Apply early and apply with quality apps. Don’t rush it. Go thru several drafts of your essays. Write the optional essays. Always. And apply broadly. Because no matter how well-positioned you think you are to get into certain schools, you’re wrong.
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
652 entries
Admitted to Arizona State UniversityApplied 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.
Don’t spend every second of you day on LSD or reddit, I regret making this mistake. Decisions will come when they come, and literally nothing you can do to change that.
168 September 2022 LSAT Applications put on hold in January pending Score 172 January 2022 LSAT Received February 1st off hold Cancelled February 2022 LSAT Sometimes the correct lesson to learn from a surprise is that the world is surprising
Start 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
i am brutally honest in my addenda and personal statements. im big, queer, and have had brushes with the law; there’s no sugarcoating that, and so i dont try to. Also I sent Yale a TikTok instead of doing their ‘college activities’ thing.
attractiveness is a solid 7 never applied before; KJD applicant. I’ll write an extensive report, full of my neurotic law school research, after i’m done. Statuses not Shown: UR3 @ Penn (~mid Jan) UR3 @ Chicago (Feb 13) UR3 @ Duke (Mar 5)
Give yourself a strict deadline for each aspect of your application… Send out LoR requests by the summer before applying, etc. Don’t be afraid to apply to reach schools. MANIFEST IT. YOU DESERVE TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL & YOU ARE CAPABLE.
Figure out what values the law school is looking for (e.g. diligence, honesty, ambition, etc.) and tailor your personal statement and essays to that. I got into William and Mary and NDLS by doing so, despite my GPA and lack of softs
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.
Don’t let past mistakes hold you back.
Apply to 15 - 30 schools. Generally, schools (outside T14) do not consider acceptances from competitors outside the metro when reconsidering scholarship packages. Leverage regional scholarship packages upward based on USN ranking.
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 whole system is a scam designed for the 1% to win every time (and get richer in the process), but here we all are buying into it; spending ≥1 year of our lives, our energy, and stressing out so that we can play the game too.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take - Wayne Gretzky” - Michael Scott
I highkey sold my trauma, I’d recommend it (Black, queer, nonbinary, trans fam wya?) On a serious note, my story is definitely what sold me to my reach and match schools, if anything. Don’t be scared to show your passion!
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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