Score caveat: I retested during the cycle. I asked schools not to hold my file for future scores, so admits and denials should be considered with respect to my score at the time of submission/decision, not my final high score. September 2024 LSAT: 171 October 2024 LSAT: 171 November 2024 LSAT: 173 January 2025 LSAT:…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
449 entries
Admitted to Cornell UniversityStart writing early. I did a Why X essay for almost every school. Did not do a diversity essay, but completed other optional prompts. I had very strong, program specific reasons for UVA and UChicago that I didn’t really have at the other schools
no explicit why law in my ps(you better write one) Wrote why Duke/Cornell/GULC/Columbia/Penn(core value) No surprise from Mich, UVA, and UChicago. They do not like international students 😭 international students!!!!!!!!!! Work on your soft!
Minor inaccuracies both accidentally and on purpose. I applied to most schools Oct-Nov and heard back from most of my As December-January. Interview invites were pretty fast, usually under a month. U.S. top undergrad, graduated before pandemic
Didn’t put my exact numbers to avoid doxxing, but very close
2.5 years WE in Big Law Wrote “Why X” for some but not all schools Included DS for all schools that accepted it Submitted GPA and/or addenda depending on the school Still active on CLS Reserve and SLS waitlist as of July 2021
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.
Wrote “Why X” for Chicago, Penn (core values), Michigan, Berkeley, UVA, NDLS. Included minor “Why X” in Columbia PS. End of cycle! Will stay on all waitlists except WashU but most likely attending either NYU, UVA, or Michigan.
Didn’t write any optional essays Applied RD to all schools in December No major C&F issues Softs are academic awards and honor societies, including PBK. Interviewed at GULC, Cornell, and WashU Scholarships from Vandy and Emory
literally, like, don’t check your statuses every day. it’ll just make you upset. not to sound like a sorority recruitment chair, but just be your most authentic self in apps. the schools meant for you will accept you.
Wrote every optional essay to all of these applications. I didn’t keep exact track of the dates, so any of the applications where the date complete is the exact same day as the date received was just an approximation.
Wrote a Why X Statement for: UChicago UPenn UVA Berkeley Michigan Duke Cornell Also did Stanford optional essays Sent a LOCI to UVA In early February, which turned over quickly into an interview and acceptance.
Wrote Why X for Michigan, optional essay for Stanford, Why X for Berkeley, Why X for Cornell, scholarship essays for NYU, optional essay for Penn (not Why X), optional essay for Georgetown (not Why X), Why X for Duke
Have a mediocre GRE score on file, which I had to send to Harvard, NYU, Penn, and NU. Did not write an addendum. T3 = master’s degree. Wrote a “Why X” for Penn and Michigan and one of the supplements for Georgetown.
I studied using exclusively LSAT Demon and JurisPrep (one more for the software, the other for an LSAT class). These and getting as much feedback as possible on how you present yourself to schools is what matters!
Wrote Why Michigan, Duke, WashU, Cornell, GULC. Wrote Penn Core Values, GULC Unpopular Opinion, Stanford Library Books. Updated personal statement for Columbia. work on your materials early and apply early!
Apparently T16-T27 schools (minus USC) hate me lol
Apply to Duke early (before mid-November). Do every optional essay. Be friendly and personable whenever you interact with admissions staff. Always send a thank you email after every interview.
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