Apply early in the cycle. Essays do matter (as evidenced by my results compared to my LSAT). Take care in every aspect of the application and ensure that your package tells a complete, compelling story. Do the optional essays. Be personable in interviews and always convince them that you want to go to their school.
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
379 entries
Admitted to University of Texas at Austin“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” Feel free to reach out for LSAT advice.
UnwrittenLikeableOcelot left no wisdom for posterity… (◕︵◕) I’m going through this process now. All I can say before I get a complete set of results is be nice to folks throughout the process of applying! We are all stressed about it, but at the end of the day, I think we all want the best for each other.
Ask for fee waivers if you don’t get them. No point in being squeezed by both law schools and the LSAC if you don’t have to be. Schools are very generous with them. (And ask early, it can take a while to hear back sometimes) Cornell-bound! Good luck to all, spend more time studying for the LSAT than I did.
LGBTQ, from low-income single-family home. Strong ties to California. Wrote PS about my experience founding an international NGO. DS was about my experience overcoming a childhood trauma and healing from PTSD in my adulthood. Wrote “Why Berkeley” and several other “Why X” essays and all optional essays.
Mexican-American, attended an Ivy+ school for undergrad and graduated in three years. Had some solid internships, did some research, and was involved with student organizing on campus, but nothing extraordinary. My personal statement dealt with my experiences with my family and heritage in the borderlands.
Essays: Duke-why Duke UVA-why UVA, LOCI UC Berkeley-why Berk Michigan-why Michigan, optional personal background essay Georgetown-Top 10 list UT Austin-civil dialogue essay Interviews Vandy alumni interview Northwestern KIRA UT Austin video interview GULC group interview UVA interview
HYP undergrad w/ honors, 4 yrs WE mostly at a fairly well-known legal advocacy org. Wrote optional essays for Stanford (1-day class), Penn (core values), Michigan (Why X), and Georgetown (unpopular opinion). Non-URM but submitted a diversity statement about being mixed-race where applicable.
lol don’t apply with the gre Went from all Ws and Rs to a strong cycle
Wrote Why X’s most places that asked and some that didn’t. For anyone looking in from the future, this cycle was incredibly competitive. My only advice is to apply broadly; I was accepted below median at UT and waitlisted at median at Notre Dame. All it takes is one school.
it only takes one :)
GPA is out of 4.0. R&R! Update - 2/24/22: I reapplied with the same stats during the 2021-22 cycle! Attending UVA with $$$$. Don’t be afraid to reapply if you are not happy with your results! See my new cycle here: https://www.lsd.law/users/creep/JoyousCeruleanHummingbird
My wisdom is this: I have no wisdom. I am a Mexican-American URM with a unique soft. I’m writing this before I receive any decision, but a horrible cycle would probably be due to me applying at 19 years old. If I had a normal/good cycle, then I guess age doesn’t matter!
Just breathe, and trust that it will all happen as it is meant to.
Renegotiated with Texas Law using all of my other scholarship offers, except NYU (hadn’t received my scholly info yet) – offer went from 54k total to 60k total (off of in-state tuition). Headed to Texas Law to stay close to my fam and significant other! :)
LSAT 174 GPA 2.41 2022–23 cycle
Admitted to University of California—Los Angeles
Take the LSAT seriously. Started with 152 diagnostic. 169 on the first official. 174 on the second official. Wrote a PS about my work in the aerospace industry and how it connects back to law school. Hired one of the law school admissions consulting services.
Kind of a unique background. Had an explanation for my low GPA and a decent why law. https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/1c82nmv/splitter_cycle_recap/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Not sure how valid my advice is (see waitlists below), but here goes: Take the LSAT when you’re ready. Take your time with the essays. Don’t stress too much. It’d be nice to get into every school, but you only need to get accepted once to be a lawyer!
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