if i could do it again, i would apply to fewer schools. i also wouldn’t retake the lsat - i took it a second time and scored lower. retaking is generally a good idea, but i didn’t set myself up for success to score higher by retaking it during the same semester i was taking 19 credits and writing my app materials.…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
370 entries
Admitted to University of VirginiaThis profile is here to allow other black male super splitters to be aware of the possibilities given your stats. Just know that people will always diminish your accomplishments but you are still amazing! Shoutout Nsqui for the full recap format and cryptanon for putting this whole site together <3. June 2021 LSAT…
Shoot your shot! Application cycles can be unpredictable. Even if you end up at one of your top choices, it can still be a bumpy ride (looking at you, 5 waitlists). At the end of the day, I was lucky enough to get into my top two choices: Chicago and Virginia. Even with the gulf in cost of attendance, it was a…
Reapplicant with slightly improved GPA (see WhaleBarnacle from last cycle) Yale: 250 on disparities in education Stan: Wrote books essay; one of “up to 500” invited to do video statement for Knight Hennessy but not selected as finalist (such a tease) Harvard interview: The most one-sided of all my interviews. I…
(◕◕) Essays written: UVA: Why UVA? Michigan: Why Michigan? Berkeley: Why Berkeley? Duke: Optional Essay #1 (Why Duke and why law?) Georgetown: Top Ten List Stanford: Three songs 🎶 (◕◕) General advice: I did much better than I was expecting, and I attribute much of my success to fact that I was able to provide…
I left notes for some schools: Hover your cursor over the “Result” and “Scholarship” cells. Main takeway: Focus on what you can change. You can’t change what happened in the past. Softs: HYPSM undergrad (with tough course load + GPA addendum), prestigious post-grad fellowship, legal work experience, salient…
Reapplicant from 2020-2021 cycle. Same stats as the previous cycle (4 LSAT takes starting in 2019, 30+ point improvement from initial diagnostic to 169), but all new materials. Fully funded MA through fellowship, LGBTQ**+**, first-generation college and professional student, Pell grant recipient all 4 years of…
The Big Lessons From My Cycle: The biggest lesson to take from my cycle in particular is that, for super-splitters like myself (below every 25th uGPA median and above every 75th LSAT median), writing really strong essays can move the needle and make you stand out from the big crowd of “very good but flawed” T14…
FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO IN THE WAITING: It was easy to drive myself crazy refreshing status checkers, checking my email, and reading Reddit. I had to find something to keep my mind occupied. It’s not healthy to obsess over something out of your control (once you press submit). Personally, I started running,…
Apply as early as you can! Be genuine and be yourself. You are good enough! Try to have your school list set at the beginning so you can apply everywhere at once (rather than scrambling to apply to safeties later in the cycle). One of the best pieces of advice I got before applying was to follow the 3-3-3 rule:…
Softs: Engineer, ~3 years of unique work experience, graduate degree, significant time spent volunteering Personal statement: described the series of events that led me to pursuing law school School specific optional essays I wrote: Stanford: “Would you rather travel to the Moon or travel the Earth?” Harvard: None…
Top 4 undergrad, top masters program. A lot of work experience in the field I want to practice in. Wrote Why X for every school I applied to. Wrote all optional essays. Also included a LSAT addendum with my SAT scores to show a history of outperforming standardized test scores. NYU - got HTE, sent in a LOCI, was…
Notes as of 12/30/2021: Submitted all apps in December (mostly the end of December).- WashU Interview invite 12/27/2021. Notes as of 2/2/2022: Accepted to WashU- January 18th! Still waiting to hear back on financial aid. Notes as of 2/28/2022: UC Hastings Acceptance- February 3rd with $75K scholarship. Michigan…
Link to Reddit cycle recap with written application materials included:*** ***https://bit.ly/3HvUUqH **Numbers: 3.89/172 ** (Took the LSAT four times: April 2021: Cancel, October 2021: 162, November 2021: 164, June 2022: 172). I studied for the LSAT for over two years. Making the decision to delay a cycle and keep…
Turn on CRS & make a law school email filter! I literally was only going to apply to like 11 schools but got a surprising amount of fee waivers from CRS and I am so so grateful I opted in. The spam is annoying but you literally can just unsubscribe from schools you are not interested in! Try not to compare yourself…
advice i wish i would have known: make sure your personality comes through on your PS. you don’t want to seem passive in your own story. side note: have a clear, DEFINITIVE reason why you want to go to law school and make sure it comes through strongly. application stuff: public interest/systemic reform focused. 4…
**Please please PLEASE take time off in between undergrad and law school! ** So many KJDs just want to go straight through “to get law school over with” or “not waste time because they’re 100% sure they want to be a lawyer.” And while the latter may be true for some, there is so much you learn—about yourself, your…
Shoot your shot, honestly. A lot of people will tell you what results you can and cannot obtain with your numbers alone but if you tell your personal amazing story, you can do anything. I had a 143 diagnostic before my prep course with Kaplan in 9/2020. I wasn’t feeling confident so I signed up for the self study…
Your study break just got better: follow @lawschooldata on Follow @lawschooldata on TikTok & Instagram