grrrrrrr123 '21–'22 app cycle Class of 2025 class year

ME: small liberal arts college in southern US, philosophy major, social justice minor, ncaa athlete D3, student body president which placed me on a lot of academic/social/trustee committees, passionate about the outdoors/sports/my college/learning, felt like I did a good job of displaying myself as well rounded, barely/did not talk about law in my PS/resume/supplemental essays.

#1 Make your personal statement PERSONAL. If you are regular, do not make up something to sob about. I promise, it will not make them sob. I wrote about a 23 day long backpacking trip with my friends that was a life changing experience in friendship and trust. It had absolutely nothing to do with law or school, but it did show my personality, my strengths, and my passion. I am not saying my personal statement was something special. However, I would like to think it helped me, a very regular person, stand out in one of the more competitive application cycles.

#2 Find recommenders who can write about you as a student and as a person. My recommenders were professors whom I had spent hours in their offices talking about life. Not only did I get good grades in their classes, but they knew how much I cared about law school, sports, learning, and my college.

#3 Study more for the LSAT than when you get to your goal score on a practice test. Getting a good score on a practice test is nothing compared to the nerves you will feel on test day. Get comfortable with the test, so comfortable it kinda makes you uncomfortable to think about how much time you dedicated to a damn test.

I wanted to go to Vanderbilt more than anything. I was moved from ED to RD and that really bummed me out. Fortunately, they accepted me, but not with as much money as I was hoping. I am looking for ways to finance my education.