Most law school applicants would do just about anything to score above a 170 on the LSAT. Given how important the LSAT is to getting into law school, it would seem that getting a high score would guarantee your acceptance to at least a few of the top-ranked schools. This is generally true, except for one common issue: if you also have a low undergraduate GPA (which makes you a “splitter”).
The ideal law school applicant has both a high undergraduate GPA and a strong LSAT score. Unfortunately, it does not always work out that way. However, all is not lost if you are in this situation, as there are strategies to help overcome the issue—which we at Stratus share in this blog post.
What constitutes a splitter?
These days. a low GPA might be subjective due to differences in majors and issues with grade inflation. Additionally, different schools are available to applicants depending on their GPA. Because of this, there are different types of splitters.
A traditional splitter has a GPA that is around the 25th percentile of a particular law school but an LSAT score that is at the 75th percentile. This really is not the end of the world. Those numbers should counteract each other, making the applicant competitive for that school.
There is also a super splitter, which is when an applicant’s GPA is so low that it’s not even in the ballpark of the 25th percentile but their LSAT score is in the 75th percentile or better. Although having a high LSAT score is the best remedy for a low GPA, it will not single-handedly get such an applicant out of the woods.
Finally, a reverse splitter has a high GPA and a low LSAT score. As with regular splitters, a regular reverse splitter’s numbers will generally balance out. But as with super splitters, a reverse super splitter’s high GPA will not make up for their low LSAT score. Fortunately, a reverse splitter always has the option to retake the LSAT.
How can you overcome these issues?
Increase your GPA. If you have a low GPA and you are still in college, you should do everything possible to increase it. Even a modest increase from a 3.1 to a 3.2, for example, improves your chances.
Retake the LSAT—and thoroughly prepare! As mentioned earlier, if you are a reverse splitter, you at least have the option to retake the LSAT. If you are planning to do so, you should come up with strategies to get a better score. If you did not have enough time to prepare for your first LSAT, do what you can to find enough time to study, even if it involves waiting another cycle to apply. If you did everything you could to self-study for your first LSAT, consider hiring a tutor or taking a prep course this time. If you cannot afford to do so right now, again, it could be good to wait a cycle and save up for one. If you cannot hire a tutor or take a class, try to identify the areas of the test where you had issues, and then use articles from sites such as Stratus and the LSAT subreddit to overcome those issues.
Reassess your list of target schools. If you’ve gotten to the point where you cannot improve your GPA and/or LSAT score any further and are still a splitter, the strategy comes down to how you apply. If possible, you should apply to schools where your weaker stat is in their 50th and 75th percentile. This will likely more be the case for reverse splitters. If someone has a 3.95 GPA and a 158 LSAT score, there are credible schools that have roughly a 158 score as their median. If you really do not believe those schools are worth your time, that is fine—just know you are running the risk of not getting in anywhere.
For super splitters, there might not be any schools where your GPA is around their median. If you have a 175 LSAT and a 2.7 GPA, realize that there likely are not any schools with a 2.7 as their median. You can certainly apply to some T14 schools, but you should also apply to schools ranked in the top 50 or even 100 depending how badly you want to go to law school.
In both situations, research the employment data for all the schools to see if they are worth your time and money. A benefit of applying to lower-ranked schools is that your LSAT score or GPA will be well above their median, so they might be inclined to give you scholarship money.
Strengthen your overall application. Beyond curating the schools to which you want to apply, you should also ensure the rest of your application is as strong as possible. Find solid recommenders, reach out to them early, and make sure they are on top of writing your letters. Look up application essay prompts the summer before the application cycle starts and work on them throughout the summer so your essays are as robust as possible.
Write an addendum. If your LSAT or GPA was weak because of a reason outside of your control, you should write an addendum to explain your situation. Such reasons could include an event or series of events that caused you trauma, such as a death in your family or a serious personal illness. If you had a weak GPA because you went to parties instead of class, that’s not a valid reason to submit an addendum, even if you regret your actions. When writing addendums, keep them straightforward and relatively brief.
Apply early. Applying early is also helpful, and applying early decision could give your application a boost. Just know you will likely only be able to apply early decision to one school. Schools value early decision applicants because they are demonstrating a 100% commitment to say yes to a school. Additionally, fewer applicants will be willing to apply early decision, so there is less competition. Even if you do not apply early decision, applying early with rolling admissions can be advantageous because fewer spots will be taken at the time when you apply.
Hone your interviewing skills. If you have the opportunity to interview, be sure to diligently prepare. Websites such as the law school admissions subreddit might include past interview questions for your school, and if so, be sure to practice answers to those. You should also practice interviewing with generic school interview questions, as you never know what interviewers will ask.
Hire a consultant. Given that you will want to make your application as strong as possible, it is a good idea to work with expert law school admissions consultants such as those at Stratus. We know a lot about crafting strong essays and addendums as well as how to best prepare for interviews. We’ve worked with applicants with just about every stat and background imaginable and can use our experience to help you.
Attend school events. Finally, if possible, you should attend school-sponsored events and campus tours. In addition, most schools offer online information sessions, so be sure to participate. Attending these events will demonstrate your interest in the school, which could improve your perception in the eyes of the admissions committee.
In a perfect world, you would have a strong LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. However, hardly anyone has the exact application stats that they would like going into the law school admissions process. The fact that you have a high GPA or LSAT score still puts you in a better position than a lot of the applicants. Following the tips we’ve provided in this post can help improve your odds of success in the application cycle.