GlamorousDelicateReindeer '20–'21 app cycle Class of 2024 class year

Based on my experience, soft factors and essays are VERY important in law school admissions, especially at T-14 schools (I believe that the more you go up in the rankings, the more softs and essays matter). Strong numbers matter a lot too, but they’re usually not enough on their own to give applicants a strong shot at admission to the T-14 (on the flip side, I’ve seen several folks with very strong softs overcome less-than-stellar numbers). However, attempting to classify individual softs is way less important than making sure that your softs add up to present a cohesive and authentic narrative. I think that a resume with many “average” softs grouped together in a cohesive and genuine way often trumps a resume with a bunch of high-level but really random or contrived softs. A Dean of Admissions from a T-3 school once told me that one way to write an excellent personal statement is to weave a thread through one’s past, present, and future. This writing technique, when used effectively, can help applicants convey to admissions officers a full and clear picture of their personal story. Admissions officers want to be able to see how “the dots connect” in an applicant’s life. That being said, it’s ok to have taken a winding road to get to law school where not everything on your resume immediately seems to fit with each other (and sometimes that’s preferable and adds intrigue). No matter what, I think applicants should always make an effort to articulate how the steps they took led them to where they are now, and should try to let their passion, diligence, and other good qualities shine through.