Michigan Law emailed us to say they had a higher than typical yield on their admission offers and are offering students the chance to automatically defer any scholarships for a year rather than reviewing decisions on a case by case basis.

If anyone is still riding the Michigan waitlist, this is probably bad news. If they are trying to get accepted students to defer, they probably won't be accepting many more people if any off the waitlist.

H

Hi y'all! I read your discussion on GRE for application but just wonder what do you all think about whether GRE or LSAT might be better for me. I majored in Biology and had a high uGPA (3.9+). People say STEM majors tend to have an advantage in GRE. What if I take both and apply with a 25th percentile LSAT for Columbia but a high GRE verbal (168-169 out of 170)?

Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

I was looking for another person to review with/give advice on "Why X School?" statements. At this time I have written two "Why X School?" essays as I've heard that they can be a beneficial component for certain schools.

I tended to emphasize aspects such as regional ties, collegial environment, and programs/student organizations which support my broader career goal. I then showed how these aspects complimented my career goal and would make the school a good fit.

Does this seem to fall in line with what a "Why X?" essay could reasonably include? Would love to get some feedback on what I wrote here or by reviewing essays with another.

Thanks all,

Hope everyone is doing well.

Hello all,

I had a brief question regarding the activities and interests section of a particular application (applying for the upcoming cycle). I'm not sure there's a definitive good answer.

It's a mandatory question that specifically asks for extracurricular/extra professional activities, and for a few specific reasons (would be happy to discuss) I was not able to venture into that area, although I know that's not an adequate excuse. Part of it was during undergrad I commuted to the university which totaled about 4 hours both ways every day to reduce the debt that would have been accumulated by living near my school, so I felt unable to take advantage of various extracurricular opportunities. Another aspect was familial issues among others in my family which I dedicated most of my free time to resolving, although I'm happy to say that has now been resolved.

Given that the section is mandatory, would it be appropriate to write an addendum to explain why this area of my application is lacking? I would and intend to engage in such activities in the future, but as far as the application for this school in the upcoming cycle is concerned, I know it's too late.

I have written a "Why X" for this school in an attempt to bolster my application, but I'm just unsure if not being able to fill in this mandatory "extracurricular/extra professional" section would effectively kill my application for such a competitive school.

Thanks for any assistance/advice,

Everyone in this community has been great.

Hello,

I have a really really rough draft of personal statement and wanted to know if anyone would want to swap to review. Also am I allowed to post my PS here? Thanks.

Hi all, I'm back on the forums haha. In my last post, I was contemplating whether or not to retake. As it stands, I'm deciding to apply with my 173 and if I don't get into the schools I want, I'll sit out a cycle, retake, and reapply (I'm also K-JD, so sitting out would benefit me no matter what).

I'm hoping someone who has completed their cycle would be willing to look over the beginnings of my 250. I know it's early in the game, but this damn thing is such an enigma lol I'd love some feedback.

Do they just take the undergrad. GPA or do they take your grad.grades into consideration as well?

Hey 7sagers,

As a collection of insightful and helpful people, I thought I would ask for some general advice on my personal and diversity statements as well as my low GPA addendum. Fair warning: this will probably end up being a lengthy post so I apologize in advance and appreciate anyone who takes the time to read it and offer their opinion! First, here's a little background information..

One of the biggest challenges I have overcome was becoming a foster parent to my husbands five younger siblings during my freshman year of college. We continued to care for four of them during our sophomore year and we eventually adopted two of them who remain in our care today. This wreaked havoc on my third and fourth semesters of college but I eventually went on to graduate last year with a marketing degree and an LSAC GPA of 3.26. I like to think this is a pretty good excuse for the 2 or 3 classes that I failed early in my college career since I was a tad bit preoccupied raising 5 kids. Thus, I intend to write about this in an addendum.

Despite this very personal experience adversely affecting my GPA, it has added tremendously to my life and my husband and I have received several awards for our efforts, two at a national level. Most importantly, I believe overcoming this adversity, more than any of my professional experiences, has and will continue to translate to other areas of my life, including law school. NOW, my question is.. would it be foolish to "double dip" this topic? If I talk about it in my GPA addendum would it be considered taboo to talk about it again in my personal statement?

As for my diversity statement, I was going to talk about my upbringing on a volcanic rock in the middle of the Pacific (yes, Hawaii) and my 13 years at a very culturally immersed school for Native Hawaiian children.

Would it be too much to focus on themes of foster parenting and trying to play "URM" card throughout my application? I don't want to come off as a "woe is me" type person. I also don't want to give the impression that I'm milking my personal adversity to compensate for a lack in my academic and professional endeavors. I just truly feel that these things have influenced me in the greatest way and that I can write about them with an authentic voice. Should I sacrifice those things for the sake of highlighting my professional experiences? Which is more important for the purpose of admissions to law school?

What are your opinions? Be as brutal as an admissions officer. I know there isn't a cut and dry answer to this kind of stuff... but admission to my reach schools (and thus, the rest of my life) is pretty much depending on slam dunk personal statements so I figured getting constructive criticism from a wide range of people would be most helpful for making a decision on my strategy.

Thanks so much for your insight and best of luck in your law school journey.

Good evening everyone,

Been a lurker/silent member of 7sage for quite sometime as I had been fortunate enough to come across the logic games explanation videos early in my studies, and I could not adequately put into words how helpful they were during my studies which are still ongoing. Have taken the LSAT a few times, and sat for the June exam as well with the clear goal of raising my previous score. Have applied the past two cycles, but am set on the upcoming cycle being the one where I intend to finally begin the law school journey.

Have tried to continuously change and improve my personal statement over time, but have always found a second set of eyes is most beneficial, and was hoping I could exchange and review my personal statement with another individual with the same expectation.

Regardless, thank you all for the shared commitment and motivation you have provided. The journey isn't easy, but knowing there are others on the same path makes it all the more comforting.

Is being in a T-14 really a big deal? I’m looking into the university of Miami law, but I’m nervous about if this would hinder me in finding a job. It seems as though they have a good program dealing with international law & sports and entertainment law.

Admin note: edited title for clarity

I got into two schools and got waitlisted at two others. I had to pay the deposit for my safety school, but I retook the LSAT yesterday to see if I could get a better score. I feel like I probably got a better score, but my safety school is asking me to confirm enrollment before I get my LSAT score back. The other two schools that I got waitlisted at said a decision will be made before August 6, and the safety school's orientation starts August 7. How should I approach the safety school's enrollment confirmation question since I'm hoping my score will be good enough to go to one of the waitlisted schools?

Hi 7Sagers!

Anyone interested in swapping essays for the application?

I've been staring at mine for too long and could really use some advice :)

I am sorry for all the questions in this post, but will genuinely appreciate any help and advise. I have done lots of research on salaries and rankings, but it seems that they are not accurate. I graduated with my GPA at 3.6. I am hoping to go to law school in Fall 2019. I am worried that even if I get a 169 or 170 on the LSAT, it won't be enough for T14. On the other hand, many law schools including Penn Law, are now accepting the GRE. I'm worried that if I am not accepted to Penn with my GRE, then I will be behind another year. How important is Top 14? Should I be aiming to go to the highest law school in hopes of receiving more money in my career? Will my chances be better for big law because the law school ranking is higher? Are there even lawyers making 6 figures anymore? If so, how? Also, do people just take loans? My only problem is I don't want to take out 150k+ loans only to be making 50k a year. What is the most reasonable decision for now and what are my chances of truly getting into big law? Thank you for your help!

Hi guys,

is there anybody want to apply for 2019 Canadian law school? Really want to discuss with some body. Quite confuse with the process. Thanks please get in touch.

Hello everyone!

I've heard some schools that do "remedial" courses/a crash course for students who got in with lower LSATs/GPAs that goes over how to read a case, how to take exams, etc. before school starts. Does anyone know what this is called? Or if it even exists? haha

If I'm not crazy, does anyone know what schools do it?

Thanks for any help!

Hello All,

I'd like to preface this by saying that I know very little about the admissions process ie. the similarity of applications across schools, submission procedures, school specific essays and the like.

Some context: I will be taking the LSAT in September. Unfortunately, I will not know my scores until October. My plan so far has been to prepare and complete applications for prospective schools prior to knowing my scores, and then sending them off as soon as my score come arrives in October. This way I would have the best shot at early scholarships and acceptances.

What I am concerned about is the possibility of making applications to several schools that end up being too highly ranked for my LSAT score. For example, my aspirations are for the T14 but if I score a 165 I needn't apply to any of them as statistically (3.69 GPA non URM) I have no chance of getting in.

TLDR; I don't want to spend all of my time making applications to schools that I potentially won't be able to get in to.

Should I go ahead and make applications to several schools even though my LSAT score might be too low? Should I wait to make applications until after I get my LSAT score even though it would set me back significantly by having to apply several months later?

I appreciate any advice that you all can give me.

Thanks :)

Hi everyone!

I heard that the 2017-2018 law school admissions cycle was one of the most competitive cycles of most recent years. What does this mean for 2018-2019 applications? Does this mean that our cycle will be just as competitive/ more competitve/ less competitive than the earlier cycle? Any advice or information you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I'm sure everyone but me already knows this, but make sure you check with the VA concerning any remaining GI Bill eligibility you might have. I rushed my way through my undergrad, getting my degree in less than 3 years and called the benefits number today on a whim. Found out I have 13 months of remaining eligibility (Montgomery, not Post 9-11). Regardless, that's over $25k at the current distribution rate. Every little bit helps.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2j4el4o.jpg

So I am 67, retired 2 years ago from a very satisfying career as a commercial interior architect with my own business, and I am ready to go down a new path in life. I have the benefit of a lot of lifetime learning experience, I can finally afford to go to school for the pleasure of learning, and I want to give back to the world around me. My idea is to get a law degree and then work for a larger firm on pro bono cases. I don't need the income (maybe they could give me insurance coverage or something), and I would be helping people or issues (maybe environmental) that really need it.

I took the 2007 test before I even signed up with 7Sage and got 152, and I am really benefiting from the course so far. I realize that I might not be qualified until I am in my early 70's, but that would still give me 10-15 years of helping people who really need it. I am in excellent health both mentally and physically.

When I was younger I worked full time while I finished my degree and I always wanted to be able to go to school for the pleasure of learning without the pressure of needing to support myself. From that point of view just going through the training and taking the LSAT is worth it on its own, because I am really enjoying the learning process. However, I would also like to be able to use what I learn.

Am I kidding myself into thinking I might have a viable path before me? I understand that most of you probably won't have much feedback for me because of the age difference, but all responses will be appreciated.

My original plan was to take the upcoming LSAT in June, but I realized the error of my ways and decided I could use a LOT more time to study. My GPA sucks, so I'm relying more heavily on the exam than most. So, I intend to take the December/January test in about 6 months.

I spoke to some people familiar with the admissions process, and one of them advised me to begin the application process ASAP (maybe about 10 months before I'd begin school) because scholarships are limited and many are claimed early on. So my question is this: if I take the LSAT at such a late juncture, should I then hold off on applying to schools until the next cycle (18 months hence)?

This is also working on the assumption that most law schools only permit L1s to begin in the autumn semester rather than allowing entry bi-annually like most undergraduate programs.

Anyone have any thoughts?

The 2018 Above The Law rankings are live:

https://abovethelaw.com/2018/05/the-2018-law-school-rankings-are-here-with-major-employment-driven-changes-at-the-top/

As a reminder or orientation for anyone new to these, they are based mostly on employment outcomes so generally look very different from the US News rankings. These are not "official" rankings like US News are considered, but I personally think these are just as (or in some ways more) important. A really interesting and practical way to view law schools.

Hey guys,

I'm starting to study for the LSAT but I'm concerned about the actual application. I didn't keep in touch with my professors! What do I do for the the LoRs??

Hi, I was just wondering, as I am of American Indian descent, but solely four generations ago... I don’t want them to think I’m faking or something and I don’t look of Native Indian descent, but can I still put it in my race category as well as white/European?

When are you not allowed to anymore?