Due to financial reasons during my undergrad career, there were points where I was working 25-35 hours a week while attending class full-time. I also had to finish my 4 year degree in 3.5 years for the same reasons. My GPA is slightly above the median GPA for the school that I am targeting, but I do think if I didn't have to deal with those financial situations that my GPA would be higher. Do you think it would be beneficial to have a GPA addendum for such a case? I don't want to seem that I'm making excuses either. My LSAT is at the median score for my first choice school by the way. Any thoughts/insight would be appreciated!

Hey everyone,

So I just started filling out the basic material on my first law school application and one of the options was to inform which schools I plan on applying to. Is this a trick? Should I put them all on, or not? I have no idea if it's a good move communicating your interest in other schools, especially because this is my number one choice.

I was told by a former professor that the best personal statements he's seen for graduate schools often have some intellectual theme that is cited in the writing. For instance, having some academic's theory influence your decision making or perspective. However, that really does not fit in well with my personal statement.

Is that advice at all valid? Would an intellectual theme strengthen my personal statement if I could incorporate it?

Thanks!

Are we supposed to put any kind of header or title on our essays?

I feel like I'm overwriting simply because I have so much to say (even though a majority might just be me ranting LOL). As of now my Personal Statement and Diversity Statement are both 5 pages. I still have to edit them, so that'll probably shorten them a bit.

But my question is, roughly how long should the Personal Statement & Diversity Statement be?

Just saw this on my LSAC profile! Very cool....

"Starting September 28, 2017, you will have more coursework options to choose from when selecting your law school preferences in the Candidate Referral Service (CRS). Law schools use the fields of interest and law specializations you select in CRS to recruit you for programs that are most relevant to you."

I completed 3 classes of an MBA back when I thought I wanted to go to B-School. I am using the 7Sage calculator to do an estimate on what LSAC might consider my GPA. Would I lump in the 3 letter grades I received from Grad school in with my undergrad? Or would I leave these off since I didn't complete the degree?

OR... would LSAC only consider the degree I completed (undergrad)? The most recent incomplete degree (MBA)? or both? #confusedAF

When I first attended college from 2007-2009, my G.P.A. took a depressing turn and I accumulatively left that university with a 1.7 overall G.P.A. Fast forward to the last few years, I joined the Air Force and graduated while overseas for three years with a 3.2 G.P.A. Due to unforeseen circumstances with my health, my G.P.A. fell dramatically from a 3.8 to a 3.2 in a span of a year and half. It's very unfortunate because I know of my potential but, some things are just out of your control- that, my friends, is called life. I digress...

My question is, people talk about UGPA and GPA. Will my college GPA from 10 years affect my current GPA? If so, how is that fair? That was over 10 years ago. I know I'll have to write an addendum anyways but, I'm curious if my GPA from 10 years ago is relevant to today's GPA?

Hi all!

I know law schools calculate your study abroad GPA into your overall GPA (if it shows up at pass/fail at your home institution), but I was wondering how deeply law schools look into these grades. For example, if you're studying abroad at a place like Oxford or Cambridge, and law schools know their grading system is very intense, will they scrutinize the fact that your grades abroad bring down your overall GPA? I'm not talking about a significant amount; just if your GPA is dragged down 0.05 to 0.1. (Thinking about T14 schools.)

Thanks!

Would anyone be willing to edit my resume for me? I'd love to have as many eyes on it as possible!

T

Hello,

I am in need of advice of whether I should write a GPA addendum for specific schools. My overall GPA when I graduated college was a 3.68. However, during my first year, I was unsure about my career path, and I faced surmounting pressure from my parents to follow in their footsteps (both of whom are dentists). Therefore, I majored in biology even though I had no clear passion towards it. During my first year, I struggled greatly in my classes and I was afraid to ask for help because I was embarrassed. No matter how much I studied, I could not grasp the concepts. Also, I didn't utilize the resources on campus (i.e. free tutoring, office hours, etc) and it came at the expense of my grades. By the end of my first year, I had a cumulative GPA of 2.78.

However, during the following summer, I realized I could no longer pursue a career I was not interested in. I withdrew from my physics course (leaving a W on my transcript) and changed my major to English because I had a genuine interest in law. After changing my major, I became more comfortable asking questions and I wasn't afraid to ask for help when I needed it. I began to visit my professors' office hours and the Academic Resource Center. Over my remaining years, I averaged a 3.97 GPA. However, my overall GPA is a 3.68 due to my first year of majoring in biology.

I read online that we should not write an addendum if we don't really need one. The article said, "Law school admissions officers can spot a 'failed premed' from a mile away—they don’t necessarily need or want you to explain it in an addendum." However, I feel like my case is not necessarily the same. I learned from my experiences and I have worked tremendously hard over the years.

Therefore, should I write an addendum to EVERY school explaining why my cumulative GPA is not necessarily as high as it could be? Or should I only write an addendum only to schools where my GPA is BELOW the median GPA of that respective school? Or should I not write an addendum at all?

I feel like my addendum could provide some insight into who I am and how I've grown over the years (i.e. How I am eager to learn, not afraid to seek help, and how my GPA is not necessarily reflective of who I am as a student or my ability to succeed in law school)

Thank you in advance everyone.

Hey guys,

I am reapplying to Law schools this year, and I'm wondering if i should rewrite my personal statement for schools that i applied to last year? I may tweak it, but i generally loved what i wrote for my applications last year, and nothing has changed since then (except for an LSAT rewrite). But I am worried they may have my old one on file...

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! I graduated school in 2014. I was a good student, but not 'the best' though some teachers did take notice of me and some served as recommenders for jobs, or school activities. I haven't spoken to these teachers in a really long time, maybe 2-3 years. Is there a way I can gradually get back in touch with them for LORs for the Fall 2018 cycle?

Hi,

I wanted to get an estimate of scholarship grants given by law schools. I am an international student applying to US universities and i will be giving the Dec LSAT this year. I am scoring in the range of around 165-166. I wanted to know if the lower ranked schools give full ride scholarships to students covering the tuition as well as the living expense? if so then what are my chances of getting one and which schools does that. I am targetting for a 5 point increase in these two months and even if i score a 168-169 i want to know if i can get a full ride.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi all, anybody know of any good resources that have helpful info on the different ways to get help paying for law school?

Hey everyone,

I'm stuck on some Character and Fitness questions/wording that keeps popping up. I'd copy the exact question, but there are so many differently worded question with the same issue at heart, I'll just paraphrase.

Basically, if a question asks if you have been "charged" of anything, does it matter if you were found not guilty in court? A few years ago I had some traffic citations, but the judge ruled them as not guilty. I'm not quite sure if I need to include it or not.

Thanks!

Edit: this is really just about traffic violations that were thrown out in court. I don't know if that stuff is supposed to be disclosed or not. Theoretically, anyone could be charged of anything, and have it thrown out later. A dude could be charged with rape because he looks like the rapist, have it thrown out later because he's clearly not the rapist, but still have that "charge" follow him forever? Doesn't seem just at all to me, but I know oftentimes the law isn't necessarily fair.

Does every law school require a law school report fee? And, if so is there any way to get a waiver for that?

I have 14 schools on my list on LSAC and that's almost $500 in total.

So I am a weird bundle of splitter mess, I really want to start getting applications ready but I'm just not sure where I stand and where I can apply. While predictor websites are a good start they also don't take into account my story. I don't want to short change myself but I also don't want to reach so high as to be disappointed. So I'm here to ask for advice.

Notwithstanding my LSAT score this is what I look like so far...

2.7 cumulative GPA/4.0 Degree GPA - about a 4 year gap of time between the poor grades and the 4.0.

Non-traditional applicant - Work experience between undergraduate and starting law school.

Military service for 4 years (USMC) with 3 years of my post 9/11 GI bill left (Don't really need scholarship money).

One year internship at a law firm.

One year job with the federal courts.

Letters of recommendation from one undergrad professor and the clerk of the federal court.

Resume includes legal professionals as well as military members.

How would you even go about deciding on what schools will look favorably on this weird track record? I feel like it's almost 100% dependent on my LSAT score...so should I just wait tight for that?

I am beginning to wonder what kind of impact my extracurricular activities might have on my law school applications next year. (Definitely hoping to apply to HYS, Columbia, NYU and UChicago, plus University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall in Canada).

So far, here's what my profile looks like (for context):

Would the following help in compensating for the lack of a prestigious undergrad degree? (I am at one of the lower ranked universities in Canada because I couldn't afford to go anywhere else):

Would really appreciate advice and guidance from former applicants and people in the process of applying to law schools! :)

Thanks!

Hi all!

I have a silly question that I couldn't answer on my own, and I feel it's worth the risk of looking foolish on here just to ensure I end up submitting this application correctly. I'm applying to Colorado Law and they have a somewhat specific prompt with a part 1 and an optional part 2. Here are the instructions from their website:

The personal statement requirement provides you an opportunity to present yourself to the Admissions Committee. It is to be submitted with your electronic LSAC application. The personal statement for fall 2018 is below. Your essay must be in your own words, double-spaced, and should not exceed 1,000 words. Supported file formats include: doc, htm, html, txt, PDF, wp, wpd, rtf, wps, wpt and docx.

Personal Statement Prompt for 2018

At Colorado Law, we seek students who advance our core values of character, diversity, leadership, and commitment to service.

Part 1: Explain how you can contribute to these goals. You may also discuss any other factors that you think may assist the Admission Committee's evaluation of your application, such as: background information; experiences, talents or special interests; adversities you have overcome; and your reasons for applying to law school.

Part 2: (Optional): In considering applicants for scholarship awards, Colorado Law considers not only academic merit, but also economic need and obstacles, personal background, and a wide variety of individual qualities, so you may submit a statement of up to 500 words on any one or more of the following: (a) aspects of your upbringing, life experiences, work or service experiences, or education that you believe set you apart from most law school applicants; (b) economic disadvantage or other obstacles you have overcome in pursuing your education or career thus far and in applying to law school; (c) how you think you will contribute to society with your law degree; and/or (d) your financial need for increased money to fund your legal education.

So, it seems that one could interpret this in one of two ways:

Additionally, if I decided to forego the optional part 2 portion, that would mean I could use the 1,000 words all on part 1.... right?

What are your thoughts? The main reason I'm putting so much weight on this being correct is because of this Q&A with Colorado admissions and USN which just got me all worked up:

The most common mistake applicants made is failing to follow instructions, which differ from school to school. Some applicants ignore deadlines and fail to pay attention to details, such as addressing our specific essay topics in their personal statements or not submitting our two required recommendation letters.

So yes, any words of wisdom you guys have on the matter would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance :)

Hi Fellow Sagers!

I'm enrolled in the Admissions Course and I didn't see a section about law school in-person interviews - unless I'm missing something?

Have one coming up soon..does anyone have intel on what materials is appropriate to bring to one besides resume? Does bringing a copy of my personal statement make sense? Any tips if you've been on one?

Appreciate any insight! :)

During my final year of high school I volunteered every Saturday morning for a local charity until I left for college. I know the advice is to leave high school off your resume, but this seems like worthwhile experience to list. Should I list it in my Activities section?

I want to know the pro's/ con's about transferring law schools after the 1st year. Is it a common practice? Is it difficult to do so? Any input would be appreciated!

I am sure we all have spent a little too much time poring over the median admission stats for our top choices and studying the spreadsheets of the info of all admitted students...and then comparing our own data and trying to figure out what it takes to get a little (or a lot) $$.

SO I thought it would be fun for us to share stories of people we know who have worked hard, gotten into their dream schools, and bonus points if they got a scholarship. I'll start!

I know a guy who went to a little-known undergrad school and applied to law school in two cycles. First year he got a full ride with a high 160s LSAT score to the University of Washington but wasn't feeling Seattle...he retook the LSAT the following September, got a low 170s and applied that cycle to most of the T14...and then retook the LSAT again in December, got a high 170s score and Harvard and Stanford admitted him almost immediately, which could have been coincidental timing buuut I doubt it. He went with Harvard. I wish I knew the exact stats, but to ask always feels just a little too nosey.

So moral of the story...don't be afraid to keep working for that high score because it will pay off!

Now that I've completed the LSAT... what do I do?

I get that I should start working on my applications and PS/LORs. I'm just completely unmotivated in all honesty. Even though I really want a good portion to be done before the score comes out incase I need to retake. Has anyone else had the post LSAT slump to try to shuffle through? Particularly with the needing to get on top of your applications?