Hi Forum,

I will be applying to Canadian schools given that my fiance has received a job offer in Ottawa. I am American and completed my undergraduate degree at a top public university and have an MBA from an Ivy League institution. Is anyone here applying to Ottawa and/or Toronto law? If so, can you share insights on these schools? There are limited rankings in Canadian law schools given that their system is completely different from the U.S. Thank you so much.

Here's my perspective (for the 2017-18 app):

It is clear that we should all do as many practice interview questions as possible. But honestly, I didn't feel like it helped all that much. I spent 2 days searching up questions and preparing for them, but only 2 questions on the actual interview were on the 10+ pages of of questions I prepared. And even when it was a similar question, they worded it differently such that I could not use my prepared responses and had to rephrase them. This, combined with my nerves from not having been interviewed for about a year, made me run out of time for almost every question, even though I thought I had given myself some leeway. Additionally, I wasn't very certain, because I may have simply mis-remembered, but I felt like they mixed up the time allotted to you for the questions, for example: during a practice session, a question was given for the long answer response section, but during the actual interview, it was given during the short answer response section, and threw me off completely.

Do any of you have insights on this interview that you would like to share? I would appreciate any thoughts and advice =).

Here are some reflections from my interview last year:

Have a phone timer on the side.

My browser didn't beep when the time was up, because I clicked off of it.

Be even more concise than you think was necessary, and be able to answer every answer within 45 seconds, but be able to expand on it if necessary.

Practice table topics, instead of preparing responses.

Begin each response with a conclusion in mind.

Hey All,

A question regarding LOR's...

I already have 2 professors that know me somewhat well who are writing me an LOR. One professor taught one of the classes for my major. The second taught a course related to racism and the law. With that said, I have been working at a firm for some time and the head attorney is also willing to write me an LOR. Should I request one from him as well for my 3rd LOR?

I understand most law schools prefer/request only 2 LOR's and have thus heard conflicting things.

Thank you all in advance!

**Edit: typo.

I have heard and read conflicting things about SLS preferring a targeted LOR. Some people swear that if you don't have them, you're not going to get in, but others have reported not having them and still having been admitted.

I just checked Stanford's admissions website and they state, "Stanford requires that at least two and no more than four letters of recommendation be sent directly through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. Letters sent directly to the Office of Admissions will not be accepted. Please be aware of the high value Stanford places on school-specific letters of recommendation. If you choose to provide us with a targeted letter, please be sure to assign the appropriate targeted letter to Stanford Law School. Recommenders should be instructors who have personal knowledge of your academic work, preferably those who have known you in a seminar, small class, tutorial program or the like. If you have been out of school for a significant period you may substitute one letter from an employer or business associate. Sometimes these applicants find it difficult to obtain even one academic recommendation; in that case, you may submit two nonacademic letters. Please advise recommenders that should you choose to apply for a joint degree and/or other programs at Stanford University, the letters of recommendation may be forwarded to that program for review."

I have not yet made requests to my recommenders to create targeted letters for Stanford, but I already have two recommendation letters on file. My concern is that if neither of my recommenders has a strong connection to SLS, then their targeted letters may sound insincere. However, I don't want to hurt my chances simply because I didn't request these professors make a targeted letter for Stanford. Making the additional requests to my recommenders would likely delay my SLS app by several weeks. One of my recommenders received her PhD from Stanford, but she has no ties to the law school.

Any input is welcome. I'm curious to hear how others are handling this, as Stanford seems to be the only top school that explicitly states a preference for targeted letters.

Also, for context, my GPA is between their 50th and 75th percentiles, and my LSAT is above their 75th percentile.

I have a dilemma. I first wrote a first draft of a PS that I thought was good. It was focused on a conversation I had with my daughter (yeah I know, I'm old) and it was light and silly and only obliquely mentioned why I wanted to be lawyer but focused more on wanting to do well in school to be a good role model for my child.

Today though, after not being able to get a thought out of my head I wrote a different version of my PS that focused specifically on why I wanted to be lawyer. That had to do more with the trauma I experienced as a child. Not quite "walking over corpses to escape war-torn country" but definitely stuff that still brings me to tears when I think about it. I don't necessarily think that's appropriate to use to gain admission to law school. If feels like exploitation. On one hand I feel like after spending a life time trying to to not let past events define my identity, I turn around and use it at the first convenient moment. On the other hand, what if the essay before mine is from someone who escaped a war-torn country over corpses, I'm sure I'll sound positively like a crybaby then.

What do you think? Is it just me? Does anyone with the more serious obstacles (sickness, death of a relative, assault, abject poverty, etc.) in your life been hesitant to use it as PS fodder?

I'm still debating if to apply this cycle or wait for next, as I'm currently straight out of undergrad and am starting an awesome new job!

How old will you be when starting law school? How many years of work experience will you have by then? :)

I have a 3.32 cumulative gpa. However, I had poor grades my first year of undergrad. I want to write an addendum that states that my grades my first year are not reflective of my potential as a law school student. I am writing that high school was simple and that everything was set out by teachers. However, in college, I had to adjust to creating my own schedules to plan my study time. I am also writing that I lacked maturity coming out of high school to know that I needed to plan my time. My grades rose during my second year up until I graduated. Does this addendum sound good?

Is transferring between Canadian law schools possible? For example, if I performed well at University of Victoria, would I be able to transfer to UBC?

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know what happened when I toured UCI yesterday.

The topic of the LSAT came up. Two things stuck out:

The admissions rep made a point to reinforce the “holistic” approach the school has for applications, so if someone falls below the medians she said that person should still apply with a strong application.

During the tour the rep also mentioned that taking the LSAT twice wasn’t a good look. Nothing about withdrawals (though they do like to see improvement in scores so think about that before you cancel), and for those who have done 2+ tests, you may want to write an addendum as to why you did so many retakes.

Hope this helps!

First, I really appreciate any help that you guys are able to provide me and I apologize in advance for any errors (writing late at night). Some information about me is that I am 19 years old, I finished HS at 17, and got Bachelors in 2 years. I feel like I have been quite fortunate to not face challenges that will say "WOAH!", but I am still confused. Also, if anyone is please able to read it and wants to trade, I would love to do that!

1)NERD PS: I do have a PS from Top 100 where my college chose 100 students focusing on internships, research, volunteering, GPA, and more. Personally...it does make me sound like a nerd and does share a lot which is on my resume. I feel like it could be a unique topic, but I'm not really sure.

DIVERSITY PS: I do wanna save this PS because it will focus on how I moved from India to US and adapted as a child in a new homogeneous community..

CREATIVE PS: I could focus on Bollywood movies and even romance novels which made me see world in "rose colored" glasses essentially. I could even switch this and add my first love/heartbreak...what I learned from it, how I grew (ideas of self growth/feminism) , decided to volunteer and help victims of domestic violence, etc...but idk if that makes me sound like a little kid. I think i could word it appropriately tho

THANK YOU!

Splitter here. I'm trying to figure out whether to include an education addendum for low grades for schools that have already sent me a fee waiver. The reasons for the low grades are the kind of thing that could help to know in some cases (if my low GPA is the one reservation a school might have about admitting me, and they view the circumstances as ameliorating) or could hurt to know in others (if they really don't care that my GPA is below median, but the information in the addendum is perceived as damning).

So I guess I'm wondering - Do schools that send you a waiver have knowledge of your GPA and LSAT, or just your LSAT? In other words do they know you have less than perfect grades already, and invite you to apply in spite of it, or do they invite you to apply only with knowledge of your LSAT, and would be surprised by your low grades and want some kind of an explanation for them.

Thoughts are appreciated, thanks!

I graduated from college back in the dark ages when GPAs didn't go over 4.0. Do I need to point that out?

On the one hand, the dates I attended are clearly written on my resume and I don't want to sound whiny.

On the other hand, David advises us to point out different aspects of our GPA if it makes us look good. For example, he says to compare your GPA to the class average if you benefit from the comparison. While researching I found that the average high school GPA for students enrolling in my former college is 4.23. I realize that's high school but still - it drew me up short. My college GPA of 3.74 may or may not be impressive to the admissions officers, but it definitely won't if 4.23s are typical.

Or is it only high schools that go above 4.0 and not colleges?

#help

Hi,

I am registered for the Oct 14th LSAT.

My plan is to apply with the Oct 14th score. (My current score range is mid to high 160s).

However, if I don't hit my target score(170+) I want to apply with the Oct 14th score and retake in January.

The exam date in January is Jan 27th. Expecting results in mid February(Feb 15) according to the LSAC website.

I want to know if 1.) I can ask schools to consider the Jan score if it is higher than my Oct score. 2.) ask them to hold off until they get Feb score? 3.) Will it be too late for any scholarship/merit-aid opportunities.

I'd preferably not want to sit a whole cycle out due to this.

These are the only test dates available to me.

My law school goal is to get into something within the t14 or t20 possibly with some scholarship.

I am an international student, so I don't think GPA is a hard constraint here.

Greetings 7sagers!

I am trying to figure out how LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) works. I know the gist of it is to make creating your law school admissions packages smoother, but I have questions about the logistics if I am applying to multiple schools.

For example, if I want a letter of recommendation from someone, what is that process. Does the recommender have to create an LSAC account? Does that letter go to all the schools that I am applying to?

I looking for some #help !!!

Thanks in advance for your responses!

-David

I am completely lost on my personal statement. It feels as if I cannot find the perfect story to share. I want it to be unique and have been advised to stay away from the "immigrant child story and transition into US". I feel like it is very difficult for me because I am only 19 years old. I've been quite fortunate to not face challenges in my life and things have gone per plan. I don't want to write the basic "I am a perfectionist" story either. I have been very confused and would appreciate any help you are able to offer.

https://media1.giphy.com/media/3zjQXYf55Ih31V2J5k/giphy.gif

Of the top 10 schools, Columbia and Penn have personal statements that suggest putting in elements of a "Why School X" essay in them. How are my fellow applicants handling these personal statements?

For reference, here are Columbia and Penn's prompts:

Columbia:

Candidates to Columbia Law School are required to submit a personal statement supplementing required application materials. We are curious about your interests, goals, and aspirations and how the J.D. program at Columbia can help you achieve these. You are encouraged to think about the contributions you hope to make to both the Columbia community and the legal profession while considering your personal, intellectual, and professional background and any relevant information that you may not have otherwise conveyed through your other application materials. Please note that the personal statement should be double-spaced and approximately two pages in length. This statement should be attached electronically.

Penn:

The Admissions Committee requires that every applicant submit an original example of written expression. The purpose of this personal statement is to provide you with as flexible an opportunity as possible to submit information that you deem important to your candidacy. You may wish to describe aspects of your background and interests--intellectual, personal or professional--and how you will uniquely contribute to the Penn Law community and/or the legal profession. Please limit your statement to two pages, double spaced and label it as "Personal Statement" with your name and LSAC account number on each page.

How's everyone handling these? Are you guys explicitly addressing why you're interested in Columbia and Penn in your personal statements? If so, how much space in your two-page allotment are you dedicating to addressing that?

I am currently applying for Law School and notice some schools have slightly different requirements. Harvard allows for two pages resumes- Yale doesn't. Columbia and Duke want specific things in your Personal Statement, others don't. Chicago wants hours worked on your resume, Penn makes no such requirement. Obviously you should do what they say, but how drastically are you guys noticing your materials change from school to school? Should I alter slightly for each school or change drastically? Just interested in opinions.

I don’t see a feature on the LSAC website to read a submitted LOR before we assign it to a school and send it. Has anyone else accomplished this? Obviously I want to make sure I’m only sending the strongest letters.

So... I think I have my resume cut down to short and sweet and applicable to law school. I have a few odd jobs going back to high school, and I don't think it's helpful to list everything I've ever done. So, I just listed things I have done in recent years that did seem positive. I know some schools will ask for it all, and I would provide if they asked for it.

Anyway... I wanted some input on a few issues, if you good folks will oblige :)

I snuck a little humor in there. At the end, I have a "Talents" section. Some have "hobbies" or "interests" or whatever. I am open to changing this, too. But anyway... I listed some talents that I have that are also interests for me, and "ruining murder mysteries for my family." It's funny, but true. Do these people have any sense of humor? I always hear that we should show our personalities -- glimpses of ourselves-- through our applications in some way. Inappropriate?

I have some stuff that is under some iron clad NDAs. I can't say specifics, or even the companies it was for (the ones who hired me/any that the work was for). I condensed it all into one job listing instead of separate projects, and gave a really broad overview of what it entailed. It's frustrating, because it entails a lot of things over a number of years. Would this raise massive red flags? How would I even prove any of it, due to the heavy handed non-disclosure agreements? I really want to leave it in, because it covers a lot of time I spent at home raising my child, and it shows I was doing something. Thoughts?

Would it be best practice to submit documents (resume, PS, why X, etc) as PDFs instead of word documents? In my overly obsessive little law school applicant mind, I'm imaging all sorts of unintentional formatting / processing errors occurring at some point after I hit submit to the point where the document appears before a decision maker. Is this just a symptom of too-much time thinking about this or would it help to submit documents as PDFs?

....the dumbest thing I will read all day:

https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/09/duke-law-applicant-sues-after-his-application-is-dismissed-because-he-did-not-take-the-lsat

I mean.. we all joke about doing that.. Some, I'm sure, have been angry enough to say it out loud. But no one has been dumb enough to try it. Until now.

I was just in the admissions webinar hosted by David but didn't get a chance to ask some questions. I hope David can see this :)

But also, it would be tremendously helpful if you 7Sagers can comment if you have any thoughts!

So, I've got essentially three questions.

I am a foreign student (UK educated) and UK institutions do not have GPA system per se. I've already submitted the transcript to CAS for their individual evaluation but their academic summary report does not say anything about GPA (it only says "Foreign" under the institution section and 'Above Average' for quality academic record) although the transcript has been already processed. How would this work? Should I just care about LSAT score since undergrad GPA is kind of unknown for now?

I know Law school admissions are mainly about the numbers (LSAT and undergrad GPA). But where does having a graduate degree (Master's) kick in as a factor? Does it only count as an academic/research experience?

I am in Asia so I'm obviously taking the LSAT this October. But depending on the score, I'm willing to travel to US/Canada territory to take the November LSAT. Would this say something unsettling to the admissions process? I mean I was fine and still am fine with the idea. But I have consulted one of my professors and he suggested that taking 2 LSATs in a row within two months may send a wrong signal to schools although I'm not really sure what he meant by that signal. He said that 1 more month wouldn't make a difference but I personally experienced that even 2 weeks of intense PT-ing makes a difference. Since even 1 point increase in LSAT score boosts your admissions chance by many points, I'm more than willing to take both OCT/NOV LSATs.

So.. questions got a little lengthy haha but I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on these matters!

Good luck everyone!!

Hi Everybody,

I have a pretty dumb question for all you 7Sagers out there....

So I know what a median is (I think) - half of the applicants accepted had stats above that number and and half had stats below that number. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

If you have the median LSAT and GPA for a particular school, should you feel pretty good about getting accepted to that school or should you feel more like you have a 50/50 shot? Now I know acceptance depends on other soft factors - work experience, personal statement, LORs, etc., but I am pretty average when it comes to those things. I have 3 years work experience as a paralegal, I am not a URM, my essays and LORs will be well written but won't have anything absolutely incredibly special to say.

My maternal grandparents are from Spain. I have always checked off the European caucasian box, however on the UPenn law application the hispanic box explicitly includes Spain. Do the "hispanic/latino" options for other law schools also include Spain or is this just unique to Upenn?

Thank you!