sdLSATguy '22–'23 app cycle Class of 2026 class year

Summary:
I applied to law school after graduating from a NYC undergraduate university and working in a law firm for two years. In that time, I was able to participate actively in a trial of national importance and conduct psycho-legal research using my degree in psychology. I am a cis Latino male from a lower middle class family, and have a broad collection of extracurricular activities.

Advice to Future Applicants:
My dudes, applying to law school is unpredictable and straight up ridiculous sometimes. Just do the best you can, take the LSAT as many times as it takes to get a 170+, and lean into your softs. I don’t have any family members or friends in law, and had no idea what I was doing when I applied. I was just very candid and transparent in my application, and studied for the LSAT for over a year. Do some community service and show law schools that you intend to make some change in the world. They’ll probably love it.

Baylor: Nov. 11, ACCEPTED - First A, First A! This was an exciting victory, especially before knowing how well I would do later in the cycle. It was genuinely a concern that I wouldn’t get into any schools, so this felt like a tremendous relief. I called about three weeks later to find out that I received a full tuition scholarship. Unfortunately, this offer lost its charm after receiving the ones that followed.

UCLA: Nov. 14, ACCEPTED - UCLA took six days to respond with a decision which is absolutely absurd, especially considering that applicants are still waiting for an answer in early April. I don’t know what they liked in my application, but I

Arizona State Univ.: Nov. 16, ACCEPTED - ASU was a backup for me, but I was pleasantly surprised at their financial aid offer– the first one that I received in the cycle.

Washington & Lee: Dec. 14, ACCEPTED- W&L, like ASU, was a backup, but I was grateful for the equally generous financial aid offer. In March, the school randomly increased my scholarship to $135k which felt good.

Vanderbilt: Dec. 16, ACCEPTED (ED to RD) - I applied to Vanderbilt as an Early Decision applicant and was disappointed when I found out that I had been pushed to Regular Decision in mid-December. Disappointment turned to confusion when I received an offer of admission and a very generous scholarship the next day. I realized later that Vanderbilt’s decision to release me from my ED contract was a mercy, and that they saw more potential in my application than I did.

George Washington: Jan. 12, ACCEPTED- Receiving a waitlist offer from GW was rough, especially because it wasn’t a top school on my list. I wonder if it was partially because I rejected their offer for undergrad.

UC Berkeley: Jan. 17, ACCEPTED - Getting an A from Berkeley was completely unexpected! My first T-14, and a T-10 no less, I was completely flabbergasted about being admitted. Until my offer from Penn, Berkeley was my top choice, and they even gave me a scholarship when so many others got none. However, the scholarship ended up being the reason that I did not attend, as they were only willing to raise it to $105k which is not enough to balance out the cost of living in Berkeley.

UC Irvine: Jan. 17, ACCEPTED - UC Irvine got back to me with an acceptance on the same day as Berkeley, so the victory was completely overshadowed. UC Irvine is a great school, and its low acceptance rate made it a real possibility that I wouldn’t be admitted, so I was happy to see an A.

U of San Diego: Jan. 27, ACCEPTED - The closest school to home, USD was an ultimate backup, but a coveted option by many of my friends and coworkers. I withdrew after a few of them landed on the waitlist, even though I received a full tuition scholarship.

USC Gould: Jan. 27, ACCEPTED - Alongside Vanderbilt, USC was actually my first choice when I first began the application process. I could’ve never predicted the successes that would come, so USC seemed like the golden standard. Following Berkeley, UCLA, and Vanderbilt, the California school’s acceptance didn’t hit as hard as I had expected it to. The Dean very kindly reached out over the phone, asking me to attend the admitted students weekend, but I wasn’t considering USC any longer at that point in the cycle.

U of Michigan: Feb. 03, WAITLISTED - This one was a bummer, not gonna lie. After receiving an acceptance from Berkeley (#9), I thought Michigan (#10) would follow. I was wrong, and the waitlist humbled me, reminding me not to let my previous successes get to my head. Applications are unpredictable! It’s too bad though– Michigan would’ve almost certainly made it to my short list of final considerations.

Georgetown: Feb. 07, ACCEPTED - Georgetown has one of the coolest admissions processes, and Dean Andy’s constant communication is an awesome way to make students feel wanted. I interviewed with Dean Andy in a group-style Zoom meeting. The questions were simple and light-hearted, and everyone I know from the group got an offer of admission. The scholarship was very generous too, easily outnumbering my offers from every other T14 school, even before reconsideration. Unfortunately, GULC’s big school vibe and location in DC didn’t appeal to me, and the school didn’t make the cut.

UT Austin: Feb. 07, ACCEPTED - Vanderbilt’s twin as far as prestige and rank, UT Austin was a last minute addition to my list of applications. I figured that I should apply just in case I didn’t get into Vandy or USC, and I never expected to get into all three. While I was initially disappointed with UTA’s financial aid offer (20k/yr), I realized that their decision to grant me in-state tuition rates made the school one of my least expensive options. They even had students reach out on the phone to make sure I was comfortable and informed.

Emory: Feb. 09, ACCEPTED - Emory was another last minute backup addition to my application list, and I am not sure why I chose it. I hadn’t heard anything about it, and it didn’t really fit my career ambitions, so it was a very neutral experience when I was offered admission. Their very generous scholarship offer of 150k was a flattering cherry on top, but Emory was never the move for me.

UPenn: Feb 15, ACCEPTED - When Penn called me with an offer of admission, I knew I was playing in the big leagues. I did NOT expect to get into Penn, and it took a day or two for the realization to sink in.

Duke: March 06, ACCEPTED - Over half a month passed between my Penn acceptance and Duke’s email. I was very happy to hear that I got in, as Duke always represented a sort of fantasy location and culture for me. I didn’t however, think it was going to be such a heavy contender at the end of the day, and my decision to attend Duke was a surprise up until the very end. I attended my scholarship interview with Dean Hoye who was very welcoming and complimentary. I received a scholarship offer (120k) in the mail about two weeks later. My one complaint is that Duke’s scholarship negotiation committee was not very open to negotiations, and my financial aid award did not change after requesting reconsideration.

Yale: March 07, REJECTED - Well, we all saw this coming. I never expected to get into Yale, being below both medians, but there was always a chance. My first rejection was no surprise, and there is no better school for it to have come from than Yale.

William & Mary: March 14, WAITLISTED - William and Mary were the source of some serious frustration throughout this cycle. Their admissions team sent dozens of pestering emails about clubs and affinity groups, only to waitlist me in the end. Being well above both medians and having received much better offers of admission, I was a little offended to be waitlisted here. I have heard lots of complaints about W&M’s admissions practices on LSData and Reddit, so I know I am not alone here.

Harvard: March 20, REJECTED - While I did think I had a better chance of getting into Harvard than I did at Yale, this decision was no surprise either. Part of me is a little surprised that I didn’t get a waitlist offer, but alas. It’s Harvard.

UC Davis: March 27, WAITLISTED - UC Davis had a MASSIVE pair of balls to make me wait until nearly April for a waitlist, despite me being well above both medians. It is possible that they communicated with Irvine, UCLA, and Berkeley about my acceptances there, so yield protection is not out of the question.

UNC: Dec. 16, HOLD –> Mar. 31, WAITLIST - UNC put the entire world on hold this cycle, especially if you weren’t a NC in-state applicant. After five months of absolutely no communication, they dropped an enormous waitlist bomb, and I was a casualty. Even if they had accepted me, I would have never attended just based on the poor treatment this cycle, not to mention having better options.

UVA: April 12, REJECTED - Well it took them long enough! With Duke having been recently appointed a T6, and UVA having dropped to 10th place, it was not a true consideration anyway. Even so, I was a little surprised to receive this rejection, as I was well within the green when it came to the admissions graph. Oh well.

Stanford: It’s May 1, 2023… and SLS has not yet sent a decision.