Do you guys think that your resume speaks for itself or should your personal statement push some of the highlights of your resume?

I know that we're not supposed to just reiterate our resume in our personal statement, but I feel really nervous writing a PS entirely about something I'm passionate about i.e. surfing or linguistics, without making some sort of transition like this all has allowed me to develop xyz character traits which helped me excel academically/in my career.

I thought if I wrote about surfing or linguistics I can more generally talk about communication/language (it's really important in surfing) and transition into how developing communication/language skills has helped me achieve my goals at work or academically.

After writing it all out, I think it doesn't sound fluid and seems disjointed when half or 2/3 of my PS is nicely written waxing poetic about a passion and then the rest of it is more straightforward and trying to brag without bragging....and there isn't much room to really go into a specific anecdote about my job/academics and try to tie it back to whichever passion and also talk about specific work/school accomplishments. It seems like they're such drastically different topics and maybe I can't merge them together with this page limit.

Should I keep trying to more smoothly merge the two ideas together or just try to write about just one topic? or is it okay if it doesn't have the smoothest transition? Do most people's PS's ultimately end with "...and this is why I'm awesome and these are some of the good things I've done..."?

/anxiety/

idk if just coming from a philosophy/linguistics/literature background I'm over analyzing and stressing and trying too hard to make this sound like an A+ philosophy paper

sorry if this sounds frantic and all over the place

Hi all,

I've recently started my applications and was wondering if anyone would mind taking a gander at my resume

Thanks!

Hi, I have just completed a draft of my personal statement and am hoping to have someone who has attended or is attending law school critique it (theirs had to make the cut). I don't want to swap since I am unsure of how one should read and need help myself. Any takers?

Hello everyone!

I would like to know if there are any February 2018 Study Groups already existing, please. And if there are none yet, can interested students like myself form one???

Some people might find this very obvious, but it didn't really set in for me until I actually heard an Admission Dean say it. There is a big difference between admitted and enrolled class sizes. UT Dean of Admissions said that they offered admission to around 1200 applicants last year, and their class size ended up being around 300. So with a median LSAT of 167, that means that ~600 applicants scored BELOW a 167 (or at). Anyway, medians are important, but don't sell yourself short!

Hi all,

I am a little over 5 years out of college and am working on my resume. I have plenty of experience from my full time work to include on my resume, so I am wondering--- should I include information about internships I held in college? While my college experiences were meaningful in the way they lead me to my current career, I don't think they were more meaningful than the experiences I have had since then.

Will admissions officers wonder why I left out any college years experiences? Also hoping to keep my resume to one page.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I'm kind of lost as to where to start with my personal statement and would appreciate any help!

I had my son in 2015 and since the my world has revolved around him. When I had him I really got into holistic/non-toxic living and nutrition even so much that i'm pursuing some nutrition classes at the local community college. I'm also really passionate about advocating for lead safety not just in dwellings but in children's toys etc. which has sparked an interest in environmental law overall.

When I'm not studying for the LSAT i'm home with him and so it makes sense to me that my PS should be about me as a mother since that's the biggest portion of my identity. Before I had him I wasn't nearly as conscientious about the world or as motivated to become a lawyer - he really change me.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can put this together? I don't want it to be boring since being a Mom isn't something "interesting" or "new" and I do want my PS to stand out in some way. Can this work as a PS?

Hey @"David.Busis" and @"micah.bateman" , what's the word on contractions in personal statements? I've noticed that many of the sample PS's in the essay bank contain them, but I can't decide if they're right for my essay?

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

So i'm in an odd position for my PS. For the a long time I was thoroughly committed to writing about some family issues that shaped me in to the person i've become, but i've attempted writing about 18 drafts at this point. None of them felt genuine and all encompassing. Every single one had an issue. Too dramatic, too cold, what's the point? Sort of problems if you seem what I mean.

Well today, I had an interesting moment where I decided to write on a topic that's totally off the wall. I wrote an entire draft (in under an hour, while I sat in class) on finding a three week old kitten.

If any of you guys remember, I had "study cat" as my LSAT study buddy. I found him when he was three weeks old and raising him as one of the hardest things i've ever done. I've never thought more about quitting something in my life, and today I have one of the sweetest, well - mannered and healthy kittens numerous vets have ever met. So well i've been approached to help foster other orphaned kittens.

This topic encompassed everything I wanted to show case about my character and how I see the world. But it's literally kittens. Like i'm considering writing a piece about kittens to send to the world's biggest shark tank - A law school admissions board.

Am I insane?

Help!

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Hi all,

I have a mechanical question about using different letters of rec for different schools. How does it work?

I am planning to send 3 letters total to each school. I have 2 letters (1 work, 1 academic) that I am planning to send to every school. Then a 3rd letter (work) to send to most other schools, except the schools that require a 2nd academic reference, in which case I'm sending my 4th letter (academic), and not the 3rd letter.

Then, there are a few additional letters that specific schools require for different scholarships.

How does the uploading, labeling, and sending of these different letters work on the LSAC website? I have been looking at the LOR section on LSAC to see, but I'm afraid to test anything out and then mess it up.

Any advice/knowledge appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi all,

I'm sure this is true for many people, but I am using what clinics are offered at different schools as one of the main ways to differentiate between them. Here's my question, just because a school offers a clinic you are interested in, does that mean you will be able to partake in it? How competitive is it to get a clinic spot? Does this differ by school, and if so, is that information available online?

Here's my subsequent question... Would it be better to go to a lesser ranked school in which my numbers are above the medians to increase my chances of getting into a clinic (assuming I do well), or would my chances be the same if I went to a 'reach' school, and then potentially didn't do as well? What do you all think?

The September 2017 LSAT was my third time and I'm wondering if I should write a score addendum. The first time I took the LSAT (June 2016) was the first full-length test I took. If that wasn't stupid enough, the second time I took the LSAT (September 2016) was the second full-length test I took; I scored a 167 and a 164, respectively. I finally decided to get serious and took 37 full-length practice tests in preparation for September 2017. I'm expecting a score in the low to mid 170s from this past September.

I am attending the JD Law School Forum in Houston next month and wanted some advice on what questions were appropriate/inappropriate to ask.

I'm most interested in: HYS, Columbia, Chicago, Cornell, and NYU. My main concern is my GPA. I'm aiming for a 170+ but with a 3.58 GPA I'm technically in 'splitter' status for those schools.

Is it too forward to ask the admissions folks at these schools if I should even bother applying with those stats?

Also, any suggestions on other specific questions to ask? If anyone else has attended the forum in the past, I'd love to hear your experience.

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.