Let me edit this post because I don't want him to see it just in case.

Thanks again, everyone :)

Hi all,

Just to give you an idea of where I stand, I applied to almost all of the T14s, as well as a few schools ranked 17-25. My stats aren't that great, but I am a nontraditional student with a very interesting life story, as well as an underrepresented minority. One of my friends told me that, because of this, I would actually have a better shot of getting into a higher ranked school because they don't need to be as worried about preserving their numbers. I didn't believe her until I very recently got my first acceptance.

So far I have been accepted into Columbia (4), waitlisted from Cornell and Georgetown (13 and 14) and rejected from Berk, Emory, and GW (8, 22, and 25). I haven't received anything about scholarships from Columbia, so I don't know how much money (if any) they are going to offer me.

From what I have heard, you can negotiate with a given law school based off of what another law school offers you. In light of this, I am hoping that I get into a lower T14 school (like Duke or Northwestern) and use Columbia as leverage. I would love someone's opinion on how feasible that would be, as well as how the process actually works.

Thanks in advance!!

I'm curious about the turnaround time for applications. I'm about to submit everything and I wanted a general idea about how long I should expect to wait to hear back. I realize it may vary by school, but for those of you who have already heard back, how long did that take? Thanks, guys!

Hello,

I have a question, in my PS I discussed I have been interested in law for a long time, but I studied a totally different subject in grad school. There are several reasons and I did not study it for giving up law school, but should I explain that in addendum? Or do I look like I am making an excuse?

Thanks.

Hi community,

I cannot remember all my dorm housing policy violations that I breached in college

because I threw away the papers and the college email is now terminated.

So I contacted the student life office and asked them to release all the records.

They only had one alcohol violation. Honestly I cannot remember if there is anything more.

Im not so concerned about law school app as to the Bar C&F. What if Bar C&F

find out something that I don't remember despite my effort to research and disclose?

Maybe some records are expunged despite receiving written warning, but I cannot remember? (- this is what Im most concerned about.(/p)

I want to disclose everything but I cannot find records. This is really getting frustrating.

The purpose for me pursuing law school is to ultimately work in public interest. I hope to get into policy making/changing.. especially education law and disability law. With that said.. I would love to make it to a T14 school.. Georgetown would be a dream come true.. or Cornell.

My husband is applying to veterinary school the same time I am applying to law school.. This limits my choices of T14 schools. I honestly just want to get into a decent school with scholarships that will allow me to work in public policy.

Considering what my goal with a law degree is, is it reasonable to NOT attend a T14 and still accomplish my goals?

I've been doing too much lurking on the TLS forum.

Hey all!

I've been hiding away doing applications. I hope everyone did well on the December test and if you didn't, Feb is around the corner and I know you all will kick ass.

So this hasn't actually come up until today but one school I'm applying to asks for an explanation if your second LSAT score is five points or above your last one. I improved by five points and wasn't sure how I should approach the explanation.

Three main reasons for why I increased:

So I'm not sure if I should explain all of this or if it makes me look like a slacker. I don't want the school to think I can't handle stress or change.

Any thoughts?

Thanks and love this site!

1

I ran my LSAC GPA and estimated that I will have a 3.29. My overall UG gpa is 3.5.. Needless to say, my first two years of college I made some poor choices. Flash forward, I transferred to a state university and was able to complete the final two years of my undergrad with a 3.9 GPA.

Here is my question.. Are trends looked at during the admissions process?

I'm obviously shooting for a solid LSAT score, I'm just concerned that my GPA is going to raise a red flag and potentially get in the way of acceptances.

Thanks 7sagers!

Hi guys! I am applying for the Fall 2017 cycle and I am having a bit of a hard time trying to figure out which schools to apply to so that I have about 5 for each (reach, target, and safety). My question is, what is the difference between the three... Obviously the likelihood that you will be accepted, but what about the GPA and LSAT medians? Would a reach school be considered like 5 points below the LSAT median, or 10, or 3...? Just a little confused how much reach a reach is haha!

Hello,

So if we want to talk about interviews we had, speakers in a meeting etc, do we have to reveal their real names in PS?

In fact I forgot some of their names...

If I just say "a guest speaker" would it look weak?

Also, how gramatically strict PS should be?

I read some PS but some sound poetic like fiction novels, not like the tone of academic research paper...

Thank you!

Hi all, I need some impartial, non-attorney advice.

I've had my personal statement proofread by 3 individuals (two are attorneys and one is my husband (non-attorney, but works at a law firm) and they love the statement but have trouble with the phrase "civil twilight" at the beginning of my statement.

My PS begins as follows:

"It was the beginning of civil twilight when my eyes opened and without much thought I made a very simple decision. I was barely 16 years old when I walked out and decided that I was never coming back. I recall looking down at the clear vials with different color tops littering the elevator floor worrying about the unlocked door, but not much else. As I disappeared down --------- Avenue on that quiet morning, there was no one to witness the beginning of my metaphorical descent into my life."

One person did not know what it meant and did not bother to look up and wondered why didn't I use just twilight. Another person had to look up and said that if it comes natural then use it, but if I'm using the phrase to sound good, the use "just before dawn" or something like it. The third person said it sounded like I was trying too hard.

The use civil twilight is not unusual to me because I'm a lit major and I read a lot (I mean really read a lot!). I'm tempted to just go with it...but I also don't want to be stubborn about it and not heed advice. I'm also relunctant to change it because it ties in with my last line of my essay: ("However, I have never taken the worn path and I have never minded the possibility of an unruly dusk.")

What do you guys think?

Hi all!! I am applying for this Fall's admission cycle and my law advisor is on sabbatical so it is hard for me to find someone to constructively critique my essays. If anyone would please like to review both of these essays I would greatly appreciate it. Just inbox me or comment here and I will send it over. Thank you to anyone in advance!!

Hi everyone,

I completed my applications for three schools before writing the LSAT (Dec was my first and only take). BUT I checked today and they all show that my LSAT score is still outstanding. Do I email admissions to let them know it's available? Or is this just because they haven't updated my file online?... I don't know! PLEASE HELP! =( I am already late in the cycle and I don't want the review of my apps to take even longer.

Thanks!!!

P.S. I spoke to LSAC who said they've sent the score - it's automatic - and there is nothing I can do on their end because they've already done their part.

Hi All,

So I had to take 2 semesters off at the beginning of my 3rd year in university because I had suffered from severe eating disorder... Although I had recovered from it fully since then (and this gap year happened about 7 years ago) I am planning not to write an extra addendum unless schools specifically ask me to explain about any gap years in my education history (So far I have noticed that Cornell, Duke and NYU ask this).

Would it be ok if I just say that I developed a medical ailment and decided to treat it during the 3rd year instead of talking about the details of the illness? I just don't wanna open a can of worms if I do not have to. I've been looking for some sample addenda explaining about gap year but haven't been successful as of yet... Any feedback on this would be much appreciated!

If I enroll in premium but felt the need for more, is it possible to upgrade to ultimate? (like the LSAT course, which you just pay for the difference between the courses)

Thank you.

Hi all,

After looking through the UGPA/LSAT score search feature on LSAC, I am discouraged that even with a hypothetical 180, my GPA brings my chances of getting into the top schools down significantly.

Is it true that a high LSAT cannot compensate for a lower than average (based on school) GPA?

I am very uninformed about the entire process, and I would appreciate any help or suggestions.

I deferred admissions last fall at the in-state flagship where I currently work in secondary education. I received a small scholarship to a school that is ranked around 90, but the dominant school in the state I am 75-80% likely to practice. My December score only improved 3 points, but I am now nine points higher than their 75th, though below their 50th in GPA. However, I have a good story since undergrad and the ability to tell it well. I do not know if they will offer more with the marginal improvement.

I was accepted early admissions last month to a neighboring flagship ranked around 35. They are the second strongest school in the state where I reside, physically closer to the city where I would most like to live than the in-state school, and obviously stronger in 49 other states. Due to a childhood move from current state, I lived there for public middle and high school, college (at a small religious school), and even my first job. None of my family currently lives there.

My score is 2-3 points higher than their 75th, but GPA is right at their 25th. They claim "holistic admissions", and GPA minus one semester jumps substantially, plus I have heard it's much easier to find high GPA than high test admits.

Should I be able to at least negotiate in-state tuition? If so, how do I go about doing so?

I appreciate any guidance. I made a couple of misteps early on due to finding 7Sage late, and lack access to an undergrad advisor or anyone close to me who was been through anything similar.

I'm taking the LSAT inFenruary 2017. When is the earliest that I can start with my applications and start law school?

Will I have to take a year gap because I'm taking the test in Feb?

Hope everyone had a great Christmas weekend!

Quick question to those of you who had a chance to submit a general letter of recommendation to LSAC. I'm about to send an instruction to my recommenders on how to submit their letters etc and was wondering who they will need to address in the letter head. For example, should the address of the person / committee receiving this general letter should be that of LSAC as opposed to specific school?

Also, do you have any thoughts on not putting the date when the letter was written by the recommender? Given that these letters can stay on my record for the next 5 years and since I may be applying again after this admission cycle, I was wondering maybe I should ask the recommenders to omit the date in their letters... Really appreciate any thoughts you guys have on these questions and hope everyone has a great rest of the week :)

Hey guys,

To those who have been confused about the evaluation process around writing Dec (or previous LSAT) and potentially writing Feb (or future LSAT), I may have some answers for you.

Personally, I just wrote the December exam. But, I have indicated on OLSAS (Ontario Law School Application Service) that I will also be writing in Feb. I see it purely as another chance to improve my mark, whatever that may be, from the Dec. exam. If I am set on fall 2017 admissions, it won't hurt to try and get a higher mark, and let's face it, there is always room for a higher mark.

My dilemma was this: I would hate to be rejected on the basis of my Dec. score when I might be able to improve for Feb. I worried that schools may open my app prior to Feb, and base their decision solely on my Dec. score b/c my application would be considered complete. (Ottawa... you suck)

On the other hand, I would also hate to miss the opportunity to be accepted if my app is not evaluated until late Feb. That is, if the schools see that my application is "complete" but that I have indicated I will be writing in Feb, they may put my app on hold and therefore, not make any decision until early March.

WELL folks, if anyone was in this boat, which I know some of you were... I hope the following info on ONTARIO law schools helps. Here are the answers I obtained after calling the following schools:

1) Ottawa University - Application evaluated once opened. If there is a previous LSAT score on file, they will NOT consider future plans to re-write, even if indicated on OLSAS. (e.g. Feb. exam). ... BOO!

2) Western University - If you have a previous strong mark and they are happy with the rest of your app, they will not wait until Feb. Admission will be offered. If mark on file not strong, they will hold off and re-evaluate once Feb. mark comes in.

3) Osgoode Hall - Same as above. If you have a previous strong mark and they are happy with the rest of your app, they will not wait until Feb. Admission will be offered. If mark on file not strong, they will hold off and re-evaluate once Feb. mark comes in.

4) Queens - Left emails, voicemails. Away for holidays.

*Update* - "We will not decline applicants, based on LSAT, until after the February results. If a new score is posted that make you competitive, you will be considered then."

5) UofT - Left emails, voicemails. Away for holidays.

*Update* - Application put on HOLD if indicated on OLSAS that you are writing at a later date.

6) Windsor - Left email. --- *EDIT* @LSAT04164 has advised Windsor does not accept Feb scores. December last date accepted.

*Did not apply to Thunder Bay.

I recently received my academic summary report from LSAC, and it seems that LSAC counted a zero-credit course that I failed (long story) into my grade. Is this intentional? If so, how do they factor it in? If not, how can I get this corrected?

Thanks 7Sage!

Would anyone like to go over my PS? In my final draft, looking to make the last couple of adjustments if needed

First of all, Yale is *completely* [completely] out of my reach but I have a nice cousin who wants me to try and is helping me pay the app fee...so here's to money going down the drain.

Would anyone be down to edit my Yale 250? I would love to edit yours in return. I know this won't affect my chances too much because my numbers are already borderline, but I still don't want to submit a bad essay.

Thanks!

Some international UGs have low GPA even at the top of the class.

Is 2.9/superior better than 3.6/above-average at HYS adcomms?

Do adcomms just ignore actual GPA and only look at the LAC rating or not ?