StandUnderNone '21–'22 app cycle Class of 2025 class year

LSAT: june ‘21 164 –> august ‘21 170 thanks to just khan academy, mike kim’s LSAT trainer, and grinding PTs. my PT average was like a 165 so i truly got lucky on my second take. probably could have taken more time + money to study and squeezed out a few more points, but i was more than happy with a 170 and wanted to apply KJD so decided to roll with it.

GPA: went from 3.98 to 4.0 halfway through my cycle thanks to fall semester grades. communication-esque B.A. at a relatively prestigious public university with a minor in english lit. total of 3 ‘withdraw’ grades over 4 years of undergrad as well as a full semester of pass/no pass grades thanks to COVID-19.

SOFTS: one great internship, a couple meh internships, some retail/food service part-time work, and no full-time work experience. campus involvement throughout undergrad including some leadership. captain of university speech team and a few cool awards for public speaking. greek life (#basic), minimal volunteer work, and some kinda cool research. very much standard KJD softs and all very much T4, but i think the combination of everything plus a strong academic record made for a decent resume regardless.

THOUGHTS: all i wanted was a school where i could minimize debt and have great, flexible employment outcomes. all things said and done, notre dame made the most sense for me for a lot of reasons – the scholarship + low COL made it my cheapest option, my family is from northern indiana, and the career opportunities were pretty much exactly what i wanted. i wouldn’t change a thing about my application cycle and am so grateful for all of the amazing offers i received. take advantage of this website and the reddits, but also do so with a grain of salt or several. do what is best for YOU.

HMU: happy to chat if i can be of any assistance or even just a listening ear. shoot me a message on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-carrier-8590a71a4/ or discord: C4ROL1NE#2621. cheers!

ESSAYS/ETC:
PS: wrote about a japanese philosophy of art that i have applied to my own personal experiences and how this led me to pursue goodness and positive change via the law. definitely won’t win me any pulitzers but it was compelling, earnest, and decently well-written while also making a solid case for why i chose to pursue law school
NYU: my “hail mary” application; no optional essays
UPENN: wrote core values
BERK: wrote a strong-ish “why berkeley” and did not alter my normal two-page PS
DUKE: wrote a strong “why duke”
UMICH: wrote optional essays #2 and #4. in hindsight they were meh and i’m not shocked by the WL
UCLA: wrote programmatic contribution essay that i thought was pretty good but evidently was not good enough
TEXAS: did not write any optional essays. invited to KIRA early december, which included a written “why texas” response that i kinda nailed tbh
VANDY: wrote a very strong “why vandy” and completed optional alumni interview
WASHU: no optional essays; invited to interview almost immediately
USC: my dream school! tailored my PS to include “why usc” but did not write optional essay
BU: wrote “why bu”
UMN: tailored PS to include “why umn”
NOTRE DAME: wrote a KILLER “why ndls”. i have very personal connections to ND and the area and believe this was my best essay of the cycle. did not write DKL.
ASU: no optional essays. had to do a virtual visit to “demonstrate interest” before receiving decision. lovely folks and i got a $25 grubhub gift card out of it so really no complaints here
BC: tailored PS to include “why bc”
EMORY: no optional essays
FORDHAM: wrote “why fordham”
W&M: no optionals since the “why w&m” is required. also attended hella admissions events and one of the faculty even knew me by name which i’m sure didn’t hurt
IU MAURER: tailored PS to include “why IU”
PEPPERDINE: tailored PS to include “why pepperdine”
TULANE: wrote a “why tulane”