humanego '24–'25 app cycle Class of 2028 class year

admitted to cornell off reserve & rejected from penn WL on 5/16/2025

i had what was probably a pretty weak resume (not as involved in college as i wish i had been, on my second year of unemployment after undergrad when i submitted my apps) so i tried very hard on my essays. my PS was a “why law” and i submitted a statement of perspective (am nURM so this was about other experiences that shaped my values and goals) to every school; i wanted to make it clear who i am and where i want to go and wrote very earnestly and sincerely instead of trying to imagine what i thought adcoms wanted to hear. for each school i wrote at least one optional essay (aside from the SoP, except at UT), usually a “why x school”.

pretty pleased w/ my results (cracked the t14 + very solid scholarship money just outside of it) esp given how tough this cycle was!!

my advice FWIW:

• take at least 1 gap year BUT absolutely make sure you are getting some kind of full-time WE. i have no idea whether my lack of it was an active ding on my application but it definitely wasn’t positive and left me feeling like i could have done better.
• write genuine and personal essays. to whoever is reading your app you are words on a page so make them feel like they’re actually getting to know you as a person as they read. i think as long as you are yourself you will feel like you did the best you could wrt essays
• submit early!! no later than thanksgiving
• don’t waste money on an LSAT tutor. i used the powerscore bibles + forums + analytics to study and that was enough to get my 174 in one sitting even though i didn’t feel quite ready to take the test at that point (oops). tutors do not have secret knowledge and figuring out where you went wrong helps you learn better. i wrote corrections for every wrong/uncertain answer on PTs and i felt like the exercise of articulating what exactly went wrong helped me understand my mistakes and avoid future errors
• they tell you not to write a “why law” PS if you’re a KJD polisci major (like i was) but ultimately i think law schools like to see that you have an actual reason for undertaking the giant project of becoming an attorney, have direction, and generally aren’t just running around like a chicken with its head cut off, afraid of having to get a job. lol
• write locis!! i wrote locis for most of the schools i was waitlisted at and i’m confident it helped me get off the cornell reserve list