<p>I feel that I have a bit of a unique story, so I’ll lay it out in a nutshell so as to not waste anyone’s time. I’ll be applying to the top-25 or so… any feedback much-appreciated!!</p>
<p>born & raised in east los angeles (first-generation mexican-american, first HS graduate and college student in family, raised in low-income single-mother household)</p>
<p>flunked out of HS -> finished HS at continuation school -> worked full-time for a year -> attended pasadena city college -> transferred to Univ of Southern California, where I am currently.</p>
<p>GPA at PCC: 3.65
Overall GPA at USC: 3.60
Major GPA at USC: 3.85 (does this matter?)
on track to graduating at least cum laude in my major.</p>
<p>at USC:
Major: Public Policy, Management, and Planning (Real Estate Development track)
Minor: Philosophy</p>
<p>LSAT diagnostic: 169</p>
<p>will be finishing my degree May 2011, but planning on moving classes around to finish my Philosophy minor abroad for the Fall 2011 semester. then I plan on working for ~1 year and applying. will be taking the LSAT in october and will be studying gratuitously this summer… really hoping to break the 170 threshold. </p>
<p>soft factors:
-URM? (i hate the AA debate - lets not start. i’d prefer to get into a good LS on my own merits and not my skin color)
-co-chair of statewide latino support group
-strong interest in Philosophy… involved in several philosophy groups on campus
-outlier LS applicant in terms of my upbringing?</p>
<p>thank you in advance!</p>
<p>On the numbers, you’re a good candidate for T25 and might get lucky with a couple of T14s. Obviously if you add some LSAT points via studying, and some more for affirmative action, you’re a VERY strong candidate.</p>
<p>But that all depends on a test that hasn’t yet happened.</p>
<p>those are great numbers, and coupled with URM status, I think you have a chance of heading to YHS. Just make sure your diag translates into an actual score that good are you are in great shape.</p>
<p>fyi, major gpa will not matter/.</p>
<p>whoa. BostonEng is going a bit too far here. A 3.6 gpa does not get anyone into H or Y. Check out lawschoolnumbers. According to that site, there was one Latino male who did get into H with a 3.63 this year, but his LSAT was 175. You’ll get into some really great schools. No harm in applying to HYS, but I wouldn’t put money on them. Just keep studying and do well on the LSAT.</p>
<p>I think BE is projecting some increase from studying for the LSAT, which is not unreasonable.</p>
<p>i want to be clear that i anticipate getting a 170+ LSAT score - I have a rigorous studying schedule lined up for the summer. also, I anticipate that my USC GPA will end up at closer to 3.7 - the bulk of my weaker grades are in weeder classes that are now behind me.</p>
<p>i’ll admit that my dream school is SLS, but i do have a realistic expectation and know the intense competition i’m facing. at any rate, thank you guys for sharing your knowledge… can you guys offer any tips for me to strengthen my application, beside working at my GPA/LSAT?</p>
<p>Aiming at any one school is going to be tough, so at this point I don’t think that’s a reasonable thing to do. I think you’ll be a strong candidate for a T6 school, but at this point I’d strongly counsel you against devoting too much energy to any particular one of those.</p>
<p>What really matters at this point is the numbers. Keep your attention on those and I expect you’ll be fine.</p>