Start drafting your application materials EARLY!!! There will always be unexpected bumps in the road during the application process which will slow you down, and you want to start the process well before your intended submission date. In hindsight, my two biggest takeaways were that I wish I had: applied to more…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
471 entries
Admitted to Duke UniversityI thought it was important to get all my apps off early to hear back early - law schools literally do not give a fuck lol they will work on their own timeline and not tell you shit until they want to so do everything at your own pace Obviously this is important and I knew this but I don’t think it set in until I…
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…
For the sake of my mental health. I did not check my status checkers for UR1,UR2. Also, my “application complete” dates are incorrect because I mistook “completed” for “received”
apply early!!! write the supplementals!!! believe in yourself!!!
softs: undergrad hnrs major, master’s degree + int’l fellowship lots of on-campus leadership, ccn (lol) alum but don’t think it really mattered possibly cool internship experience(s), worked while doing apps (WE ~1 year) fairly strong personal statement (spent a LOT of time on it), avg supplementary essays, bad yale…
First-generation college student and first-generation professional student. Applied in 2020-21 cycle, and decided to put off law school and got 2 years WE before reapplying in the 2022-23 cycle. 174 is my only score from an LSAT-Flex administration. Very minor C&F (traffic violations). NYU Received the AnBryce…
I don’t really know what I’m doing. But if I had to say, here’s my best advice: Knock it out of the park on the personal statement. The advice I got was to be memorable – so I did not write about law (although I had a few sentences in the end). Draft early (like really early) and get help from the best writers you…
OOOF SHOOT YOUR SHOT!! I am so surprised and blessed by my cycle! I think a lot of it was the work that I put into my essays, LOR, and resume. I took months to work on and tailor each part of my application - I had over a dozen people look at each part of it, and paid for a professional service as well. I think my…
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…
Received 0 dollars from Berkeley during initial gift aid process, then used Duke scholarship to get them to match. In my reconsideration request, I highlighted what common things drew me to both Berkeley & Duke, truthfully mentioned that I intended to choose Duke absent a Berkeley scholarship, and then indicated…
Hope for the best but expect the worst. I have 3-5 years of paralegal employment related to my career goals. I wrote all optional essays (did not write a “Why UVA”) and had a strong PS (but not memorable, probably) that I worked on for months. I think my LOR were insufficient for some schools - the professor I was…
Diversity statement about a unique childhood hardship and poverty (which by some classifications might mean T3 softs? T 3.5?) Wrote optional essays everywhere they were available Why x’s for all schools excluding: t6 (though included a paragraph in Columbia PS), WashU, BU, NW, + Core values instead of why X for Penn…
APPLY EARLY! I submitted all applications except for Penn and NYU in early September. While I had strong personal statements and wrote optional ‘Why X’ essays for Berk, Duke, Mich, UVA, Georgetown, GW, and Vanderbilt, I think being in the first wave of applicants in the early fall helped me stand out. I also highly…
Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dreams, and don’t let anyone talk down on your accomplishments. You made it on merit. All the best and congratulations :)
Uncertainty means it can work out even better than you thought to imagine. Have faith!
write all optional essays spend time cultivating a strong narrative connect with current law students at the law school you’re applying to if you use reddit, use it with discretion attend info sessions for the schools you’re applying to write your essays the summer before so you have time to edit them and get them…
Reapplicant from the ’20-21 cycle, waitlisted or rejected at every school I applied to. Reapplying to the same schools, plus added Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, NYU, and Penn to shoot my shot with a new and improved LSAT score. Georgetown date disappeared the same day as waitlist on 12/3 Went Duke UR3 on 12/7 Chicago…
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