I've received commitments from a few people willing to write me letters of recommendation. Now I'm in the process of putting a packet together to help them write it. What kind of guidance would you give your recommenders? Which qualities should they highlight?

I've been Googling what law schools generally look for in terms of recommendations. Most advice is targeted towards underegrad admissions. I've been out of school for almost a decade, so I realize the letters should highlight my ability to still excel in an academic environment. If anyone has feedback/experience they can share, I would appreciate it.

I am just over 40 years old and would like to attend law school, with the goal of practicing in a small private practice.

My education:

Bachelor of Computer Science: 65% average, or a 1.0 GPA. 120 credit units. Completed in 2002.

Bachelor of Economics: 3.7 GPA. 60 credit units. Completed in 2008.

cGPA: 1.9

My first degree in Comp Sci is a train wreck for grades. It was not a subject matter I could excel in. In addition, I worked part time at an investment management firm, and also ran my own IT service company doing work for small law firms. To say the least, the above all took a toll on my grades. Upon graduation, I ended up in consulting doing data management/software development for top tier investment management companies. I realized I loved trading and analysis, so after a few years I went back to school for a BA in Econ. This time I took school seriously. I ended up on a trading desk as an analyst, and eventually managed a large book for a multi national company. Unfortunately the trade floor was closed for a few reasons, and I was packaged out. I now work in corporate development.

Long story short, my terrible grades didn't hold me back, until now. From my understanding, LSAC only uses grades from your first undergrad, but their website seems to contradict that. From LSAC "A cumulative GPA that includes all undergraduate work is also calculated and reported." The LSAC website is not clear if this means simply from your first undergrad, or from all undergrad courses.

Given my age, time between my Comp Sci degree, good work experience, and much better Econ GPA; assuming I score a decent LSAT (165-170) is there any hope for attending an ABA law school? I am ready to do whatever it takes. Another year of undergrad is no problem. I can quit my job and dedicate whatever time required for a top LSAT. This is something I can be fully committed to, as long as that initial BSc GPA can be overlooked/fixed.

Thank you for your time and any suggestions.

Hey all! I'm thinking about my chances at a T20 and reflecting on my undergraduate transcript. I graduated cum laude with a 3.6 from a top tier liberal arts college. I graduated early and also studied abroad for a full year. My study abroad grades are not factored into my undergraduate GPA and LSAC also does not factor them in. If they had been factored in, I would have received a 3.8 GPA.

How are top law schools going to look at this? Are they really going to see me as a 3.6 or will they consider that full year of study abroad? My study abroad accounts for about 1/3 of my undergraduate coursework so I'm not sure how schools look at this. Is this something I should address in an addendum?

Re my LSAT score, I'm really more towards the low 25% for these schools, so I would be a splitter.

For anybody writing a "Why X Law School" essay, is it necessary to state the exact type of law we plan on practicing? I'm going back and forth between two types of law that I'm interested in, and the school I'm writing the essay for has a great program for both fields of law.

However, I'm weary of sounding indecisive by mentioning both types of law. Is anybody in the same boat?

I'm in a bit of a quandary and was wondering if anyone has any advice.

I took the October LSAT and scored a 160. I was quite disappointed with that score because on my PTs I was getting 165-170. I think I just got really nervous and freaked myself out. So I am retaking in January and am confident I can score at least 2-3 points higher if not more.

The schools I'd like to apply to are #30-40 such as UF, UNC, Wake Forest etc. According the the predictor I have about a 50-60% chance of getting in with that LSAT and GPA. My LSAT falls slightly below the median. Should I wait to apply to those schools until I have a higher score or should I apply earlier with the score I have and take my chances? With the mid-January LSAT, the applications wouldn't get submitted until Feb.

Or, can I apply now with my score and then if I get rejected and/or waitlisted send in my higher score? Not sure how this works.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

Hey, friends. I'm deciding very soon which 7Sage admissions package to get, and if anyone out there is willing to discuss your experiences with it, I'd be so grateful! Please send me a message if you're willing to share briefly. Thanks :)

What's the customary next step to take when I've received an acceptance letter? My letter indicates that I don't need to do anything until seat deposit time . . . but I feel like I should at least acknowledge that I received it. Yeah?

Is there a generally-accepted next move?

I've been hearing mixed opinions on applying in February and was wondering if it will hurt my chances of getting accepted. I am currently signed up for the January LSAT and probably will not get my score back until early-mid February. Should I submit all my applications now and indicate that I am taking it again or should I just wait till I have my new score?

Also I applied early decision to one school and indicated that I was retaking the LSAT. Would early decision help my chance of getting accepted?

Note: This school give a minimum of an 80% scholarship if accepted through ED.

Hello all, just looking for some advice on admission for someone getting out of the military.

Long story short - I initially learned in July that I was facing a possible medical discharge from the military (discharge will 100% be honorable). I had always intended to go to law school following the military, but this made the timeline much tighter than I would have preferred. I began studying for the LSAT, and took it in September. I did poorly, I scored on the low end of what my practice tests were (151-161 for PTs, all progressing towards 161...I scored 153 in September). So I signed up for the January LSAT knowing that I'd just have to apply later in the cycle to ensure I'd have time to study for the January test.

For some context:

My undergraduate degree is in electrical engineering from Penn State, however, I graduated with a 2.99 GPA. I made some mistakes as a freshman/sophomore, and really turned it around my junior/senior years, just missing the 3.0. Following school, I worked using my degree for 2.5 years before I decided to join the military. In that time, I took some grad classes and had a 4.0 GPA.

I now know I AM being medically discharged, likely in June/July. My fiance and I would like to stay near where I am currently stationed, near Nashville, TN. There are only two viable options (in my mind) for law school in Nashville, Vanderbilt and Belmont. Now, obviously, I'd love to go to Vanderbilt, but I know that it is a long shot and a stretch for my past academic performance.

I guess my question revolves around the January/February LSAT dates. In an ideal world, I'd have applied before today, but the world that was handed to me not ideal (the best laid plans of mice and men...), and I'm looking for advice as to whether I ought to apply this year, or wait another cycle. Is the January/February timeline too late to apply to a stretch school with my low GPA? What score range should I be looking at on my LSAT before I need to look in the mirror and understand that Vandy is not a viable option? I'd love to score 170, but I realistically expect I can manage around a 165.

Anyone know if there are centers affiliated with Law schools doing research in technology/law intersection who'd accept applications to be a researcher there regardless of whether one is law student or not?

I was wondering if a sw engineer could get to be researcher at such places without being a law student.

Does anyone know where the 2023 Law School Admissions Forum is these days? It looks like it's not on TLS or LSN.

I'm an international application and i'm working on my why x essays.

Would it be an disadvantage for me if i write about wanting to work for the government of my country (Korea) after i graduate their law school?

I'm thinking of working for the ministry of foreign affairs after graduating.

Thanks!

I am currently writing a “Why X?” Essay and was wondering how should I format the header. Also does anyone have any tips regarding this type of essay?

I know this is going to get a lot of flak by those here. But if someone already has a well established career in SW engineering that pays 6-figure income and opportunity cost of going to LS is only worth if HYS accept (due to academia goals), then:

is a 4th/5th reapplication worth it?

It already looks neurotic/superbad but other than the 3rd time (cycle which hit record applicants), other times all had issues with lowLSAT or late-app.

Is there no sense anymore and it's done?

I am not delaying a full cycle but I am taking the November LSAT which I did not plan on doing until that fateful 35 minute LG section in September (rip). Is there any real difference in applying now so the schools having my application and are waiting on my LSAT score, or waiting to apply when my score comes in? I don’t know if there would be any affect other than just appeasing my own anxiety about feeling behind on my applications lol.

Question:

How do you tell schools to not look at your file until you appear for the Jan 2020 LSAT i.e. ignore your scores so far ?

Seems like CAS will report every score after it is available but the school might not know you registered for a future LSAT and might give a decision without considering your future LSAT score.

Link:

https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/credential-assembly-service-cas/law-school-reports

https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/lsat-scoring

.

LSAC has decided to release LSAT scores to schools even if the test-taker hasn't taken LSAT Writing. Here's the full text of a recent LSAC communique (though the emphasis is mine):

As you know, starting in June 2019, we separated the writing portion of the LSAT from the multiple-choice portion. After five months of experience with the writing portion (“LSAT Writing”), many of the benefits we expected – including a shorter test day and the ability for candidates to provide their writing sample in a more natural setting at a convenient time and place of their choosing, as well as a more legible and useful writing sample for admission consideration – have come to fruition. But we have also heard from a number of member schools that they are interested in receiving applicant scores as soon as they are available, even as candidates are still completing LSAT Writing.

Therefore, to help candidates and schools move expeditiously through the admission process, we will be releasing scores for the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT to candidates and to the law schools to which candidates apply (or have applied), as soon as scores are available, even if candidates have not yet completed their writing sample. This change applies to anyone who took or will take the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT in this testing cycle which began June 2019 and ends in April 2020.

This change does not mean that legal writing is any less important. Many law schools require a writing sample as an integral part of their admission decision, and therefore, candidates should take the writing sample immediately and to meet schools’ application deadlines. Writing samples will be shared with candidates and schools as soon as they are completed. LSAC includes the fee for the writing sample as part of the LSAT fee to encourage this prompt action. In case candidates are not applying in the current cycle, please note they have a maximum of a year to take LSAT Writing without an additional fee; after that it is a separate fee unless they take the entire LSAT again.

As mentioned in a recent communication, 97% of candidates applying for fall 2020 have completed a writing sample and 73% who have started but not finished a 2020 application have completed a writing sample. As a reminder, candidates need only one writing sample on file to be considered complete, even if they take the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT more than once.

We understand that this is an important decision and a shift in the way that schools have received LSAT scores and the writing sample. We considered many factors in making this decision – balancing candidate and school requests for speed in score release, the varying admission requirements that institutions have, and the need to communicate clear policies and procedures to candidates and institutions. We will continue to work with our community to explore options for how to best offer LSAT Writing in the next testing cycle and will share those decisions well in advance.

I struggled with self-doubt for 2 years with this test and never thought I would make it here. A huge weight has lifted knowing that I've got at least one down. Thank you so much to this incredible community!!!!

Everything in my application is on track to be ready in the next couple of weeks, except for obviously my LSAT, which I won't have the score for until I assume early Feb...

I'm applying in Feb with (most likely) above median stats, and possibly above 75th at some of the T14, buuut I realize it's late. Am I going to face imminent rejection? Is it cool to shoot my shot out here? Thanks guys!

Can writing the optional essays improve my chances in getting accepted? Some of the law schools I'm applying to I have the borderline gpa and I’m still waiting for my October lsat score.

Since people write different kinds of addenda, in the header should I specify mine is an undergrad performance addendum or simply keep the right header "Addendum [page #]" ? Thanks in advance.

None

For example, major, GPA, rank?

Schools have our transcripts anyway. And I believe I was told by one law school admissions office that it didn't matter to them. But do any schools penalize you for not filling this section out in full? I don't have my transcripts in front of me and don't remember my GPA or have any clue as to my rank in my class.

I took it in 2016 when I thought I'd be going to a different graduate program; and I took the LSAT earlier this year. I can't figure out whether submitting my GRE score is mandatory. Even if it's not, should I submit it if I did well?

This is for UChicago.