lawqueen629 '23–'24 app cycle Class of 2027 class year

Follow me; I’ll have some wisdom once I see how this cycle turns out lol. Atp, it’ll just be the blind leading the blind.

UPDATE
As the 2023-24 cycle is nearing its end, I am now wise enough about the LSA process to provide some valuable insight on what to expect. To preface this, let me begin by making it clear that I am an R&R (retake & reapply) applicant from the previous cycle where I was rejected or waitlisted from every school I applied to other than 2 non-ranking schools. My LSAT at the time was a 150. That disappointing cycle motivated me to transform my frustration into motivation to score as high as I could before the start of the current cycle. My study regimen allowed me to score a 169 on the Aug 2023 LSAT. Below, you will find details about my application that led to this cycle’s results:

Demographics
AA female- First-gen law student, non-first-gen graduate from 4-year university

• Childhood homelessness, adult poverty, low-income family
• Worked full-time from the age of 18 and throughout undergrad (reason for subpar GPA and explained in GPA addendum)
• BA in Criminology/Sociology (3.11 GPA)
• In progress Master’s in Public Administration (4.0 GPA)
• C&F issues due to being academically dismissed after failing 2 computer science courses during undergrad (lol). I was able to successfully appeal my dismissal and was instead placed on academic probation the following semester.
  Employment
  “Senior” level agent at local government agency- Previous work history included juvenile justice and lots and lots of customer service/call center roles
• 7 years of full-time WE
• Founder and leader of racial justice online-based group/organization with almost 1k members across the nation
  Extracurriculars
  Founder, director, & president of gospel choir (undergrad)- Student leader for AA cultural center (undergrad)
• Inducted member of International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
• Member of NAACP
  Awards/Recognition
  Honorary speaker at a cultural celebration event (undergrad) - ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship
• NCCCMA Scholarship
• Public Service Scholarship
• I also had a media appearance where I was interviewed by a major news outlet in 2021 for something new and cool I had done regarding racial justice. I added this to my resume under a “media appearances” section and provided a link to the article and interview on the resume. This was also the video I used for my GULC video essay submission, despite it being longer than 1 minute.
  Essays & Docs
  Resume: - My resume was 2 pages exactly, black and white, no less than 10 pt, and sectioned (from top to bottom) education (with a subsection for awards), work experience, extracurriculars, media appearances. I only provided full descriptions for relevant or unique positions and simply just listed the position, company, and dates for positions like customer service. Any accolades or awards I received within these positions were listed and bolded under the position. All work experience related to law or public service, I marked with an asterisk.
  Personal Statement:- I am a creative writer and I believe it played to my advantage when writing my PS. I shared a very vivid story about my family and I growing up homeless and impoverished and how these experiences alongside my work in juvenile justice is what motivated me to become a civil rights attorney. My entire application was centered around this specific theme. I was also very clear and adamant on the type of law I wanted to practice and why. So my PS was very much so a “Why Law”.
  Diversity Statement: I went into more detail about my socioeconomic status, shared more experiences, and wrapped this essay up by asserting my commitment to ensuring that those with the same background as me are not made victim to these same consequences typically imposed by systems of oppression. The last half of this essay was dedicated to writing a “Why X” to tie in my disadvantaged background with the clinics and other offerings provided by the school that are geared towards resolving these problems; such as pro bono work or civil rights clinics. I wrote a “Why X” for every. single. school.**Character & Fitness Statement: I must admit, I took a slightly- creative approach to this essay as well. What can I say? It’s in me. It was nothing too crazy, but I still wanted to be sure to paint a vivid picture of what I was battling during this time. I still made sure to state all of the facts and take full responsibility for what happened. For some applications, I merged my C&F Statement and my GPA Addendum since both have the same exact explanation. For other schools, I had a very short C&F Statement that solely explained the facts of the matter, and a more creative-esque GPA Addendum that referenced and elaborated on my C&F Statement. I also dedicated a portion of my GPA Addendum/C&F Statement to expressing my commitment in not making the same mistakes and provided actionable steps on how I planned to ensure this. GPA Addendum:- See C&F Statement bullet above. Letters of Recommendation*
  I had a glowing LOR from a current professor in my grad studies (she sent it to me afterward to read); so glowing, it brought me to tears,2 LORS from undergrad professors that were written in 2020 (one of these I know was also glowing; the other might honestly just have been good*- ),
• Another LOR from a grad professor which was most likely meh,
• And a LOR from a district judge who regularly observed my work within juvenile justice and had commented on it on multiple occasions (great things, thankfully) in open court. He was more than willing to write it, so I believe this one was glowing as well. The LOR from the judge did not come in until I had already received several of my acceptances tho lol.

Random Tips & Tricks
Find a “Why Law” and stick to it. Brownie points if your “Why Law” is also illustrated by your work experience and extracurriculars.
Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself throughout your application - especially if it’s something in regard to your “Why Law”. I genuinely believe that adcomms are preferential of applications that are cohesive and convey a story; something that flows and makes logical sense regarding who you are, where you come from, where you plan to go, and why you want to go there.
DO NOT EVER NOT WRITE A “WHY X”. Even if it’s a small part of one of your essays, always write a “why x” for whatever school you’re applying to. Yield protection is real and victimizes thousands of Americans (and international applicants) every year.
Do not list your resume as your PS, or for any part of it tbh. I made this mistake last cycle, even though I did it in a creative way, I still believe it hurt more than it helped. It is okay to pick one or two jobs or extracurriculars to expound on if it contributes to your “Why Law”, but do not start listing or expounding on your resume simply because the positions you held were impressive.
It’s OK to email admissions with updates that you feel contribute to your application. Do this sparingly and strategically, however. Personally, I would not call. Just note that if you send an email, the entire email will more than likely be added to your file for review, so be sure that the body of your email is professional and well-written along with any attachments you send.
Never email or call admissions to request an update on your app. If it’s been 3 months and you have not heard back, I would encourage sending a short and concise LOCI via email thanking them for their continued consideration of your app and to reiterate your interest in their school. Most of the time, admissions will respond back with an update or timeline if they have one. If not, just hold tight.
To add on to the previous tip, I have only ever sent a LOCI prior to receiving a decision when I noticed that the school has had both an A wave and a WL/R wave that I was not included in. Basically, if it appears I’ve been skipped over for whatever reason, I would send a LOCI.
In addition to a LOCI, explore other ways to show demonstrated interest by registering for any of the school’s upcoming admission events, booking a tour, etc. It will only help you unless you say or do something massively off-putting during the event.
Do not treat safety schools like safety schools. Treat them like targets, lest you mess around and get yield protected.
Do not overwhelm the adcomms with all the cool and exciting information you have to share about yourself. I made the mistake last cycle of coming off as “split-minded” by trying to fit all of my greatest achievements into my resume/essays even though they didn’t correlate with each other at all. This goes back to the tip about finding a “Why Law” and sticking to it.
If URM, blanket the T-14. This was solid advice that was given to me that I did not follow because I genuinely had no desire to go to schools in certain regions of the earth. However, this advice led me to applying to most of the T-14 (even though I did not anticipate getting into any of them) and I was able to score at least 1 T-14 A.
Apply broadly and apply to as many schools as you can reasonably afford. You never know what type of offers you may get and can always leverage 1 offer against another for a better offer.
If you have not started working on your essays 3 months in advance, you are placing yourself at a disadvantage. Please believe me when I say that your first draft will be significantly worse than your 30th. If you start writing your essays when apps open, you will find that your strongest essays were sent to schools that you applied later to - which places you in a catch 22 because, generally, the later you apply to a school, the lower the chances of admissions are. To circumvent this problem, start writing, reading, and revising your essays over the summer.
Finally, apply early, but there is no need to be the first applicant. Take your time on your essays and revise, revise, revise. For me, the latest I’d be comfortable applying is mid-November. But I’ve heard you can go as late as December and be fine. January is okay, but Feb is when you start entering the danger zone.