I hope these comments do not express hubris—this is my best attempt at an objective assessment based upon what I consider to be a very strong application. I have multiple ~T2 softs and sharpened my essays for nearly a year. Strategy Lesson - write all optionals I wrote all the “optional” essays. This seems to be…
Applicant wisdom
Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.
277 entries
Admitted to Harvard UniversityDon’t deny yourself before the school can do it for you. You have to be willing to face failure to reap success. (GhoodGirl2Harvard on reddit to see any previous advice; likely not currently active on account for current questions)
“The only time a lawyer can cry is when it’s all over.” – Diego Armando I stressed myself out way too much over this process, agonizing over how many recommendations to send to each school, which optional essays to complete, etc. My advice is to not do that. If a school is willing to accept 3 or 4 recommendation…
Yes, you have to write all the optional essays. Schools that called: UVA (434), NYU (212), Northwestern (224, caller ID = “spam risk”), Harvard (617), Penn (215). During the process, a very compelling reason to stay on the east coast arose. If that were not the case, I would have maybe (?) picked Chicago. Looking at…
Genuinely shocked and so honored by the results I’ve received this cycle. Coming in, I could hope for but never imagine this outcome. The decision for me will ultimately come down to YLS vs. HLS, with the main factor being proximity to my SO at HLS versus my significant interest in clerking + prestige-advantaged…
**some advice from my experience so far: ** do not submit your reach / first choice schools first. you will make a mistake somewhere in your first application (but also, if you make a mistake, don’t worry about it too much. I made minor mistakes in my applications to MSU, UT Austin, UVA, and Michigan and was…
Wow what I cycle I had! I wish everyone who comes across my profile the best of luck in their law school journey. I will try and impart my best advice. – Ranking the most important parts of your application: Get the best LSAT you can. Your highest score is the only one that matters. I had a 161 and a 176 (don’t call…
I entered into this cycle fully expecting to be humbled, that despite my stats I would be met with WL/Rs in the increasingly competitive admissions world. I spent A LOT of time on my materials and researching how different schools would work for my interests. Meaningfully researching every school I applied to and…
Write a first draft personal statement early (like spring/summer), then really consider why you are applying to each school (beyond the name/hypothetical career prospects). For schools that like a “why us” in the personal statement or written materials, doing your research ahead of time and linking to the “why law”…
PS included very strong reasons to stay in Boston. HLS interview went smoothly, neither great nor terrible. No “why X”, optional essays, or diversity statements. I’m having lots of fun with this text editor.
Hey visitor! Hopefully this documentation can help you along your own process as others’ words and advice helped me along mine :) Materials Submitted & Timeline: (in order of subission) University of Michigan (8/26) Optional on personal qualities- Why X Academic Addendum ACCEPTED 11/6 University of Virginia (9/1)…
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…
LSAT: 167 -> 168 -> 174 I used LSAT Demon + The Loophole (highly recommend both) GPA: 4.0/4.0 (top 1% – humanities classes only) softs: average for a KJD who knew they wanted to go to law school early (summer legal internship, legal research assistant, a handful of undergrad awards, a couple leadership roles in…
If you’re here to figure out how I got into Harvard…join the club. But I’ve got some guesses, hopefully they’ll help you. LSAT: diagnostic 161, studied 10 weeks 25 hrs/wk. I only used some old PowerScore books and the law hub practice tests. If you can’t afford the $2k courses, consider something like this (I spent…
someone on reddit told me i was “more generic than an extra from American Psycho”
Making my profile public in the hope that it can help and encourage others with a similar background. TL;DR: A late 20s/early 30s non-trad applicant (military + community college) with a 171/4.00 who applied mid-to-late cycle and outperformed expectations (HLS bound). Key takeaways: know your why, bet on yourself,…
Don’t let anyone discourage you from applying beyond your stats! I was incredibly nervous going into the cycle and had convinced myself I wouldn’t be admitted anywhere, and lo and behold, I had the cycle of my absolute dreams. My biggest piece of advice would be to find your particular area of interest and let it…
Don’t use AI. Use your own words. They can tell. Get some work experience. There’s no reason to rush, you’re young. Practice your writing. Take the LSAT writing portion seriously. Apply only to places you can imagine going.
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