So I am working on my optional essay for Stanford and have a dilemma. One of the questions I want to answer is;

Option A -

Now, I can instantly think of a character that I've connected to for years. I read the book every year because I love it so much. It is by my favorite author, and I love everything about it. The problem is I fear the book might be too obscure. I feel like not enough people would have read it, and I'm worried the admissions team might not gain anything from it because they don't know enough about the character. I understand this is where my writing comes in. I have to show them who the character is, and how I associate with him in 250 words, but is it a risk?

Option B-

I could also write the essay about a well know character, but I feel like it loses some power because I'm being "less honest" with how I associate with the character. The admissions team would know the character for sure, but I don't feel the same connection to these other characters and feel like my essay would lose that earnestness.

I think option A is my best bet, but what do you think?

Hello All!

I am seeking out anybody who has done more research than I have on schools and esp if you are a minority. So stats first my highest LSAT is a 159 and my LSAC GPA is a 3.23... I know this seems rather low compared to many of you guys on this site but I can't do more about it, hoping my community experience and diversity will help out a bit...

I'm first generation Mex-American and first generation college student interested and have worked in public interest law. I'm mostly applying to schools in CA but anything above the top 40 seems pretty out of reach for me with my low GPA and within the median LSAT score. Wondering if you guys know of any schools that are more open to diversity or resources to look this up?

Also for scholarships, I thought there would be a lot more external ones for minorities but I have only found 1 through the hispanic scholarship fund (for entering students at least). A lot of them seem to be targeted for current law students (1L, 2L) and the schools also offer merit ones right when you apply so you don't need a separate application. I have searched within my city and found a couple I am applying to but being minority isn't a requirement.

Any advice is welcome, thank you!

-Steph

Anyone willing to swap PS or just go hard on mine and make me cry?

Thanks

Hey guys! So, I'm currently panicking...I'm waiting on a LOR from my boss (an attorney for whom I've worked for 3 years), and haven't submitted apps yet.

I'm applying to Emory, U of GA, Wake Forest, UNC, and U of FL.

I'm worried because my latest LSAT score was from September, and most people who wait this long just took the LSAT in December. However, I've been single-handedly planning my June wedding and working, and have been lacking motivation to work on essays.

Have I significantly damaged my chances of acceptance by waiting too long?

If you're accepted, waitlisted, or denied at a certain school and you apply to law schools again the next cycle, do law schools view the applicant in a bad-ish light? does it depend on whether you were accepted/rejected the previous cycle? I've read some anecdotal success stories on TLS and on 7sage forums, but I wanted to get more general facts on what it's like to reapply.

And I'd imagine that it's definitely recommended or required for you to send in a brand new personal statement?

Do you also need to send in new recommendation letters or can you reuse the ones you had sent in a previous cycle?

Hi guys, for personal reasons, I wasn't completely sure whether I wanted to go to law school and ended up taking the LSAT late in the cycle (I got a 174, I'm an international student,so my superior - evaluated GPA doesn't really count for much is what I've heard).

I think the earliest I'll be able to get in my applications is by mid-January. It shouldn't be any later than that, but you never know with life haha.

I really want to go to a T3 school;Should I just wait until the next cycle?

Part of me just wants to apply this cycle because I don't feel that I can score higher on the LSAT nor do I think my essays are going to become substantially better than they are now. At the same time, I'm worried that if I apply this late in the cycle, I'll be rejected with no real way to submit a stronger application the next cycle.

Thanks in advance!

I've been looking for it for like half an hour and can't find it... Anybody want to send me the link so I can bookmark it? Super helpful to be able to look at all the prompts on one page. Thanks, friends!

I'm not exactly sure how to go about drafting a personal statement. I'm applying to ND, and their application states that I should provide insight about myself and about why I'm interested in pursuing a legal education... But beyond that, I'm stumped. I've overcome adversity in a number of ways; I definitely plan to write about this because I feel it'll set me apart from my peers in a positive way. What else might I touch upon?

Since as long as I can remember, I've ALWAYS had a fascination with the law. I went through undergrad thinking I'd begin a career in law enforcement, but as I progressed through my undergraduate years my interests shifted more and more toward working in the legal field in more of a "white collar" type of atmosphere. After branching out, doing my research, speaking with a few lawyers that I knew relatively well, I decided to pursue a legal education.

I do plan to mention all of this in my personal statement. However, I believe that my personal statement will still be pretty skeletal beyond touching upon that and my section on overcoming adversity.

Thoughts?

So upon submitting my OLSAS application, I indicated that planned future lsat dates would include the December and February LSAT. I've written the December date, and may choose to no longer write the Februrary one. Can I delete this planned date? Will this cause law schools to not consider my application until the february date? Will it hurt me if I don't write the February test date even though I indicated that I planned on doing so?

I also found OLSAS has not yet uploaded my December LSAT score. When should I start to be concerned?

Thanks!

Hello, I know today is New Years Eve but the NYU scholarship applications are due tomorrow and I am looking for a tough critic to review my essays tonight. I would really appreciate it and would happily return the favor in the future!

So in my statement, I write about contacting a high profile player agent when I was younger to ask for advice on the path I should take. He is not a nobody, he is one of the top agents in the NHL and actually graduated from one of the law school's I am applying. Is it ok to use his name or should I describe him as I did in this such question?

Thanks

So I scored a 169 LSAT, but due to a really low GPA from a long time ago(2.8). My more recent academic GPA was a 3.3. Would I be in the running for heavy scholarships at schools with average LSAT of 157?

.

I've got a 3.94 out of WashU, and a 171 LSAT, currently finishing my senior year and applying in the next week. These normally seem like pretty safe numbers for Penn but I have a few main concerns.

I had a 166 LSAT before, and some schools like to average. I had just flown home from europe two days prior so I feel like I can write it off as being jet lagged, but still feel like this is going to hold me back in some way

I have a minor weed related citation I received a few years back, but charges were dismissed. Again nothing serious, but it's making me consider playing things safe.

I'm applying rather late in the cycle.

I'm a senior still, with little real work experience (just internships). Plus I'm a Finance major, heard law schools aren't such a huge fan of business majors.

I would prefer Chicago, but just marginally. Given these numbers, should I play it safe and apply ED round 2 to Penn? Or roll the dice and see if I can get into Chicago or Columbia? I've been looking at all the numbers on lawschooladmissions and such, but really hard to get a feel for my particular circumstances.

Thanks guys!

I only have one publication, but definitely want to include it because it was the featured cover article (and am kind of lacking in other resume areas). Should I include this under my Education section? Or make a separate section? Thanks for any thoughts!

I've decided to retake the LSAT in February. I scored a 162 on my December exam, but there were some circumstances that I believe affected my score, which is why I know that I can score higher. Should I send in my applications prior to the exam (in January) with an addendum letting them know that I will be retaking in February or wait until after I have taken the exam.

Any advice? Thanks!!

Is anyone available to read my Personal Statement and Diversity Statement? I am super stumped and need some advice. Any help is much appreciated. :)

I'm a URM (black male)

For Georgetown Law's optional responses I'm torn between doing the generic "Where do you see yourself in 10 years after graduation from Georgetown" or a "Top Ten list." For my top ten I thought about listing my top 10 favorite pokemon and talking about some of my competitive battling experience (totally dorky, I know) or like a top 10 favorite book list, top 10 favorite Harry Potter characters, top 10 favorite TV shows, etc. Are those way too informal and goofy? lol any thoughts are appreciated! 166/3.85 so pretty borderline right now...

How does the LSAC determine undergraduate GPA? I had attended multiple schools from the same system during my undergraduate and have varying GPAs from each. If the LSAC deferred to the GPA of our graduating institution that would be great ?

Where are good places in the Northeast for someone with a 175 LSAT and 3.8 undergrad GPA to apply if they're hoping for full or close to full ride merit scholarships? Thanks for your thoughts!

I have a very atypical background and many personal reasons for studying law. From junior high school through getting my undergraduate degree my family struggled a lot: immigrant parent, lower middle class, police involvement, parents divorced etc. I ended up taking 3 courses per semester, getting mostly As but a couple Cs and have several withdrawals on record, ending with a GPA just over 3.5 (cumulative GPA over 3.6). My recent LSAT score was 160, my PT average after about five months of part time study.

I'm working on my PS and addendum for my target school where my scores are in the lower quarter percentile. My current draft is almost two single spaced pages. Does that seem too long? I think I sound pretty objective, just describing the events that distracted me from school, but I'm afraid of being a drama queen. I wouldn't tell anyone about these things if I didn't have to, but I know my transcripts would otherwise be a poor reflection of my abilities and spark all kinds of questions. I'm also afraid of sounding like I'm just blaming poor choices on the drama in my family.

Any suggestions from other people with ghetto backgrounds?

Hey guys! Anyone want to swap personal statements/ diversity statements?

I'd like some feedback from people that don't know me.

I don't remember the source, but I vaguely recall hearing that out of the top schools, UChicago especially loves high-GPA applicants (=as in they put more emphasis on that more than other top schools do even if it means foregoing some high LSAT ppl) Has anyone heard this as well? Can someone validate or invalidate this rumor?

So I am currently debating whether or not to use the 7sage one time editing package for an edit of my personal statement. My dilemma is coming from the questions on the Yale app regarding whether or not you've used an admissions service for help on anything. Dean Asha's post about this on her blog seems to indicate that using a service could negatively impact your application. Given that I'm a splitter for Yale (178, 3.67 cum GPA) and that Yale is such a blackbox anyways, I'm pretty conflicted on what to do. I was pretty set on it before I read that part of the application. On the one hand, I know I'm an extreme long shot at Yale to begin with. Everyone is no matter what their scores/gpa are, so the edit might not help there but it could on other applications. Making a decision about an integral part of my application because a concern about just Yale seems a little ridiculous. On the other hand, I'm worried that what chance I do have at Yale will be hurt by using such a service. And Yale is just the dream for so many reasons. Anyone have any advice on this? It's a needy question, so my apologies in advance.