LSAC has posted its fall 2019 recruitment forums at https://www.lsac.org/lawschoolforums. Put on your best business casual and attend one or two.

• Forums are an opportunity for candidates to meet with admissions officers and school representatives (sometimes current students, alumni, or faculty) from a variety of law schools in one place.

• It is a chance to ask questions that might not be answerable on a law school’s website.

• Candidates can ask specific questions about their particular situation (“how would School X react to 6 LSAT scores??”)

• It is a chance to collect business cards, establish a connection with an admissions officer, and show enthusiasm for a school.

• It is a chance to get on the school’s radar and mailing list as an interested prospective student. You can look forward to receiving fee waivers and invitations to other prospective student events in the fall.

Referencing specific conversations and connections from forums in personal statements or future LOCIs may strengthen an application. Be prepared to ask a few smart questions and make a strong impression. This is prime recruitment season for admissions officers and they are on the lookout for good future students.

Suggestions:

https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-questions-should-you-ask-a-law-school-admissions-officer/ and https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-should-you-ask-current-law-students-or-alumni-about-their-law-school/.

From conversations with LSAC representatives at the recent NAPLA conference--

About the Digital LSAT test:

• Test takers will have a little time to practice using the provided LSAC tablet and stylus/pen on test day before the start of the actual test on test day.

• Test takers have the option to bring pencils. They will be given scratch paper to work through problems.

• The digital LSAT has a spellcheck function but it will not provide suggestions for correct spelling like a typical spellchecker.

About the typed LSAT essay:

• The retake limit for the LSAT essay section is same as the LSAT multiple choice section but law schools will only receive the last three (3) essay exams. Candidates cannot choose which essays go to the law schools.

• The LSAT essay section is not scored. Law schools receive it assess the candidate’s analytical and persuasive writing skills in a timed controlled environment. Typed essay submissions will likely receive more scrutiny from admissions committees as compared to handwritten essays in the past.

• LSAC will consider an LSAT exam "complete" when it has results from both the multiple choice and essay sections, and the results will be sent to the law schools. If, at that point, the candidate intends to retake either section of the test and wants the law school to delay their review of his file, the candidate has to inform the school directly.

• If a candidate has taken the multiple choice section of the test but not the essay section, LSAC will not send any results information to the law school.

Anyone knows law schools use cumulative or degree GPA (from LSAC) for their 509 report?

Also, which GPA is more important for law schools when they review students’ application ?

Thank you!!

Just like title, I can't find a better way to word this. What I'm trying to ask is, how long would it take after I take the LSAT to get everything ready for admissions and application. Or, when is the average cut off for fall semester application for law schools.

Sorry if this is a common question I looked around a bit and can't find a satisfying answer.

so,

If I take the lsat on 3/30, 2020, would it be in time for the fall semester?

Thank yall in advance!

Anyone meet their SO in law school? Looking for inspiration/law school romance stories.

I have a question regarding transcripts that I am hoping to get some clarity on. I emailed LSAC about this but wanted to see if others have had a similar experience.

During one of my undergraduate semesters, I attended a study abroad program through the School for International Training (SIT). While I was abroad in South America for the semester, all components of the program were organized by SIT, a US based program with organized, semester long study abroad programs all over the world.

I received transfer credits for the 5 courses I took while studying abroad, and while the course titles and grades I received for the courses appear on my official undergraduate transcript (for the school from which I received my Bachelors degree), the grades were not included in my undergraduate GPA.

Does anyone know if it is necessary to request a formal transcript from SIT for this semester, or if the fact that these 5 courses do appear on my official undergraduate transcript would be sufficient?

Some of the information I read on the LSAC website led me to believe it was not necessary to ask SIT for a transcript, but I wanted to check as I did not read anything that described my exact study abroad situation. I also did not see a section for adding an institution such as SIT, as it does not seem to fall under any of the existing categories. I was also not entirely sure if you could request a transcript from an institution if the institution is not listed in CAS.

Thanks!

Quick resume question: I am 3 years out of college, so I currently have my Experience section listed first, but I also had multiple internships while I was in college. As a result, I was planning to organize my resume sections as follows : [Post-Graduate Experience, Education, Undergraduate Experience, Undergraduate Leadership and Activities, Awards, and Skills].

I am wondering what others think of this organization strategy, or if it would be better to condense my experience and undergraduate experience in to one section: [Experience, Education, Undergraduate Leadership and Activities, Awards, and Skills?]

The latter felt strange to me, to have all experience, including internships I held during college, listed prior to my education section (and as a result pushing my education section to the second page of my resume), but would love input.

To provide some context: I'll be applying for this upcoming cycle (October 2019). I am currently working full time (medical research) at a job that would allow me to work flexible hours and attend law school part time. For this reason, I'm interested in one school in particular in my city that has a part time, evening program. I would love to continue to work while attending law school, and would be interested in transferring into a legal position at my current company or a similar institution.

Would it be beneficial to indicate my preference for this particular program? The school does not have an additional, 'Why Us?' essay.

From LSAC's website (https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/lsat-faqs):

LSAC is updating their test-taking limit policy later this summer, and it will go into effect with the September 2019 LSAT administration.

Starting with the September 2019 test administration, test takers will be permitted to take the LSAT:

Three times in a single testing year (the testing year goes from June 1 to May 31).

Five times within the current and five past testing years (the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools).

A total of seven times over a lifetime.

This policy is forward-looking, not retroactive. Tests taken prior to September 2019 will not count against these numerical limits.

In addition, test takers will not be permitted to retake the LSAT if they have already scored a 180 (perfect score) within the current and five past testing years, the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools. This aspect of the policy will be applied retroactively.

There will be an appeals process for test takers who have special circumstances and want to request an exception to this policy.

.

I will be taking the November LSAT. Can I apply to schools before this once the applications are out? Or do I have to wait until I actually sit for the exam? Thanks!

I've always assumed that the actual application process itself isn't all that bad. But for time management purposes I need to know what I should expect. I already have LORs, my transcript, and my personal statement finished. How long does the rest of it all take? If you're blanketing the t-14 for example, wouldn't most of the applications be roughly the similar other than why X essays?

For those of you preparing to apply during the upcoming application cycle, you might be wondering about LSAC and the services they provide. This post will explain the difference between the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and the LSAC Candidate Referral Service (CRS).

Information about the CAS can be found at https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/credential-assembly-service-cas. The CAS Report is an electronic file with the candidate’s academic summary (GPAs, LSAT scores), LSAT essays, LORs, and any other application documents. Once you as the candidate provide one set of application documents to LSAC, they will assemble the information in the CAS Report and distribute them to your selected law schools. The CAS Report is sent electronically to the law schools you select and appears in their admissions database as a single PDF file. Candidates must purchase this service. You pay for each report that is sent to a law school.

The CRS is the way for law schools to find the prospective students they want: https://www.lsac.org/choosing-law-school/candidate-referral-service. The most common use of the CRS is for the school to get a list of registered candidates with attractive LSAT scores and send them fee waivers. Fee waivers waive the school’s application fee (the school’s administrative cost of processing an electronic application, often $50-100). This doesn’t however waive the cost of sending a CAS report to the law school. Schools may also do geographic searches to invite prospective candidates in the local area to prospective student open houses and programming events at the school. If a school wants to promote specific programming in, say, corporate law, they could do a search for candidates who indicate in the CRS that they are interested in corporate law. Candidates have a choice in opting in or out of this service. Opt in and you might get hit by waves of emails. This might be annoying. However, each point of outreach by a law school is a great opportunity for you the candidate to respond by connecting to someone in their admissions office (by email or phone or in person) and showing yourself to be a strong candidate: https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-questions-should-you-ask-a-law-school-admissions-officer/.

Hi all!

I am wondering when do you start sending transcript to LSAC and get to know your LSAC GPA?

Thank you!

I've been wait listed at two schools. One of them being a month now and the other two weeks now. I visited both schools and sent thank you letters shortly after. I also sent continued letter of interested to both schools. I am tired of waiting and feeling very anxious. What else can I do to speed this process up? :(

Got a $90k scholarship from Brooklyn law, and $75k from Seton Hall Law. Seton hall has a better ranking, but from what I’ve heard, Brooklyn law is better suited for the NYC market. Any views? TIA

The personal statement draft I've been working on focuses on my advocacy work experience and the ups and downs I've faced during them. I was wondering if this is too close to becoming a "resume rundown" essay – if I go into more detail on my personal feelings and what I learned through these experiences, would this still be an OK essay?

Hi all,

I know there is some data out there for this on LSN , but I was just wondering if anyone had some insight on what type of numbers people need compared to a school’s median in order to be competitive for a large or close to full scholarship. For example, say someone is 4-5 points over the LSAT median, .1over the GPA, and is an otherwise decent applicant, should that person be expecting close to a full ride? I know there are no exact numbers for this and every school is ultimately different, but still thought some people might have a little info.

Hi, I am trying to figure out two questions.

I was at a 4-year university back in 2012 but I only attended for one semester. Am I supposed to submit that transcript to the LSAC as well? I was on the website and it said "please wait until you have completed at least six semesters of undergraduate work before requesting transcripts" but I ended up leaving and starting another school (Tech) 2015 before transferring to the university I'm at now.

Does my technical college transcript need to be sent to LSAC as well? I wasn't sure if that counted as a community college.

Hello, I'm seeing posts on here stating that GPA's like a 3.5, 3.7, 3.67, etc. aren't high enough for law schools to be impressed and I'm genuinely shocked by that and confused as to why. There's no way that everyone in law school got out of undergrad with a 4.0 so how are GPA's in the higher 3's not considered good? It's a little intimidating and disheartening finding out you can try your best in undergrad but if you don't make it out with that 4.0 your chances of admittance are reduced. I thought the 3's would at least be somewhat of a happy medium.

Hi guys!

So I was considering writing an addendum for my low LSAT scores. I ask if I should or not because I do not have a valid reason (for example a family loss or major negative life event) only that I am a horrible standardized test taker. Is it worth it to show that even my high school SAT scores were average to low and that I excelled immensely in college graduating with a 3.67 GPA and that I will equally do just as well in law school?

I am going to be taking the LSAT again (after deadlines) but I am trying to see if I can apply to this one school that has a late application deadline of June 15th that will allow me to start this September instead of waiting another year.

thanks!!!

Hello,

I will be applying for law school in September for early admissions at a few schools.

During my undergrad I lost my mother unexpectedly and was hospitalized for suicidal intent more than a year later. This and the severe depression that followed had obvious negative effects on my performance. I have been told that I should list these occurrences on my addendum and address them in my essays. I am curious if these events in my life will even be beneficial to my application or instead will just make admissions think I'm just trying to give them a sob story. Do circumstances like this even carry a lot of weight during the admissions process?

The objective: work in Seattle after law school

The problem:

Does it matter which school I choose if I'm trying to break into the WA legal community?

Hi everyone! My name is Hamaseh and I was a 7sage student and also purchased the Comprehensive Consulting admissions package. I am here to give you an honest review of my experience.

First off, I am heading to UC Irvine in the fall (cries from excitement). UC Irvine was a target-reach school. I was accepted to all my target-reach schools with super generous scholarships (expect Irvine). Irvine was the only school that did not offer me a hefty scholarship. After multiple asks, and David and Margaret's guidance, I successfully matched my scholarship. I was denied from one reach school and I am waitlisted to the other. I found a lot of success in my admissions. I was a splitter (low GPA, fine LSAT), I sincerely attribute my success to my essays. I had no interest in attending based on ranking and did not apply for any of the T10s. My goal from the outset was to get a great scholarship from a great school. I was able to reach this goal because I purchased this package. Here is why:

My 7sage advisors were Margaret and David.

Admissions - I worked mostly with Margaret during this phase. We had a Skype brainstorming session for each essay. She held the space for me while I idea dumped, both on paper and on Skype. We talked about our favorite ideas and once the subject matter for the essay was chosen, she gave me prompts and through many drafts, we finally created a stellar essay. This part of the package was worth every penny for me. I know this is the reason I was admitted to most of the schools because my essays were fantastic. None of it was made up and the writing was captivating. I still always re-read them. The creation of these essays was the most valuable part of the package for me.

If you are not a great writer (like me), hesitate finding value in your ideas, or have no idea where to start, this package is worth it. Margaret does a lot of prompting and grammatical/structural edits. If you are looking for someone to write your essays, definitely look elsewhere.

Post-Admissions (communication with advisors, scholarship renegotiation, LOCIs) - I worked with David a lot after I had been admitted. We talked in depth a couple times about strategy regarding scholarship negotiations and LOCIs. I had a lot of anxiety around the subject of scholarship negotiations. David set my expectations straight but also gave me a lot of encouragement to get on the phone or send an email regarding the same. He oversaw my LOCIs and emails requesting scholarships and also helped me figure out my strategy for negotiations. I think the work I did with David was very specific to my situation (and will be specific for each person), so what I really want to say is that I think David is amazing in acting as a mentor and overseeing the process and strategy pre and post admissions.

I loved that David gave input about my communication and presentation regarding each email I sent to an admissions officer. He will not communicate with admissions officers or ask for more money for you, or prompt you to go after something out of the blue. You need to take initiative and David will help you figure out how to get to what you want. That is exactly what I was looking for.

My experience with Comprehensive Consulting was amazing. Yes, the price tag stings at first but in my opinion, it was totally worth it! I got into an amazing school and I saved tens of thousands in tuition. Highly recommend!

Best,

Ham

PS. LMK if any of you are going to Irvine and see you thereeeeeeeee!!!!

PPS. If we were in the LSAT study group together pls message me and lmk what you are up to/how you are (3(/p)

So I was blessed to be accepted to all but one school to where I applied (*I did NOT apply to any T14 schools). I was also incredibly blessed to get scholarship at them all (ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 / year). I am a non-traditional student with kids, (and a full-time job that I'm taking a sabbatical from for 1L), who would either stay local and attend a school barely in the 100s, so my family is not uprooted -- or I can go to a higher ranked school (50-70 range) where I'd also be happy living...but would have to hope my spouse can find a job, the kids aren't waitlisted on daycare/preschool, that we can find a home and sell ours, etc. etc. etc.

I'm struggling with my decision. Do I stay local at the University of Buffalo and not change my life drastically? The local school probably would work out the best financially, not only because the spouse could keep their job, but we would already have living, etc., figured out -- so I'm JUST looking at tuition/fees/books in that case. Or do I go to either higher / lower ranked schools both in NYS or New England where I would love to live (e.g., I'm from CT and always imagined my children growing up there) where I may not have as much scholarship (e.g., UConn offered the least) or maybe more scholarship but cost of living is higher?

If I stay local, I can continue my job post-1L (I am a professor). However, almost all my instruction is online classes, so I could technically go anywhere; I just have to put in one more year at my professor gig after taking the sabbatical for 1L. On sabbatical, my salary is cut in half, but I'm still paid (so there's that). I could also just quit completely, but that's not ideal because I carry the healt benefits, and well, half salary is better than no salary. If we move, we'd be going back to where I have friends / family, but is very HCOL ("gold coast" / Connecticut; Massachusetts). If I choose one of the highest offers (Albany), if I decided to go a political route that might be smart because that is our state capital. In terms of goals, I'm not looking Big Law. I'm already a professor so I don't care so much about T14 / academia. I'm more interested in children, immigration.

I should also mention I placed first deposits at all 8 schools I got good awards from because I was hoping to use them all as leverage. I just withdrew from two, knowing I probably wouldn't realistically go to them. However, I'm really struggling with the others. Two emails just came in asking for a confirmed enrollment form to be completed. These emails strongly suggested I withdraw from the other institutions, which I get, and they do not have 2nd deposits. Everywhere else does.

I'm very torn. And can I also say how hard it was to withdraw?? I just withdrew from MSU and Syracuse. Considering withdrawing from Case Western because they offered the least in comparison to total cost of attendance.

Thanks for tips / commiseration.