Never let anyone talk you into a boring, generic, “safe” personal statement. Sometimes our lives are “controversial”, and your ability to tell that story conveys competence and resilience. At least, I think that’s why I got quick movement A’s.
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
270 entries
Admitted to University of California—DavisMy name is Nathan Fielder, and I graduated from one of Canada’s top business schools with really good grades. Now I’m using my knowledge to help struggling small business owners make it in this competitive world.
You can do this! Don’t let anyone tell you can’t! I applied to UNLV, Santa Clara, USF, and McGeorge with my original LSAT score which was a 163. Then later I scored a 168 in January and asked the rest of the schools to un-hold my application and review it with my most recent score.
LSAT 164 GPA 3.77 2025–26 cycle
Admitted to University of California—Davis
Apply early, and study hard for the LSAT
Truly no idea how I got into Berk (but so so grateful) - maybe living in the bay + tech background coupled with my career goals helped? Berkeley Essays: 4 pg ps- why Berk (attended a prelaw event and wrote about it) DS (I’m nURM) but wrote about living between two countries
stop spending so much time here and on reddit. go meditate. Latina, ivy undergrad, double-major, 3 years WE in legal field, low-income, first-gen everything, immigrant, LGBTQ+. Wrote programmatic contribution + Achievement Fellowship essay for UCLA. puro perreoooooo
Initially applied with a 167. Scored a 172 on the January 2021 LSAT and applied with that afterward. DACA recipient. (out-of-state for UC system schools, which made me ineligible for any aid.) FYI I was able to afford my apps because I qualified for the LSAC waiver.
Apply early and broadly. I do think clearly taking ownership of my C&F issues as well as explaining why it wouldn’t be an issue in law school was the right approach.
Just keep surfin
I rewrote/workshopped/edited every piece of writing for every school. This took me weeks to do, which is why my application dates range from late September late November, but it was completely worth it. Work the heck out of your essays.
Wrote a DS + 1 Optional for every school plus an additional Why X for Duke & Emory Except for ASUIn the end I chose Michigan because it was a better fit for me, I enjoyed their ASW and the scholarship made it enough for me to attend 😇
Apply to 15 - 30 schools. Generally, schools (outside T14) do not consider acceptances from competitors outside the metro when reconsidering scholarship packages. Leverage regional scholarship packages upward based on USN ranking.
Shoot your shot, they can’t say yes if you don’t apply. Also, don’t apply to schools you won’t go to even if they send you fee waivers and invitations to apply. It’s a waste of time and energy for everyone, trust me I just did it
Softs and a cohesive matter so much more than you think.
I am here to tell my story as a super reverse splitter. The chances are never 0%. (P.S. I applied to many more law schools, but I am too lazy to insert all of the info, so I will update my profile as I hear back from them).
Apply to high reach schools even if you know for sure you won’t get in! I regret not applying solely because I will never know for certain. There was obviously something about my app these schools like aside from my stats.
Don’t get scared, apply early, try your best, retake the LSAT, and make your personal statements compelling. Everything will always fall into place. If you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way. Best of luck!
Wrote Why X for Michigan, optional essay for Stanford, Why X for Berkeley, Why X for Cornell, scholarship essays for NYU, optional essay for Penn (not Why X), optional essay for Georgetown (not Why X), Why X for Duke
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