Combating a low GPA chances

[Kmag22]

After working for 15 years, I am interested in law school but unfortunately have a really low gpa between 2.6-2.7. I know to combated it I need a high LSAT score and unfortunately only scored a 164 on the August LSAT. I feel confident I can get that score up but am wondering what my chances even are. Do I retake in November? Just go for the long shot with lots of lower level school? Forget it completely? Any advice is welcome.

I am not interested in a big law job so too 14 isn't necessary. I am interested in child advocacy, juvenile defense, foster law, etc. So any school recommendations are also welcome.

I did work full time and paid for undergrad myself, have worked successful in nonprofit and then the tech space and have been a primary care giver for parents on major critical health issues while working. Not sure if any of that helps.

Thanks in advance for any advice or input!

[Kmag22]

I will add, I was hoping for a 170+ for a chance at schools around top50 not sure if that was even viable. But am not wondering how low of a school is too low, etc. So definitely am not looking at top20 even with a higher school.

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hi Kmag,

Thanks for the post! A few thoughts here.

First things first:

I feel confident I can get that score up but am wondering what my chances even are. Do I retake in November?

Yes! If you feel confident you can get your score up, then go for it!

Next, you are what we call a "splitter": someone with a higher LSAT score and a lower GPA. You can find some more information about splitters here:
What Are Splitters, Reverse Splitters, and Super Splitters?
Which Law Schools Are Splitter-Friendly? Which Ones Aren’t?

One of the tools we use when assessing admission chances is LSAC’s UGPA/LSAT Search. When you input your GPA and LSAT score, it produces a statistical admission chance at various schools.

Also, keep in mind that as a “nontraditional” applicant (that is, you didn’t follow the typical high school-to-college-to-law-school track), your “softs” (letters of recommendation, personal statement, resume, etc.) will play a large factor in your acceptance to law school, and they can also help offset your GPA. You may find this post about nontraditional applications helpful: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/do-non ... -advantage.

Lastly, if you do have a compelling reason for why your GPA may have been lower, you may want to consider writing an addendum to explain the situation: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/whats- ... h-addenda/.

Hopefully, this information helps! If you're looking for some specific assistance with any parts of your application, you may want to look into our admission consulting resources!