Cycle Recap Yale (rejected 3/7/23) - BIG reach- Columbia (reserve on 4/18/23 and broke my heart, withdrew 4/24) - UG alum. Wrote Why Columbia and optional essay on Equitable and Inclusive Environment. Sent LOCI/job update on 3/20/23. Inquired about admissions timeline due to upcoming deposit deadlines on 4/10/23 and…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
817 entries
Admitted to Georgetown UniversityApply Early!!! I don’t mean that the timeline is more important than the quality of your application but BY ALL MEANS plan ahead!!! I brainstormed my PS and DS over the span of 6 months and went through about 7 different drafts before finalizing. Overall, I think my strong narrative is what allowed me to have a…
CONCLUDED 4/27/2023. BEST WISHES TO ALL WHO COME AFTER. Gonna do this by first giving some opening info, then making a list by date of admissions decision, and finish by giving a summary and final remarks. Read it all, skip to the end for my folk wisdom, or just look at my app chart; it’s all up to you. Intro I…
Intro: This page/section is currently undergoing some major edits as of 05/29/2023. Certain information might be outdated, inaccurate, or even unfinished. To help with readability, I’ve used ChatGPT. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/user/Terrible-Swordfish-9).…
Be kind to yourself and others:) We will all end up where we are meant to be! ASU: In state, wrote Why ASU, heard back via email 5 days later with scholly coming later in the day BU: 2 date changes followed by a 3rd with a status: complete, complete and substatus: complete, received call the next day Georgetown:…
Hey future applicants! First things first, I want to thank all those who have supported me in this journey (mentors and friends, including those in online LSA circles that became my friends over the course of the cycle); I quite literally could not have accomplished this without a solid community around me. Pick…
As a December applicant, while I don’t think applying earlier would have changed my outcomes for most schools, I do think it would have saved me the stress of having to commit to a school prior to hearing back from all the others! I would recommend applying in October if you can, but if you can’t it’ll be okay! I…
Balkinization left no wisdom for posterity… (◕︵◕) How schools weight LSAT and GPA: (2020) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D_shFUpmvBVDfGOFphLb-7Vf8BpwDB9htcAidnhXkKM/edit#gid=0 Law School Decision Tracking: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F0eR9BGyM4cdOJNCNzSQz8IMhq48NfF-YiKDi0OdrOw/edit#gid=0 2022-23…
**Stats are not everything. ** Went in to the cycle with UVA being my top choice. ED’d but was deferred to regular decision. Very unfortunate but what can ya do. Next choice is/was GULC but I would be very happy with a Duke, Penn, UMich A as well. Some facts about my application for context - 7 W’s on transcript…
For college students: I highly recommend getting a year of work experience. You will be able to speak on your experience during the application process, have a matured perspective, and get better results. It really helps to have a year to step back and be deliberate about your next choice. Also, be a unique and…
Notes and dates for future applicants to promote transparency in this painstaking process :) Harvard 3/18 - Waitlisted 5/1 - Sent LOCI 5/3 - Interview invite 5/8 - Interviewed 5/14 - Feeler call (5:30pm ET) 5/15 - Acceptance call (11:31am ET) UChicago 3/14 - Received initial scholarship award ($30,000). 3/22 -…
”Fat Bear” as in the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park: if not friend, why friend-shaped? https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1jsyd1Mq8RlyMVqli_BW9z1uxY2SzNtFK?sort=13&direction=a for a collection of personal statements, diversity statements, and resumes from previous cycle applicants. End of…
Reapplicant from 2022-2023 cycle (LSD doesn’t have an option to have multiple cycles in the tracker and I wanna keep my old data there for my splitter friends). After some family things, my applications weren’t great and it just wasn’t a good time for me to do law school. Between cycles, I’m working full time and…
Application info: Submitted a DS to every school except UVA, as I made my DS the answer to their “resilience” question. Wrote Penn Core Values, Why UVA, Why Mich, Why Duke, GULC Top Ten, Why Florida. Advice: Stats are necessary, but not sufficient. Get the best LSAT and GPA possible, then write the best essays you…
I wish you the very best of luck (and preparation). This process is not easy, but neither is being a lawyer. My cycle recap and thoughts are below, if they are of any use to you. Background/context: ivy undergrad (according to LSAC, during my cycle 3.86 was in the 72nd percentile of GPAs of applicants from my school…
Initial reflections: I think that HYS outcomes are very difficult to predict. Others felt a bit more straightforward. For me, Harvard interview was more direct, more formal, and less friendly than the Chicago interview. For HLS, I would prepare thoroughly and be prepared to give a strong “why law school?” answer…
wrote diversity statement (LGBTQ, mentioned URM identity) for all schools, wrote why Xs for chicago, penn (core strengths), duke, UVA, berkeley, and michigan and integrated why X into PS for columbia and georgetown. STEM background and work experience in STEM field, had a pretty specific PS topic and clear goals,…
Always do the optional essays!! Especially the “Why X” for the schools that really like to see them (UMich, UVA, Duke, Berkeley (mandatory if applying for PI scholarship), UCLA (programmatic contribution), Georgetown, any school that has a dedicated spot in the application to demonstrate interest). I didn’t write a…
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