On Wednesday, June 28 at 8pm ET, join 7Sage admissions consultant Tajira McCoy for another panel discussion with law school admissions deans from across the country. For this conversation, hear from representatives of Boston College, Emory University, Loyola University Chicago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Richmond, and the University of San Diego, as they weigh in on various parts of the reapplicant process and common reapplicant questions––should you write new documents? Will retaking the LSAT help? Will applying earlier make a difference? Do I have to specifically address being a reapplicant? We hope to see you there!

Register here: https://7sage.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_akOx91pHQSOyN07230Arqw

Note: if you can't make it the session will be recorded and subsequently posted to our podcast.

Hi! I plan on applying to law schools this September for Fall '24 and had some questions about the FAFSA application. The LSAC advises law school applicants: "If you plan on enrolling in law school at the beginning of the fall term, you can apply for federal financial aid using the FAFSA beginning October 1 of the prior calendar year." As the FAFSA 2022-2023 application closes at the end of this month, am I fine to apply for 2023-2024 when it opens up this October 2023? Or am I misunderstanding and should've applied 2022-2023? I'm having a hard time picturing my timeline as financial aid always worries me.

Alright here's my dilemma:

I just asked two people to write my letters of recommendation for law school. Assuming they say yes, most websites I've read recommend THREE letters of recommendation. However, I don't have that close of a relationship with any other professors/TAs.

I do play a club sport for my university and have a decent relationship with our coach. Should I ask him to write me a letter or is that too casual? He 100% knows my worth ethic, determination, etc., which could look good on a rec letter. Alternatively, do I ask a professor I've talked to maybe once, or just leave it at two people?

Any help is appreciated, thank you!

Hello all,

I am currently in my third year of a business program. In my second year, I became interested in computer science through elective courses I had taken, and decided to enroll into a dual degree offered at my school. This adds 1-2 years of course requirements (depending on how many courses you take per semester).

After a year in the program, I have realized that it is likely not for me. Overall I perform well in the courses, but since I joined the program late, I am realizing that I am unlikely to finish in only 1 additional year. I am most likely looking at at least 2 years due to a maximum allowance of courses that can be taken per semester. (I work full time over summers, so that is not an option).

Given that I want to go to law school, it seems silly to me to continue to pay for rent in a town far from home, and to continue paying tuition, simply because I find the courses interesting. With all that being said, I am wondering what people think the effects of dropping the second degree will be on my applications. Like many, I am hoping to go to a t14 school. According to my academic advisors, there will be a note on my transcript that I withdrew from the program, but it will not have any effect on my marks or my progress in my business degree.

TLDR: I am currently enrolled in two undergraduate degrees through a program offered at my school. I want to drop the second degree, and I am worried it will negatively impact my applications.

Hi all,

I am in a bit of a shock at the moment. I received my cum GPA and it dropped from a 4.06 to 3.58. I had a rough start in 2010 and walked out on my courses without withdrawing. I need an expert to help me double check if LSAC may have made an error. I need an absolute pro to help me out. I don't want to ask LSAC to double check in case they made an error and somehow end up with a lower score. Any avail to help me out?

Thank you!

Hey I am applying to a new school after being dismissed (due to external factors that have since improved) from another law school last year. This is my first time applying to this particular law school in question. Should I put first time or reapplicant as my applicant type? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi!

Does anyone know that which gpa is more important when the AOs evaluate our application? Because I transferred twice during undergrad. My current school’s gpa is high. But the CAS gpa will be light 0.3 lower than my gpa now. Any advice for that? Please let me know!Thank you guys.

Olsas says the admission committees of the law schools reserve the right to apply their own evaluation. But will they really see my original transcript and realize 3.3 can’t really represent my academic performance? Does they solely rely on the WES result?

Join 7Sage admissions consultant Tajira McCoy on Wednesday, May 24 at 8pm ET for a special installment in a series of discussions with law school admissions deans from across the country. For this conversation, hear from representatives of Boston College, Emory University, Loyola University Chicago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Richmond, and the University of San Diego, as they take a look at the recently released update to law school rankings by US News & World Report.

Register here: https://7sage.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_meEZ5NgcS8KQGqfBa0_N8A.

Note: this webinar will be recorded and added to the podcast after being edited for sound quality.

I applied to law school in late December and sent a January LSAT score (162). I was accepted to a #50 ranked law school with a ~30-40K/year conditional scholarship. I deposited and have been planning to attend in the fall. For context: this school was not my first choice school, and I have been secretly harboring a desire to transfer after my first year if I'm unhappy and do well with my coursework. I've been trying to suppress this "transfer fantasy" and start school with the intention of staying because from what I've read it's impossible to predict one's 1L grades.

Recently, I started to rethink my plans. I can't help but feel jealous of some of my friends who are starting law school at programs I'd love to attend. Shouldn't I feel more excited about the program I am planning to attend? Simultaneously, I love my new job and am in a happier and healthier place than I've been in a long time. As I think about moving, I can't help but feel like I'm giving up on my potential to attend a higher-ranked program that might be a better fit for my career aspirations. What if, I've been thinking, I defer my offer, work another year, and save up more money for school. I could also invest in LSAT tutoring (something I haven't tried yet) and retake the LSAT in the hopes of getting a higher score and reapply to some of my dream programs. For context: I previously applied for law school and studied for the LSAT alongside a very demanding job. I now have much more free time and bandwidth to study. I could also spend the year getting mentally prepared for school. For me this means, seeing friends and family, traveling, and pursuing personal goals.

I know it is very challenging to increase one's LSAT score, so as I weigh this decision I want to be realistic about how much I can improve. I would admittedly be disappointed if I didn't improve my score and ended up in a similar (or worse) position a year from now. And when looking at the numbers, the reality is only a small fraction of folks get above a 165. I do have a strong GPA and career experience working in my favor.

So... what would you do if you were me? Go? Or wait a year, retake the LSAT, and reapply?

When do I need to ask for letters of recommendation? Should I get them in months before I apply?

I was thinking of having one letter come from an undergrad professor and one come from the attorney I worked for since I worked for her as her assistant.

Or should all my letters be from professors?

Thanks!!

I've been going to school full time (summer semesters included) for the past 3 years and I'll be graduating from undergrad this fall, all while working full time as an office manager, and now a paralegal. My GPA is 3.9. I took the April LSAT and got a 148, 10 points lower than my PT average. I'm planning to take again in June and aiming for high 150s minimum. When I apply to law schools, will my background benefit me in regard to acceptance?

I need help deciding on a school! My deadline to accept (provisionally or firmly) uOttawa is tomorrow, but if I accept there, my acceptance from Osgoode will be cancelled. I'm not sure what to do. I know Osgoode is ranked much higher, but I'm nervous about living there. My career ambitions are to go into the government/human rights/non-profit/humanitarian/international development sector(s), and I simply don't know what to do. Maybe I could transfer schools if I end up not liking it? I'm so nervous! I have also yet to hear back from UBC or McGill, and I have a deferral from UVIC. Please help (in a gentle way, I'm quite fragile at the moment lol).

Edit:

I wanted to add that I would love to make community in law school as I went to a small commuter school in undergrad. I also want to consider the school's abroad program and opportunities for growth. Prestige isn't necessarily the most important thing but I would love to make kind friends and have a lot of opportunities within the subject areas that I want to pursue.

I have no cumulative GPA calculation because I competed less than 60 graded credits of U.S./Canadian undergraduate-level work prior to the awarding of the international degree.

I've got 4.22/4.5 GPA from non U.S. undergraduate and 3.88/4.0 GPA from U.S. undergraduate.

According to LSAC Academic Summary Report, Degree(Summary) GPA is 3.81 and there's no Cumulative GPA.

Do law schools look my GPA as 3.81 or do they calculate cumulative GPA combined with both schools? If I calculate all the credits I've got from both schools with LSAC grade conversion table, my overall GPA is 4.02, which is pretty much higher than 3.81.

help Please advise me if you know how my GPA affects the law school admission.

Hey everyone! I took college classes in high school at a community college. I got into UCF right after high school, so they all got transferred to my college transcript. Question: When I submit my transcripts to LSAC, do I submit just one from UCF ( it includes my dual enrollment classes) or do I submit one from UCF and also one from the community college? If yes, will law schools think that I attended community college after high school? Thank you in advance!

I did poorly in undergrad (but at a good school- Lehigh) largely because I got sick and was dealing with my illness for several years. I scraped through with a 2.1 average (though about a 1/3 of my credits were transfer credits because I had to withdrawal several times and attended other schools). I went on and decided to go to get my MBA which I did from a pretty good school (Fordham) and graduated near the top of my class with a 3.72 average. Am I screwed because of my undergrad despite having done much better and at a much higher level of academic rigor? I've heard that they largely weight undergrad because its part of ranking criteria ect.

Hi,

I am thinking of transferring out to a nearby community college to take paralegal related courses and maybe to boost my gpa before graduation. Would this be frowned upon by law school admission committees?

After one year, I will return to my university to graduate during summer as I will have only one course left.

x

Hey guys,

I'm in the process of getting my application together for 2024 and was wondering if anyone had any additional personal statement resources, tips, or advice I could use when beginning to write (other than what's on 7sage)? Anything related to diversity statements would be very helpful too.

Thanks!

So when I was in 8th grade I was suspended for vaping (I know). There was no arrest or anything criminal accompanying this, and it was in middle school. . . would this be appropriate to report with an addenda? When I read some of the questions, they say ANY academic or disciplinary records from ANY school (which to me, means K-College). That language would suggest I need to report this, would it not?

Hello everyone,

I plan to apply to law school this fall but at the moment I'm going through a difficult time at work. The job isn't very glamorous, I'm an Operations Assistant at a Real Estate brokerage, but it pays the bills and is giving me networking opportunities as well as a Letter of Recommendation. With that said however, I've decided to quit this job because there's just too many problems and it's time to move on. However, I'm a little concerned when to quit because law schools dissect every part of your resume if you're a nontraditional law school applicant.

I reach the 2yr threshold in July and I'm more than capable of putting up with these problems til then. However, if I don't have to, I'll give them my 2 weeks and quit sooner.

So my question is: do law schools place a bigger emphasis on the number of years (an even 2yrs) that you've worked at a place or does it just not matter after you've crossed 1yr or 1.5yrs?

Maybe I'm overthinking this but I'm concerned that working less than 2yrs at this job will seem suspect and will weaken my application.

Please participate in the poll and/or let me know your thoughts.

Thank you

Hello. I'm applying to law school in the fall, and I'd like as much input as possible on what my chance of a T3 school are.

Hards: 176 Lsat, 3.98 GPA

Softs: 1 year working for a lawyer, plus a separate summer internship for a NY supreme court judge (hopefully... I don't actually have the job yet.

250 hours (roughly a year) volunteering for the Crisis text line.

Skills: coding (python, java etc.) unrelated to my undergraduate degree.

Great letters of recommendation from my boss, professor and super at the text line.

Are my chances above 50% ah HYS... or even superman wouldn't be a guarantee in at the top?

P.S. I'm a white male, so not a URM.

All input appreciated, thank you in advance 🙏

Hello. I'm applying to law school in the fall, and I'd like as much input as possible on what my chance of a T3 school are.

Hards: 176 Lsat, 3.98 GPA

Softs: 1 year working for a lawyer, plus a separate summer internship for a NY supreme court judge (hopefully... I don't actually have the job yet.

250 hours (roughly a year) volunteering for the Crisis text line.

Skills: coding (python, java etc.) unrelated to my undergraduate degree.

Great letters of recommendation from my boss, professor and super at the text line.

Are my chances above 50% ah HYS... or even superman wouldn't be a guarantee in at the top?

P.S. I'm a white male, so not a URM.

All input appreciated, thank you in advance 🙏

Hello,

I'm quite new to the application process for US schools and I have a question regarding URM status. I was born and raised in Vietnam, immigrated to Canada and became a Canadian citizen this past year. If I apply to US law schools, would I be considered URM? Or do I need to be a US citizen for that?

Thank you.

I've been looking at a 1-year master's program in business management, and would probably apply to law school to enter immediately after I graduate. I want to go into corporate law, so having some business knowledge and also getting to experience higher level coursework would be a plus. I'm still on the fence about it though, because I'm wondering if it's more worth it to get a job, or will having a master's degree makes you a more competitive applicant than having job experience?