Wrote why X & all optional essays. The whole process is weird. (ex. I get waitlisted at Michigan for yield protect but waitlisted at Chicago for not being qualified enough, even though they are ranked 8 and 4 respectively.) Keep and open mind. Don’t fall in love with a particular school because it’ll make…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
471 entries
Admitted to Duke Universitymaking my profile public to help anyone who has the same stats at me! i stopped recording scholarship amounts after i got my award to the school i will be committing to. i didn’t remain on any waitlists. best advice is to NOT apply to as many safety schools as me; it was a waste of time and money and provided no…
Wrote supplementals for all my apps. Did any optional interviews. I know I want to practice in Texas, tailored my school list towards that. 3/23 Update - It was always UT, everywhere I applied was for leverage to negotiate with UT. I have a lot of personal ties to the university and Austin that were hard to give up.…
Application Advice: Visit schools! Attending virtual info sessions is great, but I think visiting schools made a huge difference in a some of my outcomes (especially UVA and Duke) and allowed me to figure out where would be the best fit- Write all of the “Why XYZ” essays. Schools want to know that you are…
2/23/2021: Depressed as hell due to the UChicago waitlist (it was a top choice), hope next time that I update this it’s good news to make me feel better :( 2/26/2021: Aaaand WL’d from Harvard. How sad. At this point, I’m forced to seriously recognize that I may need to take a gap year and reapply. Here’s to hoping…
Shoot your shot, I came into this cycle thinking I didn’t really have a chance at the T14s due to last cycle’s LSAT inflation. Be yourself and have a concrete overarching narrative as to why you want to pursue law and why that law school will help you achieve your goals. Low-income & first-gen were also emphasized…
this one is for the boys with the boomer system Mexican-American gay boy from California with PI and unicorn goals <3 Wrote pretty much all supplementals T6 down (included a Why Columbia and the Song/Class essays at Stanford as well) Also had an LSAT addendum about test-day performance. Accepted to UCLA’s Epstein…
HYP undergrad. My GPA increased from 3.67 to 3.72 during my admissions cycle. I got into NYU, Michigan, Duke, and Georgetown before the GPA increase. PS about my interest in international law and development in Africa. Wrote a DS about representation. 4 strong letters of rec: 2 professors, 1 summer internship, 1…
Hover over results for my notes on each specific application/decisions. “Why Law” themed PS - 2.5 pages to all except where there was a strict 2pg limit. N-URM minority (Latina), but didn’t write DS. 3 LOR (1 academic, 2 professional), 3-4 years relevant WE (to specific practice area) Minor C&F addendum (pot in dorm…
1 year of work experience at a small law firm Supplemental essays: Why Berkeley Michigan “Tell us about an organization you were involved with” UCLA “Programmatic contributions” about the Disability Law Journal Invited to apply for the USC Rothman Scholarship in late January, was notified in mid-March that I didn’t…
Bachelor’s and master’s from a top school, and five years of work experience in big tech, which feeds into my why law (personal statement). Wrote why Berkeley, two optional essays for Stanford (moon vs. travel and three books). Didn’t write a separate Why Columbia or Why Duke, but worked it into the end of my…
If you have a C&F issue related to your undergrad’s academic code, certain schools will require a letter from a dean, and won’t process your application as complete until they have received this letter. Plan ahead!
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
Apply early in the cycle. Essays do matter (as evidenced by my results compared to my LSAT). Take care in every aspect of the application and ensure that your package tells a complete, compelling story. Do the optional essays. Be personable in interviews and always convince them that you want to go to their school.
Bi, pretty mediocre softs. Research and some student org stuff, all somewhat relevant to my PS topic though. Good LORs Wrote Yale 250 Wrote Stanford Three Songs Why X for Berk, Duke, and Michigan, Core Values for Penn. GULC Top 10 UChi UR3 12/21, UR4 1/18. NYU HTE 1/21 Duke UR3 2/16 GULC date disappeared 1/5.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” Feel free to reach out for LSAT advice.
UnwrittenLikeableOcelot left no wisdom for posterity… (◕︵◕) I’m going through this process now. All I can say before I get a complete set of results is be nice to folks throughout the process of applying! We are all stressed about it, but at the end of the day, I think we all want the best for each other.
LSAT 172 GPA 3.85 2020–21 cycle
Attending University of California—Los Angeles
Wrote Why X for Penn, UVA, Berkeley, Northwestern, Duke, Georgetown, and UCLA. Wrote two optional Michigan essays, one of which answered the question Why X. Sent LOCI to UChicago, GULC, NYU, and Columbia. Sent LOCI/Why X hybrid to NYU after receiving HTE in January. Was deferred ED to RD at Columbia.
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