I'm looking for some clarification on when/when not to write an addendum for a less than stellar GPA. When is it necessary and/or helpful to write one?

I graduated with a 3.3 GPA and also have a few Ws on my transcript, but I can't figure out whether an addendum is used for a situation like mine or if it's intended for students with much lower GPAs or who have failed classes. I'm pretty confident in my LSAT score, I have a resume that's relevant to the field of law I'm interested in, and I know my LORs will be great. Should I write one for my GPA anyway? My target is a middle tier school.

Hopefully this all makes sense, I'm flying solo in terms of figuring out law school applications so I don't want to mess anything up!

Quick question: If I attended a community college over one summer in undergrad and took 2 classes that are reflected on my main school's transcript, is it necessary for me to request a transcript from the community college as well?

Hi everyone,

Sort of a long question. TL;DR: How strongly can I lean on my good graduate GPA vs my weaker undergraduate GPA when looking at places to apply?

For the sake of argument let's assume that my LSAT score is at, or slightly above a given school's median... Now for the background.

My undergraduate GPA (converting it from UK grades using an online tool) is a disappointing 3.64. However my graduate GPA (also converted with the same tool) for my recently completed Master's Degree is 3.95, which will go up to 3.98 if my thesis comes back at my expected grade come November. I got my 2 degrees at 2 different universities, but both are members of the Russell Group (sort of the UK equivalent to the Ivy League, except maybe less prestigious). Basically it's not the case that I simply got the better grades somewhere less rigorous, I just developed a lot between degrees. For what it's worth I also did a full credit undergraduate class at Harvard one year during my undergrad as part of their summer school program, for which I got an A.

This 3.64 UGPA is at or below the 25th percentile for most T14 schools. However, that's is in the past and my most recent GPA from graduate school would put me in almost any school's 75th percentile. I'm almost certain my undergraduate GPA will hold me back somewhat, but I'm wondering if I should I let it entirely put me off applying to places where it's below the median, given that my graduate GPA is so much better? In other words, is it unreasonable of me to think that my graduate GPA can make up for a slightly weak undergraduate GPA?

Thanks!

Lets be brief: 147 LSAT, 3.92 GPA, Dual Major of Computer Science and Legal Studies, and a very impressive resume. Whats the best school I could get into?

Hi, I am a senior student applying for this cycle.

I am currently a dual citizen of US and South Korea. I will be graduating from a college in South Korea.

I believe my overall stat will be

superior(yet to be determined by LSAC)/170(September2016).

I know general wisdom for international applicants (students with non-US/Canadian GPA) is to apply in accordance with median LSAT scores and to expect good chances only when the LSAT score is above the median.

Here are my questions

1. Despite my citizenship, will my application be reviewed in the international applicant pool?

2. If so, should I apply and expect chances of receiving admission from schools with the median LSAT score that is the same or below 170? I hope that I have a shot at CCN...

Thanks in advance!

Hi all!

One of the schools that I'm applying to asks specifically for applicants to answer how they see themselves using their law degree in the future. The other part of the question is why you're interested in pursuing a legal education which I feel I've answered well but I'm more worried about the first part.

I don't necessarily have specific areas of law that I'm interested in pursuing at the moment. There are a number that I'm interested in but I'm really hoping to get some concrete goals when I'm actually in law school and see more realistically what that kind of work would entail. My worry is articulating this in my PS without seeming like I'm completely directionless. One thing I'm thinking of mentioning is that I'm interested in law with an element of dispute resolution and arbitration which ties in with my background but I'm not sure if this is specific enough. Should I mention a specific area that interests me (e.g. aboriginal law) or is there a way that I can say I don't really know exactly yet where I'm headed? Hopefully this worry makes sense but if not, I'm happy to clarify anything that's unclear. Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate any insight :)

So my top choice for law school is UBC, and I have a GPA on par with their requirements (83%). But my LSAT score is a 10 points below what they say they have as their 'average' for the previous year. Should I even apply? Or simply wait and plan to re-write? Do I have a chance?

Does my personal statement need to tell admissions why I want to attend law school? I have written a personal statement on a topic where it might feel contrived to suddenly end with why I want to attend law school. But is that what admission officers expect? I will add that I have been out of school for 3.5 years.

I am writing a diversity statement. Should I just include why I want to attend law school in my diversity statement?

I am having a hard time deciding which law schools to apply to. I am applying to UVic, TRU, and Calgary for sure. I am thinking of also applying to Queen's and Dalhousie. My CGPA is a 3.2, L2: 3.5. I am getting my results for my first LSAT in a few days (September LSAT). I am expecting a 158-160. I am also writing the LSAT again in December. I am wondering if with my stats, I may have a possibility of Queen's or Dalhousie or whether I shouldn't waste my money and try for other schools? I'm not too sure on how Canadian law schools rank and what my chances are of getting into various schools/any schools. Any more information/advice would help. Cheers.

Should I start initiating Law School applications prior to taking the December LSAT?

some of my applications ask about whether or not I will apply for fafsa. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but is there any benefit in saying no? For undergrad fafsa seemed to be a requirement that the schools asked you to do, and I'm not sure if the same is true for law schools. Do the schools benefit in any way by you choosing to submit fafsa? or does saying no signify you can pay?

Plenty of schools have an optional essay where you write why you want to attend that particular law school, but can you also just write an optional addendum essay explaining why you want to go to a certain school even if it's not mentioned.

I wrote down that UCLA mentioned applicants could write an optional essay on why they wanted to attend, but now that I'm looking at the application, I see that I've made that up. Still, I did some good research and have some compelling, specific reasons for wanting to go there - is it wise to just write up a short essay (2 paragraphs or so, or around 250 words) about why UCLA appeals to me and just submit it as a general addendum? Or are addendum's only supposed to be explanations for bad grades/bad LSAT scores?

Hey everyone,

TL;DR: Should I, as someone from the UK, write a diversity statement?

So the long version of my question is what exactly counts as 'diverse' in the sense of law school admissions? I've seen the usual indicators - socio-economic disadvantage, race, etc. I don't tick any of those boxes, but I imagine that since was born in the UK and have lived and studied (BA and MA) here my whole life I could contribute something (relatively) unique to any given US law school. Add to this my relatively unique education, with respect to the UK system, I think there's not many of me knocking about each admissions cycle! (haha)

Should this be something I elaborate on in a diversity statement? Or am I over-thinking things? I'm a middle-class white dude (putting it crudely), so should I just leave it? Hoping you guys can help!

All the best.

I procrastinated on my PS (because I am an idiot). Need to have it ready to go in the next day or two and I have only had one person give me feed back :( could anyone give it a read? Grammar sticklers are especially welcome!

Hi all,

I was wondering if anybody know IF anything should go on the top of the person statement? This would include something like my name and LSAC account number.

I am submitting an additional information document, and my advisor told me to put my L number and a title at the top of that, so i was wondering if the same is true for the personal statement?

If so, does this count towards the space limit?

thanks

I'm new to 7sage, but not to LSAT and the admissions process. I'm getting ready to apply for the fall 2017 cycle and I recently learned of something that could possibly ruin my apps... my criminal history. I was unaware, until now, that you MUST disclose your criminal background when applying.

My GPA is above the median for my target school and so is my LSAT score. I have good work experience, interned with a government consulting firm. I'm 27 years old (about to turn 28), and am just about to finish my BS in economics. And... I have 5 underage drinking charges and two marijuana possession charges. Oh, and god knows how many speeding tickets. No felonies or serious crimes. Just the mark of someone who loved to party when they were a teenager. So I heard some good things about 7sage and figured I would ask the community to see if I could get some guidance on my situation.

I really want an honest, unadulterated answer. Am i fucked? All of these charges happened between ages 15-21. So, they were a long time ago. I'm just worried that this might show a pattern of behavior that calls into question my "character and fitness." Granted it has been almost 8 years since I last had a run in with the law, I'm just worried the volume of charges might be too much for them to look past.

I feel terrible right now, and am kind of freaking out. I put in so much time and effort with school and the LSAT. Being rejected for my criminal background would just crush my whole world.

I plan on going into public interest law and so the personal statement discusses my drive for social justice. I've written it and had a couple of people look at it, but now need to fine tune it.

Hey guys so I am a football player at a Division I football school with a scholarship. I'm not trying to say that being a student athlete is a justification for a low GPA but I am sitting around a 3.3 cumulative but a 3.9 major GPA. However, I'm scoring in the high 160's/low 170's for the LSAT, and I still got 7 more weeks till I take it in December. I also have 2 years of law internship experience and I have three solid letters of recommendation. I also know that some applications allow you to justify a low GPA in an essay. However, I heard that the Law School application process is computerized, and it automatically denies students below a certain combination of GPA and LSAT score. So am I kind of already screwed over in the application process? or do I just need to increase my LSAT score even more? Anyone's opinions would be nice. My goal schools are NYU, Columbia, and USC. Thanks!

Please let me know if any of these ideas I mention stand out to you and you think I should expand upon in it my PS. This is a lot to read but if ya'll are sick of studying, this'll give you something to do.

Topic 1: I did attend David's PS session and he did OK my topic idea -- we immigrated to the US when I was a kid, my mother hated it, when I was 5-12 years old she would randomly pack her bags and leave and I never knew if she was coming back. This made me a strong empathetic person dedicated to finding stability in my life...this leads me to working at a law firm and how I use my empathy and dedication at work. *insert anecdote about work here*

I did write a short paragraph about the childhood part of this first topic, I can throw it in here if anyone wants to read it.

My issue with this topic is:

1. It's difficult to talk about my mother's unstable behavior without seeming really coldhearted. I don't have enough room to write about how traumatizing this event was as a child, though I love my mother and she is truly a good person, etc. I pretty much just say *this happened* and now I'm a better person from it.

2. I'm taking a break from the firm right now to study and I won't be able to go back to look through case files to recall something really specific to write about, and even if I did I don't think it would help much.

One work story I could write about is a girl suing her ex girlfriend for domestic violence. I relate to this bc I'm gay. I had to not allow my emotions to overwhelm me while working on the case and going through exhibits evidencing the violence, etc. I can throw in that I've been told many times that I wouldn't get anywhere in life bc of my sexuality and here I am working at a law firm to protect a fellow gay person.

The extent of my work on that case was just that -- arranging exhibits. As a legal assistant my work was almost entirely on the administrative side. I really don't have much more to say about my work other than that so it's making me feel I shouldn't write about this topic.

3. I feel like the paper is just me trying to shove down everyone's throat any possible diversity I might have. I mention immigration, emotionally unstable parent/childhood trauma, sexuality. It weirdly feels impersonal bc I'm a lot more than just these sort of...hot button topics. Maybe this would be better for a diversity essay?

Topic 2: my dedication to surfing relates to my dedication to work. I've been surfing since I was 10 years old. No one in my family surfs, I'm self-taught, almost always surf alone. I could talk about some adversity I've had to overcome as a woman trying to gain respect and learn to be aggressive in an environment of 99.99% men, but I've also matured enough to realize that I can learn from these men and take their advice without losing my self-respect.

I went from being the girl that other surfers were yelling at for getting in their way and not knowing what I was doing to being the girl that other surfers stand up for when they see someone get in my way/someone disrespect me.

From there I can speak more broadly about my job and go into detail about how my first day as an unpaid intern I spent almost the entire day retyping some Discovery responses, when I was finished I mentioned to one of the attorneys that that was "a lot of typing and my hands hurt". Now I'm always praised at work for how quickly I get things done and I can finish retyping pages of Discovery within a few hours. That first day I stayed until 10pm helping an attorney make thousands of copies and organize exhibits. A few months later I was hired as a paid receptionist. When I transferred out of community college a year later, I was given a part time position as an assistant. They pretty much made a new position for me.

Maybe I can throw in that one of our attorneys who I really looked up to passed away last year. I drove home after work and threw my surfboard in my car and went surfing that night and kept surfing every day after work bc he was always telling me how great it was that I surfed and I wanted to do something to make him proud. He mentioned that he can tell that I am a dedicated surfer because of the way I dedicate myself to work and won't go home until I'm finished with the task at hand.

Maybe I could mention some close calls where I almost drowned surfing and how that has taught me to learn to overcome obstacles.

I know that's a lot of random ideas thrown together, I just tried to think of any possible thing I could to relate surfing + work so I can hone in on a couple ideas and go from there.

Also obviously I'm being pretty casual here and won't phrase it exactly the same way in my PS.

My issue with the second topic - is it too generic and impersonal?

-If I do this 2nd topic, I could have one of the attorneys write an LOR to back this up, at least for the schools which accept 3 LORs. The ones that only accept 2 LORs I think it's safer to stick with LORs only from professors.

Any advice is appreciated and thank you if you actually read through all of this!

Okay I'm sure we've all been here. I finally got to a point where I was certain my PS couldn't get any better and then I found out the 2 page limit for schools is *double-spaced*. I eliminated quite a few things here and there to make it more concise but still have about 3 lines over. I've come up with a few ideas to get to 2 pages but don't want to do anything too risky. Here are my thoughts: eliminate space between paragraphs and indent, shorten space between paragraphs to a smaller font size (12 to 5), change the double-spacing to 1.9-spacing. What are your thoughts? Will anyone be able to tell?

Thanks in advance!

The application asks "Have you ever been expelled, dismissed, suspended, placed on probation, or otherwise subject to any disciplinary sanction by any school, college, or university?" Does this mean I should write an addendum for getting suspended in high school since it says "any school"? Or will it draw unnecessary negative attention?

Thanks for your help!

Ideally, I wanted to be able to send my LORs my personal statement but I realized this isn't going to happen. I already asked them a month ago and they said yes so it's not like my LORs don't know they are writing LORs - they just want it to be as tailored as possible.

I'm curious as to what you guys asked of your LORs - did you send PS? Did you send them blurbs/short summary about what your PS was going to be?

I would love some feed back. I gave it to a couple of my professors but they are understandably busy and haven't gotten back to me yet. Trying to apply by 10/19/2016

Do law schools even have admissions counselors? If not, who do you have look over your PS?

I have a few professors that are willing to look over it but they don't have any experience with law schools apps. I do know some attorneys, but they all went to the lowest ranking law schools. I'm definitely still going to have all of them give me feedback on my PS, but I would like to know how to find someone really knowledgeable to help me out.

I've written out two completely different person statements. I'm still going over drafts, but is anyone willing to look over them to see which one should be used for my applications? I'm a little unsure if I should stick to my essay about my person experience with small claims court or a unique experience while growing up. If anyone is able to read them please comment and I can send them your way.

Thank you in advance.