Re-take LSAT? Need life guidance.?

Question

Is it more important to get into a "good school" or to do really well at the school you get into? (which will not be a top-notch school).

Is waiting 'one more year' to apply to law school a better choice to make if I could raise my LSAT score (testing in Feb)?

Thanks guys! My LSAT score was very much below the score predicted by my 20+ practice tests, which is why making this decision is so tough for me.

Answer 1

It all depends on what your LSAT score is now. Have you taken a realistic practice test? If you have, you should know roughly how likely you are to be accepted into your target schools. Of course, a J.D. is a J.D. 40 years down the road, but a diploma from a big-name school will certainly make it easier the first decade or so.
With that said, you should NOT postpone your February exam. The LSAT is changing in June, and by postponing, you'll lose a chance to take the LSAT as it is. If you have not taken a realistic practice test, do it now - check out the schedule of free tests at your local Kaplan center - and focus on studying your weaknesses between now and February. Then, if the scores aren't too your liking, you can always retake the new LSAT in June.

and I'm sure you know who can help you study, should you need to :)

Answer 2

Absolutely,

Do not be in an extreme hurry to attend law school. More recently, the LSAC has encouraged all accredited law schools to consider only the highest LSAT score if an applicant took the test multiple times, instead of averaging the scores. That will actually work in your favor.

Unfortunately, I know it is elitist, but it is really important to get into a top tier school (Top 14, though I think they expanded into the Top 20). The best firms and the federal government recruit from the top-tier schools. What more law school applicants do now is accept admission into a 2nd tier school, then attempt to transfer into a top tier. It is a gamble, but I would advise you not to do that. Instead, use that extra year to intern for a politician (preferably at the federal level), clerk for a judge, or actually work in an area that relies heavily on law and legal analysis, like compliance. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

You're talking law school, yes? It depends on your career goals. If you want to work for a big law firm, then yes, the school you go to absolutely does matter. But it doesn't necessarily have to be one of the top law schools in the US. It does, however, need to be one of the best reputed law schools in the region in which you plan to work post-graduation. So, for example, a friend of mine went to - I think it was U Oklahoma for law school. It's not exactly a top 10 school, but it's one of the best in OK, and she got a good job coming out of that program with her good grades and interesting past work experience.

What schools are you looking at, specifically?

It really does depend. There's a bit of a glut of lawyers. You only help yourself by attending the best possible law school you can get into. But that said, again, it can be a regional thing. You can still get a good job in your region if you attend your state's best law school, even if that school isn't amongst the very tops nation-wide.