VagueTidyCamel '25–'26 app cycle

I’m shocked at how much I overperformed in such a competitive cycle, especially given a GPA that is quickly trending towards being below the 25th percentile at most T14s. Here’s what I think likely helped me out:

1. Get some work/life experience after undergrad- don’t be in a rush.

2. Be sure you’re overprepared for the LSAT. As application numbers increase (and scores with them), elite schools are starting to explicitly state that they prefer applicants who’ve only taken the LSAT once (I heard it a lot from UChicago in particular this cycle).

3. Apply early. Every school I applied to had almost identical applications/prompts to the previous cycle. Try to have them in a good place before they even open so that you can make sure that they’re absolutely perfect by Halloween or so, especially for the schools that are still truly rolling admissions (i.e. UVA, Georgetown, …etc.).

4. Write about what makes you, you. Readers can smell the BS from a mile away. Don’t write what you think they want to hear. Even if you think you’re boring (as I do), be authentically boring!

5. Get good rec letters. Continue your relationship with a few professors after you take their class. Once you’ve decided on your writers, take them to lunch, talk them through the process, and make sure they each highlight a different aspect of you, or else you’ll read as repetitive. If you know one of your writers can speak to your work ethic, have another speak to your leadership, …etc. At least 2 professor recommendations.

6. Demonstrate interest. Attend virtual info sessions and be professional. Ask questions that can’t easily be googled.

7. Do what makes you comfortable during the process. Anxiety will shine through in materials and other interactions with the Admissions Office. That’s ok: it’s an anxiety-inducing process and they understand that. But you need to learn the best ways for you to cope. If you’re totally burnt out and feel like you need to take a break from writing for two weeks, do it. If you know it would be more stressful and weighing on you to take a break, that’s cool too. Don’t overrely on a random Reddit account’s coping strategies, because they will be different for you. Listen to your body.

8. Give readers a reason to choose you in particular. Their job is twofold: (1) to understand why applicants choose their school, and (2) to identify which applicants will actually thrive there. Your job mirrors this: (1) understand why students do (or don’t) choose that school, and (2) show why those reasons genuinely resonate with you. On a semi-related note, don’t waste the time, effort, and money to apply to schools you know you don’t want to go to. When you have schools that you can really imagine yourself at, the application process should be fun.

Regardless of whether you’re writing a formal “Why X,” you should be subtly tailoring your personal statement and other supplements to reflect the school’s culture, values, and resources. The goal is to give the reader an “aha” moment where it becomes obvious that you fit naturally into their community.

Penn’s materials emphasize interdisciplinarity and international opportunities moreso than other T14s, so I leaned more heavily into highlighting my interdisciplinary, international master’s program in Penn-specific materials than I did elsewhere, even when I wasn’t explicitly tying it back to Penn. Chicago’s whole deal is academic rigor and free expression, so I highlighted my passion for research and moments when my views were challenged in academic settings, emphasizing how openness shaped my thinking. UVA places real weight on student life, so I focused more on how I would contribute to that culture (ex. school spirit, attending games, working well in groups, …etc.).

Don’t confine this tailoring to a Why X. A Why X is space-constrained and should clearly signpost two or three concrete reasons you want to attend. It can only get you so far, because literally everyone wants to attend one of the most elite higher learning institutes in the world, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of just regurgitating cool clinics and whatnot you see on their website. Your whole package should be where you show why you would thrive there in a non-argumentative way. These schools get hundreds of applicants with your stats no matter what they are, and they can’t accept even a majority of them. You have to demonstrate (not assert) why you would be a better fit than another practically identical candidate.