“Lock yourself in a room doing 5 practice tests a day for three summers.” I’m kidding don’t do that. Wrote Diversity Statement, Music & Classroom Essays for Stanford, Doctoroff Essay for UChicago, Jacobson Essay for NYU, Core Comps Essay for UPenn, Why X for UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, Duke, UCLA, WashU, Vandy, Notre…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
422 entries
Admitted to University of MichiganPicking a law school based on where I get the most Hinge matches Wrote all the optionals I could for all of the T14, and an absurd number of LOCIs. In another life I might have chosen Michigan, but I visited UVA and fell in love, and the extra 60k at this point felt pretty worth it for my dream school/clerking…
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 :)
Apply to UCLA Law Fellows, UC Davis’ KHOP, and UCI Outreach Program California peeps!!! Also sign up for the candidate referral service to get application waivers, try to save money wherever you can! Be true to yourself and be transparent about your career goals! While there isn’t a set undergraduate degree that…
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…
Do what you love in undergrad. Get some work experience, even if it’s just a gap year. It’ll give you a difference perspective about the real world and will give you time to make sure that law school is right for you. Write a cohesive PS that speaks true to who you are. Don’t get too stuck on this website the way I…
Took the LSAT twice: April ’23 - 165 June ’23 - 171 Full-time work in construction and full-time undergrad throughout the whole lsat/application process. So I’m both a non-traditional student with 15 years of work history, and in some ways a k-jd My low gpa was tempered a bit. All my low grades were from more than…
slay <3 Now that my crazy cycle has come to an end here is my advice to future applicants: Put your soul into every essay - make sure they should who you are and your perspective. Find what you’re passionate about and follow it headfirst. Don’t let the application process stop you from enjoying life. Law school…
As a disclaimer, I took the February LSAT, which is when I received the 177. All decisions rendered before March 10th were with a 170. I asked UVA and UChicago to wait for that score; I did not for Columbia, NYU, Penn, or Northwestern. Columbia, Penn, and NW (as you can see) did not wait for my score. NYU did.…
You only need 1 :-) Reddit is full of people who have no idea what they’re talking about. Trust your advisors, listen to podcasts by adcomms, and BE. YOUR. SELF!!! Don’t overthink it. Be clear, concise, and genuine. Those three things are the key to any successful application. Note: It’s very natural to feel like…
Take a deep breath! It’s going to be fine. This is a long process, so try to take things one step at a time. Write the optional essays and take them seriously. I always chose to include a “Why X” when given the opportunity. Work experience is SO helpful. It drove my narrative and was the main topic of conversation…
It’s a lonely journey; the freedom that awaits you at the end is worth it. Submitted a Why X for Duke, Michigan, Northwestern, Cornell, GMU, and UVA. It’s required for GMU and Cornell, but not sending a Why X to the other schools from what I read would torpedo the application. I’m pretty shocked that I got into…
Shoot your shot, you never know which law school will value your background, and likewise which law school will be the best home for you to thrive intellectually. I say this as someone whose undergrad GPA falls well below the median of most of the T14. However I have cultivated a career for myself and additional…
Shoot your shot and APPLY EARLY because timing matters (especially for $$)!!! My friends with similar backgrounds, gpa, and higher lsat scores get rejected or waitlisted after applying in January rather than October/November. As long as your score isn’t horrendous, apply with the score you have instead of waiting…
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Softs matter. Shoot your shot! Blanket the T20, especially if you’re a splitter or reverse splitter. If a $45 CAS fee gets you an extra acceptance or even $50 extra in scholarship money it’s worth it. All fee waivers unsolicited except Berkeley and UW. Wrote all optional essays. Also unsolicited Why X for CLS, UVA,…
I spent the summer before application season working on my PS and other essays, and I recommend doing so rather than trying to hurry to finish when application season starts. I sat the last in-person LSAT administration before COVID. My PS was about being molested and how the legal process shaped me and drives me…
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