Don’t be shy to ask for fee waivers from all schools that have that option. Some schools have a form you can fill out for need/merit fee waivers and are very generous. Ask for your recommendations as early as possible, and try to give a due date of a few weeks to a month before you intend to submit to account for…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
817 entries
Admitted to Georgetown UniversityHYP 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…
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…
2020-21 was a hell year for applicants. Didn’t write optional UVA essays but didn’t really care, so WL wasn’t surprising. Was nervous for Chicago interview and probably didn’t convey enough enthusiasm, unlike my HLS one, ergo those decisions. Wasn’t willing to give YLS the hard yes, so I get why they pulled me off…
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…
Look at my results… future generations shouldn’t heed any wisdom I leave behind.
Wrote why X paragraphs in my personal statement. Dual enrollment lowered my LSAC GPA by 0.26. Softs are 1) extremely competitive extracurricular team, 2) very low-income upbringing affected by things relate to a very clear rationale for why law, and 3) prestigious undergrad fellowship. White and Hispanic, so kinda…
Wish I blanketed T-14 and applied to fewer safeties. Write all optional essays/supplementals early and revise several times. Do your research and show your interest in the schools you like best. Write LOCIs right at 12 weeks regardless of holiday breaks. Negotiate as many scholarships as you can. Thank your…
May your curse in life be that your hard work is constantly mistaken for talent.
Phooey, I say, on all white-shoe college boys who edit their campus literary magazines. Give me an honest con man any day. Self-knowledge is key. Finding yourself along the way is a pain, but writing the personal statements can help. Dry out/get clean /before/ you apply, not during. Comparison is the thief of joy.…
No optional essays or “Why X.” Used Khan Academy, LSAT SuperPrep II book, and YouTube to study and used my roommate to proofread my application. This is the amount of time and money I spent on the application process: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_ijUrAZkV0ceOdOf2divhDqkPZvFowRuTXJQgVntBDk/edit?usp=sharing
I applied knowing that I wanted to go to school in the triangle (Duke or UNC) and the rest of my applications were kind of just for negotiation purposes if I could use them. When I got the WL at Duke, it really stung, but when I got accepted off hold at UNC I was so excited & I can’t wait to be a Tar Heel in the fall.
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.
Grad degree from FSU in Information Science, 2 years professional experience as Reference Librarian. Personal statement on importance of research and goal of becoming a law librarian. Feb LSAT was my first, looking for a longshot big scholarship to somewhere this cycle. If not, next cycle is where I’m headed!
“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.
After clicking submit on all your applications, get off this site and r/lawschooladmissions. Being neurotic about what will happen will not improve your chances once you’ve already done everything you can. You’ll be better served by living in the present rather than anticipating or worrying about the future.
regret: not applying early but very happy to be attending Georgetown! did why x (somewhat meaningful- had personal connection/reasons) for berkeley, umich. did penn core essay, did georgetown top 10 applied for ucla epstein program, was waitlisted applied for BU public interest program, was rejected
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