PaltryWickedPeacock '23–'24 app cycle Class of 2027 class year

Going in, I was so insecure about my GPA, so I made every effort to strengthen the rest of my application. i believe my cycle turned out as strong as it did because I didn’t take any part of the application for granted, especially the essays. Try out first drafts of different potential personal statement topics before you lock in on one. You want to find the topic you can not only write about in a compelling way, but that will showcase what you have to offer. And if you think waiting another year to apply will make a material difference in your work experience and/or LSAT, you should wait. I recommend working for at least a year to everyone if possible, even if you’re not a splitter.

While it can be hard to tune out all the noise about rankings and prestige, choose the school that has the best combo of fit for your goals and scholarship money. As someone with NYC big law goals, Cornell was the no brainer choice. If I had different goals, I would have chosen one of my other options with a 6-figure scholarship instead. I don’t think there’s a case for attending a T14 at sticker or close to it if you have other T14 options with money.

With scholarship reconsideration, start as soon as you have a few offers in hand, but you will have the best luck if you have a similar or higher offer from a peer or higher ranked school. One thing I did not know going in is how tied to numbers scholarships are, which can be really demoralizing as a splitter. If you want to attend a T14 and care about money, blanket them all to give yourself the maximum possible negotiating power.