Hey all,

While waiting for my Oct LSAT score, I am preparing to ED either NYU or Cornell because I want to work in NYC after law school. However, I am a bit uncertain as to how to choose my ED school wisely to maximize my chances.

Basic info:

International;

167 LSAT; waiting for Oct LSAT- felt good about it so probably would be higher than 167;

3.41 UGPA but has a valid reason for writing a good addendum, according to some responses I got here. ESL and last two years GPAs were 3.88 and 3.75. Political Science major;

Diversity- I identify as LGBTQ;

2 years out of undergrad- did a master of social work degree in another country;

Strong rec and extracurricular- I have a strong focus in social entrepreneurship and social work, and won a fellowship to deliver a social innovation project in a another country during my senior year in college. Will hope to do some sort of social entrepreneurship and law work after law school.

What do you all think? Where should I submit my ED to to boost my chances? I am open to suggestions other than NYU and Cornell as well.

Much appreciated,

TC

I'm in a bit of a predicament with my GRE score.

I took the GRE in 2017, intending to use it to apply to humanities PhD programs. Law school wasn't on my radar then, nor had the law school GRE pile-on begun. Thinking that only my verbal scores would matter, I didn't bother studying for the quant. I scored a 170V and 158Q (69th percentile) and a 5.5AW.

In February 2018 I took the LSAT and got a 170.

My question is whether I should submit my GRE with middling quant score to law schools where submission is optional if you have an LSAT score. (Some schools require you submit the GRE no matter what if you took it in the last five years.) For example, if I apply to Harvard will they be more likely to see my 170V as a boon or my 158Q as a detriment?

Will the GRE even matter if I have a solid LSAT?

I have several study abroad grades listed under the category of "other grades" and I know they weren't factored into my overall GPA so would LSAC use them in their recalculation? Thanks!

After waiving right of access to LORs, has anyone asked to see their LORs? Is this considered an appropriate course of action? If yes, what’s the appropriate way to go about it?

Hey everybody!

My childhood best friend has been an associate at Paul Weiss (prestigious big law firm--JY actually worked there) for about 8 years. He went to Columbia Law School and clerked for a State Supreme Court judge (now I'll stop talking about him). What do you think about a LOR from him saying, 'I've known him for 25 years, and in my experience in the legal profession, I think he'd be remarkably successful because of X reason, Y reason, Z reason." Does that seem weird? Thanks for any input!

So I had gotten my LORs in the spring of 2017 because I had planned on applying after the LSAT in December of 2017. I wasn’t happy with my score, so I’m applying for the upcoming cycle. Is it okay to still use the letters I had gotten from professors that I had developed great relationships with and were more than happy to write my letters. Or would it be best to find new recommenders? Thanks!

Hey,

Anyone wants to swap? PM me!

TC

So i took the September LSAT, and i didn't get what i needed, so I will be taking it again in November. I haven't started applying anywhere since my score wasn't high enough, but should i be starting my applications? I already have my letters of recommendation, and I want to have my applications completed by the end of December. How much time should I expect to set aside for the application process, and should I be starting now even though I'm waiting on my next LSAT score?

How long should a personal statement be? I have heard different things on different sites - some saying 1-2 pages and others saying a max of 3. I am asking this because mine is 2 full pages right now and I feel like it may be longer with my friends' editing/comments on how I can better improve it.

Thanks!

Hey guys, just curious as to what an individual should do at a law school information session if he or she is applying next cycle?

Thank you~

A little over a week ago I submitted my law school applications. It was quite a relief. However, shortly after a very significant life event occurred that I'd like to speak about on my application. Is it possible to reach out to admissions offices and submit a supplementary essay? Would asking to do this look bad? I honestly have no clue who to talk to about this so any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hello! I'm revising my PS currently and am wondering about using non-English words in the essay, as well as more technical words vs "common" words. For example, using "Pipipi snail" instead of "black nerite." Even then, should I just say "sea snail?" Or another example, using "a'a" or "basalt" vs "lava rock." I assume everyone knows what basalt is, but then again, maybe not! I know they're smart people, but I'm not sure how much knowledge I should assume the readers should have. It's part of my upbringing and general knowledge to use these words, and I feel it's more authentically myself to use the words I've used, but I'm paranoid they won't know what I'm talking about so should I use simpler words for the admission's officers clarity? Thanks for any help!

Some law school applications ask, "Are you applying, or have you applied, to other law schools? If so, please list them." This questions is typically marked as optional within the "Law School Interest" section.

Should we disclose this information or leave it blank? What are the advantages/disadvantages of listing all or some of the schools to which we are applying?

I'm reaaally struggling with the idea of balancing Applications and studying. For those of us testing in November, I figured we want to get our apps in asap once our scores come back. But I'm leaning toward waiting to do my apps until after I take the test because I've read the admissions centers are closed for holidays anyways so it makes no sense to apply in the middle/end of December. That would give me about a month and a half to complete all my apps. Is that enough time for a solid application?

Does anyone know of any resources for information on merit scholarships at the T14? Specifically thinking about the established/named scholarships that they don’t really publicize. I’ve only heard of most of these because of occasional mentions on various admissions forums; some schools mention them vaguely on their websites and others don’t at all. I’d love a comprehensive list of what’s out there, and estimates about what stats you typically need to get offered one (I know the schools don’t offer the official stats, but I feel like there is probably a general consensus out there).

Here’s a short list I’ve been working on that definitely needs more work:

Columbia- Hamilton and Butler

Michigan- Darrow

NYU- Vanderbilt

Duke- Mordecai

Penn- Levy, Toll

Chicago- Rubenstein, Cafaro

Alternatively, any T14 schools that are throwing money at PI students?

I am having trouble deciding where to discuss my chronic illness - in my Personal Statement or in my Diversity Statement. I was diagnosed epilepsy when I was a child, but things have gotten much more severe in the last ~5 years. My struggles in recent years have really shaped me, and I feel that they do a pretty good job of showing who I am as a person in a positive light. Overall, I think this is the most meaningful topic that I have to discuss in my admissions essays. Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on which essay I should use this topic for? Or if I could potentially use the topic for both?

If I don't write about my illness in my Diversity Statement, I honestly have zero idea what I would write about. I do not have a very diverse background otherwise. If I don't write about it in my Personal Statement, I think I could come up with something else to write about, but I don't think it would be nearly as compelling. Since the Personal Statement is more significant in the application, I am not sure that I should sacrifice a stronger essay in order to have a topic that seems applicable to the Diversity Statement. At the same time I am still questioning whether it is a good idea to have a neurological disability be at the center of my application - I have been told by many that it is not uncommon for people (even those on a law school admissions panel) to associate an illness like mine with being mentally handicapped which could me a serious negative on my application.

I am just about ready to apply but when going to upload my resume a few law schools (only on LSAC, not on their websites) said to include some version of this information on the resume:

-List your extracurricular activities since entering undergraduate school, the hours per week devoted to such activities, and the dates of the activities.

-List your positions of employment since high school (either full- or part-time), the number of hours per week devoted to each position, and the dates of employment.

I'm a non-traditional student who graduated in 2010 and has been working as a full-time high school teacher. I do not remember all of my hours and odd jobs and extracurriculars. Also, adding these details would push my resume past 2 pages. Has anyone had a similar experience who applied? What did you do? Any advice?

For those of you who have submitted the Columbia App, anybody can't log in to the portal? Mine was saying there was a technical issue since I got the original email. Thanks

Hi! I am an international student who studied in a liberal arts college in the states and had a cumulative gpa of 3.41.

Although my cumulative gpa is low, a closer look would reveal a significant and consistent upward trend in my grades. Specifically, it went like 2.98, 3.23, 3.88, and 3.75 for my four years (my major gpa was 3.7 in political science), and the courses I took increased in difficulties as I progressed (especially the last two years,where I took high level political science and economic classes). I had been educated in a drastically different country and English was my second language when I got into college, and adjusting to that new environment was definitely a challenge.

I was wondering how strong a case I can make, given these facts, and how much would it matter for T14 law schools when they look at my gpa.

Thanks in advance!

TC

Hey ya'll --

About 4 years ago I participated in a peaceful, organized protest that involved a sit-in. I was arrested for something like "blocking passage" (I think in DC it might be called "Crowding, obstructing, or incommoding"). Basically, I was taken to a processing center with the other protestors, paid a nominal fee (something like $75-$100) and went on my merry way. All of this was planned--and I had gone to a session on peaceful civil disobedience beforehand / knew that the arrest would take place.

That said, I'm looking for advice discussing this on the character and fitness portions of applications. Are any of ya'll going to have to disclose something similar? And does anyone have any insight into how admissions committees view these types of things?

Also, is anyone going to be listing traffic incidents on their apps? (Ex., a ticket for a red light).

Many things to anyone that can respond --

Kyle

My Stats: 3.82 162. Top tier research University.

Work experience in fed government internship, and in public interest law organization for an internship. Experience at a software startup too and currently working as a paralegal in SF Big Law firm.

Study abroad experiences in Asia.

Languages include Mandarin.

I’m also a non-AA URM.

So: should I maximize my chance at NYU by EDying? My goal is for NYC Big Law and eventually government work. I really like the school’s vibe; I had a great experience touring the school. If I get a Root-Tilden, it’s a done deal. But my lsat is low!

I am applying to Cal, Harvard, Columbia, and UChicago

Any shot at those?

My PS and DS and LORs are strong.

When I began formulating my personal essays/statement, I tried to focus on providing an interesting narrative that I thought helped to explain how different specific events have lead me to a way of approaching the idea of the law. I've tried to maintain a narrative form, rather than going all-out abstract essay.

However, I was recently reviewing some personal statements online, and I noticed that a number of people made note of their academic achievements. For instance, UofT, arguably Canada's #1 law school, provides this online document for prospective applicants: https://www.law.utoronto.ca/documents/JD/UofT_Law_Personal_Statements_Examples.pdf

What have other people's experience been with this? Is it best to "slip" these in? Gotta say, when I've tried to work them in so far, I kinda feel like a prig.

Hi all! As I'm working on my resume for applications, I was wondering if anyone had some advice about how to list my UG merit based scholarship. It has a specific name (Coronat Scholar) and with came with full tuition; only about 15 people per year receive it. I'm wondering if it would be better to just simply list "Coronat Scholar" or include some elaboration in a bullet point (like full tuition scholarship). Just not sure if thats considered tacky or if thats actually helpful information to an admissions officer. Thank you in advance!

So, I was reviewing my application form. I was pressing buttons to see how to use one of my LSAC CAS Report waivers and I used ended up submitting the app which I didn't think was possible since I did not have a LSAT score. So, does this negatively effect me? Do I need to resubmit the app in December when I get my November score back?

I'm considering applying next year but my teachers are already on their way sending the letters of recommendation to LSAC. So... would law schools dislike letters written the year before?