If a school has an optional essay, WRITE IT. Negotiate scholarship offers, but do it wisely-prioritize leveraging other offers, being polite and realistic, and emphasize why you want to go to the school and why the school wants you.
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
225 entries
Admitted to Boston CollegeUltimately, 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.
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.
Non-URM Minority Immigrant Grew up in a rural community Attended top 30 uni D1 Cheer President of a couple of clubs and honor societies Tailored application towards wanting to do PI in rural southern communities
Apply early in the cycle if you can. Do the optional essays (nothing is really ‘optional’) Study for the LSAT for at least 3 months (take breaks, don’t burn out) PROOF READ Everything happens for a reason :)
LSAT 170 GPA 3.74 2023–24 cycle
Attending University of California—Los Angeles
It’s good to be little, it’s good to be small. STEM major who has always had a passion for law and policy and performed better in those classes. Why: Umich, Duke, UVA, NW, GTown (optional essay + ED), NDLS, Vandy
Do every optional zoom, every optional essay, every optional interview. go to every admitted student’s day you can. i had no clue each school would actually differ in terms of culture, academic rigor, etc.
Example Applications: https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/x4ic0c/free_example_applications/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I was in the Peace Corps and was therefore given fee waivers for every school but Cornell and Columbia. Cornell said they granted waivers for Returned Peace Corps volunteers but they never got back to me.
don’t listen to any admissions predictors. essays/resume and your fit with a particular school are more important than your stats
Unsolicited Fee Waivers from - Ohio State UChicago Duke Alabama GWU (even tho app is free) University of Denver Arizona State University of Utah University of Washington USC Gould NYU Temple
I did some really cool stuff in undergrad and yes it is actually T2 I’m no slouch. Also, I was a STEM major (I know, nobody cares BUT I DO) This process hurts. Be prepared to wait.
I did no optional essays, no why X, at all. Good luck, you are going to do great as a lawyer! Believe in yourself, and no matter where you end up going, what matters is your attitude!
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp // Or what’s a heaven for?” Don’t kill the cringe parts of you, kill the part of you that cringes. The revolution will be litigated.
ED at GULC and deferred to RD GPA boost mid-cycle lots of extracurriculars and some cool job experiences but not t3 types Don’t ask why I applied to Harvard I don’t know either
Get your best possible GPA and LSAT. Write about what makes you who you are, discuss your identity. Apply early. Apply to lots of T14s. Negotiate your aid, communicate your needs.
I am a First-generation American and have been working as a paralegal in Big Law since right after graduation. I applied as early as I could in the cycle, which I think helped.
It’s hard to know what advice to give. Try hard on the LSAT, write thoughtful essays, apply to enough schools to have options. It’s never too late to change paths.
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