My top 5 takeaways:

1. Apply early
2. You probably can’t game HYS
3. Be explicit about what you want your LORs to talk about
4. Sign up for webinars with your CAS email
5. Free resources work

1. Apply early: I can’t identify why I was WLed at each school, but I expect timing had something to do with my Michigan and UCLA WL. I put a whole lot more effort into those apps than I did my November ones.

2. You probably can’t game HYS: SLS was my dream school. I genuinely spent a month writing and editing my supplements. I went to 4 or 5 webinars they hosted, had an LOR especially addressed to SLS, and am planning my career around a topic area they’re very strong in. By comparison, I wrote my YLS supplements in a day, didn’t have anyone review them, and submitted my application without reviewing it as a whole (would not recommend doing that, I just didn’t expect to get in).

3. Be explicit about what you want your LORs to talk about: I asked all my LOR writers to write me a letter before I developed any of my app materials. Didn’t send them a resume or anything. From talking to them later on, I realized there were some inconsistencies between my application materials and what they said. I think the biggest blunder was the letter from my thesis advisor. I assume he wrote about my interest in X when my application was mostly about my interest in Y. While they overlap, they’re still distinct topic areas. Luckily, I wrote my YLS 250 about topic X (my thesis topic) and tied themes from that statement into the rest of my app, so I assume that helped me a bit there.

4. Sign up for webinars with your CAS email: I created a separate email address to sign up for CAS, which I would recommend, but make sure you use that email when you’re signing up for webinars, independent of LSAC forums. I used my personal email in some instances and realized that schools didn’t have a record of my attendance in those cases because they track communication through email.

5. Free Resources Work: One thing that immediately stood out to me at YLS was the number of people who knew other students currently at YLS/HLS/SLS from undergrad and received guidance on their applications from them. If you went to anything other than a stellar undergrad, you probably don’t have this same access (I certainly didn’t). I relied heavily on Spivy (podcasts, blog posts, and book (book was $50)), 7sage (podcasts and blog posts), Navigating Law School Admissions podcast, and A2Z with Dean Z podcast. Finally, I found Reddit incredibly helpful. I wouldn’t recommend following it while you’re waiting for your decisions, but it can answer a lot of miscellaneous questions while you’re preparing apps. Remember, there’s a search function, so whatever question you have has probably already been asked. (Also, obviously, it’s not always right, so take everything with a grain of salt and try to find multiple verifications.)