Hey Everyone,

So I exceeded my target score on the LSAT, have a rough but decent GPA and know I need a good personal statement to really round out my application package. I was wondering if anyone would like to swap Personal Statements or my Diversity Statement when I finish my current edit today. I'm more than willing to read/edit/brainstorm anything you have in exchange. Please let me know.

Thanks and keep working hard everyone.

Hi All,

Here is my entire background in 1 sentence: failed out of high school, then went into Pasadena City College with a 3.9, got 3 useless associate degrees, then transferred into Berkeley Haas School of Business and got out with a 3.8.

So 3 years in community college and 2 years of fine education.

I had heard that law schools don't look at your community college GPA, so...is that real?

How does this thing work?

Thanks,

Panda

I looked at my Academic Summary Report this morning and, to my surprise, it doesn't include the academic warning note that appears on my transcript for my first quarter of undergrad, but it does have my Dean's List note for my third quarter for that year as well as all the others. Prior to seeing that LSAC didn't include my academic warning note, I was considering writing an addendum about this because that was the first and last quarter I performed poorly (and took science and math - coincidence?) and my GPA reflects this. My questions are: Should this affect my decision to write the addendum? Does LSAC look at both my transcript and the Academic Summary Report?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts and advice!

Hey 7sagers,

I apparently have lots of questions about my resume, so I'm going to keep turning to you all for advice (although I better get to actually submitting these apps real soon)!

I have a couple publications to list on my resume. Do I simply just list the titles and where they were published, or is it appropriate to add context?

For example, right now I just have:

Published non-fiction "Environmental Article Title" in Interesting Magazine - 08/16

Published short story "Best Story Ever" in Great Fiction Anthology - 07/15

Is it appropriate to sort of say what either of those were about? I'm interested in giving some context for the article since I wrote about nonprofits, community organizing, and I'm trying to do public interest law. However, from the sample resumes I've seen, it looks like everyone just writes the Title of the Publication, where it was published in, and the date of publication.

Hey all. First time poster here!

I am scheduled to take the December LSAT, but since I registered two months ago, I've decided to shoot for a higher score/better school and take it again in June 2017. I'm currently scoring a 160, BR-ing around 168, and my new goal is 170+. I think I can do this by June, but definitely not by December.

My worry is this: if I score a 160 in December and a 170 in June, will law schools heavily consider the first score and/or average the two? I'm looking at schools like Georgetown, Michigan, Chicago, Northwestern, and I want them to see my best score. On the other hand, experiencing test-day anxiety and getting a feel for the process this December before I do the real deal in June sounds beneficial.

Any Sage advice?

I began completing actual applications this week, and had a question regarding some common questions I've seen on apps. I've seen several optional sections/questions regarding your socio-economic background: parents' educations, household income, high school, zip code you lived in during high school, etc., with Berkeley probably having the most in-depth section.

The question is this: If the section is optional, and your responses would indicate a relatively privileged upbringing (private high school, parents with professional degrees, upper-middle class household income, etc.), is it better to just not complete the section?

Does omitting responses to this section cause the adcom to just assume both your parents are MDs, and have a household income over $1m, and you went to Philips Academy?

Hey all- I have an organizational question on resumes. I got a bachelor's degree in 2004, then got an associate's degree in culinary arts in 2010, and over the last few years i've also taken some graduate level courses at two different schools for credit, though not as a degree-seeking student.

Should I list all of this education on my resume? I'm getting transcripts for everything, so it will definitely be on my law school report. And if i do list it all, in what order? I know usually you would list things in reverse chronological order, but in my case it seems strange, since that would mean the highest degree I've obtained would be listed last.

Any advice?

Thanks!

I am 100% a believer in 7sage's effectiveness for LSAT prep, but now that that's out of the way, I was wondering how effective people have found the Admissions accounts. And if you did use them for your application, which level did you sign up for and how do you feel it helped you?

I've been working on my personal statement and all other application necessities on my own, but feel like it might be best to leave no stone unturned and enroll professional help. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I‘m currently preparing for Feb LSAT and application materials. I need 2 letters( one from my advisor).

Do you think that I should require one from my current boss(I work as a part-time in an immigration firm) or ask one from my previous college professors?

Due to taking some random classes after college, and enrolling in a data analytics program recently at a local community college, I've got a lot of schools to list under the education section of my resume. This sort of sucks, because I would rather use precious resume room on cool extracurriculars.

Right now, I have 3 schools listed - my undergrad institution, the community college I'm in currently enrolled in the data analytics program in, and a third school I took a poli sci class from last year. I was not planning to include this third school, but @david.busis suggested I included it so that it didn't appear like I was hiding anything.

I also studied abroad in undergrad, and a lot of sites suggest including that school to add some personality to your resume. However, that would result in me listing 4 schools, which both seems ridiculous and will take up way too much real estate. I'm leaning towards just omitting the study abroad school, since that won't boost my resume much, and leaving the third school (at which I took the online poli sci class) to avoid any potential harm not fully disclosing that course might cause. Does this seem like the best plan to you all?

Because you all are the best, I have more questions:

I'm trying to save space on my resume (like we all are), and want to know if this education section is redundant:

College XY

• BA in English; Minors in Creative Writing and History.

• Dean’s List (Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012).

• Graduated with Honors

• Honors Thesis: Psychological Traps and the Legacy of the Old South in Faulkner’s Fiction.

Can I just cut "Graduated with Honors" and simply list the title of my thesis? Would that convey I graduated with Honors?

Also, do I need to list the semesters for Dean's List? It seems like I should. Thanks 7sagers!

So Penn doesn't have a specific "Why do you want to go to Penn" essay prompt, but one of the optional essays is:

These are the core strengths that make Penn Law the best place to receive a rigorous and engaging legal education: genuine integration with associated disciplines; transformative, forward-looking faculty scholarship; highly-regarded experiential learning through urban clinics and our pro bono pledge; innovative, hands-on global engagement; and a manifest commitment to professional development and collegiality. These qualities define Penn Law. What defines you? How do your goals and values match Penn Law’s core strengths?

Is this just a long-winded way of asking Why Penn? Or should I really spend a good deal of the essay talking about some of my own traits?

Should I list the year I was a Fulbright Scholar (English teaching assistant program) under employment in the LSAC applications? I wasn't employed per se, but it seems odd to leave it out, especially if I'm putting in my unpaid internships from college. (Obviously, it's on my resume--just asking about the app itself). Thanks in advance for your input!

Anyone interested in being PS brainstorm buddies? I am stumbling around trying to figure out how to sum things up and could use a stranger's eyes. You tell me your life story, I'll tell you mine, we can help each other figure out interesting takes. Skye, google chat, texting, phone, who knows.

I'd prefer other older students (people whose statements are not going to be about their undergrad experience and/or who need to cover "why a career change to law"), but I'm open.

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?