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

If you came across my profile and thought, “hey, i’m an engineering major too”, I have bad news. Law schools don’t seem to care that engineering/STEM are difficult majors, explaining why your GPA is likely on the lower end. It sucks, but this is the truth I’ve found through the process. Some schools will claim they take rigor of major into consideration, but they really don’t. Don’t believe the “this is a holistic admissions process” lie they will try to feed you. I held over 40 semesters of leadership positions during my time in undergrad, but my applications seemed to just come down to those two important numbers you see everywhere.

Second: Spend the money on everything related to this admissions process. Yes, it’s expensive, but you’ll regret not spending the money on LSAT prep/taking the LSAT multiple times/applications to additional schools. I only studied for the LSAT for about a week before taking it. That definitely hurt me. I don’t think I could have had a better application except for my LSAT score and timeline. I wish I took the LSAT at least one more time and studied for a good few months before taking it. I also wish I invested into prep materials.

Third: the timeline of everything is actually very important. Committees have told me they are more forgiving for something like a lower GPA towards the beginning of the cycle because it is something that is set and can’t be changed in the future, so plan on submitting apps before Thanksgiving. In terms of something like the LSAT, that IS something you can change if it doesn’t go your way in a certain month. Take it again, and plan on taking it AT LEAST twice regardless of your first score.

I don’t blame myself taking a harder major and getting a lower GPA since I didn’t even know I wanted to go to law school until about junior year of undergrad. I don’t blame not applying while trying to finish my undergrad degree, I just simply did not have the time while completing classes and fulfilling commitments. The one thing I could have done better was take the LSAT more seriously, because I know I could have done so much better and that’s been the worst feeling of all.

If I could start all over, I would have taken an easier major for a 3.8+ GPA, started studying for the LSAT a year in advance and taken the LSAT in the spring, and actually budgeted and invested in LSAT prep materials. I also would have spent a good amount of time looking into law schools and finding out which ones I wanted to apply to, and very concretely understand the reasons for every specific school other than their location.

6/6/22