Apply early. It matters much more than I thought it did when I began applying. Reach out to your recommenders far in advance as it will take them longer than you–and potentially they–think it will. Two academic letters of rec is a must; this is actively discussed in one of the information materials that Yale has…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
297 entries
Admitted to University of ChicagoI have 3+ years/4 seasons of experience in the front office of an NBA team in basketball analytics. Through my PS and DS, I tried as hard as I could to boil down the question of my admission to: “Do we want the basketball (analytics) guy?” My humble guess is that doing well in this regard is probably the main reason…
Now that my cycle is officially over, I’m going public for those applying in future cycles! Thrilled to be attending CLS :^) Best of luck, and don’t let this process make you question your worth. App Materials, Supplementals, & Context: Wrote “Why X” statements for CLS, NYU, UVA, Berkeley, Michigan, Duke; “core…
Essays matter - I tried something different with my Harvard essays and it shows. All in all admissions are a black box and you shouldn’t base your value off of where you did or didn’t get in.
I’m doing well this challenging 2020-2021 COVID cycle, and I think my softs really helped me out. In March 2021, I will receive my PhD from a top-20 philosophy program, and my work has received recognition in print and via external grants. I received a full scholarship for my undergrad education at a top-40 national…
Apply early (pre-Thanksgiving) if your affairs are in order and it’s the best app you can give, craft some incredible essays, and bet on yourself. You are not doomed post-Thanksgiving though. I did not apply to any more safety schools since UVA accepted me in September. Find a trusted friend, professor, mentor,…
Going into this cycle, UChicago was my top choice, and I was so happy to get in! I realized later on that Chicago was not a city I wanted to be in long-term (having grown up in a small/medium-sized city), and the debt was not something I wanted to take on. I visited the University of Minnesota and fell in love with…
meaningful work experience + a compelling personal narrative = strong essays. Cast a wide net when applying, even if you are below medians, and always be sure to have several people look over your essay drafts. For interviews, overprepare and use 7sage to find questions in advance. It also helps to draw from…
Reapplicant–same LSAT + GPA. Wrote an LSAT addendum for all schools, reapplicant addendum for Penn. WashU–$$$$ unconditional arrived 12/16 Northwestern–WL last year. Michigan–Darrow interview invite arrived 12/17. Received full Darrow $$$$+ on 2/24. Berkeley–reapplicant, WL last year. **NYU– **Accepted last year, no…
Make sure you do a good job on your applications to the schools that are your top choices. Then you don’t have to worry about the ones you are submitting to safety schools.
Optional essays: Yale - diversity addendum, no “why x”, LOCI Stanford - 1 optional, if you could talk to anyone from history and ask one question, no “why x” or DA U Chicago - included “why x” in my PS, no DA Columbia - included “why x” in my PS, no DA Harvard - no “why x” or DA UPenn - DA, no “why x”, invited to…
LSAT Demon is the way to go. Began studying in May, took the exam once in August, got my score, was done. Don’t just use the platform, listen to the podcasts & do it their way. I also talked to people from as many law schools as I could. I think this signaled strong interest in schools and helped me tailor my Why X…
-Wrote Diversity Statement, Why Berkeley, Berkeley GDP, UCLA Prog. Cont., UCLA Academic Fellowship, NYU Furman & AnBryce, & 1 Stanford Optional Essay. -Ultimately I don’t think writing these made much impact–in hindsight I’d forego the additional month spent writing these essays & apply earlier. I only interviewed…
slay <3 Now that my crazy cycle has come to an end here is my advice to future applicants: Put your soul into every essay - make sure they should who you are and your perspective. Find what you’re passionate about and follow it headfirst. Don’t let the application process stop you from enjoying life. Law school…
Set yourself apart! In addition to boring but rigorous corporate work experience, I also had a 5 year long small business that is truly unique among law school applications. Additionally, I overcame legitimate, significant adversity during undergrad. In a cycle which strong stats and work experience are commonplace,…
Over five years WE in legal field; winding educational path (GED, community college to T25 undergrad) + health setbacks; LGBTQ+; used admissions consultant *Yale – 250 on legal topic I’ve dealt with professionally *Harvard – Email confirmation of under review status on 16 Mar., rather than tracker update. *Stanford…
As a disclaimer, I took the February LSAT, which is when I received the 177. All decisions rendered before March 10th were with a 170. I asked UVA and UChicago to wait for that score; I did not for Columbia, NYU, Penn, or Northwestern. Columbia, Penn, and NW (as you can see) did not wait for my score. NYU did.…
Take a deep breath! It’s going to be fine. This is a long process, so try to take things one step at a time. Write the optional essays and take them seriously. I always chose to include a “Why X” when given the opportunity. Work experience is SO helpful. It drove my narrative and was the main topic of conversation…
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