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20 posts in the last 30 days

Does an unhealthy relationship with someone count as a reason to write a GPA addendum?

I'm a non-traditional student who has been out of school for several years now, but when I was in undergrad, I struggled with setting boundaries with other people and ended up in an unhealthy relationship that consumed my whole life. From the first day of Freshman year, to basically end of my first semester of my Junior year, my boyfriend (we met at orientation) went from being a bit clingy to being in my life every second of every day. He would constantly want to be with me and when he wasn't he'd seek me out on campus or ask me where I was. He'd tend to have emotional episodes that always seemed to correspond with the times I had a big test or essay to write and I wasn't available. I eventually broke up with this person, but by that time, I had basically lost my whole undergraduate experience and my GPA was mediocre(low for law school purposes).

In my final semester of undergrad, finally free from the toxic relationships (and the mental health issues) that I had built for those 3 years, I got a 3.9 taking serious classes. I've always wondered if this was a fluke, so eventually, I decided I'd go and pursue a master's degree at the University of Edinburgh. I completed the degree and received a distinction, which is the highest mark you can get. I know that my graduate experience is a soft and not really useful in a sense, but I do think that it helps show that I can succeed in academic settings.

I just don't know if this is a stupid thing to write about or not.

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Last comment thursday, jul 29 2021

Law School Splitter

Hi everyone! I am just looking to get some advice...

I live in Austin (TX resident) and am applying to law school in the Fall 2021 cycle. I really want to go to UT Austin but I am a splitter and curious if anyone has insight. I know UT Austin's L50 for LSAT has risen to 168 and I am pretty far off). Here's my background:

BS in Biomedical Engineering - GPA: 3.843 (2019)

MS in Biomedical Engineering - GPA: 3.833 (2020)

LSAT: 160 (I've taken twice and I think my second time score was worse, so going with my first score)

I've worked in medical device industry for 3+ years, in R&D (as an engineer) and now full time in Regulatory Affairs (legal function) in medical devices.

Interested in IP and Patent law with my engineering background and have worked in biotech/life science for a long time.

Thoughts on applying ED? Will this greater my chances of acceptance? Is this school too high a reach for someone with my LSAT score?

Realistically, I don't think I'll be able to re-take the LSAT for a third time (August) and boost it up to anywhere near the median. I know some people have suggested I take a third time, aiming closer to 163 (L25 is 164). I know myself and working full-time still, studying this summer and writing my personal statement (and getting ready for application cycle), I just don't see myself committing the entirety of my free time to re-studying a third time..

Here goes...

I took the LSAT, got a 156, waited a year and retook and got a 156. In that time my average went up, average before was a 156 and average a year later was a 164. I hit 162, 164, 165, 166, 168, 169, and 172 (once) the second time around. I had decided to just move forward and not retake for a third time but now that I am looking at how little money I will probably get, if any, I am worried.

For those wondering, I did practice in simulated sessions, didn't stop my tests, and reviewed each test I took about 3 - 4 times. I think the issue was that I took a lot of PT's in the late 40's - 60's range and not enough new prep tests. And honestly, I feel like the old PT's were easier. The 2 real tests I have taken felt considerably harder than the PT's and I choked both times on LG.

I say all of that to ask what should the plan of attack be moving forward? This time around I would focus solely on the new PT's and redo those I took in the past. But more than that, how do I prevent choking on logic games and improving my RC/LR sections?

Lastly, I had decided to not retake because I am burnout and frankly tired of this entire process. I am not sure that realistically I actually would do better on a real test. I almost submitted a score appeal but even LSAC say's "any differences in scores earned on practice tests versus actual tests are highly unlikely to indicate a scoring error" and I've read that people only marginally do better when they retake. So, I am also wondering if I should even do it.

For reference, I have a 3.9 and graduated with Latin Honors, and other honors.

The top 3 school's I want to get into LSAT medians.

160, 162, 168.

25th percentile.

157, 156, 164

The 164/168 is obviously a dream school. But I am thinking of applying ED, and I am a state resident.

I am debt adverse but honestly also LSAT for a third time adverse.

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Last comment tuesday, jul 13 2021

Advice 158 LSAT

Hi all!

I recently took the June LSAT, and I scored a 158 - right in my PT range (155-161), so I was happy with the score. I currently work as an engineer, and we are back in the office now that most in the company are vaccinated, so I do not think I will have as much study time to improve my score as I did for the June LSAT. I graduated undergrad in 2020 with a 3.64 in civil / environmental engineering. Are my odds good enough for a scholarship to law school? Any advice would be much appreciated. You guys rock!

Hello Everyone!

I graduated grad school in 2018 and I have not been in touch with any of my professors in either undergrad or grad schools.

Most law schools I’m looking into require at least 2 letters. I have one mentor from my previous workplace who is happy to write a letter for me.

Should I get my second letter from my grad school professor or management at my current workplace? My concern for both is the ‘lukewarm’ recommendation letter from

  • professor because we haven’t been in touch for so long
  • management because of the thought that I want to switch industries completely so I haven’t been or am no longer invested in the projects at work
  • Any advice on this or how to reconnect with professors in school would be appreciated!!

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    Last comment saturday, jul 10 2021

    Undergraduate GPA

    #help

    I recently realized that LSAC takes into account your grades from all institutions when calculating your GPA.

    A little about me... I took several dual credit classes in high school and transferred to a different school after my freshman year. Although I did not do poorly in the dual credits or my freshman year, I did not get a 4.0. I graduated from my degree issuing institution with a 4.0. My LSAC GPA is predicted to be around a 3.78.

    All that being said, I understand that I cannot omit my grades from high school and my transfer school. Would it be worthwhile to write an addendum with my application showing that I graduated with a 4.0 from my degree issuing school?

    I graduated undergrad in 2016. I contacted my 2 closest professors for recommendation letters and they are willing to write them, but I am worried I need more recent references. I am struggling to come up with a third reference, my former work supervisors that I interacted with on a daily basis neither know me on a personal level nor have the best command of the English language. I moved to a new city just when Covid started so I had no chance to get involved in a community organization outside of work.

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    Last comment wednesday, jul 07 2021

    education section of resume

    I received 24 college credits in high school through 4 different colleges. They were just normal high school classes that I was then allowed to pay a fee and complete a few extra assignments to get college credit. Do I have to list these schools separately in the education section or just Marist College where I actually attended for undergrad. I uploaded all 5 transcripts to LSAC.

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    Last comment wednesday, jul 07 2021

    ADHD and Admissions Chances

    Hello,

    I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and have applied for accommodations for the August 2021 LSAT. I am curious if this information is given to schools by LSAC/my undergraduate institution and if there is any affect upon admissions decisions if so.

    Thanks!

    #admissions

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    Last comment monday, jul 05 2021

    Retake a 171?

    I got my June LSAT Flex score back and it was 171. I'm not sure whether I should retake in October. This was my second take. I was pting in about 170, but in blind review I could get to about 175 (the best one was 177). I'm in a top10 liberal arts college with a gpa of 3.87. My softs are average or perhaps below average— I'm an international student and have been outside of the US for more than a year due to COVID 19, so I was only able to get an internship in my homeland which I know would lack credibility to most US law schools. Aiming at t8 law schools, and the best choice would by NYU or Columbia.

    I'm aware that a better score is always preferable. The reasons holding me back from retaking are 1) I'm now taking a gap semester, but I will be back in school next semester. I'm not sure if I have time to prepare for another LSAT in October. 2) The October LSAT-Flex will have four sections, but I've never practiced a four-section-LSAT before. I don't know if that makes the test harder. 3) If I'm going to retake I probably won't be doing any internship this summer but instead would focus on LSAT and other application materials. Not sure if it's worth sacrificing my summer internship.

    Do you guys have any thoughts on this? What are my chances with my current score? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    On Wednesday, June 30 at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, join four 7Sage Consultants discussing strategies to help splitters present strong law school application materials despite having a GPA or LSAT score below the median. There will be time reserved for a Q&A. 

    If you have a Clubhouse account, use this link to RSVP and join Club 7Sage: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/mWVlLnN8.

    If you do not currently have Clubhouse access, or are on the Clubhouse waitlist, the first 1,000 people to use this link (https://www.clubhouse.com/join/club-7sage/yS292mCD/mWVlLnN8) will be able to skip the Clubhouse waitlist for access to the platform, RSVP for our event, and join Club 7Sage. Unfortunately, we cannot provide additional access beyond the first 1,000 people. We will record the session for those unable to attend and post it to our podcast, which is available via Apple and Spotify.

    We hope to see you on Clubhouse!

    I have several abbreviations on my personal statement that otherwise would be an entire sentence.

    E.g NVCC for Northern Virginia Community College.

    I feel like spelling all these out take up too much of precious real estate. Is this acceptable??

    Thank you!

    I keep hearing how LSAT medians are rising for many schools/the application cycle is more competitive than ever before, & that we should expect a rise in medians by 1+ points... is this accurate? and do you know where I can find up-to-date LSAT medians (or anything that'll help me understand what schools I have a chance of getting into for the 2022 cycle)? Can I rely on 2020 data that schools are keeping on their websites? Any advice is greatly appreciated :)

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    Last comment sunday, jul 04 2021

    Info Sessions?

    Hello everyone! I have been looking for info sessions (looking to get a better feel of schools, see where I might want to ED, get content and questions answered for Why X essays), but I have so far not found any. If anyone has any leads on info sessions (online or in person), I would be eternally grateful if you could comment them below.

    I read that if you're above the median score, you shouldn't take it again. Is this true?

    Some background: I am a first time test taker, and took the June LSAT and scored on the lower end of my PT range. I am above the median for my target schools and right at the 75th percentile mark. I have the ability to do better, but also have terrible anxiety that I don't foresee going away the second go-around. I'm really hoping for some scholarship money and don't know how much higher of an LSAT score I need to boost my chances. Do those few extra points matter if you're already above the median?

    --Also worried because of the large number of highly qualified applicants. Could the incoming 2021 class profile cause the scores to skew even higher, thereby changing the median scores of my target schools? Or do these generally stay the same year to year??

    I know I asked multiple questions, so thoughts or feedback on any of the above appreciated. Thanks!!

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    Last comment friday, jul 02 2021

    This Cycle or Next?

    Hi everyone! I have a slight dilemma, and I would love your advice/opinions. I can either take the LSAT in October and on the basis I do well, apply to law schools this November. The other option is for me to take the LSAT at some point in 2022 and then apply to law schools next fall. The highest I've scored on a practice test is 154, but I would like to score in the upper 160s/170s. Aiming for at least a 170. The thing is, I will be entering my senior year of college and there will be plenty of events and social activities that will likely distract me from studying, so I'm worried about taking the LSAT in October. Please let me know what you think! Thank you.

    P.S. I would like to get into a T20 or T14 school. So, is it worth it to take a gap year after graduating and apply next year or take it this year and deal with the results that I get?

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