Hey all, I am currently in the process of signing up for CAS Credential. During my undergrad, I double major in Cognitive Science and Sociology. How should I categorize "cognitive science?" It is an interdisciplinary subject. Is it a social science? or natural science? Either category does not have the major listed. Should I just go ahead choose "social science" and "psychology" instead? But I feel that would be a distortion, should I choose "other"? Thank you so much!

So I came across a previous posting on 7sage regarding topics and circumstances that are appropriate for an addendum:

https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/when-to-write-a-non-required-addendum/

However I wanted to seek out clarifying advice for my situation as it refers to a cancelation and not cancelations.

I took the LSAT four times, the first receiving a score, second was a cancelation, the third was a four point improvement from my first score, and my fourth take will be my second cancelation.

The two cancelations we’re under the circumstances of finding out about my parents getting divorced shortly before, and the second cancelation will be due to my aunt’s death two weeks ago which I know with certainty affected my performance to the extent that my score will not be an improvement.

I am not leaning towards a fifth take as I’m sure it wouldn’t look good and there is no guarantee for an improvement. But should I even bother writing an addendum for two cancelations regarding the circumstances?

Thank you all for any help/advice.

Hello,

I am currently 19 years old. I worked my butt off and took 60 credits of college classes from a community college while I was in high school, which all transferred to a large public university. I'll finish undergrad in May 2019, two years after I graduated from high school. Ideally I would like to go straight from undergrad to law school, which means I'm applying to law schools this coming fall. It also means that I have had only one year out of high school to actually work on extracurriculars and such, and because of that, the Experience and Activities sections on my resume after high school are pretty much nonexistent. I shined Activity-wise in high school (Student Body President, Honor Society President, Valedictorian, leader of a Youth Nonprofit for multiple years, part-time job, etc.), but David has said repeatedly not to include high school accomplishments. My undergrad GPA is a 3.93, and I am currently PTing right at or right below the median for my target law schools. I am practicing full time before my LSAT in September.

I just want to know, do law schools care about how young I am? Does applying at age 19 hurt, help, or even have any effect at all on my chances for getting accepted? Does a lack of Experience and Activities on my resume hurt me, or will law schools be understanding given that I've had only one year out of high school? Should I use my Personal Statement to explain my circumstances, or would it be smarter to write an addendum? I feel like my age would be a good narrative for my Personal Statement, but what do you guys think? Any answers or advice would be greatly appreciated :)

I was charged with "drinking in public" in California and got it dismissed. I was not arrested or convicted. Will it hurt my chanced getting into a good law school?

Hello! First, I hope all of your studying is going or went well.

I am applying to Canadian schools this fall and I am writing the LSAT on November 17. I am worried that this date will put me on the later side of the applicant pool and hurt my chances. My GPA is not great, although I have a solid explanation for my poor performance during my first year and a good trend line during my last three. I have good professor recommendations and I am planning on scoring in the 165+ range.

I know that most schools in Canada have a November 1 application deadline. Please let me know if you have any information!

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Not really sure where to post this, but admissions seemed like the most appropriate spot. For those of you who have been admitted to law school or are currently attending school, how did you handle "imposter syndrome." I am currently in a year-long fellowship program with cohort members that are vastly more qualified, both in a professional and academic sense, than I am; navigating the dynamics of these relationships is both new and somewhat overwhelming. It seems like I always "have to be on," and am constantly trying to prove to myself that I deserve a seat at the table. I'm sure dynamics at law school, especially @ T14s, are similar and I was wondering how people dealt with feelings of subtle inferiority.

Hi all! I'm thinking about writing an addendum because my academic history is a little unorthodox. Considering the addendum is disliked, I wanted to get all of your opinions.

In high school I had a 3.92 weighted GPA. When I was studying for the SAT in 2012, I studied as hard as I could, but it was no use. I took a practice test and received a 1440/2400. Considering the predictive value of the SAT and future success, I was discouraged from even applying to colleges. I didn't take the SAT because I didn't want to waste money to confirm a low score and directly enrolled in a community college. When I was accepted as a transfer student to UC Berkeley I was terrified because high school was more rigorous than community college. However, I worked two jobs and graduated a semester early with a 3.92 GPA. My high school GPA was coincidently a direct prediction of my UC Berkeley GPA and future success.

When I took my first LSAT diagnostic I received a 138. I spent the next 6 months studying and in September 2016 I received a 147. I was devastated, but I continued studying because I was determined. I was working a full time job, with a 2 hour commute, and spending a minimum of 3 hours a day studying during the weekdays. (Weekends, of course, I spent 4 hours minimum.) I continued this schedule for a year and half until I took the June 2018 test and received a 161. Although this is a great score, I'm still convinced it's not reflective of my abilities*

My issues include:

My goals:

*Before, I hear another retake argument, I think it is safe to say that studying the LSAT for a total of 2 years is as good as it's going to get. I've memorized all the practice tests and taken them multiple times.

I have been studying to take the November 2018 LSAT and I have some concerns regarding my chances of admission to Canadian schools.

First off, I graduated from the University of Oregon with a cumulative GPA of 2.93. Yes, I am painfully aware of how low my grades compare to every median. I do not have a high GPA because I suffered from clinical depression as a freshman and it tanked my average. It reached the point where the UO actually kicked me out of school and I had to petition to get back in after a year of community college.

I went to a psychologist and psychiatrist, received the help I needed and got myself enrolled in classes at Lane. After a year, I managed to get back into the University where I performed great and received A's and B's. I earned a 3.8 in my last year, a 4.13 in my last term and wrote a kickass undergraduate thesis.

Despite all of that, I am feeling discouraged that even with a solid explanation for my low overall GPA and a strong trend line upon my return, I will be unable to attend school. I am going to hit this test as hard as I can, but I am not sure how rigid schools will be regarding GPAs.

I am curious if any of you have a similar predicament to mine or know how strict Canadian schools are with their medians. I know UBC has a discretionary category and most other schools only take certain portions of an applicant's overall GPA.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated! Also, good luck to you all!

Do you guys think they will remove the LSAT as an admissions requirement? I've ran into a couple of articles about the ABA removing it as a requirement for the law school admissions process, leaving it up to the schools to decide if they want to use it.

I'm looking at this (https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/when-to-write-a-non-required-addendum/?ss_completed_lesson=14725) lesson in the admissions course and I feel like I might be in a gray area. I think I'm pretty bad on standardized tests and, like everyone else who considers writing an addendum for a low LSAT score, I feel my score isn't representative of my intelligence or my ability to excel in law school. The lesson says the following and I think I might fall in this camp and would like your opinions on this:

If you have a history of scoring low on standardized tests but performing very well in school—for example, you scored a 14 on the ACT, but got straight As in difficult classes—you have legitimate grounds for writing an addendum.

My earlier standardized test scores have been all over the place but they have never been exceptional. While I didn't get a 14 on my ACT, I got a 24 and 25 on my first and second takes, respectively. My SATs went from as low as 1690 to as high as 1850. While an 1850 isn't horrible, there's still some room for improvement. I got into a top school and took some pretty hard classes and finished with an LSDAS GPA of 4.0+. What do you guys think about writing a low LSAT score addendum on these grounds?

I'm going to L.A.W.S. and I want to be prepared with intelligent questions and things to say. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone has any insight as to the value a master's degree holds in the admissions process? I personally have trouble with the LSAT but my undergrad GPA is fairly high and I have a 4.0 GPA from a master's degree. I'm hoping that I can rely on this at least a little but if anyone knows what kind of value it holds, any insight is greatly appreciated! In case it changes anything, I am applying to Canadian law schools.

Thank you!

So slightly ridiculous question, but I’m basically half Eastern European and half Filipino. I’ve always been confused on whether I should be describing myself as Caucasian and Pacific Islander or if I should indicate I’m Caucasian and Asian. And any chance either one helps with admissions? I’m assuming not, but wondering if anyone has any thoughts about it!

Hi everyone,

I am planning on taking the September LSAT and possibly applying ED to UC Davis if I manage to get a 160 because 7sage's law school predictor suggests that with ED I would have a 66% chance of admission. However, I also plan on taking the LSAT in November and I believe I will at least get a 163. That said, if I get admitted ED will they have less incentive to offer me more financial aid/ scholarship money? Making sure that I get into a good school is important to me, but getting the funds to go to said good school is also extremely important to me.

In summary: I don't want to apply ED if it might reduce my chances of getting a good financial package. Will it reduce my chances?

Thank you all.

Background:

I scored a 164 on the Feb. 2018 LSAT. This was the low end of my PTing range of 164 - 172. GPA of 3.93. Attended a higher-end state school. I work at a legal aid firm as a paralegal, before that I was an AmeriCorps member at the same firm. I have eclectic undergrad experience including winning a grant to research public defense in my state (and actually doing the research), also majoring in English Lit and concentrating on Caribbean literature, and being a very proficient (but mostly amateur) classical musician. I'm probably headed for public interest, making scholarship money important. My spouse and I are in a financially stable position, though.

Question:

My question is pretty specific; I already know I need to retake the LSAT. However, before retaking the LSAT (probably on the new November date) I'd like to craft a really good ED app and send it either to Berkeley or Northwestern due to their scholarship offerings for being accepted ED. Generally, it seems like ED and an early cycle app would increase my chances of getting in and I like both of these schools enough that I'd go to either. Any thoughts on which?

Pros of Berkeley: historically seem to weigh GPA more highly, might like an applicant with demonstrated experience, devotion to public interest, and interesting background. Once my spouse and I establish CA residency, the cost decreases, and there's the 60K scholarship split over the three years. That would probably be affordable for us.

Pros of Northwestern: personal connections including a supervisor who went there, a professor from undergrad who knows admissions counselors and professors and would provide a solid recommendation. The full-ride scholarship seems like a double-edged sword: yeah, it'd be great, but it seems unrealistic. My chances of EDing Northwestern probably depend a lot on retaking the LSAT. But maybe those personal connections would help?

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate it.

Good evening,

I have been working on my law school application materials to apply ED. If I am set on attending a particular school, would it be wise to personalize all of the recommendations and essays to the school (UGA)? Also, how soon should I schedule a tour of the school after I apply?

Thank you so much!

Hi everyone,

I was hoping to get some insight on my chances of being admitted to Melbourne University for their JD program. I'm a student from Canada expecting to complete my degree with a low 70s and an LSAT score of low 160s.

Thanks for your help in advance!

Hello all!

So I am trying to brainstorm various topics or events that I could write my personal statement about. There is one particular experience I had a while back that I am thinking could work well for me. During my first semester of college, I was experiencing some symptoms related to drug induced lupus where I would have severe joint pain to the point of not being able to get out of bed on one occasion. While this was going on, my father (who has never been a very emotional man) had a breakdown due to other family issues that landed him in the psychiatric ward twice over a two month period. It was a difficult situation, trying to stay upbeat while it was usually painful to walk long distances and while my family was having a hard time dealing with my father's situation. I also vividly remember trying to calm my father down when he was having overwhelming anxiety attacks at home between stays at the psych ward. I was able to remain positive and support my family emotionally while also working a part-time job and landing on the Dean's List that semester (although academically it was my worst semester).

While I think it could work well for a personal statement, I have seen some suggestions not to use stories or events that took place some time ago. While my specific life event did not occur in high school or earlier, it did occur in my first semester of college after graduating high school. My question is whether the fact that this event took place nearly four years ago will matter to adcoms? Are they looking for more recent personal development?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Hi everyone, I'm scheduled to visit two schools in southern California next month. I'm leaning towards business casual (slacks and either polo or long sleeved button up), but want to make sure I'm not committing a fashion faux pas. I feel like a suit / tie is too much and my normal socal uniform of berks, board shorts, and tee shirt may be a bit casual.

Thoughts? and thanks!

I recently attended 7Sage's webinar hosted by (I believe) David Busis, where he talked about international students applying to US law schools. An interesting thing he talked about was that international students face a disadvantage when it comes to law school admissions because of a variety of reasons, including GPA conversion, language, and financial issues. However, I am not sure if the same applies to my case. I am an international student studying at top liberal arts school in the US (which means that I won't have language or GPA conversion issues). In this situation, would I still be at a disadvantage, solely based on the fact that I am not a US citizen?

Good evening,

I already have individuals who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for me. In addition to my resume, what other information should I send to my LOR writers? They have interacted with me a good bit, but don’t know everything about me. What suggestions do you all have for information that I should get to these individuals?

Thank you so much in advance!

Hello,

I am a non traditional student, out of college for over ten years now. I was hoping to just take the july LSAT but its looking like my schedule has definitely impeded my studying. If i took the test in November so i can really take the proper time for PTs would that be putting me at a disadvantage admissions wise? I already have a bit of an uphill battle due to a low UGPA.

I have a conference call scheduled with a very well-respected lawyer, who also taught at a T14 for a few years.

What questions should I ask him???

So, anyone got suggestions how to stay sane with adhering to the course and somewhat progressing during gap year(s)?

I initially had planned on taking the September 2018 exam but life decided to show me that "adulting" is more important.

How do some of you balance working/finding work that would "beef up your resume" while studying for this monster of an exam?

I'm aiming to try to get into USC or UCLA for Fall 2019 or 2020.

Hi all,

As a splittter I know I have a really good chance of ending up on the waitlist and I would love to know if after taking the September and November LSATs (and probably getting waitlisted) if I should also count on taking the January LSAT to try to get off the waitlist. Should I even consider taking the June LSAT to get off the waitlist???

Or do I just have to proceed with sending out LOCIs and crying? (LOL)

ALSO: Unfortunately, waiting for the next cycle and re-applying is definitely not an option for me.

Thanks!