CGPA 3.79 LSAT 160 (should I retake?)

[ptarmigan]

Hi everyone, 

I recently got back my LSAT score from my first time taking it in April, and I got a 160. I feel pretty satisfied with the score, not looking to be the top applicant but hoping to get into schools, in particular Dal, U of T, UVic, UBC (I know this one is unlikely) and Queens. CGPA for OLSAS is 3.79, and B2/L2 is 3.96 and L3/B3 is 3.90. On a 4.33 scale, which my undergrad university used, my CGPA is 3.93. None of this includes my grades from exchange during undergrad (although that was winter 2020 so I understand a lot of schools might disregard those) or from my masters degree, does anyone know how those are assessed as well? 

Other than those numbers, I have a master's degree and publications associated with my research, as well as relevant work experiences gained throughout my studies (I have studied environmental sciences and hope to do environmental law one day). I don't have friends/family who know about law school and admissions, so I thought I would ask here! Should I try this application cycle and see what sticks, or should I retake the LSAT in September to try to boost my score? 

Thanks! 

[GuiltyMind88]

To venture a guess i'd say UofT, UVic and UBC you're more than likely getting R's. There's some interesting aspects to your application that maybe will pull things in your favour a bit but your LSAT just isnt competitive for those 3 schools and LSAT/GPA are king. I would say you've got a good shot at Dal and Queens though. 

If you'd be happy with A's from either Dal or Queens and aren't dead set on the other 3 then i'd say go ahead and apply for the upcoming cycle. If you've been PT'ing in the mid 160's or think you can get there with some more prep and retake then i'd say try a retake at the end of the summer. With a mid-160's score you'd put yourself in good position for all 5 schools.

Hope that helps a bit,

Cheers

[twopercentmilks]

I applied this previous cycle with a similar CGPA & a 160 LSAT and was accepted into 14 schools (general applicant - was accepted around December-February); from your list of preferred schools, I was accepted to UVIC, Dalhousie, and Queen's. Since you do still have time, if you are confident you can score higher on the LSAT, I would encourage you to retake the exam; however, with your stats, I'm sure you will be accepted into several schools if you can put together a compelling personal statement 🙂. 

[Patient0L]

On 5/9/2023 at 11:39 AM, ptarmigan said:

Hi everyone, 

I recently got back my LSAT score from my first time taking it in April, and I got a 160. I feel pretty satisfied with the score, not looking to be the top applicant but hoping to get into schools, in particular Dal, U of T, UVic, UBC (I know this one is unlikely) and Queens. CGPA for OLSAS is 3.79, and B2/L2 is 3.96 and L3/B3 is 3.90. On a 4.33 scale, which my undergrad university used, my CGPA is 3.93. None of this includes my grades from exchange during undergrad (although that was winter 2020 so I understand a lot of schools might disregard those) or from my masters degree, does anyone know how those are assessed as well? 

Other than those numbers, I have a master's degree and publications associated with my research, as well as relevant work experiences gained throughout my studies (I have studied environmental sciences and hope to do environmental law one day). I don't have friends/family who know about law school and admissions, so I thought I would ask here! Should I try this application cycle and see what sticks, or should I retake the LSAT in September to try to boost my score? 

Thanks! 

I would apply discretionary at UBC (people get in with lower scores than that) and definitely don’t self-select out with that GPA and an impressive resume.

Grades: The schools I applied to officially say that they don’t look at Masters degree grades. However, when I spoke to UVic, they told me they used them in my case 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

 

 

 

[throwaway123]

17 minutes ago, Patient0L said:

I would apply discretionary at UBC (people get in with lower scores than that) and definitely don’t self-select out with that GPA and an impressive resume.

 

 

 

 

That's not a valid reason to apply discretionary.... lol.

[Patient0L]

19 minutes ago, throwaway123 said:

That's not a valid reason to apply discretionary.... lol.

Luckily for OP, “valid reason” isn’t a criteria but “other relevant experiences and achievements” are.

https://allard.ubc.ca/programs/juris-doctor-jd-program/admissions/jd-admissions-program-eligibility-and-requirements

 

[danytea]

29 minutes ago, Patient0L said:

Luckily for OP, “valid reason” isn’t a criteria but “other relevant experiences and achievements” are.

https://allard.ubc.ca/programs/juris-doctor-jd-program/admissions/jd-admissions-program-eligibility-and-requirements

 

"The Discretionary Category is for applicants who may have relevant achievements and experiences, but because of special factors in life, may not satisfy one or more of the requirements for General applicants"

So I think unless there are special factors that affected OP's performances or experiences, they shouldn't apply for Discretionary?

[Patient0L]

6 minutes ago, danytea said:

"The Discretionary Category is for applicants who may have relevant achievements and experiences, but because of special factors in life, may not satisfy one or more of the requirements for General applicants"

So I think unless there are special factors that affected OP's performances or experiences, they shouldn't apply for Discretionary?

Are you on UBC’s website?

”You may apply in this category if you don't satisfy some of the requirements for the General category but have other relevant experiences and achievements.”

Every school has different requirements for their various admissions streams. Don’t count yourself out before reading the instructions!