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Applicant wisdom

Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.

LSAT 165 GPA 3.86 2023–24 cycle

Attending Northeastern University

…take your time with the lsat. No matter how good your personal statement and supplementals are, there are just some schools that are going to push you to one side or the other based on your lsat score. If you really want to go to a top law school then you need to really dig in hard on the lsat… with that being said,…

LSAT 179 GPA 3.85 2023–24 cycle

Attending Northwestern University

…which probably hurt my scholarship offers. I think my personal statement was also not what most schools were looking for. Splitters can get good scholarships, but for the schools I admitted to, the $$$+ awards seem to go predominantly to URM or above-both-median candidates (which is fair). I truly thought being 5…

LSAT 173 GPA 3.74 2023–24 cycle

Attending Cornell University

…the essays. Try out first drafts of different potential personal statement topics before you lock in on one. You want to find the topic you can not only write about in a compelling way, but that will showcase what you have to offer. And if you think waiting another year to apply will make a material difference in…

LSAT 166 GPA 3.93 2022–23 cycle

Admitted to Boston University

…hours upon hours to writing, rewriting and editing my personal statement, resume and supplemental essays. If you start early, you’ll have the time to take a break from the application process when needed (and trust me, it will be needed). Comparing the results of the 2021-2022 cycle to the 2022-2023 cycle:…

LSAT 170 GPA 3.61 2021–22 cycle

Attending Boston University

…self once work picks up, you get writer’s block on your personal statement, etc. Make a timeline for when you want to complete milestones by. Don’t forget the ultimate goal - becoming a lawyer. Make sure the school’s you’re applying to have the outcomes you want, the connections you’d need for the field/city you’re…

LSAT 171 GPA 3.78 2021–22 cycle

Admitted to Duke University

…to make sure that each part of your application (your personal statement, your resume, and your optional essays) tells a cohesive story; and to be deliberate in formulating your list of schools to apply to. The law school application cycle is impossible to predict, and the process can be incredibly stressful. Make…

LSAT 169 GPA 4.11 2021–22 cycle

Attending University of Michigan

…male, born and raised in the Midwest, middle class. First person in my family to go to law school, but that isn’t very unique. KJD who graduated in three years from University of Alabama with a double major in Philosophy (with a Jurisprudence concentration) and History. Minored in English. Had a 4.11 uGPA at the…

LSAT 179 GPA 3.93 2021–22 cycle

Attending Columbia University

…safeties. I included why X paragraphs in every one of my personal statements, and I think it helped me avoid YP at safeties (no comment on Mich or UVA LOL). If you genuinely can’t write a why X, you probably shouldn’t apply to that school IMO. Mental health: Know when to log off LSD and reddit. Some info on here can…

LSAT 172 GPA 3.84 2021–22 cycle

Attending University of Virginia

APPLY EARLY! I submitted all applications except for Penn and NYU in early September. While I had strong personal statements and wrote optional ‘Why X’ essays for Berk, Duke, Mich, UVA, Georgetown, GW, and Vanderbilt, I think being in the first wave of applicants in the early fall helped me stand out. I also highly…

LSAT 174 GPA 3.90 2021–22 cycle

Attending Harvard University

…either by my non-prestigious background or by my risky personal statement topic choice! Finally, I took the LSAT 3 times. 168 and 169 in back to back tests, then I took a 10 month break (6 month break and 4 months of studying) and then got my 174.  **I just wanted to start off by highlighting that and saying PLEASE…

LSAT 161 GPA 3.85 2020–21 cycle

Attending University of Michigan

Though my “softs” are individually T4, I have an outrageous amount of them; thus, on an overall basis, they may be considered T3. STEM Major. Wrote Diversity Statement for all schools. Wrote a tailored Why X for about 1/3 of applied schools (e.g., Berk, Penn, Duke, etc.) My advice is to focus on overshadowing your…

LSAT 164 GPA 3.72 2020–21 cycle

Attending University of Notre Dame

Take a deep breathe. Numbers are important but they’re not everything. Make sure you polish up your personal statement–it is one of the most important parts of your application. Don’t take advice from people online that have no real experience. Use resources like Spivey or other websites that have admissions…

LSAT 173 GPA 3.79 2020–21 cycle

Attending New York University

Wrote Why X for CLS (integrated into personal statement), Penn (core strengths), Mich, Berkeley, Fordham. Did optional essays for SLS, GULC, NYU (Furman public policy scholarship app), and BU (PI scholarship app). Extremely minor C+F (speeding ticket) disclosed on applications that required disclosure of civil…

LSAT 169 GPA 3.89 2023–24 cycle

Attending University of Southern California

…way. Things that I thought were worth it: 7Sage one-time personal statement edit- LSAT Demon (Their admissions advice is iffy, LSAT stuff is great tho) PowerScore/Spivey Law School Admissions Bible PS examples, DS examples, LOCI examples, Resumes, etc. Super helpful! Things I would do differently if I had a time…

LSAT 170 GPA 3.90 2024–25 cycle

Attending Boston University

…childhood circumstances + clerking made up the bulk of my personal statement. happy with how my cycle turned out and grateful to be going to law school :-)