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

Michigan: wrote “Why Michigan” that demonstrated interest to stay in-state, commitment to contributing to the culture at Michigan

George Washington: wrote separate statement highlighting specific experience in undergrad and how it would contribute to success in law school

Boston University: applied Distinguished Scholar ED, was deferred from that program, then accepted as an RD applicant just a few days later! Wrote very strong “Why BU,” flew across country to visit school and meet admissions (which I included in my Why BU)

Illinois: no optional essay, offered full tuition upon acceptance

Duke: wrote no optional essay, honestly shocked I didn’t get outright rejected

Notre Dame: didn’t write any optional essays because I thought my application was strong enough without it, apparently not. Please learn from me and do optional essays, if you can

Boston College: no optional essay

GULC: alumni interview that I thought went really well, set up meetings with faculty in my area of interest and wrote a LOCI on it. Put on hold in december then waitlisted february, honestly I have not been super impressed with the way that GULC addresses applicants (put me on hold to “get a better sense of the applicant pool” then let me know that I was in the bottom group of the waitlist so “should deposit somewhere else”, basically letting me know they were just waiting to see if they needed my GPA)

Emory: applied for Woodruff -> deferred from Woodruff -> accepted a week later

WashU: hold after waiting months for a decision, I know people talk about the vibe here and honestly in every interaction I did not feel the welcoming vibe, so not too upset about it

Northwestern: mediocre KIRA with no supplemental essays so I’m shocked it wasn’t an R