Newb here.

[15%Luck]

Hey everyone,

My name is J.D. (and no I'm not trying to make a Juris Doctorate joke) I'm 20 years old and this is my senior year as a BSBA student and I'm pretty sure I want to go to Law School Fall of 2012.

I have 3.8 GPA but have never taken the LSAT before.  Hoping to take it in June.

Here's the deal, I have a bunch of Power Score books that a buddy of mine gave me.  He says they're great but...he tanked the LSAT when he took it, got discouraged and now doesn't want to go to Law School.  Is Power Score a recommended study resource?  I'm just thinking from the standpoint of him tanking after using them...maybe they aren't as golden as he said?

I'm self motivated, I don't think I'll need to go take prep classes or anything.  I've grown up studying on my own and graduated highschool with more college credit than most freshman have going into their sophomore years.

I'm not a mastermind nerd.  Logic games do not come to me naturally but I can study just about anything and learn it.

I'm shooting for trying to get into these schools
My top pick would be Washington and Lee in VA

Next would be

University of Alabama School of Law

After that

Ole Miss

I am not a rich person...haha, so needless to say it's basically imperative that I get some scholarship money, if not full ride.  I'm willing to take out student loans to a degree but I'm not going to put myself in a hole I can't dig out of in a reasonable amount of time.

What hints can you guys give me here? How "learnable" is the material on this exam?

Thanks guys,  I really do appreciate the wisdom you can pass on to me here.

[LSAT Eliminator]

The PowerScore books have an excellent rep and are considered among the best LSAT prep books out there, so you should be fine there. The problem with the LSAT is that there is intense pressure when you take the exam, and for some people, that pressure is too much. you could give them the best prep in the world, and they will still go down in flames on test day. Sad, but I've seen it enough to know that test anxiety is a huge factor in a lot of bad performances. Start with those books and see where it gets you--if you like the approach and it makes sense, keep using it. If not, try something else The material on the exam is definitely learnable, but everyone has their own style. So, take some tests, find out your weaknesses, and then see where the books get you.

As far as W+L, you will be looking to score in the 160s in order to gain admissions. It's a good school and well-regarded, and they have high standards. The higher your score, the more likely you will get scholarship money at any of the schools on your list, so aim as high as possible.

Best LSAT tip ever: give yourself plenty of prep time!

Good luck man

[Anne]

I have 3.8 GPA

I'm shooting for trying to get into these schools
My top pick would be Washington and Lee in VA

Next would be

University of Alabama School of Law

After that

Ole Miss

I am not a rich person...haha, so needless to say it's basically imperative that I get some scholarship money, if not full ride.  I'm willing to take out student loans to a degree but I'm not going to put myself in a hole I can't dig out of in a reasonable amount of time.

With a 3.8 GPA you're definitely sitting pretty with all the schools you mentioned. W&L's Class of 2009 had a 25th-75th GPA percentile range of 3.28-3.78, Alabama's was 3.42-3.91, and Ole Miss' was 3.27-3.71. Even if you aren't above Alabama's 75th, you're still close enough that it looks good. That's the great news.

The good news is that if you can study your butt off and get an LSAT in the high 160s, you're probably a shoo-in for most of these schools, particularly Ole Miss. W&Ls 2009 25th-75th LSAT percentiles were 160-167, Alabama's was 160-166, and Ole Miss' was 151-157. My advice, though, if you're really shooting for a merit scholarship, is to try to break 170. With a 170+ and a 3.8, schools that have merit money will give you some (if not a lot), provided the rest of your app is solid.

Here's the bad news: Ole Miss does not, as far as I know, have ANY merit aid. So you could go to them with a 4.0/180, and they'd take you, but then you'd have to take out all loans. Granted, if you're an MS resident, then your tuition is only around $10,000 a year, so that's not a crippling amount.

Out of W&L and Alabama, the one with the best financial aid merit program is W&L. They give out considerable merit aid based on UGPA/LSAT combos, and essentially guarantee you that amount and type of aid for all three years you're there. The only catch is you have to apply early to really get as much aid as possible. They start granting it early on, and have less and less to work with as the admissions cycle progresses.

Alabama has merit aid, but it's primarily for incoming 1Ls. 2L and 3L students have to take out more loans...there's some merit aid for them, but nowhere near what you would get as a 1L.

So focus on W&L if your goal is to get considerable merit aid. They're not only ranked the highest, they give the best aid. Kill that LSAT, and you should see some good $$$ come your way.