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

Ivy+ undergraduate degree, one year Master’s degree (‘23-‘24 year) from prestigious school in legal-adjacent field. On the strong side of T4 in terms of softs. Reapplicant to 7/14 schools. Took LSAT 4 times, scoring well below PT numbers until the 4th attempt.

Applied with public interest as the goal and many of my past experiences working into that. Ideally want to end up on the west side of the US when working; SLS was my top choice, followed by Harvard then Yale, though if I’d gotten into both of those two I would’ve been torn. I was looking for a more professional, less overly-academic approach to law school like Yale does, which bumped them down on this list. After those three, I had Penn, Berkeley, Columbia and Duke as my next tier of choices based on vibe of the school, fit, and PI and general outcomes and offerings. Once I received a scholarship offer from Berkeley, I didn’t apply for financial aid from anywhere I got into beyond those top 7 schools on my list since I knew I wouldn’t be going.

In the end, though I’m taking out more than an additional 100k in loans from Harvard, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t take that chance and experience what law school would be like there, with the large class size and the opportunities that come with Harvard. I’d be willing to work a higher-paying job for a few years to pay down debts or utilize LIPP if I start my career in the PI sphere. Harvard bound!

Notes on individual schools:
Stanford (R) - Reapplicant. Felt good about my essays, really put everything into this app. No word at all from them until the status read DLS in April, letter came like a week and a half later.
Yale (R) - Reappliant. Supplementals submitted, felt pretty good about them. No II, no word until the R at the end of March.
UChicago (WL) - Reapplicant. No supplemental essays submitted with app. Felt good about the interview.
Penn (A) - Submitted a supplemental essay, felt like it was strong and expressed good alignment with Penn offerings in it.
Duke (A) - Felt good about this whole app. Re-used and adjusted supplements. Did not complete financial aid interview – was awarded $0.
Harvard (A) - Reapplicant. Felt strong about both of my essays for HLS. Interviewed, and felt like the interview went poorly, but somehow got in!
NYU (A) - Reapplicant. Felt pretty good about my RTK statement (no word on this). Hold 2/6, A 2/28.
Columbia (Hold, WL) - Reapplicant. Wrote fairly strong (but didn’t feel amazing about) supplements and why columbia reasoning. I felt my interview went well enough – a bit nervous but also came across excited (and knowledgable?) about Columbia. After the Hold, I did NOT write a letter of continued interest, which they asked for. I thought it unlikely I’d get enough aid to choose them over Harvard. Then got the Reserve/WL and withdrew.
UVA (WL) - Felt pretty about my Why UVA Statement – it was enthusiastic and expressed a lot of excitement for UVA and its programs. No interview before WL.
Berkeley (A) - Reapplicant. Felt good about my Why Berkeley reasoning and statement. Completed the video interview thing right after submitting and felt alright about it.
Michigan (R) - wrote one optional essay, only slightly retooled from a different application. No substantial “Why UMich” reason.
UCLA (A) - no supplemental essays submitted with app.
USC (A) - 2.5 page PS, 2-page Frank Rothman Statement (never definitely got an answer on this), no strong “why USC” reason
Texas (A) - did optional statement, felt good about it. felt bad/mid about video interview thing.