So, I went to French university, and they are score snobs, meaning 20 is the highest score but no one ever ever gets it. Best possible score I've ever seen is 18 but the best is usually 16 or worse if you're in an "elite school". So my average is really low compared to 99% of other American applicants and also not in the top for a normal student in France because I didn't speak the language when I started. I did the google conversion and it puts my scores as Bs or worst Cs.... I heard before that they won't put too much importance in it since it's a foreign GPA but I realize I might want to be a bit more worried about this... Does anyone have experience with foreign GPAs? I wanna get into T14... I could probably add into my statement that it was due to language difficulty, right? But I have no idea how much they will forgive me for that.

I also went to a university in China for a year and a half before french uni and do have mostly straight As from the conversion, but I don't know if that will actually help that much?

#help

Hi everyone, I was just wondering what I should do if I haven't heard back from a law school yet. I am not wait listed, I am neither accepted nor denied. Its been 10 weeks already. Any help is appreciated thank you!

Hi all. I've been looking around for outside scholarships to apply to and found four scholarships that all use the exact same language. I'm worried they might be scams, but they're listed on UCLA's page for external scholarships (https://law.ucla.edu/admissions/financial-aid/external-scholarships/).

I've been googling but can't find any more information. Has anyone heard about these scholarships and whether they're legit? I'm just confused because they all use literally the exact.same.words.

My transcripts for my Bachelor's and Master's degrees, and one for three semesters of doctoral study have all been submitted to CAS successfully. However, between my Master's degree and the start of my doctoral work I spent two semesters at Boston University in a non-degree granting, music performance diploma program, and due to an outstanding debt with BU I cannot obtain my transcript.

How will law schools view this? Is this a matter to be explained in an addendum to my applications?

The debt is not quite within my budget to repay at this time, though if it were disqualifying for my admission prospects I could probably borrow some money from relatives and take care of it.

Hello everyone,

I'm an artist. I got my undergrad degree from an art school with P/F system, so I don't have a GPA.

I recently got MFA in sculpture, but want to pursue law. Oh, I do have GPA from grad school. but I also read that GPA from grad schools don't really count?

Because I'm an artist, my resume looks very different from most people, and it's mostly shows and residencies I did with very few work experiences, mainly as a designer and art instructor.

How will this affect my chances with t14 schools? I see that GPA and LSAT score are the most important factors in the admissions, but I don't have a GPA... and I feel like my resume doesn't reflect some of the qualities the schools might look for in an applicant, whatever that quality is.

Heeeeelp...

I have offers from both places with similar scholarship amounts. I have been waitlisted at UofM , but doubt i'll hear back anytime soon. Even if i do, i doubt there would be any scholarship money. Which of these two is a better option? MSU is better ranked, but Wayne is in Detroit, which means better networking opportunities. Any suggestions?

I don't know whether I would attend Harvad Law or not if admitted off the waitlist. Harvard sent me an email with the following guidelines asking me to remove myself if I cannot agree to accept a position if offered off the waitlist.

"By remaining active on the waitlist you agree to:

-Accept an offer of admission if it is extended to you; we will ask that you accept the offer of admission within 24 hours.

-Accept the offer before you have received any information about your financial aid package at HLS. Please keep in mind our financial aid packages are need-based and therefore are not affected by the admissions timeline—packages for waitlist admits are determined in exactly the same way as those admitted earlier in the cycle.

-Accept the offer before you have a chance to secure housing. Historically this has not been a problem since three housing options (HLS dorms, Harvard University Housing, and the private Cambridge housing market) typically remain very active throughout the summer.

-Withdraw your seat at any school to which you have committed if offered admission at HLS.

-While this process is very time-sensitive, please understand that we operate on this timeline in order to get our waitlist admits fully situated before classes begin in the fall. If you have concerns about the above guidelines, or if you have new information about your plans for this fall that prevents you from remaining on the waitlist, please visit your status checker and complete the waitlist withdrawal form. If you are comfortable with these guidelines and wish to remain active on the waitlist, then no action is required at this time."

I don't think they have any way to enforce this guideline. I'm generally predisposed to oppose the creation of unenforcable guidelines or rules. However, I don't want to be on the waitlist in bad faith.

I will be attending University of Michigan Law School with a $150,000 Dean's Scholarship unless I end up attending Harvard (or Yale which I have not heard back from). I think this is an option worthy of being undecided about whether to attend Harvard.

Hey y'all,

A few details to explain the situation:

My VA benefits will pay for the first two years of law school.

I was offered a 50% scholarship.

For those first two years, the school will be paid full tuition by the VA and the scholarship will not apply until I have exhausted my benefits.

During a phone conversation with the dean of admissions, he told me that he could apply those unused scholarship monies to completely cover my tuition for the third year.

However, when I received the official letter yesterday, there was no mention of reallocating those funds per the phone conversation. Another member of the admissions team told me that practically speaking the school would have to give me a 100% scholarship, which they are not willing to do. She then told me would she have the dean call me, but I have to yet hear from him.

Any thoughts on how I should go about having this conversation with him?

Hi everyone,

I just received an offer from a lower rank school which I am willing to attend. However, I am still waiting for a response from a higher rank school which I really like but hasn't get back to me yet (not even waitlisted).

So I would like to know, will sending the higher rank school the offer from the lower rank school increase my chance of getting in, or will it help speed up their decision making?

Just so you know both schools are in Chicago.

Thanks in advance!

I've been waiting for a long time to write this. Perhaps too long. But as I sit here on this rainy day I couldn't think of a better time.

Before I start, I have to give a huge thank you to @danielznelson and @dml277. They have helped me so much on this journey and I'm so appreciative for everything they've done. But the person I attribute most of my success to is @twssmith. Without her motherly love, there's no way I would have gotten into the schools I have. She has been more than a study buddy. She is one of my best friends and I am eternally grateful for that. We even went to the masters together! Anyways, on with the story.

I started my LSAT journey around 2014. I took my first PT during that summer and got a 132. The 135 comes from me bubbling in B on the 40 or so questions I didn't have time to get to. When I looked at where I was and where I wanted to be, I was furious. I wanted this so bad and reading TLS articles where people scored higher than me without even trying enraged me even further.

I was using fox test prep at the time. The instructor said on average, people go up ten points. This was so discouraging. I wanted to get into Harvard. How am I supposed to do that with such low scores? So I followed his curriculum and kept burning fresh PTs. I didn't know what I was doing. Logic games seemed impossible. I didn't even know what a game board was never mind writing rules down. So I did what any rational person would do. I walked away and tried to find other resources.

I stopped studying for a few months. I bought the trainer but didn't read it for two years. Instead, I used fox prep books, foolishly, despite knowing that the course wouldn't work for me.

Where I was in undergrad, I focused on my grades for the rest of that semester and tried not to think about LSAT much. But I knew I wanted to go straight through so I had to get started soon. Towards the end of that academic year, I found 7Sage. At that point, I made up my mind that if this didn't work, I would quit studying and find a new career path.

So I made it work. I studied all the time. I studied at my summer internship. I sacrificed everything: my college friends, my family, even my girlfriend. All to beat this test. I was even studying during my classes to get ready for the September 2014 LSAT. Which got postponed to December. Then June 2015. Which meant I had to find a job because I no longer could go straight through. But I kept telling myself, "how bad do you want it?"

I finished the curriculum in May 2015 was PTing around 155 during that time. But for some reason I thought that I could go in there and hit a new personal best of 160. I was so wrong. I left the test center, crying, regretful. I blew it and I knew it. I wasted my time and my score ultimately reflected that. 153. I wasn't surprised but I was disappointed. Following the familial pressure, I applied anyways. I blanketed the T14. Shockingly, I was waitlisted at Chicago and Columbia. Hell, I even interviewed with Chicago. And even more surprisingly, I got into Georgetown. I had such mixed feelings. I went to the open house and all that it did was motivate me even more. "If this is the results I got with a 153, imagine what I could do with a 163 or 170," I told myself.

Where there were some things going on at my job that I won't mention, I decided to leave and study full time for the September 2016 LSAT. After restarting my studies in January of 2016 I was now well into the 160s. I was happy with my scores but not satisfied. I was working with Nicole Hopkins and felt myself improving each day. But when I walked in that testing so center on September 24th, 2016, it all hit the proverbial fan.

It was a disaster. It was the first time in my life that I was suffering from severe anxiety. I felt paralyzed. I put so much pressure on this moment that I could not move. I was petrified of making a mistake. I mean I'm not trying to make excuses but I feel that my situational anxiety got the best of me. Even worse, I was going home unemployed, leaving my job for what felt like nothing. I took a risk and failed, only scoring 1 point higher than my 153.

I applied anyways and was waitlisted at every single school from #4-9. Again, I was just more motivated than before. If these are the results I'm achieving with a 154, what could I do with a 164? How bad did I want it?

I didn't do any LSAT until I found a new job. But where my commute was now 2 hours each way and I was too tired when I got home, I woke up at 5am four days a week to study. Every single day I woke up, I would ask myself "how bad do you want this? How bad do you want to go to Harvard?" So I did what was necessary and plugged along.

It was around this time, in February 2017 that I found my lord and saviors: @twssmith and @dml277. For some context, I can be really rude sometimes. In fact, I hated Tyler. More than I hated study groups. I was a lone wolf. But she pushed me. She forced me to dig deeper. Literally our study calls would not progress until I provided her with an answer sufficient enough to make her happy. Which is exactly what I needed. @dml277 did the same thing...but was less Socratic about it. Kinda like good cop, bad cop. This was all so weird to me. I hated studying in groups but this was working so well.

Still, there was another postponing dilemma. I postponed June. Then September, ultimately taking December 2017 reluctantly, knowing that this is late in the cycle.

But it finally went well. Finally. After 3 long years I felt like I had taken an official test that I did well on. Given my standards, it was still not good enough. I crawled under my bed and laid there for an hour. But that day, I mustered up the courage and pressed submit on all of my apps.

While I'm by no means an LSAT aficionado like many of you here, there's one thing I'm really good at: crafting an application. My application tells a coherent story that makes sense and captures the readers attention. Just like an LSAT question, each and every part of my application lends support and is supported by something else. In a cycle like this, that is the most important thing. To some ends, it is a numbers game. But that's only 67% of the application. What about the other third? Why should the admissions committee pick you? It's truly because my essays (thank you @"David.Busis") and résumé telling a compelling story. It's because of the hard work I put into not only studying but the application.

My results are as follows:

Yale: Denied

Stanford: DLS (Waitlist or Denied (probably denied))

Harvard: Waitlist

Chicago: In with $$

Columbia: In with $$$

NYU: In, awaiting aid

Penn: Waitlist then denied (lol whatever)

UVA: In with $$

Duke: In with $$$$

Michigan: Didn't apply because I can't stand @danielznelson

Yes. I didn't get into Harvard (yet). I failed at my ultimate goal. But Chicago is more than good enough. And I'm not saying that out of pure rationalization. I'm saying that because I went there and I loved it. Small class size, great faculty, amazing clerkship numbers. I truly feel that there is nothing I couldn't achieve from Chicago in this profession.

This process has been a long and difficult one. Honestly it's been the hardest thing I've ever done. By far. But without this community I couldn't have done it. I'm so appreciative I can't put it into words. Thank you all so much. I hope I can help the same way that I have been helped time and time again.

Edit: I had no intentions of making this controversial but the internet being the internet, the trolls came out to play. I am a URM. I also had 16X, 3.7X, one year in a V50 firm, one year in a top state public office, and other great softs with only 3 months off to study. I wrote this to express gratitude and motivate those in similar positions, not to promote any controversial or particular agenda.

Hey all! Would appreciate some thoughts on this question:

I took the February 2018 LSAT, and while I think my score was pretty good, I know I can do a few points better, at least. My goal was to take the June 11 LSAT coming up, but I'm graduating university in 2 weeks and with that, finishing my senior thesis, and finding a job, I feel like I have a TON on my plate and basically no time to study.

For those who have applied or are in the know, would you say there's a huge advantage admissions-wise between taking the June 11 and July 23 LSAT coming up? I know earlier is better, but I can't imagine that there would be any difference since most people apply in September at the earliest.

Hi everyone! Not sure if anyone is familiar with Canadian law school admissions. I go to a university where only letter grades are shown on my transcript. Due to a bell curve and high percentage cutoffs for certain faculties (95% and above for an A+), I have an excellent percentage average but just by looking at my transcript with the letter grades, it doesn’t translate well. Especially as my university doesn’t have a law school, I would be going to a nearby university WITH a law school and at that university, their letter grade conversions put me at a huge disadvantage. (90%+ for an A+ there). I have so many courses where I only got an A but had 92.7%, 97% etc.

Does anyone have any tips for dealing with this? Is it something that I can write and incorporate into my personal statements? I just feel so disadvantaged and I’m not sure what to do!

Thank you so much for the help!

Admin note: edited title (no caps for titles please)

and please please tell me how I can change my username... I never use that as my username. don't know what happened.

Recently got admitted to Loyola, but they gave me no scholarships. I called and they said that I'm welcome to email the Financial Aid Office so they can reconsider/reevaluate. I was told they don't match other school's financial aid and that all scholarships are merit based.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips on what I should include in the email. I'm at their 75th percentile for LSAT and a bit above their 50th percentile for GPA.

I'm torn between two law schools: Syracuse and Albany. I know for sure that I want to practice in upstate NY so I've narrowed down my list to these two contenders. I will be visiting both of them pretty soon but deposit deadlines are looming. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with these two schools or just info about the areas? So far I've heard that Albany might be the better area to live but any additional info would be appreciated!

Hello Everyone,

I got a 150 LSAT Dec 2017 and a 148 LSAT June 2017. I decided to bite the bullet and apply this cycle. I submitted my applications probably a few days before the deadlines (red flag one). I thought my URM, 3.4 GPA for a top public university, 4 years of WE would help. So far, I got WL at my dream school (a top 10), accepted to a few tier two schools, and one top 100 law school (denied elsewhere, even one school I was sure I would get accepted to).

I attended the top 100 school for admitted students day and did not like it. I did not like the area, I did not like the school environment, and intuitively I felt like it was not the "one" for me.

I am truly heartbroken. I KNOW I can do so much better on the LSAT (BR was 164. Logic games is my worst section) but I want to go to law school already. However, I do not see myself at the school I did not like. If I retake and reapply, I will quit my job, study full time (something I didn't do), and apply as soon as applications open. I just dread studying AGAIN, how I will economically support myself, and waiting ANOTHER year.

Someone please help. Should I ride out the WL at the top 10 (I plan on doing that) or completely scrap everything and reapply this fall?

I have been looking at different blogs and in chat rooms as well as directly at law school admission pages and have not come to a conclusive answer to my question. In my senior year of high school I was suspended for two days for a sexually suggestive joke I made toward a faculty member.

I understand that in most people's case they would not have to send their high school transcript to law schools, however I earned college credit while in my Senior year from the local community college. I am pretty sure I will need to send them my high school transcript, so that opens the door to questions regarding disciplinary action in high school, correct? I know the general rule is to err on the side of full disclosure and it will depend on the specific wording of the Character and Fitness questions, it is just a difficult situation to explain. I was essentially just an immature Senior who didn't think twice about the joke I made until I was called into the principle's office.

Thanks for the help!

I’m taking the June 2018 LSAT as my last shot to get off my first and second choice schools’ waitlists. I have already been accepted (and had to pay my seat deposit) at my third choice. When do I need to start applying for private student loans? I don’t have any undergraduate debt, so I’m totally lost on how this whole borrowing process works. Any advice would help.

https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2018/04/18/proposed-student-loan-cap-could-devastate-law-schools/

Will this mean that more schools will be forced to shut down? Perhaps, less students would apply to law school if this came to pass.

Hi, Everyone. I hope things are going well. Currently, I am on the waiting list for a few schools that I would like to attend. I have been accepted to a school that I am willing to attend, however, I will definitely make a switch if I am offered a decision from the wait-list. I would like to know if I accept scholarships, loans etc from one school, will I be on the hook for any payments if I am called from the wait-list and choose to attend another school? If anyone has any insight on this, I'd love to know. Thanks!

Hello 7sagers,

I was just wondering if I started a masters program and did not complete it do I have to put that school on my application for example lsac . I just want to know if a withdrawal or W in a institution I no longer want to attend wouldn’t look so good on my application. Is it possible I don’t have

To bring up the school at all ?

Hi Guys, I need your help and perspectives with my gap year activities and will it affect my school application for 2018-2019

I graduated Chemical Engineering with a lot of projects and grants for research under my belt. I was also in the top 10% of my graduating year. I took the LSAT last December and got a very dissappointing score, partly because I was burnt out by the time I graduated, so I took a long overdue vacation and studying for the LSAT took a back seat. Next thing I knew, I have 2 months to prep for the December test. (This is entirely my fault)... I am prepping for the June but could be adjusted to July or September (I just checked the LSAC website and they will be offering it on these months). I am feeling okay with my PT, Ive only taken 4 after going over the CC. But what I am worried about the lack of progress on my resume...

On top of the statement above, I havent worked after graduating due to several ( I guess, common) issues. We had to move after my December LSAT and I am applying to law firms even as an IP assistant, but it seems like my degree is close to worthless in law firms. Also, I have been trying to juggle studying for the LSAT 6+ hrs per day, taking care of our son, and looking for a house (currently renting right now). Although, I am in the process of volunteering for Women Shelter I am just worried that admission will see a flaw, even with a decent LSAT and GPA but long gap... Any ideas on how this will be perceived by admission? and what to do about it?

I will be looking for a full time job either in Law, Science, or be a full time volunteer at the shelters AFTER the LSAT

I feel like this should be really obvious... If I've narrowed my choice down to 2 schools and want to relinquish my seat at other schools I've been accepted to so that people can get off the waitlist, is there an easy way to do that? Or do people just have to wait until I put in my final seat deposit? I don't see an easy link on most admitted students websites, is that something we do through LSAC? Or should I email admissions?

Idk why I'm struggling with this but I thank everyone in advance for their help! :)

hey all

i graduated college in 2017. I started studying for the LSAT in July 2017 with intention to take it in September or December. Well, the LSAT is really hard and when September and December rolled around, I wasn't ready. I've been studying for the LSAT full time since around July 2017 and have made a lot of progress from my initial diagnostic score. I am planning to take the LSAT in either July or September 2018, and then hopefully send out law school apps in fall 2018.

Given that I've spent almost an entire year studying for the LSAT full time, do i or should i or how should i explain this resume gap in my law school applications?

During my period of full time studying, i've done some volunteering at my local church, but have not taken on a full-time job because i realized i needed more time for LSAT prep.

I saw TLS1776's on TopLawSchools LSAT prep sticker, and how he took of an entire year to full time prep for the LSAT, and then scored a 180.

For me, the LSAT has been taking me a lot longer to prepare (and tougher!) than initially expected, but I would rather spend 1 year of intensive full time study than drag out LSAT prep to 2 or 3 years if I had taken a 50-hour week job instead.

FYI: I've done summer analyst position internships at large Fortune 500 companies during my summers in undergrad, so I have had professional work experience. It was only after graduation that I realized I wanted to go to law school, and started studying for the LSAT.

would love anyone's advice or feedback. thanks!

Does anyone know the difference between "reserve" and "hold" waitlists? My friend and I got these two different ones. I asked the admissions office but they didn't tell me outright which one is better or worse-- they just said that they're "different."