Does anyone know if law schools can see when you've opened their applications? I am wondering if opening and beginning to fill the applications out would affect my chances of receiving a fee waiver from those schools, as they might already consider the fee a guarantee from you based on the interest demonstrated from beginning the application. Money is tight for me right now, but I feel embarrassed to email schools to ask if I would qualify for one of their waivers. I've received some merit fee waivers already. I'd appreciate any advice about how to go about requesting them if I should.

Hi 7sagers,

So I was initially planning to write my exam in Sept but then I decided to push the exam to Dec. Now that applications are in full force, I am lost. I am finding it difficult to study, hold an executive position on the school's board of directors, applications, and take classes all at the same time. I am nearing the end of my degree and I am not enjoying it at all. I have never been this stressed in my life before, a part of me doesn't want to apply at all this year and simply take a break before law school. But then a bigger part of me feels like I would be wasting a year of my life. If I don't get into Law school in fall 2018, I will have to wait until fall 2019. I don't know what to do...

Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice on a failed class my Freshman year of university. It happened my second semester and my professor failed me because she accused me of plagiarizing an essay however nothing was ever recorded or reported to the school in anyway. She simply called me into her office to tell me she was going to fail me she didn't even let me see which parts she claimed were plagiarized and when I went to the Dean they said they would have to do a formal investigation so I opted not to go that route. There was no preceding, no record, nothing formal. I continued on to get straight A's in every class until graduation. I plan on disclosing the true reasons behind my grade in an addendum. It sticks out and needs an explanation regardless and because I do not want problems being admitted to the bar later. I just want advice on what my realistic expectations should be. I graduated with a 3.5, worked as a paralegal for a while after graduation, and got a 160 LSAT. Should I realistically be applying to grad schools? Should I consider hiring a professional to help with my application? Any help would be appreciated as long as its actually attempting to be helpful thank you!

Hey friends,

This is just a lil encouragement post for those of us who may have been underwhelmed by our LSAT performance, and anyone reading the boards who is thinking about joining 7Sage.

When I started studying for the LSAT over the winter, I was dead-set on taking the June exam, ace-ing it, and being admitted early to Harvard (a girl can dream). I've always been kind of type A, and sometimes I get discouraged when I'm not immediately the best at something. However, I quickly realized I wasn't ready to sit in June, and began studying nearly full-time with 7Sage in March. I have this to say: the community here, from the instructors to the other students, has completely changed my mindset. I'm learning to trust the process, and to take absolute ownership for my own study habits.

In high school and college, I loved trying to blame a professor or the test if I didn't do well. When I walked out of the LSAT in September, regardless of how shaken up I was, I just kept thinking that the test was incredibly fair. When I got my score last week and it wasn't quite what I wanted, I was disappointed and truly shaken up for a couple of hours, but then immediately mapped out all my options. And I realized: the absolute worst case scenario is that I don't start law school next fall. And if that's my biggest problem, I'm going to be just fine.

I guess I'm probably not explaining this too well, but I wanted to say that the 7Sage community and program has totally changed my outlook, for the better. I am more patient, I am more logical, and I am more willing to work as hard as I can for an end goal I believe in. BIG thanks to everyone who has been encouraging, supportive, and knowledgable. I hope everyone else in the same boat is able to find some peace with their own outcomes as well----it's gonna be ok!

Hello!

I wanted to ask if anyone knew of any reputable application consulting companies that offer need-based discounts. Spivey's $300 per hour is well out of my affordability, and I've seen that many LSAT tutors/companies offer discounts for individuals who qualify for the LSAC fee waiver.

The $600 unlimited edit option from 7sage looked attractive, but it appears to be sold out and I'm looking to have everything submitted within the next three to four weeks.

Thanks for the input :)

Edit -- now I'm realizing youre supposed to waive your right to read the letters.

so do I ask 2 professors who I was very friendly with often went to office hours and helped the profs with outside of class things and took 6+ classes with each, but didn't necessarily take the classes seriously,

or 2 professors who I took 2 classes with, didn't really know them on a personal level, but went to some office hours, really tried in class discussions was always on time to class etc and got 100% on many papers...I feel like they might write I don't really know her but she did great in class. These were both upper division classes, one of which was for my major.

The one that was my major -- I got the only 100% on the midterm after having to miss 2 weeks (had to tend to a sick fam member in a diff country and handle funeral arrangements etc), the prof was really impressed. The one that wasn't my major I had to drop the class but she was very sympathetic and understanding and she had agreed before to write me an LOR.

Re the professors I was friendly with but didn't try too hard in class -

Was wondering if i could get some feedback a PS idea i have been mulling over.

A little while back i participated in a cycling race/marathon to raise money for a camp that helps terminally ill children and there families.

Its 180 miles in mountainous terrain, it took 5 months of prepping and conditioning.

Aside from working my butt off to raise a couple grand for the camp, i really wanted to place well during the event and i got kind of lost in the competition.

I wanted to write about how the minute it took to get from the entrance of the camp after 180 miles to the finish line, seeing these kids waiting for us to cross that line completely changed my perspective on what i had spent the past 1/2 yr prepping for and has significantly affected me today.

Majority of those kids wont live to reach the age of 18 but the appreciation and hope i saw them and there families exhibit when we crossed that finish line has had an immediate and lasting effect on me.

This experience helped me realize that i want to spend my life making a difference in others, wherever that will lead me in the law field.

Thoughts?

So I'm in my final semester in undergrad and I'm considering taking a class pass/fail, I know the LSAC GPA calculator doesn't penalize you for this, but do admissions officers at elite law schools frown on it? I've never taken a pass/fail class before

What font size do you use for your personal statement?

I have read some posts recommending about using font size 12. But, is it okay to use the size 11? (if there is not requirement from the school).

It is extremely hard to accomodate my thoughts in 2 pages with font size 12..

What are you thoughts?

Hello! First, wanted to say how much I've appreciated this community. Haven't said much, but through prepping and then waiting for the LSAT results, watching this forums has been a great help.

I wanted to get thoughts about a possible diversity statement. I had never really considered myself diverse. I'm kind of the staple for what being non-diverse looks like (straight, white, male, middle class). But going through the admissions course on 7Sage, it really emphasizes that diversity can look a lot different than is normally considered and one of the main examples they go with is whether someone was homeschooled. Which I was.

So I wrote a diversity statement and my main point was that being homeschooled taught me that even though I don't always have surface-level commonality with people who experienced a more traditional educational experience, there's always a commonality that can be found by going deeper. Example I give: playing on the golf team for my local public school.

So, two questions:

Thoughts would be great! Thanks!

Hi all,

I studied abroad via a popular US program run out of Butler University in the United States (IFSA-Butler) [http://www.ifsa-butler.org/for-alumni/transcript-information.html]. I though that, since Butler University is a US institution and was issuing a US transcript, LSAC would accept these credits as part of my undergraduate record.

Has anyone had success with IFSA-Butler specifically, or with other study abroad programs in general?

Many thanks!

Wondering if anyone know how long it generally takes for spots to open up in the Admissions course? It looks like all of them have been sold out. Fault's on me for being a late-bird :(

Edit: Already sent an e-mail to reserve a spot

After reading through a lot of online resources regarding whether it is appropriate to write an addendum explaining a score difference I'm still unsure of what to do because of the mixed opinions on this topic.

I went from a 159 in December 2016 to a 179 in September 2017 (even I find this unbelievable) and I'm not sure if I should write an addendum or how I should go about explaining this and how it will affect my chances of admissions. The only explanation I have is that I didn't study adequately for the first take because I misjudged the time I needed to set aside for the test while juggling academics, an internship, and other personal problems (i.e. family illness). I was very close to cancelling the day before but I went ahead with the test anyways hoping for the best because I wanted to make the deadlines for that admissions cycle. Consequently, I had to pass on that cycle, and I stopped all LSAT studying and instead focused on school. It wasn't until July (after graduation) that I started preparing for the LSAT again, and this time I had set aside the summer to study so that I would have adequate time to prepare. I was expecting a score somewhere in the mid-170s according to my PT average but never expected to score 179 and so now I'm wondering how to go about explaining and applying with a 20 point increase (especially if I'm now aiming for the top law schools because I know they might be more skeptical about multiple scores and such a large gap)?

Any help is appreciated :)

Hey everyone,

Just got my LSAT score back and got a 171! I'm super pumped about it, it's expanded my school list considerably.

My GPA, however, might be a problem. It's below the median of most T14 schools (3.48). However, my major was in Civil Engineering from Rice University (not the easiest engineering school).

So probably my LSAT/engineering major is what will get me into schools. Are there any T14 schools that value LSAT more than GPA or value engineering majors more?

Thanks guys ... 7Sage is the real deal!

Hi everyone,

I just got my lsat score back and I scored 177 (which was above my highest prep test by 3 points lol). I never expected to score this high, so never really considered looking into Ivy League Schools, but now I'm thinking of applying for HYS, Columbia and Berkeley, and maybe Oxford/Cambridge. Obviously, the money is a huge factor, especially with the Canadian dollar so low, but I'm wondering is an Ivy League education worth the money? My parents are quite debt averse and are encouraging me to stay within Canada, but if my goal is international law/human rights law/public interest law or academia, I think the Ivy League schools might be a better option for career prospects/connections. I know they also have good loan assistance programs (but unsure if this applies to Canadian schools?)

Any advice would be muchly appreciated. Also, in Canada I do not qualify for financial aid (not sure what my situation would be in the US) so that is also a factor that I might have to take out huge loans.

X

Is mylsninfo up to date and the most accurate? And how can I use it so that I don't have to set a range of scores ...

Thanks!

Hi all,

I'm an older applicant, I will be 33 when I enter 1l, that is looking to attend the highest ranked law school possible and but also doesn't want to pay full sticker price because of my age/ less time to pay off debt. My stats are 3.1 GPA with a 167, I was also a D1 athlete at school that was very competitive in my sport/ I was all conference and led my team in a couple years in our most important stat, what kind of doors will this open for me and where can I apply to get good scholarship offers without the school being lower tier? I visited UW madison this weekend and met with an admissions counselor who said I would have a very high probability of receiving some aid there. This really surprised me because looking at their 25th/75th percentiles for GPA and LSAT I thought I was very weak in regards to my GPA. Also, was I too blunt in just asking the admissions officer if a scholarship was possible? After leaving the meeting I thought that may have been a blunder but in the business I'm currently in being blunt and assertive are good attributes. I'm old and lack some of the support you younger folks have so a little guidance on what should be schools that are reaches or lay-ups for my stats would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

I was wondering what would happen if I didn't apply this cycle. I already have my LOR and transcript sent in to LSAC. I'm planning on retaking the LSAT in December, but if I don't get the score I want again, I'll have to apply next cycle. Will I have to resend my transcript and ask for LORs again or can I use the same LOR and transcript for next cycle? Thanks!

I received my September LSAT score and I did HORRIBLE. I have extreme testing anxiety when it comes to the LSAT. I was PTing at around 165 each time. But, when it came to the actual test, I got a 156! I cried and cried. I am so disappointed with myself, but I have such bad test anxiety that I am not sure if I can do any better. I think if anything, I am going to practice under very stressful, test-like conditions up until the December LSAT. I could answer most LSAT questions correctly if I had all the time in the world to answer them (it is not the content that is difficult). The stress and the amount of time allotted just really got to me during the actual exam.

I go to the University of Colorado Boulder, and I am double majoring in Sociology and Anthropology. I have a LSAC GPA of 3.95 and a major GPA of 4.0 (for both majors). I am a female. Unfortunately, I am white, a second generation college student, and a completely traditional student. Basically, I am an extraordinarily average applicant with a very high GPA and a sub-par LSAT score.

I am planning on applying to (in order of preference): U of Colorado Boulder Law (average LSAT 161), U of Iowa Law (average LSAT 161), Arizona State O'Conner Law (average LSAT 161), Ohio State Law (average LSAT 159), U of Wisconsin Madison Law (average LSAT 161), and U of Missouri Columbia Law (average LSAT 157).

My GPA is WAY over the 75th percentile for all of the schools I am looking at. But, but my LSAT score is in either the 50th percentile, 25th percentile, or lower than 25th percentile for all of the schools I am looking at. I do not think I am going to get outright rejected to any of the schools I am applying to (at least it seems this way according to the Law School Numbers and LSAC self-assessment webpages). However, I have a feeling I will be wait-listed for most of them.

I am taking all upper division undergraduate (and even some that are mixed graduate level) courses this semester. I think they are all very easy and I am certain my Fall 2017 grades will all be As (CU does not award A+ grades).

Let's say I improve my LSAT to a 159 or so. Is it worth it to retake just to increase my LSAT score a few points? Also, since I have to wait until January 4th for my December LSAT scores, my applications will be submitted sort of late. I plan to have all of my apps completed before the LSAT scores are released, and submit them basically the second I receive my score.

Is it worth it to restudy and retake? I will have to apply later, and my LSAT will probably just increase by a few points due to my LSAT stress. I have been looking at the Law School Numbers website, and it seems like I have a very high chance of at least being wait-listed for all of my prospective schools and about a 50-90% chance of being accepted. I am most worried about CU Boulder, U of Iowa, and Arizona State (my top 3 schools). My chances for each of these schools are lower. A lot of people with my current numbers have been accepted, however, many have been wait-listed.

Although I know it hardly matters, I am the Vice President of the National Honor Fraternity (Phi Sigma Pi) at my university this year. I also was the Fundraising Chair my entire junior year. Also, I was a research assistant for a law professor at the University of Denver School of Law (he will also be writing one of my letters of recommendation). My name was also included in the research study and paper done on the topic.

What are your thoughts on what I should do/what my chances are?

Hi all,

Writing my app the school asks a series of C&F Questions. Particularly asking to explain the situation fully.

Now, this doesn't fit. If I fit it in fully, I don't really get a chance to explain as I would like, plus I'm adding an addendum for this anyway.

Do you suggest writing whatever you can in and then attaching the addendum?

Hi all (: I just joined so I'm sorry if I'm not doing this correctly.. I've never written in a forum before! I was just curious if you guys had any advice on personal statements? I just finished mine but I'm not sure how great it is, or if my topic is ok. Thanks!

I went to a big research university and all of my lectures were 200+ people. I didn't get to know my professors really well but did get to know two professors at the university with whom I did research with (not as a job but just because I was interested in their fields). But since they didn't actually teach me directly (as in a class), is it still ok to count their letters as "academic"?

Will law schools and/or LSAC consider a GPA differently based on what institution it comes from?

I went to an UG liberal arts college known for rigorous coursework/ harsh grade deflation policies (i.e. in a class of 30+ people, only 2 students receive A's). Sometimes I was one of A's in the class, but often I was an A-/ B+. My GPA isn't bad, but I am wondering how it will stack up next to a higher GPA from a less difficult institution.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Background: 163 on LSAT first try, 166 second try, and a 3.78 LSAC GPA.

While I realize I'm not in absolutely the best position to get into either of those schools, their admission stats give me the impression that it's a coin flip (mylsn and other law school number sites admittedly paint a more pessimistic picture). My 166 is exactly the median for Berkeley, and my GPA is 0.01 below their median. For Cornell, I'm one point below their LSAT median and 0.05 above their GPA median.

So I decided I wanted to strengthen my chances by doing early decision. However, I'm not sure which early decision is more practical. I'm also not sure what kind of law I want to practice. Another factor to consider is that I don't really have any experience that is amazing on its face.

Also: Will the specialties and programs of even top 14 schools lock me into a certain career path? What other factors should I consider?