I feel like I have heard varying input on this question which is why I am asking here. Does the fact that someone comes from a first gen (whether first in family to go to undergrad or to law school) or low income background have any sizeable impact on the admissions process? I don't expect it to have that heavy of an effect - obviously LSAT and GPA still rule - but does it say have more or less than soft factors? While I would expect schools to be a little more open to first gen/low income students to bolster the diversity of their classes, do they ever "punish" the group on the thought that low income students may request more aid/scholarships?
6
3 comments
It’s definitely something they consider. I think an important fact to consider is that first-gen students made up about 30% of the total applicant pool last year; however, if you look specifically at folks who scored between 170-180, which contains the median of almost every single elite school, only 10% of those applicants were first-gens. There’s an easy to see disparity there.
Additionally, when schools release their class profiles each year, one of the stats they often display front and center is the percentage of first gens.
I don’t think it’s a sizeable boost; you probably aren’t slipping into Duke with a 3.4 and a 154 because you’re a first-gen. But I could see it being significant enough to help out a splitter of other on the edge applicants.
From my experience, I wouldn't say it's a "sizeable" impact, @cmemery2020, but it's certainly a consideration. Your application is somewhat black/white - you have a GPA that's written in stone, this document is your resume and it lists your experiences, etc. But there's always context to that and one aspect of that context is your personal background and where you came from.
Per your second question, I don't think this ever was a negative because your background made me wonder if you could afford to attend. I've admitted some folks whom I felt strongly about and I was positive there was no way that they'd enroll because of the disconnect between our merit award (let's assume an applicant with lower stats) and the student's probable need ... but then they surprised me by taking out the loans, or getting an outside scholarship to help, or something like that.
@JacobBaska thank you! I appreciate the detailed response