ED or no? (Splitter)

[cjd858]

Hi PowerScore,

Apologies in advance for the lengthy post! So I am having an extremely difficult time deciding if I should apply ED due to all the various factors in my applications. I'll be completely honest so that I can hopefully get the best advice. I am a non-traditional application (30), currently active duty (will be considered a veteran once I hopefully start law school next fall), a cumulative GPA of 2.51 (awful, I know), and an official score of 158 as of right now (retaking this weekend and hoping to land near 165+).

My GPA is the biggest negative. I started at University of Texas back in 2009, worked full-time and school full-time, and didn't manage my free time well (completely my fault). I stopped attending during my junior year and worked full time for the next 7 years. I got my life together, enlisted in the military in 2018, and then completed my degree at Penn State. I was full-time active duty and went full time to Penn State for 4 semesters, made the Dean's List all 4 semesters graduating with a degree GPA of 3.85. I know this shows a tremendous upward trend and I think it looks good that I was able to do a full time course load considering my job. My military job is in intelligence, so I also have a top clearance. I was told this also could positively impact my applications because some internships require my clearance level and it's not easy to get (although I don't know if this actually will be beneficial or not). Also, since I will be considered a veteran, I will be getting 100% of the GI Bill, so I am not really concerned with fund offers from schools.

My problem I am having is if I should pick one of my schools that offer ED and go for it in hopes maybe it'll give me some boost due to my low cumulative GPA? I am applying to 20+ schools just because I don't know necessarily what my chances are given my various factors (if I am wrong about this, please let me know). I am also nervous that if I do apply ED somewhere, but then happen to get into a better school, I won't be able to attend there. On the other hand, I am scared that if I don't take advantage of ED, I might not get in anywhere. Maybe I am just crazy and no matter the other factors, my GPA is just too much to overcome. Any and all advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Very respectfully,
Casey

[Adam Tyson]

Hey Casey, great job at all you have accomplished! Well done! All of that will look great on your application, and could be part of a great personal statement. If you choose not to address those life changes and your big turnaround in your PS, you should at least address your GPA in an addendum.

I don't think you should apply ED to any school that you wouldn't be very happy to graduate from. I also don't think you need to do that to get into a great school, because there's so much in your application that can overcome that GPA hurdle. Some questions about ED were asked in a recent Student Question Mailbag podcast episode, and I suggest you give it a listen: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/podcas ... ns-part-2/

In short, apply where you want to go, don't apply where you don't want to go, and don't sweat the GPA. Now focus on getting the best LSAT score you can to round out your excellent credentials, and some law school will be very lucky to have you!