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
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
543 entries
Admitted to Washington University in St. LouisDidn’t put my exact numbers to avoid doxxing, but very close
Went complete for most around early February because I requested holds for the January LSAT. Went complete early to mid-December for NYU, American, WashU, and Michigan to meet PI scholarship deadlines. Writing LOCI’s for select waitlists.
It only takes one
Go for the higher LSAT score and give yourself plenty of time to study for and take it! Write as many optionals as possible and make the case for how you are unique to a school given your experiences, interests, etc. ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Give Wave
Shoot your shot, because it only takes one. Quite frankly, I showed UVA some incredibly rabid interest and it paid off. Don’t be afraid to tell schools just how much you love them. Feel free to message me on Reddit if you are a stats twin.
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.
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.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
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.
Strong softs with a cohesive narrative (somewhere between tiers 2 and 3). TFA for 2 years after undergrad, with another year at a similar organization in a leadership role. Good luck, and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself!
Essays are important! I know they are annoying, but, important non-the-less. Do them! Schools love it when you show real interest. Top ranked schools know they are great with the ranking, show them what makes them unique to you.
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.
I’m not entirely sure what to put here because it seems 90% of what I’ve been told does not apply to the 2020-2021 cycle. LGBTQ+, Americorps, lots of volunteering, 8+ years out of undergrad, first generation, nd
PS about my interest in human rights law, DS about my racial identity. Wrote why X or optional statements for all non T6 schools. 1 year out of college serving in Americorps, attended a non-prestigious undergrad.
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!
Keep taking the LSAT. And take it in-person. I went 162 -> 168 -> 167 -> 168 -> 175. The last one was the only one I didn’t take at home or in a stupid hotel. Remote test-taking sucks. Go to the testing place.
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