Welcome to my profile! Feel free to peruse my “decision diary” below :)

April 20, 2026: WL -> R @ Wisconsin

Okay, I guess that’s one less LOCI to write? I don’t know if I would have wrote one anyway. I have NO clue what Wisconsin admissions is looking for this year, but I guess it’s not me.

March 30, 2026: R @ USC

I asked for this. No, seriously, I did. We are in the 5th calendar month since I applied to USC, and I haven’t heard back from them yet. They have taken so long that I have already committed to another law school, so I sent them an email today asking if by any chance a decision has already been reached on my file, could I have it please? At first, I got the typical “ah, you’ll get it when you get it,” but a few hours later I was officially rejected. Who cares? I got a full-ride offer from a higher ranked school in your city…anyway, that’s admissions for you. Well, I guess I’m all done! Applied 11/7, complete 11/7…four…months…later…under review 2/18, and decision rendered 3/30. This cycle dragged on so long, and I’m so excited to be done!

March 13, 2026: WL @ WashU

Damn. I think I knew this one was coming all year, when I saw that WashU raised their LSAT median 2 points from 173 to 175. I figured I was cooked with my measly 174, but then, they started behaving strangely…we got several emails hinting that WashU admissions wanted to do things differently this cycle. At first, all decisions were held to January, and then, an uncharacteristic amount of applicants below both medians were getting As! WashU seems to have pivoted towards more holistic admissions. Did I have a chance? When we made it to late February and I hadn’t heard back, I sent in a pre-decision LOCI after reviewing a podcast and attending a webinar hosting by admissions. I tried to write a strong Why WashU while also offering how I refined my legal career goals and how WashU would help me achieve those. Guess it doesn’t matter now. I was kinda hoping on WashU to be a dark horse disrupting my current dilemma between UCLA and Michigan, but it didn’t shake out this way. Splitters, I cannot emphasize this enough: Now that WashU is no longer auto-admitting folks above at least one median, it is IMPERATIVE that you get as high of a GPA in undergrad as you can, and score as high on the LSAT as you can, to preserve your odds at a T14. If you have a 3.5 or whatever and have a year worth of school left, put that damn LSAT prep book down and do everything in your power to get a 4.0 for the next two semesters. Future you will thank you. I applied on 10/20, went complete 10/20, received the interview invite on 10/21 (which I completed on 11/11 — very conversational interview mostly on why WashU, my work experience, and journey to law school), and received word of the waitlist decision on 3/13. I sent a pre-decision LOCI on 2/24. Only one application remains, and I can’t see myself attending even if I received a full scholarship, so…I guess this means my cycle is over?

March 12, 2026: WL @ Wisconsin

Lol. That’s really all I can say. I was told to throw an application into Wisconsin and Ohio State just as Midwest safeties, so I didn’t strike out this cycle. I ended up getting 80% at one of those schools and waitlisted at the other. Wisconsin is waitlisting nearly everyone I see on LSD this year, I just wish they didn’t take almost 4 months to do it to me. No harm, no foul, I’m going to UCLA on a full ride, but it’s kind of…annoying. I have been waitlisted by the likes of schools like UChicago all the way down to BC and Wisconsin. Guess that’s the 2025-26 cycle for you. I applied 11/6, complete 11/10, went UR 12/8, and received my WL email 3/12. Did not receive an interview request. Only submitted my PS, resume, academic addendum, and a C+F addendum for traffic tickets, so I wonder if this played a factor.

March 5, 2026: WL @ Penn

Oh, wow. I haven’t been on LSD.law much recently, but I did see glimpses of some Penn A calls earlier in the day and was expecting a possible WL or R wave later in the evening. I forgot to check, but later that night I did open my email and find my waitlist invitation for Penn Carey. I was in the middle of writing a pre-decision Letter of Continued Interest, against my better judgment, since I had applied in late October and hadn’t yet heard by early March. I guess I can send a regular one now! I am kinda surprised to get a WL over an R, since I didn’t really “try” that hard on my Penn app. I didn’t submit the “core strengths” essay or much in the way of optionals: just my PS, my E/P statement as Optional Essay 2, my academic addendum, and a C+F addendum about traffic tickets. I applied 10/30, went complete 11/13, UR 11/20, UR2 12/04, and received a decision 3/5. Logging this one in the win column. Damn, I have a lot of LOCIs to write…

February 25, 2026: R @ Duke

I’m at a total loss here. I thought that Duke was among my most complete, well-rounded applications. I applied early on 10/20. I submitted a pretty decent Why Duke and experience/perspective statement. I found professional and academic LOR writers who could speak to my strengths. I chose short answer A and thought I responded to that one pretty well. And my resume and personal statement, strong enough to be admitted to the likes of Michigan and UCLA, should have put me over the edge. But I guess none of that matters anymore. Maybe it’s a fit thing, maybe it’s a splitter thing, who knows. I sure don’t. I just wish I had some better feedback to share with you all. While this doesn’t bode well for my remaining apps, especially Penn and WashU, I have reached the acceptance stage of the cycle. I pretty much already know what my options are, and I need to commit to narrowing those down. I will operate on the assumption that no one else is coming, and go from there. Damn, Duke, why did you do me like this? Applied 10/20, complete 10/20, UR 10/20, no updates until I received the email decision 2/25.

February 19, 2026: WL @ BC

What? Thought I had this one, seeing as it was a safety for me (Boston area, cleared the LSAT median by 6 points, most predictors said I was a shoo-in), but in light of my other options, I never would have attended BC. Gonna tally this one in the yield protection column and move on. I didn’t get an email, only a portal update from spam-refreshing while a wave was going on. Applied 11/7, went complete 11/11, and stayed there until I received my decision on 2/19. Submitted my resume, PS, experience/perspective statement as an optional, and my academic addendum. I’ll probably stay on the waitlist just to see, but this is by far the least attractive option to me of the six. Hopefully these last five decisions come quickly so I can start the next phase of this process.

February 12, 2026: WL @ Chicago

HOLY MOLY how did this happen? I thought for SURE my goose was cooked at Chicago. I ripped off the application last-minute after not applying around when I sent the bulk of my apps out. Someone told me I should apply despite my GPA, since my goals are Chicago BL, and not to count myself out or self-select out. Always let them tell you no, folks! In my case, I got a strong maybe, which I am OVER THE MOON about! Especially after the Harvard R, I was expecting nothing but a rejection from Chicago. I never received an interview invite, so I figured things were as good as done. Happy to be proven wrong! I applied 11/25, went complete 11/30, under review 12/10, and was waitlisted 2/12. I submitted my resume, personal statement, my academic/C+F addendum, and an optional addendum (Why Chicago) that I thought was better than average. Out of all of my waitlists, I’m definitely the most excited about this one, with Northwestern a close second. It’s funny, because going into this process, Northwestern was my top choice, but since they waitlisted me too, get in line! Overall, today was a great day for me. I emerged from what was a brutal day for most users on LSD.law filled with waitlists and rejections relatively well off, and I am very grateful for that.

February 12, 2026: A @ BU

I can’t believe I missed the phone call from BU! I saw a slurry of acceptances raining down in Recent Decisions, asked in Chat if BU was calling, and flipped over my phone to see the voicemail transcription and missed call. Those of you who know me personally know I went to undergrad in Boston at a rival school. I’ve also completed my paralegal certificate at BU. Having the option to return to Boston for graduate school is an arrow that I am relieved and glad to have in my quiver. While I did bemoan BU’s admissions process for taking so long to get back to me, all is forgiven today. I’m just happy that something came of the radio silence. For BU, I sent in my resume, PS, a resume addendum explaining my 3–4-month gap, and my academic addendum. I applied 10/22, went complete 10/23, and had no updates or major changes until my acceptance today, 2/12. Trust the process, folks! While it will always be Go Huskies, I don’t mind going undercover at BU for a few years. I mean, they do have a Raising Cane’s on campus…Also, just excited to receive two acceptances in one day after no news for weeks! Definitely feeling much better about my cycle now.

Update 02/17/2026: Just received my admitted student package! Found out that I was awarded a merit scholarship in the amount of $40,000 per year, or $120,000 total. Extremely grateful, but can’t help but be a little disappointed by this offer, as I was praying for more. Luckily, I’m in a great place to play the reconsideration game, with my full tuition offer at UMN, and my offers at Michigan and Ohio State as well. They also have need-based aid available, so I’ll make sure to hit the ground running on that. Hopefully I can work this up to something close to full so that I can start to seriously consider BU Law as an option for me!

Update 03/31/2026: Emailed BU a scholarship reconsideration email and also submitted the need-based form a few days after the priority deadline. They hit me back at the time to tell me they do not reconsider in light of competing awards but could still consider me for need-based aid. I ended up receiving an email today letting me know I was approved for $6,000 per year in need-based aid, bringing me to $46,000 per year or $138,000 total. While this puts me into under-the-loan-cap territory, it’s still not as good of an option for me compared to higher-ranked schools.

February 12, 2026: Hold -> A @ GW

Wow, guess my 250-character plea worked. It’s great to hear back from GW, but I’m not considering it that seriously based on my other options. If I received a full scholarship, it might be worth considering, but I’m not optimistic. I just think I have stronger acceptances that better align with my goals, but it’s nice to have the closure from the priority hold saga. Imagine if I got rejected from my lowest-ranked safety school…sheesh. Anyway, I applied 11/7, went complete 11/12, under review 11/17, was placed on priority hold 1/28, and was accepted 2/12. Submitted my resume, PS, an optional identity statement, and my academic addendum.

February 11, 2026: R @ Harvard

Ah, well, who cares. Obviously, it’s Harvard, and I mostly wanted to apply just so I had the certainty I wasn’t self-selecting out. My grades are terrible, I didn’t have crazy softs, and my essays are probably strong but not the strongest. It’s certainly no love lost. Just kind of annoyed I spent $135 on application fees since my waiver expired, but I figured this outcome was the most likely. I applied 12/31, complete 1/8, received the news via Harvard’s (not LSAC’s portal) on 2/11. Just sent resume, statements of purpose and perspective, and my academic addendum. Onto the next one.

February 5, 2026: WL @ GULC

And for my fourth consecutive waitlist decision, I just received the email from Georgetown University Law Center today. I remember being so excited to receive my interview invite that I jumped out of the shower when my phone dinged with an email notification. While I am kinda disappointed, I am not that upset about missing out on GULC. I won’t be attending since Dean Andy is on video telling waitlisted students to reconsider attending if you need financial aid to attend Georgetown. As the weeks drag on and decisions finally start coming in, each one brings a bit more clarity to my future. For that, I am grateful, as much as I despise this waiting game.

For the application, I provided my personal statement, resume, academic addendum, an optional statement (experience/perspective), and also provided what I thought was a pretty unique Top 10 list for the optional response: Top 10 foods I’d want at my last meal. I sent my application on 10/29, went complete 10/30, and got the interview invite 12/3. When I first received it, all the slots were full, so after a week or so I checked back and saw one and sniped it. I interviewed on 12/20, and it definitely could have gone better. For some reason, I was struggling heavily with nervousness and felt myself literally trembling at points, which was extremely uncharacteristic for me. I don’t think it was visible on video, but I was definitely fidgety, I’ll say. I think my fun fact was kind of cringe (no, I’m not sharing…) and don’t think I agreed with Dean Andy more than once. Our group went 5 or 10 minutes over, which he implied was a good sign, and told us we’d hear in late January, maybe early February. Well, he wasn’t wrong.

At this point, I’m not expecting much more good news. It’s not even a pessimistic thing, it’s just that I don’t really see myself getting an A from any of my remaining schools. As a late October applicant who’s gotten quadruple-waitlisted these past few weeks, I can sense more are coming. Would love to be proven wrong, though. Waitlist warriors, unite!

January 30, 2026: WL @ Northwestern

Ah, I feared this day would come. I initially applied to Pritzker via binding Early Decision for the guaranteed scholarship. At the time, it seemed like a no-brainer: with OBBBA restricting federal loans, guaranteed scholarship money is nothing to sneeze at, especially $135,000. My goals after graduation were Chicago BL, so at the time it made total sense to apply binding ED. I sent my application out, completed my Kira interview, and crossed my fingers. Around when I got my Michigan acceptance, and the prospect of attending a T-14 law school became reality, I started to get cold feet. I didn’t want to be bound by my commitment to attend NU Pritzker if the possibility of getting more money elsewhere existed. In addition, Michigan’s COL being much lower was a considerable factor for me. When I realized it would be nearly impossible to attend NU without private loans, I sent an email requesting to be withdrawn from the ED pool and transferred to the RD pool. And just like that, I sealed my fate. Missing out on my top-choice school definitely stings, but I accepted this outcome when I sent out that email. As far as my application: I sent my resume, personal statement, optional essays 1 and 2 (Why NU and experience/background statement), and my academic addendum. While I’ll likely remain on the waitlist, I am not that optimistic for my chances, and I am happy to let my dream of attending Northwestern go. The string of WLs lately have my convinced there are not many As left for me to grab, so I’m going to start weighing my As a bit more and begin the process of deciding schools. Chicago, I’ll swear I’ll get there one day…

Just realized I forgot to share my dates: sent 10/20, complete 10/20, received Kira invite 10/21, completed Kira 10/29, withdrew from ED 11/21, decision 01/30.

January 28, 2026: Hold @ GW

What? I’m sorry, but I find this hilarious. My lowest-ranked safety school sent me an email today informing me that I have been placed on “priority hold” pending a 250-character response about my interest in GW Law? How incredibly disrespectful after blowing past their suggested review window. (Keep in mind, they had an A wave including mid-January applications the very next day). Maybe I’m overreacting, but this left an awful taste in my mouth. They’re basically asking applicants to self-select out of GW while dangling a merit scholarship in their faces. If my entire application you’ve had for months wasn’t enough for a result, I doubt a tweet’s worth of info will move the needle. Either way, I submitted it, and will update when I hear more!

January 14, 2026: WL @ Berkeley

Ouch, this one stung a little. I heard Berkeley gives out really good gift aid, so I was pretty disappointed to hear they waitlisted me today. Before the cycle, someone told me due to their holistic admissions process, Berkeley was more of a long shot for me as an LSAT splitter, since my high score doesn’t appeal as much to them. Ah well, at least it’s not a rejection. I sent my application in on 11/7, went complete on 11/10, and went UR for the first and only time on 11/20. Received the waitlist invite 1/14. I did not receive the Kira interview invitation, although from reading around online, it doesn’t seem necessary nor sufficient for admission. For my materials, I sent my personal statement and experience/perspective statement as one, interwoven document that reached 3 pages long. I also supplied my academic addendum I provided to every school. This week has been brutal with the R and WL waves so far, some of which I dodged, and some of which I didn’t. Hopefully some good news is coming soon. Onwards and upwards!

January 13, 2026: WL @ UVA

Ouch. Thought I was in the clear after surviving the morning’s red wave, but I guess not. I kinda figured my odds were not great after not receiving an interview invite by 2026…as my first negative result of the cycle, the waitlist email from UVA didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. I think having some other acceptances in my back pocket definitely helped, but man, UVA was one of my top choices…I really liked their location (college friends nearby, college town vibe, collegial atmosphere…) and could see myself thriving there. Anyway, I sent my app in 10/30, went complete 10/31, went UR1 on 10/31, UR2 on 11/3, UR3 on 11/5, and received the waitlist invitation 1/13. I submitted my personal statement, academic addendum, and a “Why UVA” as an optional addendum. The application had a section where I was able to copy-paste my experience/perspective statement, also. Something else I want to mention is that I submitted my materials in 11-point font rather than the “recommended” 12-point to abide by the page limits. While this could have been a factor in my outcome, it’s much easier to point to my GPA, as UVA continues to chase that 4.0 median. At the end of the day, I am grateful not to be rejected outright and look forward to remaining on the waitlist.

January 8, 2026: A @ Ohio State

Happy to hear back from OSU Moritz today! It’s been nearly a month since my last decision due to the holiday break, and any good news is certainly appreciated. I got tipped off by my status changing to “Decision Pending” the morning of my result, followed by the acceptance email about four hours later. I applied 11/7, went complete 11/12, under review 11/17, pending decision 1/8! For materials, I only submitted my personal statement, resume, and academic addendum I send to every school.

Update 01/26/2026: Received notification I was awarded an Academic Merit Scholarship today. It’s 80% of the Non-Resident Tuition and Fees, which is great! While it doesn’t move the needle for OSU much for me, mostly because I received a full tuition offer from a comparable school (Minnesota), this will be very useful for scholarship negotiation, and I am very grateful!

December 10, 2025: A @ UCLA

Woohoo! This cycle is sure off to a great start :) I can’t believe I missed the call from UCLA at first. I called right back, and received the wonderful news that I was admitted and under consideration for the Law Achievement Fellowship scholarship, which includes full tuition! I gotta start preparing for the interview now…I applied 11/4, went complete 11/7, and no changes after that. My portal never changed until after I spoke with the dean. I didn’t receive the email for a day or two, so don’t panic! I wrote the challenges addendum, Law Achievement Fellowship essay, and also submitted my usual academic addendum.

Update 02/06/2026: WOW! I’m on my way to the admitted student reception at UCLA this weekend, and I received word that I am an Achievement Fellowship finalist! I have to complete two interviews with members of the admissions committee, but I could possibly attend UCLA on a full-tuition scholarship. OH MY GOD!!! I’m going to lock in this weekend and try to speak with as many Achievement Fellows as possible to prepare for these interviews. Hopefully I’ve got this!

December 1, 2025: A @ Minnesota

Really excited (and surprised) to receive the call from Minnesota today letting me know I was admitted! Such an underrated school and I cannot wait to explore it at ASW. I applied 10/22, went complete 10/22, completed the Kira 11/1, went under review 11/1, had a date change on 11/14 and 11/19, and was accepted today on 12/1. I provided two C+F addenda: one for minor traffic tickets/civil offenses, and my academic addendum. I also submitted a supplemental “experiences/perspective” statement and completed the Kira-type interview request (very laid-back, mostly about why Minnesota and some more insight into my personality). Let’s keep these As rolling!

Update 01/22/2026: Received my scholarship email today and I RECEIVED A FULL RIDE PLUS STIPEND!!! Literally over the moon at this outcome and completely unexpected. I thought I would get some money but not this much…this makes things complicated for sure. I really need to get some more decisions back so I can start narrowing down my choices. Feeling incredibly fortunate today and grateful for Minnesota! I know I would thrive there, especially without having to worry about tuition.

November 19, 2025: A @ Michigan

Wow, my very first A, and at one of if not my top choice school! I was over the moon to receive the email from Dean Z today and promptly started crying at my desk. I applied on 10/21, went complete on 10/24, received a status date change on 11/14, and was accepted today on 11/19. I wrote the optional Essay One (experience/perspective statement), optional Essay Two (Why Michigan), and an academic addendum. Dean Z wrote on my acceptance letter that she loved my essays and my writing voice, so I am confident my essays really played in my favor. Excited to kick off the cycle with good news!

Update 12/15/2025: Received my scholarship email today! Received the Dean’s Scholarship at $105,000. Very grateful, but it leaves me pretty far from being able to attend. Hopefully the need-based process goes well!

Update 03/04/2026: Just received my need-based financial aid award! I am eligible for a $10,000 grant per year, so $30,000 total. This brings my total Michigan scholarship up to $45,000 yearly, or $135,000 total. That’s more than I ever thought I would receive from a T14 law school! I definitely have a tough choice to make now, with the deadline to accept the Achievement Fellowship from UCLA looming on April 1st. I do plan on attending Michigan’s Preview Weekend II from March 26-28, but that only leaves me a few days to decide. I guess we will see how things shake out, but for now, UCLA is probably still my top choice.

Update 03/17/2026: I successfully negotiated an increase in my Dean’s Scholarship with Michigan! After writing a strong email outlining my competing full tuition scholarship offer at UCLA Law, my new Dean’s Scholarship is now $180,000 per year. Because I am now over the threshold for need-based aid, this is a merit-only scholarship. I can’t believe this! Michigan said they only adjusted 5 scholarships last year out of hundreds of requests, and it appears I am among the few to be increased this year. With Michigan a viable option for me now, it makes the next few weeks very complicated. I am praying that more clarity will come to me after Preview Weekend.