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Stats: 163 LSAT (Retaking in November; PTing high 160s) GPA: 3.1 (I know; I don't speak of it); Not URM; Strong softs (Fed. government experience)
I am only going to ED to a place that offers a full ride scholarship, as I really don't see the point of paying sticker to get a decision early or get into a school a couple rankings higher.
Here are the three options I'm considering:
(1) George Washington Law (Presidential Scholarship) - It's a reachhhh (Chances are low; I know)
Pros - DC fits with my resume/experience, Top 25; Con - Odds are low; might be throwing away my ED.
(2) George Mason (Scalia Law Scholars) - It's a reach, but less of a reach than GW. Still unlikely.
Pros - Near DC (See above); I have family in Virginia. Cons - A lot of better schools in the area.
(3) Arizona State (O'Conners Merit) - It's a reach, but I might actually have a slight chance of getting this one, which is a bit scary as I'm not sure I want to live in Arizona. Nothing against Arizona, I'm sure it's a great place, just it's not high on my list personally.
Pros - Top 25; Con - Arizona
Other pertinent info: I'm a Florida resident (aiming for UF Law)/my family is in Florida. I'm 25 (so I'm not sure if I'm considered a nontraditional applicant. I think I'm on the line).
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4 comments
Also, I am not trying to be harsh, but I just checked my spreadsheet, a 163 is below median at all of those schools. You will need at least a 165 or 166 to convince them to ED your with a full ride I would think. If you are pulling down their GPA numbers you have got to pull up their LSAT. I think you are better off focusing on the LSAT, improving your score by hopefully 3+ points, and either revisiting this question with a higher LSAT or taking instate tuition at UF and hoping for a scholarship. You only need a 166 to be at 75th for UF, which is about the same you would need to be at all competitive for an ED full ride. I would also say that I personally would not consider 25 to be non-traditional. It is not unusual for someone to get 2 years or so of work experience before entering law school. I think that line is closer to 28 or so, though what you did definitely matters for this. I would caution against using non-traditional in your diversity statement but I would encourage you to talk about your work experience where possible in your application.
I will echo that your LSAT needs to be 75th or better. Since your GPA is below 25th that is probably the only way a school admits you ED with full ride. I am not sure what it is about AZ you do not like, but Phoenix is a fast growing and diverse city with lots of culture and is much cheaper than DC area since cost seems to be a concern. If UF is your goal though I am confused why you would apply ED elsewhere. I had been looking at ED as a way to get scholarship at despite my GPA (much lower than a 3.1) but decided against it.
I'm so happy to see someone with a similar GPA as me on here :blush:
While I unfortunately have no insight to offer here, can I just ask why you think GWU is such a reach? Yeah your GPA is low but if you're PTing in high 160s and retaking in November, wouldn't that put you above their 75th LSAT percentile?
Ideally, your LSAT should be at or above a school's 75th to get in with a full-tuition scholarship by ED.