Application Question

[RobAleAnd]

Hello,

I took the December LSAT and I did not do as well as I hoped. I feel like I underperformed with a 158. I was averaging 5 more points on the practice test. My GPA is average; a 3.1 from a good liberal arts college. I had a tough first two years but was able to get my act together my last two years, even earning Deans list one of those semesters. I am also hispanic and Spanish is my first language. My question is whether I should retake the LSAT this February? My target school is University of Florida but I will also settle for University of Miami or Florida State. I know that for the two state schools I am a little below GPA wise but I still am not sure wether retaking the exam will be worth it, especially when people have told me that applying later diminishes your chances of getting accepted. Please Help!

Also I have a question on LORS. This is a big issue for me. I recently graduated from college in may but I haven't spoken to any of my professors since then. I also never had any strong connections with them. There are a few that I had the occasional conversation with but none that I was intimately close with. I am afraid my LORs will not be up to par because of this but I cannot think of any other recommenders. Any advice??


Thank you,


Alejandro

[Jason Schultz]

Hi Alejandro,

Hello,

I took the December LSAT and I did not do as well as I hoped. I feel like I underperformed with a 158. I was averaging 5 more points on the practice test. My GPA is average; a 3.1 from a good liberal arts college. I had a tough first two years but was able to get my act together my last two years, even earning Deans list one of those semesters. I am also hispanic and Spanish is my first language. My question is whether I should retake the LSAT this February? My target school is University of Florida but I will also settle for University of Miami or Florida State. I know that for the two state schools I am a little below GPA wise but I still am not sure wether retaking the exam will be worth it, especially when people have told me that applying later diminishes your chances of getting accepted. Please Help!

UF and FSU are very competitive schools and, from their own mouth, value the numbers highly (http://www.usnews.com/education/article ... ege-of-law) With that in mind, I think the possibility of improving your score outweighs the risk of applying late.

However, for Miami your numbers are right at the median so I think you would be better served by applying early as a safety, updating your LSAT as necessary. You can and definitely should point to the rise in your GPA with all of your applications.

Also I have a question on LORS. This is a big issue for me. I recently graduated from college in may but I haven't spoken to any of my professors since then. I also never had any strong connections with them. There are a few that I had the occasional conversation with but none that I was intimately close with. I am afraid my LORs will not be up to par because of this but I cannot think of any other recommenders. Any advice?

Depending on how long ago you studied under them, most professors will be able to remember your work if you can submit some of your papers. When you contact them, you can offer some of your better work to jog their memory. If you were part of a particularly memorable discussion, feel free to bring that up as well. My wife is a teaching assistant, and you'd be surprised how well they remember their students!

[RobAleAnd]

Thank you Jason!!! This helps a lot!