I got an email from duke on the 8th saying I was in priority track for admissions and would have a decision within 10 days. Well now the 19 is slipping away, and for you math wizards that's 11 days! And no contact from Durham...

Anyone have experience with priority track/ duke admissions in general? I should be a slam dunk admit, unless im being yield protected? 176, 3.56

Got the email today!!! WUSTL was my first choice too!!! Comes a week after my interview!

I want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone on this forum for all the encouragement and all the wisdom!

Good luck to those who have yet to take the LSAT, those who have applied, and those who know where they are going to school!

Hi all-

So I am active duty military, and applying to law school for JAG. Having been active duty for several years, I've collected some not-so-small tattoos, including a half sleeve and one on my calf. While visible tattoos are part of military culture, I understand that they can still be taboo in the law community. It was never something I considered being a possible hindrance until I decided to go to law school. I covered them for an interview today, but I was wondering if anyone has any input on:

Whether having visible tattoos at law school interviews, or wearing for example, a short sleeve shirt to class that shows my tattoo work would have consequences?

If I choose to leave the military and work as a civilian lawyer, how this would be viewed? As a woman, would I be able to wear a pantsuit vice a skirt suit to make it easier? I'm assuming its dependent on the firm (big law being more conservative, non-profit law less so, etc).

Basically, how screwed am I if I get out of the military and want to practice law? :)

Okay, so there are a lot of posts about this out there. But it's really, really, really true. I know how hard the LSAT grind is and how much it sucks and how much you want it to be over, over, over. I was there too. I was devastated when I got my score back from the June 2017 LSAT and it was not the score I wanted. It could have gotten me into a good school, but my dream is/was NYU and it wasn't going to get me in at NYU. Not with any shot at money, at least, and because I want to go into public interest, I need a shot at money. So I buckled down, studied for 2 more months, and I blew it out of the water in September.

Let me tell you, I started out not being able to do a single game. I would MAYBE get the first question when you could brute force it. Other than that, everything was a total mystery and I did not think I'd ever be able to solve the games, let alone get a perfect score in the games.

This test is so beatable, but you HAVE to put the work in. I started studying in June 2016, with a 156. I was finally done with it in September 2017, with a 174. If I can do it, so can you, and so can anyone. This community, the forum and the explanations are invaluable and I credit them with so much of my success. I am happy to share any tips, though I don't think I have anything revolutionary to share.

Cheers.

I'm visiting LA from Buffalo and was driving to UCLA for a tour & class visit yesterday morning, when the Dean called to inform me of my acceptance!

Happy to DM you my stats.

Grateful for this community that has helped put everything into perspective and provided so much support over the last several months. :-)

Hi all, with a ( 3.0 GPA / )170 LSAT can I reasonably think about schools in the latter half of the T15 (#7-15) range? Or are those "reaches"? If they're reaches, where would my "targets" be?

Thanks in advance for your input, I really appreciate the noticeably kinder demeanor from this community in comparison with other Pre-Law forums on the internet...

Okay so I did the 7Sage LSAT course and got fairly close to the score I wanted on the LSAT. I had 2 addenda (yes I made mistakes) but got the call a few months ago that I GOT IN!!!

anyways, do you think a 1L prep course is worth it? Should we learn a little background before we start this fall?

I just did my kira interview for UT and cornell and I feel like a fell short on the video questions. I was wondering if sending a thank you for the opportunity/I could do better email would be a bad idea?

Hi all, for schools like U Mich (where there’s no specific separate scholarship application process), how does the Darrow or other merit aid work if you are admitted in Jan or Feb? Thanks :)

Received an email encouraging me to take part in an optional interview from this school. They are not my first choice and probably will not even go if admitted. My question is two-fold. Why have been selected for the interview and what kinds of questions do they ask. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thought it could be fun and motivating to hear other people's stories about why they are starting down this path. So, what's your story? Do you come from a long line of lawyers? Is there something specific you want to accomplish? Are you not sure what else you should do with your life and this seemed reasonable enough? (Maybe not that last one haha)

I'm curious. For the GPA averages that law schools report, do they use the LSAC GPA of applicants at the time they are admitted, or at the time students enroll in the program? In other words, does a law school report a college seniors LSAC GPA from march when they are accepeted, or from May after they graduate? Thanks!

About a year ago (a bit longer) I got fired from my second job out of college. Is worked at this job for 3 months then got terminated. Does anyone have helpful advice on how to acknowledge this on a CF essay? Or links to examples?

Hi all-

I have a meet and greet with William & Mary Dean's Office next week, and am assuming that I should approach it like an interview. I have the basics down (aka her bio, answers to the usual questions regarding why I chose the school, why I want to pursue law, etc) but was wondering if anyone has either/or:

OR

Thanks and good luck to all on admissions!

I got an email from a law school that I applied to but have not received acceptance into yet. The email said that I should apply for this full ride scholarship, but then it said the requirements are that I must be accepted to get the scholarship. Do you think I got in and the school accidentally sent a scholarship opportunity email before my acceptance email? I just thought it was weird.

Need to write an additional essay on why I want to go to SMU, anyone have experience writing something like this/ have tips for what admissions officers are looking for?

So Duke's personal statement prompt is a bit different than most other law schools. They want to hear about significant experiences, and career and personal goals. The issue is I covered a lot of that with my diversity statement and my "Why Duke" essay. In-fact, I'd say I covered all of that in my Optional Essays 1&2. So I'm a lot less sure what to cover in my PS. I don't want to rehash what has already been said in my other essays, but I do want to address their prompt.

Should I risk sounding a little repetitive in order to make sure I hit the check marks, or should I just keep my PS individualized and address things not already covered?

I had my interview with WUSTL last Friday and I wanted to tell you about my experience!

It was a Skype interview but the connection was terrible so the interview ended up being over the phone instead. The Admissions Officer that interviewed me was super friendly and the interview overall was pretty informal.

She started off by asking me about a few specific things on my resume such as my recent job change and what I do for work now. I was also in the men's rowing team at my University so she asked me what that was like and how I balanced schools and a sport at the same time. I think this question was more geared to seeing how I handle multiple responsibilities at once.

Next, we talked about why I wanted to go to Law School and why WashU in general. I think my answer hit the nail on the head because I talked about specific clinics that WashU offers that I would be interested in and the interviewer responded very positively to it. Doing your research before the interview to interject school specific answers in super important. Also, having a solid answer on why you want to go to law school is definitely a must. She also asked if I had even been to St. Louis which I responded that yes I have and that I've actually self-toured the school to which she was surprised/happy about. Where in ultimately want to end up after graduating was something she also asked.

The second most important question I thought was asked is what I hope to get out of law school. I prepared for this question by doing research into the classes and clinics WashU offers and how I could adapt that after I graduate. I also threw in a part about certain organizations that I would be interested in. This question was so important in my opinion because it had you cover a wide arrange of topics, specifically: Why this school? Did you do any research on the school? Did you research the city? What can you do in law school other than academics? How will you use your skills gained after law school? What is most important to you? Do you have any idea what you want to do after law school?

The most IMPORTANT question that you NEED to have an absolutely solid answer on is a time when you showcased leadership. I was not going to prepare for this question nor did I even come across my mine before a buddy of mine who used to work for the Center for Career Development at our University told me to prepare for it and I am so happy I did. I definitely would have struggled with that question by it catching me off guard and not having some sort of formulation of the answer beforehand. It was then followed by a time I had to overcome a struggle, but my answer for the leadership question actually encompassed this question as well so the interviewer did not ask for another answer to it.

I hope this helps anyone who has an upcoming interview!

Hi everyone,

looking for advice on whether or not to write an addendum. I cancelled in Oct. 2015, got a 159 in Dec 2015, cancelled in Sept. 2017 and finally got a 167 in Dec. 2017. Should I address my score increase, cancellations, both or neither? I don't have a good reason for the cancellations besides extreme anxiety during the exams, and I don't want to make myself seem like I wouldn't be able to handle law school exams or the bar exam. But on the other hand, I feel like I can't not address the cancellations.

Anyone have any suggestions??

Thank you!

I'm planning on visiting Georgetown next week. There is no tour/info session so I can only take a self-guided tour. Has anyone ever done a self-guided tour? Is it still a valuable way to learn about a school?

Alright guys, it's crunch time for me and HYS. I've been furiously reworking, editing, and tuning my PS for the big boys, and I think it's ready! The only thing preventing me from submitting my apps is whether or not to submit a GPA/LSAT addendum, and ewhich will help my cause more.

Background: 3.56 GPA from a highly-rated private college in Mechanical engineering, a very tough program where I was in the top 10 percent, but unfortunately my school does not keep records of class rankings, so I can't prove that :( I also had a very rough first semester (2.7) and very steady improvement for the next three years

I took the LSAT 3 times as some of you know, June '17: 170; Sept '17: 170; Dec '17: 176. I know Yale for sure is going to discredit my 176 slightly because of it being my third attempt, probably S and H slightly or not at all. I didn't have a meltdown or issues on first two takes, just improved gradually over months of study and my 10000 hours came thru in Dec, but I did score regularly in 175-178 range since June, so it was by no means a fluke.

Softs: nothing that will help my case. 2 years of WE in an unrelated field, a little volunteering

My question is if it could possibly do any harm to submit an addenda if it is well-founded and well-written, which I feel both are (I have written a separate addendum for each situation). I am worried that my GPA is prohibitively low, especially for Yale if they give any weight to my multiple LSATs. If I went to UofM and majored in anything other than astrophysics I'd have a 3.9 minimum, but can I convince admins?

I'm thinking the GPA addendum would be stronger and probably addresses a more apparent red-flag in my apps. Validation? Opinions? Advice? A Time machine??

Hey guys,

I'm wondering if I should write a GPA addendum for UT. They're kinda a long shot (below 25th LSAT). Their application says to explain if your academic performance for one or more semesters was markedly different from that of other semesters.

The thing is I don't have a valid excuse other than it was my first year of college and I took all my hard sciences and maths that year.

I ended up with a 2.81 that year but graduated with a 3.79. I don't know how it would look if I don't have a good reason.

Would it hurt to write one?

Hi! Know it's already a little late in the game but hoping I could get some opinions on my PS & DS, any comments/suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

Lately, I have been considering writing an addendum showing an explicit history of standardized test results accompanying a strong academic performance but I need help in deciding if this applies to me.

I grew up in Nicaragua and thus, I was not exposed to standardized testing until I was 11 years old. It's not part of my education foundation. In High School, I took the SAT a total of three times.

The maximum score for each section is 800 points:

Using the 2011 scale, I first scored 500 writing, 610 math, 560 critical reading meaning I scored in the 55th, 78th and 71st percentile respectively.

Next, I scored 530 writing, 550 math, 610 critical reading meaning I scored in the 64th, 62nd and 83rd percentiles respectively.

Lastly, I scored 490 writing, 550 math, 610 critical reading meaning I scored in the 51st, 62nd and 82nd percentile respectively.

The total score for each test put me around the 70th percentile. Meanwhile, I was performing very well academically. I never failed any of the 10 AP exams I took, which to me felt different from tests like the SAT because they were graded on what we directly learned in the classroom. I scored a 5 on the AP Calculus exam and yet I could not score anything higher than a 610 on the math section of the SAT. I received a 4 in AP English Language and Comp but could not score higher than a 530 on the SAT writing section. I had As in almost all of my classes.

When I got to college my SAT scores did not accurately predict my success. I graduated in 4 years with 2 different bachelor's degree. 150 credit hours instead of the normal 120. I had two majors and two minors. My final GPA was 3.967 on a 4.0 scale. I also conducted independent research, which I presented at a research conference at Harvard. BUT, I scored a 160 on the LSAT. I took it once because the other two times I had planned to take it, I had to cancel my registration ahead of time because of the Hurricane in Florida and for being sick.

Thus, I am asking for help in deciding if I should write an Addendum. I really do not want to make an excuse for my LSAT score so I only want to write it if doing so is acceptable for my situation.

Hi there!

I recently attended the group interview for Georgetown in Miami and wanted to share my experience to help others know what to expect.

It was not a conventional group interview with the usual questions, and there is little you can do to prepare. The format take an hour and is like this: you will be split up into groups of three or four and you will role play as an admissions committee for GULC. He will give you a handout with descriptions of different application scenarios (all of which have ambiguous and difficult to resolve conflicts) and he will ask you to either talk as a group or will ask direct questions about a certain interpretation of the facts, and then he gives his actual interpretation and how he decided on the application.

I would recommend that during the group conversation portions that you be more vocal and make sure that you make your voice heard, but not annoying, because it is easy to be lost in the conversation.

There were four scenarios but we only got to three: one was about a student who got put on academic probation for plagarism but slightly misrepresented the situation (he considered this a huge character issue), someone else who didn't fully disclose information after being accused of plagiarism and withdrawing from a graduate program (also a huge issue), and someone who made typos and mention to another school in their personal statement (also huge issue).

The purpose of the interview is to see how well you can articulate your position and support it with evidence. Apparently Dean Cornblatt favors applicants who can get to the point of their argument quickly.

Make sure to prepare one fun fact about yourself, as he'll ask everyone in the room to share something at the beginning.

Best of luck!