I'm simply not a good test-taker and never have been. Sadly, the highest LSAT score I received was a 153. The same thing happened with the SAT. I had a great GPA in high school, but my SAT scores were always average.
11/18/10: I'm done with all of them. I didn't want to apply to John Marshall, but sadly, with my LSAT score, I think I have to in order to know I'll be accepted somewhere. Right now, I'm hoping for either Mercer or Ole Miss realistically. I just wish they would review my application already so I will know.
12/6/10: Still waiting, no changes yet
12/7/10: I should add that all of the applications have been recieved. Mercer's says that it is ready for review, but it has also said that for over a month now. University of Mississippi just says "complete," as does GA State.
12/8/10: Waitlisted at Miami, not the start I was hoping for, but the one I suppose I could expect. They were not my top choice, but at this point, I just want to be accepted somewhere. Until that time, the wait goes on and on and on.
12/10/10: It says I am under review at John Marshall. Again, definitely not my first choice, but if I am accepted, at least it would be somewhere to go.
12/15/10: I received an e-mail today from Ole Miss saying that they are in the process of moving their office to a new location, then will be setting up January 3. Great, looks like I will not be hearing from them for a while. Both Louisville and John Marshall also sent me e-mails saying that no decision would be reached until after the new year either.
12/21/10: My grades were very high this semester, GPA ended up being around a 3.82. I'm debating whether or not to send all these schools an updated transcript or not. I don't know how much it would help, but I also know it wouldn't hurt.
12/22/10: I logged on to check the Michigan State status, and it said "Re-Review in February." I don't know if that amounts to being put on a waitlist or not.
1/4/11: Under review at Louisville!
1/13/11: Under review at Georgia State
1/14/11: Waitlisted at Louisville. This cycle has not been too kind to me thus far.
1/27/11: Accepted at Mercer! I hadn't heard anything from them in a few months. It came as quite a surprise.
1/31/11: Accepted at John Marshall, I was never really in doubt about that, but it does feel good to have some options now. We'll see if they offer me a scholarship.
2/14/11: I received my acceptance packet from JMLS over the weekend. They are offering me $6,000 per year. I was hoping for more, but it is an interesting offer.
2/14/11: I received an e-mail from Michigan State officially placing me on a wait-list. I will probably withdraw my application.
2/15/11: I withdrew my application at Michigan State. There is no point in waiting around on a list for a school that I really do not wish to attend.
2/18/11: Waitlisted at Georgia State, cannot say I am too shocked here, but at least I wasn't rejected outright and have some options now.
2/23/11: Ole Miss is the only school remaining. I would like to hear from them soon. Otherwise, it looks like I'll be attending Mercer.
3/9/11: I think I am going to mount a last-ditch effort at Georgia State. I know, realistically, chances are slim for me to be admitted once I was wait-listed. However, law schools often encourage more Letters of Recommendation once on a wait-list because it shows that you really want to go there, and I think I am going to have two more professors write them. One such professor knows my abilities in writing (being able to support a position). Her class also had a moot court component to it, so she heard me argue a case that eventually won. The other professor, I think, can attest to the formation of arguments in a quick way. I don't know if this will help my chances, but at least it won't hurt them. It probably wouldn't hurt for the letters to be sent to Ole Miss either, since they are moving at the speed of smell to review my application.
3/18/11: Miami notified me that I was selected as an "alternate" for their entering class. I have withdrawn my application.
3/24/11: I wrote an addendum for Georgia State explaining that I would really love to study under one of their professors that deals with civil liberties issues, which are issues that fascinate me. Ole Miss now also lists my file as in "pre-evaluation." I'm not sure what this means, but I've decided to attend Mercer's admitted students day on Saturday and will submit my deposit then, simply to have a place reserved in case GSU doesn't work out.
3/26/11: I attended the admitted students day at Mercer and had a good time. I like their building, facilities, professors, and people. I think they have a lot going for them that people don't realize and the rankings don't capture. They have a vast alumni network, especially in Georgia where I want to practice, a great legal writing program (ranked first or second nationally), and a few district courts in Macon that work with Mercer students. It'll cost more, but I think I'll be fine if I end up there. I paid my first deposit also just to have a spot somewhere.
3/30/11: I'm under "committee review" at Ole Miss. I have no idea what this means, but I sure do wish they would have done it before now.
4/5/11: I'm beginning to regret applying to John Marshall. They won't leave me alone now.
4/6/11: I was officially wait-listed at Georgia State. I won't stay on it. There is no point. I was holding out for a bit hoping I'd be accepted, but that didn't happen. Oh well, at least I have Mercer and like I said, it is a better a better place than people realize. Ole Miss also reads "Decision letter mailed," I was placed under review on March 30, so there is no telling what that will be.
4/7/11: The decision letter from Ole Miss arrived quicker than I thought it would. I was waitlisted again, and I will withdraw my application. I personally don't know how OIe Miss waitlisted me because I was not at their median but above their 25 percentile LSAT score, and I was above their median GPA.
4/7/11: I also withdrew from Louisville, but I think I will remain on the wait list for Georgia State since it was my first choice and I could be accepted over the summer.
4/11/11: I officially withdrew from JMLS. I wrote them because I really did appreciate the scholarship offer, but the job prospects at Mercer would serve me better in the long-run, which I have to consider as well.
4/12/11: I'm still wrestling with the idea of staying on the wait list at GSU, but what would be the point? A decision may not be made until August 8 (about the time when school would start), and my second deposit at Mercer is due in June. What would be the point in giving GSU another month when they wait-listed me at the beginning of April, clearly signaling that I was not high on their list. Plus, Mercer's most recent statistics with respect to bar passage and job placement match up well with GSU, which gives me some peace of mind.
Don't be so hard on yourself. I have just about the same numbers and I decided to apply to a bajillion schools because people with our numbers do get into the top 40, and top 20.