Chance me? cGPA 3.9+, LSAT 154

[ON-Biber]

I know my LSAT is too low, but any chance? 
Ottawa, Wes, Queen, OZ, UT. 
 

if did not get in this circle, should I improve PS? Really did not want to retake LSAT 
 

🥶

[Renerik]

Assuming you don't have some exceptional spice that sets you apart as an applicant your best chance, albeit small, is at UOttawa. 

I suspect you'll have to reapply. 

You might not want to retake the LSAT, but there will be a lot of stuff you won't want to do in law school and as a lawyer that you'll need to do anyways.

[LordBONSAI]

TBH you don't really have many options with that LSAT score. A 3.9+ gpa is by all means good, but it can hardly compensate for a sub-155 LSAT. I second @Renerik's opinion that if your best bet would be on Ottawa. Elsewhere your chances are really low.

I don't love the LSAT either but the test is so designed to differentiate people (like all standardized tests.) Even getting a few points above your current score will set your apart from thousands of applicants many of whom have as good as a gpa like yours. If you don't get in law schools this cycle, it's most likely due to your LSAT.

If you reapply next cycle, you will have to rewrite. I'd suggest you take some time to review the PTs and find out on which section you got the most questions wrong. It's typically where a test taker can make the biggest improvement. Remember that you only need to get 4 or 5 more questions correct to leap into the competitive territory. It's totally doable with one or two months of studying one section. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by LordBONSAI

[Darth Vader]

I'm not sure why you think a 60th percentile LSAT score makes you competitive for those schools? And that this can be overcome with a better PS? At least 40% of LSAT test-takers in the last 3 years have scored higher than you. 

[WiseGhost]

As others have said, if you don't make it this cycle you should retake the LSAT. If you're capable of studying hard enough to achieve a 3.9 GPA (I'm assuming that's OLSAS too?) you can definitely improve your score by at least a few points 🙂 Best of luck for this round!

Edited January 27, 2022 by villiuski

[ON-Biber]

Thanks all

[mjslava]

What have you been doing for your LSAT prep? Even scoring a 160 will greatly improve your chances, and you’re not far from that. 

[ON-Biber]

11 hours ago, Darth Vader said:

I'm not sure why you think a 60th percentile LSAT score makes you competitive for those schools? And that this can be overcome with a better PS? At least 40% of LSAT test-takers in the last 3 years have scored higher than you. 

Since I have a good GPA, I think

12 hours ago, Renerik said:

Assuming you don't have some exceptional spice that sets you apart as an applicant your best chance, albeit small, is at UOttawa. 

I suspect you'll have to reapply. 

You might not want to retake the LSAT, but there will be a lot of stuff you won't want to do in law school and as a lawyer that you'll need to do anyways.

11 hours ago, LordBONSAI said:

TBH you don't really have many options with that LSAT score. A 3.9+ gpa is by all means good, but it can hardly compensate for a sub-155 LSAT. I second @Renerik's opinion that if your best bet would be on Ottawa. Elsewhere your chances are really low.

I don't love the LSAT either but the test is so designed to differentiate people (like all standardized tests.) Even getting a few points above your current score will set your apart from thousands of applicants many of whom have as good as a gpa like yours. If you don't get in law schools this cycle, it's most likely due to your LSAT.

If you reapply next cycle, you will have to rewrite. I'd suggest you take some time to review the PTs and find out on which section you got the most questions wrong. It's typically where a test taker can make the biggest improvement. Remember that you only need to get 4 or 5 more questions correct to leap into the competitive territory. It's totally doable with one or two months of studying one section. 

Thank you 

[owl12]

I would highly recommend redoing the LSAT. I 100% agree that the test friggen sucks. I had two sub-par scores following two whole summers of studying. I didn’t get the score I wanted till the 3rd summer. Many LSAT “experts” say that anyone can get 170+ with enough quality studying. I’m not saying I agree/disagree with that statement. But what it is clear that the LSAT is an incredibly learnable test, and I definitely believe anyone can score 160+ (baring other restraints). 
 

Others have mentioned that law school will include a lot of things you don’t want to do. I think that’s a great point; scoring high on the LSAT doesn’t just show your reading comp/logical reasoning ability. It also shows (to a certain extent), how much you want to attend law school. I’m not doubting your desire to attend. But retaking it and improving on your score (I believe) shows the admission committee your commitment to being a law student. 

[ON-Biber]

3 hours ago, owl12 said:

I would highly recommend redoing the LSAT. I 100% agree that the test friggen sucks. I had two sub-par scores following two whole summers of studying. I didn’t get the score I wanted till the 3rd summer. Many LSAT “experts” say that anyone can get 170+ with enough quality studying. I’m not saying I agree/disagree with that statement. But what it is clear that the LSAT is an incredibly learnable test, and I definitely believe anyone can score 160+ (baring other restraints). 
 

Others have mentioned that law school will include a lot of things you don’t want to do. I think that’s a great point; scoring high on the LSAT doesn’t just show your reading comp/logical reasoning ability. It also shows (to a certain extent), how much you want to attend law school. I’m not doubting your desire to attend. But retaking it and improving on your score (I believe) shows the admission committee your commitment to being a law student. 

Thank you! 

[lawstudentthree]

Hey, I got into UOttawa with a 156 and a 3.7 CGPA (OLSAS). Definitely give UOttawa a try! 

[Futurelawyer123]

7 hours ago, lawstudentthree said:

Hey, I got into UOttawa with a 156 and a 3.7 CGPA (OLSAS). Definitely give UOttawa a try! 

Congrats! Did you get in last year? I have a 3.8 and 156, hoping to go there. 

[Carl_Ohio6]

Hey, I don't understand why everyone is reacting so negatively, but you have amazing grades. 3.9+ cGPAs are hard to come by. That's gotta count for something.

We have almost identical stats... I have a 3.9high cGPA (OLSAS) and a 154. I also applied at uOttawa — let's see if we can both get in!

[diddlydoodly]

On 1/27/2022 at 5:30 AM, Darth Vader said:

I'm not sure why you think a 60th percentile LSAT score makes you competitive for those schools? And that this can be overcome with a better PS? At least 40% of LSAT test-takers in the last 3 years have scored higher than you. 

Do you feel good about yourself when you talk to people like this? Is that why you do it? 🤔

[Yogurt Baron]

Well, you've done it now, Darth. You've offended diddlydoodly.

Look: there's a time and a place for cheerleading, but the OP asked for advice, and Darth Vader (who knows what they're talking about) provided that advice in a way that wasn't unkind at all. 

Personal statements count for almost nothing in law school admissions; LSAT scores count immeasurably more, and a 154 is not a good one. Contrary to what somebody said upthread, a 154 is not close to a 160; it's the difference between the 60th percentile and the 80th. The OP needs to either apply somewhere that will accept a 60th-percentile LSAT, or get a better LSAT score. It's a bit silly to come in and say, "I know I have this big problem with my application, but I don't want to fix it, so what would happen if I just focused on some irrelevant thing instead?" The OP already knows exactly what they need to do to improve their chances, they just don't want to do it.

[Darth Vader]

1 hour ago, diddlydoodly said:

Do you feel good about yourself when you talk to people like this? Is that why you do it? 🤔

This is a chances thread where OP has indicated that they do not wish to re-write the LSAT. I attended one of the schools they applied to and got into most of the others. There is a high chance that they may not get into any of the schools they applied to. I'm not sure why you think anyone giving real, honest advice here should say otherwise? 

OP's LSAT score is in the 60th percentile. Yes, their GPA is very good but so are a lot of other people applying to these schools. U of T, Osgoode, Western, and Queen's have people applying with high GPAs AND good LSAT scores. Are we supposed to lie to or mislead the OP by telling them what they want to hear, and not what they need to hear?

Frankly, I am quite surprised that OP only applied to these schools with their stats. This tells me that OP has gotten a lot of false cheerleading from people in their personal life, or did not do much research into the admissions requirements. In any event, I do not believe in false cheerleading. 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Darth Vader

[lawstudentthree]

On 1/28/2022 at 6:08 AM, Futurelawyer123 said:

Congrats! Did you get in last year? I have a 3.8 and 156, hoping to go there. 

Yes I did! Hoping you succeed 🙂

[MessiersEleven]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:41 PM, lawstudentthree said:

Hey, I got into UOttawa with a 156 and a 3.7 CGPA (OLSAS). Definitely give UOttawa a try! 

How long did it take to hear back from them? I have similar stats as you. (Did the jan lsat but got a worse score than my 156 smh) but my cgpa is 3.69 and L2 like 3.75. Im really hoping to get into UOttawa. 

[semanticslover]

I have a friend that got into Ottawa with similar stats (high GPA LSAT in the 50s) so you do have a shot since they're pretty holistic. Just make sure your personal statements are up to par; they care a lot about equity and social justice so emphasize that. My friend did and they're wrapping up 1L this year.

Edited February 3, 2022 by semanticslover

[Renerik]

Just now, semanticslover said:

so you do have a shot since they're pretty holistic

This is the second time you've posted this but is it true?

I'd argue that these considerations are pretty much standard across most schools.
 

[semanticslover]

sorry lol not sure if im replying to this with the correct format but i'm hoping it is! i'm waiting to hear back from ottawa myself, it's my top choice and from what i hear emphasizing those aspects tends to work.

2 minutes ago, Renerik said:

This is the second time you've posted this but is it true?

I'd argue that these considerations are pretty much standard across most schools.
 

 

[Carl_Ohio6]

On 1/28/2022 at 3:38 PM, Carl_Ohio6 said:

Hey, I don't understand why everyone is reacting so negatively, but you have amazing grades. 3.9+ cGPAs are hard to come by. That's gotta count for something.

We have almost identical stats... I have a 3.9high cGPA (OLSAS) and a 154. I also applied at uOttawa — let's see if we can both get in!

Just to follow up on this - I got accepted today at UofO!

[Sundin13]

53 minutes ago, Carl_Ohio6 said:

Just to follow up on this - I got accepted today at UofO!

Congrats, that’s awesome! I also applied to UofO. My stats are slightly weaker though, I’ve got a 3.75 cGPA with a 3.95 L2 and a 152 LSAT. I know it’s a long shot, but let’s see what happens! I worked really hard on my Ottawa PS so I hope that counts for something. 

Edited February 5, 2022 by Sundin13

[SNAILS]

Not withstanding how the OP's question was intended, I think the OP's question if more of a "feelings" question that a fact question.

You maybe feel like you do not want to go through the stressful process of studying for the LSAT, taking the LSAT, and risking getting another 154 or less.

You have pretty much 10 months before your OLSAS application is due for the Sept 2024 intake. If you value getting into a law school with relative certainty, and you perhaps want a bit of choice (getting into a couple of schools), then I suggest licking your wounds, getting your favorite study strategy (maybe 7Sage.com) and putting in the time to get maybe a 157, maybe a 160+. Or at least try. You do not have to start this process for a few months if you are not ready now.

I was once in a position where I thought I could not get more than a 155 LSAT no matter how hard I studied.

As a straight "fact" question, a 3.9+ and a 154 might get you in somewhere even without improvement.

Edited February 5, 2022 by SNAILS

[Carl_Ohio6]

14 hours ago, Sundin13 said:

Congrats, that’s awesome! I also applied to UofO. My stats are slightly weaker though, I’ve got a 3.75 cGPA with a 3.95 L2 and a 152 LSAT. I know it’s a long shot, but let’s see what happens! I worked really hard on my Ottawa PS so I hope that counts for something. 

Thank you 🙂 Absolutely, it’s worth a shot! Your cGPA, and L2 in particular, are great! Fingers crossed for you. 🤞🏻