HowlEngineer '24–'25 app cycle Class of 2028 class year

If you’re reading this, I hope you have an excellent application cycle! I’ve added as much info as I can to give you an idea how a nontraditional student’s application and journey might look like.

My Background
I’ve worked as a chip designer for a few large tech companies over the last 9 years. I’d like to make a societal impact beyond smaller and faster chips, so I’m pivoting to law.

Feel free to add me on LinkedIn, just add a note that you’re from LSD to the request (parkerridd.com either redirects there or has a link to my profile).

Reflection
This cycle didn’t go as I hoped, but I told myself at the beginning that I would be very happy to attend Minnesota. They let me in, and it looks like that’s where I’m headed! I thought my work experience and focused story (based on Tech law) would give me a good chance at my original dream school (Michigan), but I think this cycle had surprises for everyone.

If I could have a do-over, I would take the September LSAT instead of saying that 170 was “good enough” and cancelling my third take. I was PT’ing in the mid-170s and I think a score like that would have made it easier for schools to admit me and give higher scholarships. I’d also apply to the Hyundai-Kia scholarship for Berkeley and proof my optional essays more, though maybe not as much as my personal statement (I did nine major revisions to that over the span of a month). Otherwise, I think there was a bit of bad timing involved in applying the same cycle as the huge application increase and elections.

Being strung along for 100+ days by 12 of these schools was a terrible experience because of the constant motivation to check status checkers, LSD, and Reddit. Those three consumed my life for about six months. In specific, Berk kept my app for 169 days and then rejected it. I have to wonder what happened there, but I guess I will never know. Oh well – schools reject applications, not people!

Essays
I wrote my personal statement about a soccer-playing robot I designed in a team project. My life perspective statement is about my evolving relationship with coffee and analogous process of self-discovery.

Applications
Here are some notes about my application process, ordered by decision date. I sent most of my apps in late September or early October.

Arizona State University
Accepted - 10/14 (23 days) via video inside email, $32k/yr ($$+) emailed a day later

• Application sent 9/21
• Optional Essays: Short paragraph (in app) about Why ASU law, Inclusive Excellence Statement
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), LSAT Score Increase

George Washington University
Accepted - 11/7 (39 days) via email, $40k/yr ($$) emailed 2/26

• Application sent 9/29
• Optional Essays: Identity Statement
• Addenda: Education Gap

Washington and Lee University
Accepted - 11/12 (52 days) via email, $47,500/yr ($$$+) emailed a few weeks later

• Application sent 9/21
• Optional Essays: Life Experience Statement, Leadership Experience (in app, paragraph, talked about being dungeon master for D&D lol)
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), LSAT Score Increase

Bama
Accepted - 11/22 (21 days) via phone call, $33k/yr ($$+) emailed a few days later

• Priority Track application sent 11/1
• Optional Essays: Personal Statement (not required for priority track)

Lewis & Clark College
Accepted - 12/5 (73 days) via email, $46k/yr ($$$) with admit email

• Application sent 9/23
• Extra Required Essays: Why Lewis & Clark
• Optional Essays: Perspective Statement
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), Education Gap

UMinnesota
Accepted- 12/5 (71 days) via phone call, $35k/yr ($$+) on tracker and in mailed packet

• Application sent 9/25
• Optional Essays: Lived Experience/Perspective Statement, Important Factors in applying to Minnesota (inside app, short paragraph)
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), Education Interruption (inside app, short paragraph)
• Participated in Kira Interview (sent to everyone)

UCLA
WL - 12/10 (72 days) via email

• Application sent 9/29
• LOCI: Short one sent 12/13
• Optional Essays: Challenges addendum, short paragraph about programmatic contribution (inside app)
• Addenda: Explanation of Grades/Scores (LSAT increase), Education Interruption

Georgetown
WL- 12/13 (67 days) via email, “Special group within preferred waiting list”

• Application sent 10/7
• LOCI: Short one sent 12/13
• Optional Essays: Top 10 (hikes), Perspective/Optional statement
• Addenda: Education gap, LSAT score increase
• Participated in group interview with Dean Andy

University of Washington
Accepted - 12/19 (79 days) via phone call, $12k/yr ($-) via email a month after admission/3 weeks after scholarship application. According to their scholarship application, they do not negotiate.

• Application sent October 1, the day it opened
• Optional Essays: Supplemental Essay prompt 2 (Life Experience), Education Interruption (in app)
• Addenda: None
• Extra 500 word essay required for merit scholarship consideration, due ~2 weeks after acceptance notification (wrote it during my vacation days in the holiday season)

Harvard University
Denied - 1/8 (101 days) via emailed link to status checker

• Application sent September 29
• Optional Essays: Statement about writing
• Addenda: C&F Education Gap addendum

University of Virginia
Denied (98 days) - 1/14 via email

• Application sent October 8
• Optional Essays: Education Gap explanation (in-app), Lawyerly Qualities Essay (500 words in-app)
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), LSAT Score Increase

University of Utah
Accepted - 1/17 (118 days) via phone call. $40k/yr (currently $$$+, 88.9% OOS) emailed in late February.

• Application sent September 21
• Optional Essays: Life Perspective Statement
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), LSAT Score Increase

Duke
Denied - 1/22 (101 days) via email.

• Application sent Oct 13
• Optional Essays: Short Essay C (Diversity of Perspective), Short Essay F (Ethical Leadership), Optional Essay Two (Life Perspective)
• Addenda: LSAT Score Increase

UPenn
Denied - 1/22 (107 days) via email.

• Application sent Oct 7
• Addenda: Academic Gap Explanation (in-app), Traffic Ticket C&F (in-app)
• Optional Statements: Lived Experience Statement

USC Gould
Accepted - 1/31 (119 days) via email. $40k/yr scholarship ($$) sent via email in February.

• Application sent Oct 4
• Optional Statements: Academic Gap Explanation (in-app), Traffic Ticket C&F (in-app), LSAT increase explanation (in-app), Diversity of Background statement

Northwestern
Denied - 1/31 (123 days) via emailed link to status checker

• Optional Kira Interview completed
• Application sent Sep 30
• Optional Essays: Optional Essay 2 (Lived Experience), Career Interest and Goals (in-app)
• Addenda: Education Gap Addendum, C&F (traffic)

University of Texas at Austin
Denied - 1/31 (131 days) via email

• Optional (?) Interview completed
• Application sent Sep 22
• Addenda: Education Gap Addendum, C&F (traffic), LSAT Score Increase

Stanford
Denied - 2/10 (120 days) via snail mail

• Application sent Oct 13
• Optional Essays: Optional Essay 1 (disagreement), Music Selections, Book Contributions
• Addenda: Education Gap (in-app), LSAT Score Increase

Michigan
WL- 2/12 (136 days) via email

• Application sent Sep 29
• Optional Essays: Supplemental Essay One (Why Michigan), Supplemental Essay 2 (Lived Experience)
• Addenda: LSAT Score Increase, Education Gap

Boston
WL- 2/21 (145 days) via email (withdrew 2/21 via form)

• Application sent Sep 29
• Addenda: Education Gap (in-app)

WUSTL
WL- 3/7 (154 days) via email

• Application sent Oct 4
• Optional Essays: Diverse Experiences Statement
• Addenda: C&F (traffic)

Berkeley
Denied - 3/31 (169 days) via email

• Application sent Oct 13
• Video statement submitted
• Optional Essays: Why Berkeley, Optional Short Answer Two (perspective statement),
• Addenda: C&F (traffic), Education Gap (in-app), LSAT Score Increase
  I didn’t apply to the Hyundai-Kia scholarship but I should have