15 replies to this topic

[BlondeLiv29]

I have been browsing the message forums and thought I might as well post my situation and get some honest opinions.

I wrote the lsat back in December 2007. My score was 148. Not very good to say the least, especially for the time and effort I put in. I have since realized where I went wrong in my studying. I have been out of University since 2006. My GPA was a 3.4. I am getting ready to rewrite. I have worked in the legal field as a paralegal for 6 years. I love what I do, however, I just do not feel career satisfied. I have done the Paralegal course since graduating in 2006 at a local college. I have worked in a law firm for 6 years. I know that my GPA is not top notch, but a few of the lawyers I work for indicated that the school will look at the whole picture. Ie. I took 6 courses a semester and worked 40-50 hours a week between two jobs while in University and they feel that I could use that along with my experience working in the field when the time comes to apply. Basically, I am wondering if I can apply as a mature student since I have been out of school for a while?

My goal is to rewrite in June or October. I would appreciate honest opinions on my situation and opinions on a lsat mark that I need to achieve in order to get into law school with my background?

TIA

Edited by BlondeLiv29, 19 January 2012 - 08:41 AM.

[yeahman]

You would be eligible for a "mature" category at most schools, but since schools only publish the entrance stats for "regular" applicants it's tough to gauge exactly what kind of LSAT you would need. If you tailor your application to the "holistic" schools, highlighting your work experience and such, a 160+ should give you a fairly decent chance (in my opinion) Good luck.

[KER_2012]

Realizing where you went wrong in your studying is very important. If you're planning on writing in June or October you will have plenty of time to prepare. However, if you're going to be studying while working, I would start now. Focus on your weak points and then do lots of full tests.

As for that fact that law schools will look at the whole picture, that's not really true. Many schools really only care about your GPA and LSAT score and I think your chances would be a little lower at those schools. However, there are schools (i.e. Osgoode, Windsor, Calgary) that take a more holistic approach to admissions and your experience as a paralegal should help you a lot at those schools. A 160+ should give you a good chance at holistic schools, if you want to try your chances at more numbers based schools I would shoot for a 165+.

When it comes to applying as a mature student, I believe that is determined by how long you have been out of university, not necessarily your age, and I think it's usually five years. So, let's say someone graduated in 2006 at 22 and is now applying to law school at 28, he or she should be able to apply as a mature student. However, someone who is 28, but just finished a master's program last year might not be able to apply as a mature student. I'm not sure how college factors in there, you'll want to check with individual schools; most admissions people are very friendly and would be more than willing to help you.

[Diplock]

Your GPA isn't great but it's hardly a killer. I'd caution anyone against imagining that six years as a paralegal or law clerk (and we've seen these posts before) and encouragement from a lot of lawyer friends is a sure thing. Most lawyers don't know jack about how law schools do admissions. But you aren't coming at this with a 2.0 GPA or anything stupid. With a good LSAT you might get in with 3.4 straight up, before I even consider other factors.

So yes, write it again and see what you can manage. If you need a boost over the top, your work in the field might well be considered valuable. Apply widely. The more unusual you are as a candidate, the less predictable it becomes to figure out how you'll be received by any particular school. So take as many shots as you're able to.

Good luck.

[muffins]

I went from a 149 to a 160 with 2 months of hard studying. I realized exactly how I studied wrong and how I approached writing the exam wrong.

With a 160 you have a serious shot. With a 165 you will definitely get accepted.

Also what is your L2 GPA and L60 GPA.

[BlondeLiv29]

Thanks guys for the encouragement.

Muffins, it i has been a while. I would have to backtrack as I switched to another University after 3 years. I believe if memory services me correct the L2 would be 3.5 and the L60 3.4. I wouldn't mind talking to you to find out some study tips or what you realized you did wrong. Would you mind "speaking" to me about it?

Edited by BlondeLiv29, 19 January 2012 - 11:55 AM.

[staffer]

I recommend the "Powerscore" books. They're not cheap (cost me over $200 for the 3 of them) but they brought my score up significantly. Years ago, when I first wrote I took the Princeton Review course, but I didn't find it helped me very much.

As was said earlier, plenty of people get into law school with a 3.4, just make sure you're aiming for a 160+ LSAT. Don't let the LSAT freak you out - small and incremental improvement makes a big difference. I know it's easier said than done but getting 5 more questions correct per section is the difference between a 148 and a 160.

[antioppressivepractice]

Please check Craigslist & kijiji for used powerscore bibles. I got the Logic reasoning, logic games, reading comprehension, logic games workbook, Actual LSAT text and next 10 all for $100. I have lots of PDFs if you need of practice tests etc just pm me.

[Catalyst]

Welcome to the board.

As others have mentioned, start with the PowerScore bibles if you can. They have solid strategies and can help you out a lot if you can dedicate a bit of time and energy to self-study.

From there, start practice testing. The majority of your tests should be timed, since those will give you the best barometer of your progress. When taking up things, try and identify weak sections and weak question types - are there trends in what you're getting wrong?

Also, look into schools and get some idea where you want to end up. Are you limited by geography? If not, applying widely is a good idea.

Soft factors like work experience are great, but hard to bank on. There's not a lot of data about the more "holistic" part of this process, and not many are admitted under the mature category. That said, you're lucky in that you have a respectable GPA. Throwing a higher LSAT score into the mix will give you a good chance in many places, so it's the easiest area to suggest working on. Once you've started PTing and can begin to assess where you're running into trouble, it'll e easier to offer some more specific advice.

Good luck!

[staffer]

Another point: after completing the Powerscore books, I benefited a lot from drills. Basically, instead of just doing practice tests and practice sections, I would do things like 1 minute Args and 5 minute Games, over and over (and over and over...) again. I found this really helped, especially with games. By the time the test rolled around I was able to do 1-dimensional linear games in just 3-4 minutes, leaving me lots of time to play around with more difficult set-ups.

Make sure you're studying not just hard, but also smart. Chances are with Args you (like most people) are struggling with the same types of questions (for me it was parallel flaw and principle questions). Try to isolate where your problems are and work on those.

[BlondeLiv29]

I really appreciate ALL your tips. ( I am glad I found this board, originally I tried The Law School discussion but it was not as active or helpful as this) Thank you so much. I actually just found a Logical Reasoning Bible on Kijiji for cheap! Barely any markings. I went through the first chapter last night and already, it feels like the explainations they use are a lot more clear! Staffer, yes, parallel flaw is one that I find difficult. One thing I have been noticing is that when it come to weakening and strengthing a question, I have a tendancy not to properly read the question. Ie. All weaken the argument EXCEPT. I see the bolded "Except", but I don't seem to process the question in the right way. This is something I am trying to be more aware of.

I am actually bound geographically, unfortunately.

Antiopressive, I will forward you a pm today about some pdf documents. Thanks again everyone!

[erinl2]

http://lawstudents.c...e-or-sell-pdfs/

antioppressivepractice and blondeliv29, I will direct you to that warning by Morgan. Please read it.

[BlondeLiv29]

Sorry Erin. Didn't even think of that.

[staffer]

If you're looking for legal practice tests, you can buy them cheap from Indigo/Chapter - they sell them in big set of 10 tests for around $20. A friend of mine said she got PDFs illegally with a torrent she found on the Pirate Bay. Illegal downloading aside, the paid one's are worth it because they look and feel like the actual test (same kind of booklet, same paper, et cetera). It's odd, I know, but that actually makes a difference for me, in terms of simulating the real exam.

[BlondeLiv29]

staffer, on 20 January 2012 - 12:37 PM, said:

If you're looking for legal practice tests, you can buy them cheap from Indigo/Chapter - they sell them in big set of 10 tests for around $20. A friend of mine said she got PDFs illegally with a torrent she found on the Pirate Bay. Illegal downloading aside, the paid one's are worth it because they look and feel like the actual test (same kind of booklet, same paper, et cetera). It's odd, I know, but that actually makes a difference for me, in terms of simulating the real exam.

Thanks Staffer!

[muffins]

staffer, on 20 January 2012 - 12:37 PM, said:

If you're looking for legal practice tests, you can buy them cheap from Indigo/Chapter - they sell them in big set of 10 tests for around $20. A friend of mine said she got PDFs illegally with a torrent she found on the Pirate Bay. Illegal downloading aside, the paid one's are worth it because they look and feel like the actual test (same kind of booklet, same paper, et cetera). It's odd, I know, but that actually makes a difference for me, in terms of simulating the real exam.

It is not illegal to download anything in Canada. Only to copy and distribute.