HarmoniousPrudentSalamander491 '25–'26 app cycle Class of 2029 class year

My two cents:

When I applied for undergrad, and even master’s degree programs a decade ago, I always felt I was forcing my application essays.

In the time since, I’ve been fortunate enough to do things that fit almost perfectly into each schools’ prompts.

I’m not suggesting people need to work for 9 years before they have enough lived experience to make a compelling story—that’s clearly not the case for many. But I will say this: if you’re considering applying, you need to objectively judge if you have a compelling story to tell. Don’t decide alone! Get a mentor, a friend, or a consultant to help you judge this. And then, if you don’t think your own story is compelling, take a year (or 4) and go make your story.

I have always loved volunteering with children, and this became a central theme of my essays. Guardian ad Litem is an incredible legal-related volunteer opportunity to work with vulnerable kids, I would recommend folks interested to look into it. But your story isn’t mine, and you should find opportunities to do interesting things that you love—that passion will shine through in your future applications.

Next, in a world in which maybe 50% or more lawyer jobs will be replaced by AI in the coming decade, I would strongly advise not paying for law school. There are several ways to guarantee this, to include:

1. Get a merit-based scholarship based on your grades & your awesome LSAT score that you relentlessly studied for

Or

2. Join the military and use your post-9/11 GI Bill

I know number 2 seems drastic (especially given the current political & military situation), but don’t overlook the benefits. Anyone can sign a 4-year military contract, get direct leadership experience (probably makes for a compelling personal statement!), and then separate from the military with 36 months of free tuition + housing and book stipends. You’d be guaranteed to graduate law school debt-free. And you’d likely learn some interesting lessons and meet some amazing people along the way!

That’s all for now. If anyone has any questions, feel free to DM me on Reddit - Common_Purple_8824