the professor afterwards. They seem to find my background/career interesting, and as my dream school - I obviously think fondly of their program. Nevertheless I am planning on signing up for one of the admissions services provided by powerscore.

My question is - in between now and the time I take the test and by the time I get my results, 1) should I bring up my LSAT score to them and ask them directly what my chances are now that I've begun to create a relationship with some of the admissions staff/faculty? 2) Is it appropriate for me to ask them what it is that I can do, aside from a higher LSAT score, to demonstrate my fitness in being a member of their next incoming class? They haven't asked about my score, so I haven't disclosed, and I feel like I'm building a good case for them to admit me, despite my score. I'm a bit nervous about applying in February when I can essentially apply now with the score and hope that they wait for my second score to come in and (hopefully) be higher.

Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

Thanks for sharing your story, Dajpol! It sounds a lot like mine - I was a decade out of undergrad when I applied to law school, primarily with the intention to supplement rather than change my career (ended up differently, but that's another story). I went to a part-time night program, kept my day job, and took 4 years (including summers) to get my J.D. I know where you're coming from and a bit about where you're going!

My specialty is the content of the LSAT, and I am not one of our resident admissions gurus, so take my advice with a bag of salt. That said, here are my thoughts.

You are going to apply to your dream school. Your numbers are good enough to make it worth trying, and you want it, so you're going to go for it. That means that they will, at some point, see your September LSAT score. They will base their decision almost entirely on the higher score, whichever that is, but they will still see them all. Seems to me like there is no harm in telling them now what it was, especially since you are already building a relationship and some rapport with them. In your shoes I would absolutely call them up, tell them your score, tell them your thoughts and plans about re-taking, and ask their advice about what else you can do to make you a more attractive candidate. For all you know, they may tell you to go ahead and apply now without waiting because they are already salivating at the chance to have you join them!

Admissions officers play two roles, as I see it - they are gatekeepers, weeding out those that are not up to their standards, but they are also recruiters, looking for the best candidates and encouraging students to give them a look and to apply. In their role as recruiter they want to talk to prospective students, especially the ones that are a little outside the norm like yourself. You''re a professional and so are they, and you can talk to each other like professionals. It's not only appropriate, it's smart, and shows a degree of confidence and initiative that many younger applicants lack. One more thing to make you stand out as a candidate, if you handle it right.

That's my two cents, probably worth less than that. As one old man to another, I say go for it. Win one for the geezer!

[Dajpol]

Thank you Powerscore.

In 2011 I was not accepted into this 'dream' school. Through the Powerscore prep class I raised my score by 6 points and after an hour's worth of time with Powerscore's admissions counseling, I submitted the rest of my application materials with confidence. Not only was I accepted, but I received a merit scholarship.

Thank you again, for all that you do.