My wisdom is this: I have no wisdom. Hi! For all those who are wondering more about me, I’m a male Mexican-American URM hailing from a southwestern state. I attended a not-at-all highly ranked state school and was seldom involved in clubs. I do have a congressional internship under my belt, as well as quite a few…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
318 entries
Admitted to University of PennsylvaniaI got that dog in me Post-cycle notes: Submitted all my apps within 2 weeks of apps opening (most on Sep 19, except for Yale which opened later)- Didn’t do a whole lot of scholly negotiation because by March I was between UCLA & Penn (barring Stanny) Sent several LOCIs to Stanny, which was my top pick, but a WL is…
LSAT 174 GPA 3.85 2025–26 cycle
Admitted to University of Pennsylvania
If you want to get into Berkeley, do all the bells and whistles on the application. Try not to get your heart too set on one school and be open-minded, I almost didn’t apply to Penn because of their corporate reputation but then I visited and fell in love.
Have a compelling reason for why you want to go to law school (whatever that might be), and show it in your application! I also wouldn’t apply to 20 schools like I did – a few safeties is alright, but I think what I did was overkill. I attribute part of my success to my decision to write very specific why X essays…
Applying late doesn’t hurt as much as your friends or reddit will tell you. Take your time and really flush out your application and essays (it took me nearly 4 months to feel comfortable with my essays and application, so make sure to plan ahead)! Despite applying late, the scholarship opportunities at my top…
Worry about the things you can control and do your best to let everything else go. Be a real person. There are hundreds of other people out there with your stats. You are more than just a dot on a 2x2. And that matters. Even if sometimes it doesn’t matter to a school it should matter to you. Unless it’s a decision,…
Skip Reddit; listen to Navigating Law School Admissions with Miriam and Kristi! Plan to spend a few months on your essays, and ask your friends and mentors for feedback. Most importantly, have a clear sense of why law school is the right step for you. This isn’t just important for admissions, but for your well-being…
Wrote why X & all optional essays. The whole process is weird. (ex. I get waitlisted at Michigan for yield protect but waitlisted at Chicago for not being qualified enough, even though they are ranked 8 and 4 respectively.) Keep and open mind. Don’t fall in love with a particular school because it’ll make…
making my profile public to help anyone who has the same stats at me! i stopped recording scholarship amounts after i got my award to the school i will be committing to. i didn’t remain on any waitlists. best advice is to NOT apply to as many safety schools as me; it was a waste of time and money and provided no…
My LSAT score was the weakest part of my application, and I knew that. -I sent in 15 applications (blanketed T-14) but was preparing for a gap year based on my LSAT score. -A from UCLA 6 days after submission and Penn a week later. Numbers aren’t everything! Get off Reddit. Schools want real people with real…
Never let perfect be the enemy of good.
I wrote essays for Berkeley, Michigan, and Penn. Ultimately I am happy that I got in via ED2 at Penn though I did have to withdraw most of my apps before a decision could be rendered. That plus the wild nature of the 2020-21 application cycle means that my data will be of limited utility if things eventually calm…
Law school is a risk, and lawyers are all about risk reduction. While the rest of your career will be spent on minimizing chances for a failure, lawsuit, etc., law school applications provide an opportunity to take large risks with very little downside (R, out some $). There but for the grace of God go I–it…
Didn’t write any “Why X” essays but wrote optional essays for all the schools that had them GULC - group interview in November, “special group” in the priority waitlist in December, admitted off the waitlist in April UChicago - interview with an admissions staff member in December, waitlisted in January L&C -…
Stanford- Wrote the songs for adcomms optional essay Columbia- Why X NYU- Why X UC Berkeley- Prog. Contribution UCLA- Why X Worked as a legal assistant for one year as an undergrad. Get your foot in the door if you can– it confirmed that I want to go into law. Entertainment law is the final goal. DM for info about…
HYP undergrad. My GPA increased from 3.67 to 3.72 during my admissions cycle. I got into NYU, Michigan, Duke, and Georgetown before the GPA increase. PS about my interest in international law and development in Africa. Wrote a DS about representation. 4 strong letters of rec: 2 professors, 1 summer internship, 1…
2020-21 was a hell year for applicants. Didn’t write optional UVA essays but didn’t really care, so WL wasn’t surprising. Was nervous for Chicago interview and probably didn’t convey enough enthusiasm, unlike my HLS one, ergo those decisions. Wasn’t willing to give YLS the hard yes, so I get why they pulled me off…
I think I likely underperformed, but the C&F issues definitely came back to bite me. I think my advice would be you are better off waiting a few years with WE than applying as a KJD, especially when there are negative aspects in you application (Low GPA or C&F). Show growth and maturity rather than say it in you…
Your study break just got better: follow @lawschooldata on Follow @lawschooldata on TikTok & Instagram