iSimp4adcoms '21–'22 app cycle Class of 2025 class year

I figured it’s actually time to write something for the people like me who creep all day long…

URMixed. Strong coastal bias, as you can tell from where I applied.

2 years WE, biotech startup as both bench scientist/production scientist and customer service (think glorified tech support but only for our software). Got involved with HIPAA authorizations for our clients/Dept. of Public Health communications after a promotion (wrote about this in my LOCI/resume update I sent in mid Feb). Resume includes work during/post undergrad and academic research/publications during college.

165 was a second take, 161 on the flex. Second take was ~4 under my PT average. For the second test, I only practiced half-tests for time, as the new format has 2 sections, then a break, then 2 sections (I knew from the flex that the time needed to focus wasn’t too much of an issue). It’s also easier to find 70ish minutes than it is 150+. Wrote an addendum for the schools that explicitly mentioned a 4+ point increase (only USC).

3.46 transcript GPA from a T5 public school (they have a T14 law school atm), 3.49 CAS with a stem degree and a minor. Upward trend that I wrote an addendum about (trend started especially after I added a minor in a language/decided to leave the pre-med rat race, which is something I wrote about in my addendum)

PS was, tbh all over the place in terms of scope, I discussed my collegiate athletic experience and position as a recruiter for the sport program, and that my time there taught me how to build a community that can achieve more than I can as an individual (and how this will be beneficial in future schooling/career). Also touched on career change and driving forces behind the change (think “Why Law?”).

Wrote a DS about exploring my ethnicity through my minor degree in college, and how I was treated differently in a remote office/expected to do things that I couldn’t because of assumptions based on my last name. Specifically wrote about how I am better suited to avoid preconceptions/flash judgements/assumptions due to my own experiences (and how that will make me a better member of the legal field).

Wrote a WhyX/optional for every school that allowed me to (except UCLA, where I didn’t write an essay about contribution because I knew I wasn’t going to get in: in hindsight, I wish I had written the essay). For the Why X essays, I focused on tying my PS into what the school already offers (for example “my previous experience with building a team will allow me to integrate quickly and seamlessly with existing X staff, so we can publish more impactful tech legal news for X journal…”). I also looked at marketing material and honed in on points that the school really seemed to push, and mentioned those as well (like a campus designed by Frank Gehry…).

Sent LOCI for every waitlist within a few days, that touched on new positions/promotions and also pseudo-mini-WhyX and how I can contribute to their student body.

No 10k LSAT tutor, just the extended practice tests and Khan academy (for the first test: good starting place but gets old fast). Kinda wish I had pushed/R&Rd for a higher score, but in the end it’s too late to think about what could have been. Just had friends/family read my essays.

I know it can be really hard to stay optimistic: take it from me, I’m a life-long negative nancy. But you will have great options if you build the best application you possibly can. And remember, rank is not everything: prioritize your future (location, debt, job outcomes, bar passage rates, etc.) before anything else. Use the 509’s as a good tool to learn important info about the schools. And don’t be afraid to shoot high: the worst they can do is say no thanks.

Don’t forget to decline offers you aren’t going to accept/use for negotiations!

u/trodlodyte on reddit if anyone wants to say hey, ask me any questions, or wants some (unsolicited, unprofessional, and possibly incorrect) advice!