One of the steps to getting your law school applications ready is sending LSAC your college transcript(s) for processing. They take your transcripts, convert your grades to a 4.0 scale, and calculate an overall GPA for you. This is your “LSAC GPA”. To the surprise of some students, their LSAC GPA is different from their transcript GPA. Not necessarily in a good way, either. But, why is that the case? Let's Talk BasicsYou have to submit transcripts from all undergraduate institutions you have attended. No exceptions. It doesn't matter if you didn't graduate from one of them or if one is … [Read more...]
Does Submitting an Early Law School Application Improve Your Chances at Getting In?
Applying Early HypeThere's a lot of buzz about applying early. Everywhere you look online blasts the same ideals: apply as early as you can, apply today! Apply yesterday! If you don't all hope is lost. To be honest, having your applications ready to go on day one is not a bad idea. But, that's for reasons wholly unrelated to whether or not it improves your admissions chances.First of all, getting things done sooner rather than later gives you breathing room. Who knows what might happen a week from now that will prevent you from getting that application finished? If you have the time … [Read more...]
Top 100 Law School Application Deadlines: 2020 Edition
The LSAT you take—or retake—can have a great impact on your admission chances. Some of you may be asking, “Is the January LSAT too late? Are the February or March LSATs too late?” We survey top law schools yearly with those exact questions to find out admissions deadlines and the latest LSAT each school will accept.This year, it seems that the trend is moving toward a January LSAT deadline for many of the top schools. But, as you'll see in the chart below, the February and March LSATs are definitely viable options for test takers. And, a quarter of the schools still allow for a June or … [Read more...]
What Does Your Transcript Say About You?
Next to your LSAT score, your GPA is the most important thing on your law school application. Like it or not, those numbers hold the greatest weight in your likelihood of getting into a particular school. Unlike your LSAT score, though, your GPA has another facet to it: your transcript. Whether your transcript has a positive or negative effect on your application depends on what's on it.Let's take a look at what your transcript can say about you. Before we start, though, a disclaimer: not everyone's transcript will be analyzed. I imagine that the people who run the greatest risk or chance … [Read more...]
Creating an Exceptional Personal Statement for Your Law School Application
Apart from your LSAT and undergraduate GPA, the most important aspect of your law school application is the personal statement. It is the one part of your file that is solely you. In your own words, you express your voice, experiences, and story. Every day we help students put together exceptional applications with our law school admissions consulting packages. We dispense tidbits of wisdom that help students craft a top-notch and unforgettable essay. Stick around for a preview of some of the advice we give to our students. The Goal of Your Personal Statement In a space as short as a law … [Read more...]
Yale Law School to Accept GRE Scores
NOTE: This was originally an April Fools post (and the nature of the text below will most certainly bear that out—read those dean's names!) but on July 24th, 2019 Yale Law School did indeed announce they would begin accepting GRE scores for admission. Life imitates comedy!After Harvard's decision to accept GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores, Yale Law School announced this morning that they would be implementing the use of GRE scores in the law school admission process effective immediately. Yale spokesperson N. Feriority had this to say: When we saw Harvard's decision to accept GRE scores, … [Read more...]
2020 US News Law School Rankings Released!
The 2020 US News Law School Rankings are out! We’ll break down some of the big news from the new rankings in a moment. But first, here’s our standard disclaimer about rankings. Please keep in mind that these rankings are just numbers put through an arbitrary formula that was created by a magazine that makes millions of dollars off of them, so use them at your own risk! The list below is numbered according to the new rankings, and the order for 2020 is listed on the far left. There is a column showing the position change (if any) from the 2019 rankings. Lastly, the columns to the right … [Read more...]
What Should I Do While I Wait for My LSAT Scores to Be Released?
So you’re in the wake of taking your LSAT. No doubt the days following it’s completion has been an unrelenting stew of emotion. Relief to be through it, anxiety about how you performed, and sleepless nights waiting on the release of your LSAT scores.For many—and fingers crossed you’re among them—the LSAT is a memory. Prep books and course materials can be discarded as you see fit. For others and perhaps yourself, things didn’t go as well as hoped and it’s clear a retake is in your future. But what if you’re on the fence? What should you do if your retake is score-dependent and you have … [Read more...]
Waiting for Your LSAT Score? Here Are Some Things to Do
You're waiting for your LSAT score. You can't sleep, can't eat, and can only think about your score. Don't let all this drive you crazy! Besides, studies have shown that pulling out your hair makes you look frumpy. Don't do it! Instead, here's the smart thing to be doing with your time: put the final touches on your law school applications! Essentially, you should be able to click the "Submit" button the moment you receive your LSAT score. Steps to Take Before Your Score ReleasesIf you haven't already, put together a list of 15 or so law schools that you'd like to apply to. You should … [Read more...]
Submitting Your Law School Application if You’re Retaking the LSAT
We had an interesting question posed recently that we thought we would share. "When you submit an application to a law school (say, in November), but you are registered to take the test in January (or March), do law schools automatically see that and hold off on making a decision until they receive your score? Or do you have to "remind" them somewhere on the application form?" Heavy on the minds of many applicants is the need to submit applications early. After all, it’s something both law schools and many advisors endlessly repeat. When the time comes to submit applications, many students … [Read more...]
LSAT and Law School Admissions Q&A; A Webinar with PowerScore and Spivey Consulting!
We got together with our friends at Spivey Consulting and hosted a special, free webinar for students to receive expert LSAT and law school admissions pointers.Dave Killoran and Jon Denning from PowerScore, plus Mike Spivey, Karen Buttenbaum, and Derek Meeker from Spivey Consulting covered a variety of topics relating to the LSAT and law school application best practices, while also fielding the attendee's individual questions about their specific application goals and time frames. If you missed out, don't worry! We have a recording of the full webinar session available for you to watch … [Read more...]
Top 100 Law School LSAT Deadlines: Is the March LSAT Too Late?
The 2020 Edition is now live! When applying for law school, you have to decide which LSAT you're going to take. Some of you may be asking--is the March LSAT too late? We survey top law schools yearly to find out admissions deadlines and the latest LSAT they will accept. Each year we see changes, but we were a little surprised by this year's results.It seems that the trend is moving up to a January LSAT deadline for many of the top schools. You'll see in the chart below that the March LSAT is definitely a viable option for test takers. In fact, a quarter of the schools still allow for a … [Read more...]
PowerScore Featured on USNews.com! Answering Your Questions About Law School Admissions and GPA
Dave Killoran and Jon Denning from PowerScore were recently featured in an article by U.S. News detailing how a student's undergrad GPA factors into their law school admissions chances. You can read this incredibly informative article that also includes insight from some of our peers here. Below we have included the full interview transcript with Dave and Jon that goes even further in-depth on how law schools evaluate undergrad transcripts, how to compensate for a lower GPA, and more!U.S. News: Why is it that at top-20 law schools, the average GPA of incoming students is close to a … [Read more...]
Do Law Schools Average LSAT Scores or Use the High Score?
To prospective law school applicants, few questions are as confusing as whether law schools use the average of all your LSAT scores or just the high score. The confusion exists because law schools will see an average score if you take the LSAT more than once. The all-important US News rankings, on the other hand, use only the high score. To top it off, some schools specifically state they take the high score whereas others talk about an average score.So, what's the real story?The definitive answer is good news for all law school applicants. Every law school uses the high score when … [Read more...]