What follows is a comprehensive explanation of my application path to law school. I originally created this document as a PDF for a group of incredible mentees. Time will be your greatest asset or your worst enemy- I began preparing two years before the 2024 application cycle. I’ve divided ‘my story’ into nine…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
754 entries
Admitted to George Washington University
Welcome to my profile! Feel free to peruse my “decision diary” below :) April 20, 2026: WL -> R @ Wisconsin Okay, I guess that’s one less LOCI to write? I don’t know if I would have wrote one anyway. I have NO clue what Wisconsin admissions is looking for this year, but I guess it’s not me. March 30, 2026: R @ USC I…
don’t let Reddit dissuade you from applying if you are below one median at the T-14. only apply to schools you would genuinely be interested in attending. write a “why this school” essay for each school. always write the additional optional supplementals if you have a meaningful response to them. applying early…
LORs were the most annoying part of the application process for me. Had all my app components compete in September but didn’t get my last LOR until December. Ask for more letters than you need. I asked 6 months in advance but unfortunately both of my Professors managed to injure themselves in such a way that they…
Just remember, time is not linear. Your law school of choice has already been decided, you just haven’t gotten to it yet. Relax, and enjoy the ride.
We can try to boil everything down to GPA and LSAT, but each applicant’s circumstances are different. Apply to schools you could actually see yourself attending–your applications will be a lot more compelling, which is especially important if you are a splitter like me. Instead of blanketing the T14, target schools…
There are only a limited number of things you can control during this process, and the most important is your perspective along the way. I adopted a “T14 or bust” mindset and started tying my self-worth to law school decisions. I wish I had trusted the process more. I had already done the work, built a strong GPA…
If you are a splitter, the ball is in your court. It’s up to you to convince the adcomms that they should let you in over the competition. They know you will likely succeed (your gpa/lsat signals this) just as they that know the splitter you’re in competition with will likely succeed. You can seperate yourself by…
Tell a good story and make your own luck. Leaving my advice below for supersplitters: 3.1 / 173 / non-URM Applied for full-time only. I went to a top 20 undergrad. I don’t think this moves the needle much, but it is maybe indicative that I have academic potential. I did not major in a STEM/ IP applicable major.…
Relax as much as possible before LSAT, try to take your mind off it until the last second! Don’t decide against a school preemptively based on scholarship data. I almost didn’t apply to the school that gave me some of the most money, the one I ended up going to, because I thought they wouldn’t give me any money! At…
refreshing this website cannot be your only hobby please go play some baseball or something. have everyone read your essays. make sure they aren’t nice about it. it’s like pulling teeth sometimes but you need them to tell you everything you can improve on. apply broadly and apply early. financial aid matters way…
Update 05.11: no, Penn is not a better law school than Harvard. Please look at employment stats over USWNR. Please be aware of regionality issues. #happyrankingsday More accumulated advice: https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/qf400l/machos_guide_to_admissions_an_effortpost_by_a/ I am remarkably…
Definitely the right decision to take the money, hurt like hell turning down HLS/SLS though. But Philly is great, the people Penn are fantastic—they all keep pushing “collegiality” but it is a real thing here—and the job opportunities are pretty much the same either way. Advice: don’t neglect your recommendation…
Take a deep breath, get yourself a cinnamon roll, and watch the office <3 ““You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” -Wayne Gretzky” -Michael Scott I panic applied to so many schools because I was unsure how my cycle would turn out as a reverse splitter. My cycle is proof that the LSAT isn’t everything! My…
Once you’ve submitted applications, GO TOUCH GRASS. There’s nothing that refreshing your status checkers every 30 minutes will do for you — just go do something you enjoy! And yes, I’m waiting on my cooldown right now
Write your “Why X” essays. Make them non-generic. I think it really screwed me that I didn’t do this–going off of Dean Z’s advice not to do it unless it was super compelling. ESPECIALLY do it if you’re not from the area. Expect your statistically likely results. It’s easy to fall into the mental trap of thinking…
It’s never too late to apply! If you think you have a shot (or even if you don’t) you should absolutely go for it. I applied to Stanford crazy late and the only way I can justify getting in is that these admissions cycles are total crapshoots. You and wonderful reddit have no clue what admissions are looking for and…
Your essays and narrative DO matter. Do not let your LSAT score define your file. Admissions reads so much of the same thing over and over - really think about what makes you unique and tell them what you will contribute to the student body.
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