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Applicant wisdom

Advice applicants left on their LSD.Law profiles, searchable by topic, school, and stats.

LSAT 176 GPA 3.94 2020–21 cycle

Admitted to Stanford University

Based on my experience, soft factors and essays are VERY important in law school admissions, especially at T-14 schools (I believe that the more you go up in the rankings, the more softs and essays matter). Strong numbers matter a lot too, but they’re usually not enough on their own to give applicants a strong shot…

LSAT 178 GPA 3.00 2021–22 cycle

Admitted to Stanford University

…things from the source instead of through hearsay. Both softs and numbers matter. Softs are everything about your app that isn’t quantitative. Whether it is a “good” soft is a matter of framing. In the words of Dean Andy from GULC, this is basically pole vaulting; the bar is set by your numbers, and the pole is your…

LSAT 179 GPA 3.64 2020–21 cycle

Attending Stanford University

…members because I was so borderline, but my essays and softs made up massively for my questionable GPA. Softs: Teach for America, promoted to a HS department chair role my second year. Liberal arts double major from a top 10 private. Three recs: two from professors that gave me As, one from the director of my TFA…

LSAT 176 GPA 4.00 2025–26 cycle

Attending Harvard University

…your answers concise as well since you are in a group. – Softs: 6’1, 405 deadlift, midwest charm. – Other notes: Stanford: These thoughts come attending from their admitted students day. They love students who have a prestigious undergrad background + are from a unique state. I met people from Kansas, Missouri,…

LSAT 167 GPA 3.99 2025–26 cycle

Attending Yale University

…to Yale Law School! BACKGROUND GPA: 3.99 / LSAT: 167 / Softs: T1.5ish Three years of work experience and am the recipient of two prestigious awards/fellowships for leadership & graduate study. As a future attorney, my main interests are law teaching/legal academia and litigation. Heading into the cycle, Yale was my…

LSAT 173 GPA 3.64 2020–21 cycle

Admitted to Stanford University

I had a pretty tight resume with plenty of softs related to mentorship, athletics, and research, as well as demonstrated success in a field (IP/tech) where there are very few URMs.

LSAT 177 GPA 3.86 2023–24 cycle

Attending Harvard University

Very proud of all my statements. Wrote all optionals. Several T3 and T4 softs. FGLI. 1 year of relevant WE (I think not having more hurt me for YLS). Did everything I could to make my GPA the weakest part of my application. Applied late oct-early nov. Would recommend waiting until jan/feb to apply for YLS if you…

LSAT 174 GPA 3.77 2023–24 cycle

Attending Yale University

…education after undergrad. Those schools who value those “softs” may admit me in spite of my sub 25 percentile GPA. Those who do not either simply don’t have enough spots or value numbers in a way that probably would not work well with the kind of producer I am.

LSAT 173 GPA 3.98 2023–24 cycle

Attending Stanford University

Shoot your shot. One T3 (maybe T2) soft, everything else solidly T4. Two years work experience as a Legal Assistant. I wrote all optional statements for SLS, Berkeley, and GULC, as well as one for Michigan and UCLA. I only applied to schools I would have considered attending, but there’s some wisdom to applying to…

LSAT 176 GPA 3.70 2023–24 cycle

Attending Stanford University

…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 common sense to me but apparently some people don’t understand this. If you can neatly slip a variant of Why X into essays…

LSAT 178 GPA 4.00 2022–23 cycle

Attending Yale University

…don’t have prestigious awards/internships or other T1/T2 softs (I didn’t), it just means you have to have a well-rounded application with a compelling personal statement and cohesive narrative for law school. Without giving away too much personal information, I had some fairly unique aspects of my childhood that…

LSAT 180 GPA 3.99 2021–22 cycle

Attending Columbia University

Softs: 4+ years of work experience in progressive advocacy, 2+ of which have been at a legal org that has worked on multiple Supreme Court cases Letters of Rec: 2 from professors (one of whom was my thesis advisor) and one from my direct supervisor. ASK EARLY. I gave my professors a heads up in April, sent the…

LSAT 175 GPA 3.94 2020–21 cycle

Attending Stanford University

Average softs: some leadership and research; 🏳️‍🌈(but I feel weird about it making me T3?) Harvard Interview (S.P.) : way too nervous, didn’t feel like it went well // UChicago Interview (A.W.): very conversational, felt like it went well! Supplemental Essays (if you don’t see it here, I didn’t write it): Michigan:…

LSAT 180 GPA 3.85 2020–21 cycle

Attending Harvard University

…first and second take, and I think that actually helped. Softs: T3-ish? My PS was about LGBTQ+ identity and (nURM) ethnic identity (no DS). Wrote a senior thesis at Ivy League undergrad that got a departmental award. 1-2 years work experience as a paralegal at a nonprofit organization that does high-profile impact…

LSAT 173 GPA 4.09 2023–24 cycle

Admitted to Stanford University

…your passion! Your story will write itself with time. Softs really can move the needle. On that note, my interviews were far from ideal and I did notice typos on my apps afterwards, but it worked out. It’s really important to come off authentic and personable to admissions

LSAT 178 GPA 4.08 2020–21 cycle

Attending Harvard University

STEM major/business minor. Otherwise, fairly average softs (legal & financial internships, volunteer work, club leadership positions, TA experience, etc). T20 undergrad. Did not apply for aid at NYU, Duke, or Northwestern.