SunshineMine '23–'24

Applicant Resources:

Basic Info, Interview Info, Decision Communication Methods Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_QMOexDT795FqjPpdV66b5cXipGe_5V9XiYZBHFFJxA/edit#gid=0

Scholarship Tracker:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12jxokmaZ0IkKPfaNPruZNJ–ZvDm4iaOgIjnxBySOdo/edit#gid=1410080316

Personal Experience:

I am an LSAC fee waiver recipient. Some schools had CAS fees covered through that. The schools that independently covered my CAS fee are: Texas A&M, **ASU**

LSAT
Studied for around 9 months. 154 diagnostic, 169 first, 172 second. A wrong answer journal changed the study game for me.

LORS
2 academic- 1 professional

• One additional academic/professional sent to a few WL options.

REQUIRED ESSAYS + OPTIONALS**
For my essays**, I added a diversity/perspective statement covering what I learned as a first generation, low-income student.

Yale: - 250 + Resilience optional essay

Stanford: Songs
UPenn: - Penn Core Values

Columbia: - Fun Facts + Why Columbia

UVA: - Why UVA

Berkeley:- Why Berkeley + BLOS

Michigan:** **- Why Michigan

Duke: - Why Duke

Cornell:- Why Cornell

GULC: - Top Ten

UCLA:** **- Achievement Fellowship + Programmatic Contribution

UNC:- Why UNC

WAITLISTS:
Cornell interview invite March 12- Michigan feeler call May 6

I played the waitlist game. I sent LOCIs to Duke, Penn, UVA (in the feeler form), Berkeley (in the feeler form), Cornell, and Vandy. Cornell received LOCIs from me after both of their deposit deadlines, as well as an additional recommendation letter. Michigan received a longer LOCI prior to my receiving the waitlist and a shorter one after their first deposit deadline. I also sent a thank you email after receiving the feeler.

FINAL TWO, TWICE:
Initially, my decision came down to Northwestern and Georgetown. After receiving Opportunity Scholar, the decision became extremely clear. The NU difference was about 50k after interest and they refused to negotiate. Twice. Many people are cavalier about the debt and may call me crazy for picking GULC, but an extra 50k that could pay the entirety of a family member’s in-state education. As someone who is the first person in their family to attend college, that meant a lot to me. So, I ended up choosing Georgetown the first time.

Michigan was my top choice from the second I began studying for the LSAT. However, I got off the waitlist after accepting Opportunity Scholar from Georgetown, which made deciding extremely hard. Michigan is very generous with their financial aid off the WL and in your decision window for accepting or rejecting the offer, so my partner and I had time to visit before saying yes or no.

The FC numbers for Michigan are better and the portability seems more versatile from the employment outcomes in the ABA reports. Additionally, I was immediately invited to meet students in NYC, where I’m currently located, to get a vibe for the student body. Georgetown’s ASD did us a disservice by not providing really any kind of substantive networking/connecting. The ASD in D.C. consisted of us meeting current students, but not in a way that felt particularly meaningful or gave us an impression of what the student body was like (though this could be the result of large class size). The financial difference was also closer than NU at about 30k after interest. After analyzing that, the visit to UMich solidified everything. I wanted my partner to like A2 because it’s three years of their life too and they did, which was a huge weight off of my shoulders. Although I’m leaving a great roommate who is going to thrive behind in D.C., I loved Ann Arbor, the people, and the environment. Go Blue 💙