Initially applied with a 167. Scored a 172 on the January 2021 LSAT and applied with that afterward. DACA recipient. (out-of-state for UC system schools, which made me ineligible for any aid.) FYI I was able to afford my apps because I qualified for the LSAC waiver.
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
416 entries
Admitted to University of MinnesotaLSAT 169 GPA 3.99 2023–24 cycle
Admitted to University of California—Los Angeles
always have faith in yourself!!! you can get into a T14 without a 170. write some killer essays and get your apps in as early as you can but also when you feel confident in them (it’s okay to not have them in as soon as apps open - you are not late and not behind).
You are amazing and I hope for nothing but great things in your future ❤️💨🦭 If your wondering why ND, I absolutely loved my visit, I loved the idea of doing the London Law Program, and it was the cheapest of the schools I was truly considering (UCLA, Vandy, NDLS).
Start working on your personal statement early.
Believe in yourself, sell yourself and be exactly who you really are in your essays! Got on a few waitlists, but never actually tried to get off any. Fell in love with UMN pretty early and the scholarship made the decision easy! Took the LSAT 5x - don’t give up!
No LSAT plateau is permanent Apply earlier than I did Ask for fee waivers Talk to lawyers. Find out what they do and whether they like it Recommended resources: LSAT Demon, Thinking LSAT, Michigan’s A2Z, Harvard and Yale’s Navigating Law School Admissions
LSAT 174 GPA 2.41 2022–23 cycle
Admitted to University of California—Los Angeles
Take the LSAT seriously. Started with 152 diagnostic. 169 on the first official. 174 on the second official. Wrote a PS about my work in the aerospace industry and how it connects back to law school. Hired one of the law school admissions consulting services.
Make your supplemental materials (Resume, Cover Letter, Essays, etc.) as strong as possible. These could be the difference between scholarship amounts.
Will probably attend based on some combination of cost of attendance and employment outcomes. Current ranking based on acceptances (pretty iffy on it) : Florida Georgia Indiana Arizona State Minnesota Iowa (scholarship pending)
Applied to 17 schools last year (not until February and March) and only got into one, so I’ll be reapplying for Fall 2022. I’ve scored 157, 168, and 165 on LSATs and am working in the Clerk of District Court office in my hometown while I reapply.
Not a bad cycle overall. I got waitlisted more than I was expecting. Some advice: show interest! If you would consider a school and hold it above another school, then go to interest meetings and schedule meetings 1:1 with admissions people.
Softs: 4 years of (very unique) full time human rights & justice-based work experience, established community organizer, 1st gen lawyer/raised by a single mom, bi woman. Applied ED to Northwestern, but bumped to RD before acceptance.
Scholarships are weird and take a long time for some schools. Be patient and do good research to see which schools are historically generous with aid. Did not have much luck negotiating but I only tried for the University of Maryland.
Ultimately, this was an easy decision. As a PI applicant, my goal for the cycle was NYU or Berkeley. I am exceedingly fortunate to have received a full ride at Berkeley and after being rejected for RTK, it was a no-brainer to attend.
Apply earlier, and not during a pandemic. Spend less time on here (same goes for Reddit). Wrote optional essays for Stanford (3 books, 3 songs), Georgetown (Top 10 list) and a “Why X?” for UVA, Michigan, Duke, Cornell, and ASU.
This is probably super doxxy, but I used this site often during the application process and know that it can be helpful in some ways (although not as many as Reddit would lead you to believe…). Applied to most in late November
Went from 163 in October➡️ 167 in November➡️ 172 in January, so if you think you can do better, try taking the LSAT again. Also, the extra month in between November and January LSAT helped. I’ll update this at the end. (◕︵◕)
To shine like Joan of Arc, you must be prepared to burn
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