Code2025 '21–'22 app cycle Class of 2025 class year

I’m hoping that this can be helpful for any future super-splitters out there (and don’t despair, there is hope - I’m attending Penn). The caveat of course is that I am a URM super-splitter, specifically a Hispanic one (Cuban & Puerto Rican). I am well aware of just how helpful that kind of designation can be. So, without divulging my entire life:

My graduating GPA was a 3.34, from NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences. The key for me, however, was that I actually started in NYU’s engineering school, and while I quickly knew within a year that I wanted out of engineering, I did not manage to transfer to my PoliSci major until my third year of undergraduate. I left engineering school with a GPA of around 2.8/2.9, and thanks for a GPA of around 3.8 for my two years in the college of arts and sciences, managed to push my GPA up to the 3.34 that I have listed. If there’s one piece of advice I can give for any undergrad who is 100% sure they want a future legal career, it is this: pick a major that both interests you AND will not be detrimental for your GPA. While I know the rest of my application was strong, the numbers truly are the most important thing, and without my LSAT score, I would have never stood a chance with my GPA.

For the LSAT, I wish I could properly give helpful advice, but honestly I was very fortunate: due to Covid, I lost my job, but was lucky enough to have a home with my parents where, besides buying my own food, everything financially was taken care of. They provided an environment for me to basically focus my entire energy on LSAT prep, almost to the level of a full-time job. If that is something that you can manage, then I 100% suggest you do it, it pays dividends. Trying to study at night after completing a full shift I know for a fact from my classmates is a nightmare. I also was fortunate enough to put my savings into both a Princeton Review quick course (not worth the money in my opinion if you’re aiming for 170+) and then, after my first score of 169, another thousand into LSATMax, which without a doubt pushed me over the 170 threshold and then some. Their private tutoring package was especially helpful. In the end though, I was also helped by the test itself: I took the 3-section Flex both times, and the ability to take it in the comfort of my own home, at a time that I wanted, definitely made a difference for me.

The application itself (the earlier the better, but speed will not make up for lack of quality!!). For better or worse, I leaned heavily into the Puerto Rican side of my roots for the Diversity Statement, especially the post-Hurricane Maria fallout and my family’s, and my own, efforts during the initial recovery phase. Anyone who is actually from Puerto Rico (and I mean born and raised, not just someone whose grandparent happens to be from there) will understand what it means to be Puerto Rican in the context of the greater United States, as an “in-between” citizen where, for the most part, an island of millions is often overlooked, and even neglected. My personal statement was actually a mix of my own life experiences and, most significantly, my work with an NGO in DC during the Afghan evacuation crisis when Kabul fell to the Taliban in the summer of 2021. While I had only be hired as a legal assistant that August, when the news started filtering to us that our coworkers over there were actually being tracked and hunted by the Taliban for being pro-Western, I knew I had to act, so I actually volunteered for a place in the emergency team and got it. While the hours were long and the results were oftentimes depressing, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of, so I didn’t hesitate. Whether that genuine drive came out in my essay or not I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell, but my experiences, worldview, and aspirations were the crux of my essay. So for work, if possible, get a position that is something that you will care about, because if there’s a real human element involved in there, there’s a good chance you can make that into a great story.
For what it’s worth, because I was so helpful during the Afghan situation, they pulled me into an issue they were facing in Latin America (being bilingual helps a great deal!) and then, when Russia invaded Ukraine, I again volunteered and assisted in those evacuation efforts during the siege of Kyiv. Once you show your passion and effort, it can basically be a signal to the entire organization that you can be more helpful to bigger, more significant projects.

Finally, submitting the applications. Again, I was lucky, because a good family friend happens to have a daughter who had just graduated from Berkeley Law, and she was a massively helpful mentor/guide for me. But similar to my Personal and Diversity statements, passion, being genuine, and straightforwardness goes a long way when you’re writing, even something as small as a 100-word optional essay. I had everything pretty much ready to go by November and started submitting applications then; the schools I cared about the most went first. Thanks to my LSAT (and probably my URM-status), the vast majority of the schools I applied to handed me fee waivers, making the entire process much less stressful on my wallet. I applied extremely broadly, blanketing the T-14 and most of the T-15 to T-25 range I believe, and that paid off as well.

Decision: while I did receive better financial packages from certain schools, in the end, the moment that Penn offered me even a bit of scholarship, my mind was instantly made up. Aside from the higher ranking, truth be told, Penn was one of the schools that I had my eye on from the beginning, especially because of their commitment to cross-disciplinary teaching (and having a non-asshole/competitive culture was also important for me). I intend to pursue a joint MA-JD degree in International Relations, a pursuit that, due to Penn’s mantra, would not add too much strain to either my schedule or my wallet, and I would still finish everything within 3 years. While rejections to the entire top 5 did sting, and perhaps blunt my chances of going straight into government (Harvard’s Kennedy School also flat-out rejected me), for a multitude of factors, Penn was/is the best place for me.

I know this was long, but I wanted to get as much information as possible out to the world. No one, and I mean absolute no one, reached any high position without help and luck. If my ramblings above can help someone in even a minuscule way, I will be truly honored to have played a part.