Self-study
Hi applicants! I'm the coordinator of 7Sage's admissions program. It's my job to organize our committee of admissions officers, train all of our consultants, and refine our expert strategic advise to all applicants. I'll be on the 7Sage podcast answering questions about the admissions process. Give me all your questions, particularly those related to:
How admissions officers view different 'softs'
How to approach the personal statement
What law school are really looking for
Anything else!
Two lucky question-askers will get a free essay workshop with a 7Sage consultant, chosen at random on the day of taping ! (Friday, May 1st). Post away!
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71 comments
As an applicant >5 years out of school how many undergraduate activities should be on my resume?
Also I am applying from the peace corps, would it be better to emphasize past work experience or current service in my essay?
How highly do admissions officers/offices value international experiences and connections? I have lived in many different countries, and my wife is a Bolivian national, hence we have spent quite a bit of time outside the United States. My personal statement for this application cycle was about the importance of the Rule of Law to me (having lived in areas wherein it is nonexistent, haha). But this personal statement seemed to severely underperform. Is this a viable narrative, and, if not, what might be better?
Hello! How important is writing optional essays? And because I graduated in 2024 I have old letters of recommendations from my professors. Are they still good for application?
As an international applicant from India who has already completed law school in India, I wanted to understand how this background is viewed in the admissions process for law schools in the US. Would having a prior legal education from India be considered an advantage, or would it simply be treated as part of my overall academic profile?
Additionally, I would appreciate your insight on the availability and competitiveness of financial aid for international students. In particular, how realistic is it for international applicants to receive merit-based scholarships, need-based aid, or other funding support?
how important is your resume to the application? is law related experience preferred?
Hi Ethan, thank you for hosting! I'd like to ask how best to approach framing a gap between undergrad and law school dedicated to non-law-related work (3-5 years)
@maru I have this same question! I have 3 years of non-profit work between undergrad and law school that doesn't really fit my application or play a definite role in what type of law I want to pursue.
Hi, thank you for this AMA!
I noticed that some schools do not have an explicit "why X" essay, but, when looking closely, the diversity statement seems to lean slightly towards a why X. For example, GW's identity statement description: "optional identity statement discussing characteristics and accomplishments they believe will contribute positively to the GW Law community and to the legal profession.". Am I understanding the assignment correctly?
Hello! Thank you so much for doing this!
I'm currently working on my personal statement and I have a dilemma about my "Why Law". My original spark for the field comes from a family tragedy involving major power imbalance and lack of legal resources, but my actual career goals are in business law.
How do I lead with that personal statement without "boxing myself in"? I'm worried admissions will assume I'm only interested in public interest or trial work, or that I'll be expected to specialize in that once I'm actually in law school. Is the personal statement viewed as a binding career plan or just the initial spark of why we want to do law?
Letters of Recommendation
Would getting an LOR from a community leader (say a priest, volunteer coordinator, etc) be a good idea? How can I go about crafting an LOR from this perspective?
How do law school evaluate traditional splitters (high LSAT, low GPA) versus reverse splitters (low LSAT, high GPA)? Do they prefer one over the other? I am a reverse splitter and am worried that schools care about the LSAT more than my GPA.
Hi Ethan
I am a non traditional student and veteran. I enlisted in the military right out of high school. Since then I went to three different colleges, graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics. From my graduating college I have a 3.63 GPA
However my cumulative is low (3.05)
I currently work in corporate banking and want to go to law school to become an economic public policy attorney.
I have some drafts of my personal statement, I would also like to add an addendum.
How might I articulate to admissions officers my low cumulative GPA? Without it sounding like an excuse.
I am extremely passionate about federal tax regulation reform, specifically complex trust laws, how can I convey this to admissions, without sounding over my head?
Hello! Thanks for taking our questions.
My question is: for someone with 5+ years of professional experience (and specifically in economic/litigation consulting), how should I frame my personal statement and story. Obviously I have a very direct and clear connection to law that makes sense, but am concerned about being too professional and personality-less. Does talking about my experience advising on securities litigation really excite admissions officers?
Hi,
My name is Isabella! My questions would be... How can I tell my personal story and list my accomplishments without sounding like I am checking off a list? How can I show personality, yet maintain a professional and passionate tone to the readers?
Hi! My name is Angelina, and soon to be KJD applicant.
My questions would be: What differentiates an average personal statement from one that actually changes an admissions decision? In particular, how can applicants balance telling a compelling personal story with clearly showing they’re prepared for law school?
Thank you!
Hello! Thank you for hosting this.
My two questions would be; how often can you see topics of a personal statement actually revealing negative characteristics about an applicant? I have a good topic in mind, but am just thinking about vulnerability.
Secondly, I ask a lot of admissions advisors this, but how would you weigh an early GOOD application, with a mediocre score, and high GPA? I know schools can see if/when you register for a test and they usually just wait until you take the second test to give you a decision but I'd like advice on this as well.
Thanks again!
Star
As an aspiring KJD, how can I "prove" my career-readiness in a world where so many applicants have taken gap years for work experience? I have professional and legal-related summer internships/volunteering experience, but are there other ways to emphasize this in non-resume portions of an application?
How typical is it for KJD’s to have a year of Full Time legal working experience while in college?
How will this help reconcile the against common notion of KJD’s not having enough “experience”?
Would this significantly impact or increase the chances of a high ranking law school considering a KJD for admission?
Hello!
For applicants transitioning from leadership roles into law, what distinguishes a compelling “why law” narrative from one that feels like a general career pivot?
I graduated in 2022 and have spent the last few years working before applying to law school. For applicants who’ve been out of school for a while, how do admissions committees weigh older academic letters of recommendation versus stronger, more recent recommendations from supervisors or employers? At what point does professional experience carry more weight?
@UlisesSG I also had this question! Specifically once you get into the 5+ years out of school range
@UlisesSG I’m military and have a similar question. Would love to hear response to this.
I used to work at my university's writing center, so I've had my fair share of personal statements, statement of purposes, prompt responses, "why our school", etc. It always blew my mind on how people were able to so holistically and beautifully articulate their passions and why the natural progression would be attending grad school. It is this constant exposure to these essays that has made me so worried about being able to capture that in my applications. I don't have one "ah-ha!" moment, or super crazy life changing story, I honestly just feel like an average joe. Where do I even begin? What are some things to consider or brainstorm when approaching these response questions?
What’s a common piece of ‘good advice’ about law school applications that you think is actually overrated or even counterproductive when followed too closely?
What’s a small but meaningful way applicants can improve their application that most people overlook?
I am currently a public education teacher applying to law school for a career change. I am having a really tough time connecting my "why law school" part of my personal statement and the emotional impact my job has had on my motivation for becoming an attorney. Currently, I feel like my personal statement is just a rambling of how much a teacher really loves her students lol. Do you have any guidance on how a personal statement should be organized/structured and tips on staying on topic? And maybe some personal statement advice for non-traditional law school applicants?
Thank you!
How would you describe a great discretionary/access admissions essay (addendum explaining lsat/gpa context)?
Do you have any questions to recommend an applicant ask themselves while brainstorming/drafting up their "why law" statements?
Should applicants tailor their personal statements to what they think a school is looking for? E.g., more cookie-cutter "why law" motivations for target/safety schools vs. more standout "why law" motivations for T14 schools?