write all optional essays spend time cultivating a strong narrative connect with current law students at the law school you’re applying to if you use reddit, use it with discretion attend info sessions for the schools you’re applying to write your essays the summer before so you have time to edit them and get them…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
543 entries
Admitted to Washington University in St. LouisReapplicant from the ’20-21 cycle, waitlisted or rejected at every school I applied to. Reapplying to the same schools, plus added Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, NYU, and Penn to shoot my shot with a new and improved LSAT score. Georgetown date disappeared the same day as waitlist on 12/3 Went Duke UR3 on 12/7 Chicago…
slay <3 Now that my crazy cycle has come to an end here is my advice to future applicants: Put your soul into every essay - make sure they should who you are and your perspective. Find what you’re passionate about and follow it headfirst. Don’t let the application process stop you from enjoying life. Law school…
woah… doozy of a cycle. WRITE AN LOCI TO UVA IF ITS BEEN OVER 3 MONTHS SINCE YOU SUBMITTED!!!!! Also attach a Why UVA statement to your application.
Thought I was going to WashU for most of the cycle. I sent what was basically a withdrawal email to GW after getting in off the WL, and they responded by matching my WashU offer. I know WashU over GW for roughly equal cost is the choice 98% of applicants would make, but for someone with little interest in BL and…
Wrote Why Northwestern, Why WashU, Yale Optional 2, Columbia LSAT Addendum (lol), Georgetown Top 10, Penn Core Values, Stanford Songs/Class, Stanford Optional, and submitted a diversity statement or equivalent to everywhere but Yale and Stanford. 4 LORs (2 academic, 1 research position, 1 WE). LPT: Help pay for…
LSAT 154 GPA 4.04 2023–24 cycle
Attending Washington University in St. Louis
I’m no spectacular applicant, but here are a few things that I believed helped me: Prioritize you GPA!- Use RateMyProfessor (with caution) and take a look at a class’ grade distribution before joining. Invest quality time in your written materials by creating multiple drafts, looking at examples, and having someone…
T3 based on LSD’s definition - At the time of submitting apps I had 3.5 years of consistent legal employment at one firm. One LOR from boss and one from former professor. First-gen college. Looking back, I would have put more time into my writing pieces. In this crazy cycle, I believe stronger writing could have…
Don’t be afraid to take a gap year! It made my cycle much less stressful because I already had my LSAT squared away and I was able to apply very early. There are few good excuses for rushing your apps just to start school a year earlier. Softs are everything, and the tiers most people use to categorize them are…
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Your story MATTERS! I have come to learn this cycle that though having amazing stats helps, it is all about how you tell your story. Aim to get the best scores, etc. but don’t let you scores deter you from applying to a school; you really never know what may happen. With just my stats, esp. LSAT, at face value, my…
Wrote Why Washu, GULC Top 10, Northwestern Goals, Why Cornell, Why Duke, Michigan Optional (NOT Why Mich), UPenn Core Values, Why UChicago, two Stanford Optionals, Yale 250 Did not write: Why Mich, Why UVA, Why CLS, Why NYU, or Penn Collaboration essays Full cycle recap here:…
Get table stakes (a near median GPA or LSAT) then focus on your story and shoot your shot. Everything takes longer than it should. So start early and don’t sweat taking a few years off one bit. Talk to students. Find them on webinars, on LinkedIn, through affinity clubs. Reach out and talk. You’ll learn so much. And…
A poor personal statement can overshadow your stats. Don’t overlook your written materials.
🇺🇵🇩🇦🇹🇪 6.4 : Trust the process. 🇺🇵🇩🇦🇹🇪 ₁.₂₁, 𝖎 𝖆𝖒 𝖘𝖚𝖋𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⠤⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⠤⣄⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢠⠞⠀⠀⠈⢷⠀⠀⡜⠃⠀⠈⢳⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⣾⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡇⢰⠅⠀⠀⠀⠸⡇⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⣾⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠃⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢹⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⡾⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠸⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠷⠿⠀⠀⠀⢰⠇⠀⠀ ⠀⢀⡴⠛⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢶⡀⠀ ⢰⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⡄ ⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣷ ⢹⠀⠀⠀⢰⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣄⠀⠀⠀⡟ ⠈⢧⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢄⡀⣀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀⣸⠃ ⠀⠈⠻⢦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠚⠙⠂⠀⠀⠀⣀⡴⠋⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠓⠒⠲⠶⠶⠒⠒⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀
PS and DS for all 2 academic LORs for all, 1 professional for H/S/Col/Duke Essays: Yale - Required 250- Harvard - NA Stanford - One optional Columbia - NA Chicago - NA NYU - NA Penn - One optional (core values) Michigan - One optional (NOT why x) UVA - Required resilience, LOCI Cornell - Required short why x, KIRA…
A few bits of advice: Apply earlier than I did if you can, you’ll probably cut back on the stress a bit, but they’re right when they say you should submit when you’re ready. Really think about whether you’d actually attend a school before you apply, maybe save yourself the money. I sent in far too many applications…
Shoot your shot at applying *and *asking for fee waivers! Don’t take yourself out of the running due to fear of rejection.
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