If my bachelor degree is not from a US institution, is that a disadvantage for me? Will law schools look at my undergraduate GPA or they only care about my LSAT? Thank you!

I am having difficulty choosing whom to ask for a letter of recommendation. I know that letters of recommendation should focus on academics, however I have been out of school for a little over three years. Also, the professor that I developed a close relationship with is head of the theater directing department, a feild in which I am no longer pursuing a career. Alternatively, while in undergrad I was part of the student government and spent 20+ hours a week working closely with the staff advisor of the student government on school policy, writing bids, financial matters, ect. (areas more closely related to law). I am still in contact with this advisor. Unfortunately this person was never one of my professors. Should I ask both for a letter of recommendation from both or should I pick one over the other? If so, which one?

I also currently work in a law office and plan to ask one or two of the attorneys that I work with closely for a letter of recommendation.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi all! My CAS GPA is a 3.49. I just finished my degree this summer, and I'm applying this fall (planning to have apps submitted by late October/early November). I haven't taken the LSAT yet, but I've been consistently score in the mid/high 170s on all practice tests (highest score 177). If I do get around a 175 in September, what are my chances for admission at a T14 school realistically? Most of the splitter info I've seen was regarding numbers closer to 3.0-3.3 GPA and 170-172 LSAT, and nothing closer to my numbers. Also, another question, what is considered a safe school for a splitter? At schools where my GPA is the median, my LSAT is usually far above the 75th percentile, so I'm not sure where I should be aiming for safe schools. Thanks in advance!

Additional info about my low GPA (some will be included on apps in an addendum):

Other application materials I'll be including:

Hi,

The LSAC CAS instructions are incredibly confusing. I'm wondering if anyone has an answer to this.

I began grad school at Imperial College London in Sept. 2018. I have finished the program, although I won't have my final marks or technically receive a degree until November. In one month, I am beginning a second MA degree at University of Edinburgh. Do I need to request/upload either of these transcripts (even if they are partially complete)? Both are graduate degree programs at international institutions.

Thank you!

Hi all,

While the majority of the schools I will be applying to this fall allow a résumé between 1-3 pages, or have no limit at all, there are a few which have a strict 1 page, 12 pt font requirement. Any tips or suggestions on how to pare down the finalized 2 page résumé I have in to a 1page one for those few schools? I would appreciate any input on what should be cut and what should be highlighted with such limited space.

Thanks!

How much would it affect my chances if I were to apply in November/December as opposed to October/November?

I’m asking more specifically towards the T14 schools.

I just revised this old chestnut and thought I would share it. Here's the gist: you don't have to go for a knockout on your first sentence. It's okay to take it slow. No one will stop reading.

Hi everyone. I'm kind of in a predicament, and was wondering if I can have your insights/inputs. I'm in the process of asking for LOR from individuals, one of these individuals was a teaching assistant I had for one of my lab classes. Of all my years in undergrad, she was one of the only individuals who I can safely say really understood who I was as a student. If asked for, I'm sure she will write me a recommendation letter that has an honest testimonial of my capability as a student and everything that a typical law school LOR is looking for. The thing though is, because she is a teaching assistant she's afraid that her recommendation of me will not hold much weight in comparison to faculty members. What is your guys' opinion on this? Because, I went to a large undergrad institute, and most of my classes had 100+ plus students. If I were to ask a professor for recommendations, it's very unlikely I will receive a LOR as genuine and insightful as the one from the TA. Do you think it's ok for a TA to write a LOR as long as the LOR is a strong recommendation? Some sources I've seen online say 'yes', other's say 'no'.

Thank you!

Hi! I will be applying to law schools in the coming months for enrollment in Fall 2020.

The only thing is, I am moving to Thailand to teach English on October 1st. I plan to be there from October through next May.

I have been in the workforce for three years now, and I have a strong resume with experience in investment banking as well as corporate finance.

I am just wondering, would it be beneficial to address the reason for leaving my current job in an addendum? Since I am not addressing this in my personal statement, I think an addendum may be a good opportunity to 1) address the reason for departing my current job which will be evident on my resume and 2) allow admissions to learn of my upcoming travels / employment overseas.

Thanks in advance!

We put together a free FAQ. Let us know if you want us to add any (frequent) questions to the list. If you have an infrequent question, we're happy to answer here.

​

Table of Contents

Hi everyone,

We've updated our law school admissions predictor with data from the 2018–2019 cycle.

You should interpret these predictions with a grain of salt. If law schools admitted students by algorithm, they wouldn't be paying admissions officers to read files. Our predictor is best used to ballpark your chances so that you can apply to a spread of reach, target, and safety schools.

https://classic.7sage.com/predictor/

Hi All,

If my LSAT is 1-2 points below School X's median but my GPA is above its 75th, and considering my apps are in by December at the latest, would you say I stand a reasonably good chance of getting into the school? I most certainly know having both numbers above median is desirable in this hypothetical situation but I haven't read much about applicants having LSAT scores VERY close to but below median.

What are your thoughts/experiences?

I am working on my Resume, and as a college athlete I never worked a job. I am having a tough time deciding what I should put in the experience section or if I should even have one at all. any information or feedback would be great

I find that I do not have enough time to get a satisfactory LSAT score in time. I have already taken GRE exams before. My GRE score is 160 (86 percentile) for verbal reasoning and 165 (86 percentile) for quantitative reasoning. My analytical writing score is low because at that time, I considered applying for graduate school programs instead of JD and writing score is not that important for those programs. Also, I am not a native speaker so my writing is definitely weaker. I really want to be in a T20 or T14 law school. My undergraduate GPA is 3.67, and I am in a master program in economics now. I am not sure if I should take the September test since the score won't be very high. But I know that LSAT is important and not many people use GRE only. Hence, should I use my current GRE score only or take a gap year and prepare for LSAT?

Thank you very much!

Hoping to get some insight on LSAC forums -- are they worth going to, and if so, what do you get out of them? Application waivers, a boost in admissions? Is it an informal interview in some cases? Also, does anyone know where I can find the dates for LSAC forums this coming year? I'm hoping to apply this fall. I want to apply as early as possible, so probably October.

Thanks!

Or other written application materials!

Hey all! Hope everyone is doing well in their studies. I'm working on my resume and wanted to know whether I would need to put where I transferred from (community college) before attending university.

I know it is kind of a dumb question but I got my degree from a university but transferred there from a cc. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

The only solace that I've gotten by falling into this category is knowing that I'm not alone. I'm hoping there are a enough of you here to maybe fill me in on what I can reasonably expect with regards to law school. Perhaps my questions are better directed at admissions officers themselves, but this community is pretty supportive, so this is my first stop :)

Admittedly, my goals for law school are pretty lofty - T14 lofty. I say that because my cumulative UGPA has recently been calculated at a dismal 2.73 (as an aside, I took 169 undergrad credits and bounced between 3 different schools over my 6 year college journey). Given the context of my situation, even if I score in the 170's, am I doing myself a disservice by setting the bar unrealistically high? I have a pretty good resume, work experience, and will have 3 LOR's from great references. But as I turn over stone after law school stone, my prospects of achieving this newfound goal of mine seem to be more and more unattainable. I hope I am wrong in this assessment, but the first step would be getting into the 170s.

Thank you to whoever decides to spend their limited time on Earth reading about my anxieties and insecurities, of which they are abound :)

Multipart question here:

-Does anyone know if, when looking at the Academic Summary Report, LSAC relies on the Degree Summary GPA or the Cumulative GPA? (My cumulative GPA is .05 higher due to study abroad grades).

-My UGPA and LSAC GPA differ by .01 (LSAC GPA being lower). I think this is because of slight differences in how A-'s are weighted by LSAC and my undergraduate school (3.67 vs 3.7). Is this .01 going to make a difference?

-Am I correct in assuming that LSAC sees the actual transcript from the schools you have attended and not just the Academic Summary Report? In other words, will they see your UGPA? I am wondering if it will look strange to have one GPA on my résumé and another on the Academic Summary Report. [and more generally, I am curious as to whether they will see course titles]

Thanks!

Hi, I won't disclose which school I was talking to for the sake of their privacy. However, I will disclose the questions I asked in hopes it will benefit someone else.

The questions were asked and answered in the following order:

Does my resume make my application look competitive?

A. We won't look at resumes and make that predetermination.

Would a high LSAT score offset a low GPA? (Mine was around a 3.5)

A. It could - we look at the overall applicant, not just one factor.

Is there preference for veterans or disabled people?

A. This could add to your diversity as an applicant.

What is the application process and how selective is "X clinic?"

A. Each clinic has its own application process and each accepts a different number of students.

What are some Intellectual Property career paths graduates have taken?

A. Graduates take a very diverse path.

Can an applicant take the LSAT too many times?

A. The admissions officer laughed and suggested that more than 4 LSATs would reflect poorly, but did not give an affirmative yes or no. The officer did say it would not necessarily be a disadvantage to take the test many times but the success would be devalued after about 4+ attempts.

What do most students do in the summer?

A. They do internships all over the world.

What traits make students at your school stand out?

A. Dedication and being proactive in their education and in giving back to their school.

I hope this helps! All the best.

New blog post! Check it out:

https://classic.7sage.com/law-school-success-story-low-gpa/

Hello! I graduated from college in May of 2017 and will be applying to law school this coming fall.

Right now I have one academic and one professional recommendation secured. However, in reviewing the requirements for the schools I plan to apply to, I see some schools strongly prefer two academic references unless one has been out of school and working "for some time" or a "significant amount of time" or "several years". I don't find these requirements to be super clear, and am wondering if anyone has any insight as to when one academic and one professional letter is appropriate. What do schools typically consider as "some time"?

I am considering asking for a second academic letter but am not sure if that is necessary given that when I am applying I will have been in the workforce for 2.5 years.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I am finishing up my application for my 1st choice school. Please keep in my mind, my 1st choice school is really the only option I am considering due to the location, owning a home, my significant other's career, etc. Also, it is not a top school by any means and I am well above their top GPA and predict I will be above their top LSAT. However, I am trying to put together the best application package I can because without scholarships, it would not be financially reasonably for me to quit my career and attend. All of that being said, there is a "public service addendum" option to complete. I have been a police officer for 5 years and that is my current career. Should I list my accomplishments in public service as a police officer or is this referring to public service in a volunteer compacity? I appreciate any guidance anyone can offer.

Thank you!!

Amanda C.

I am currently working on my application for University of Virginia and am confused about the short answer question prompt. It is as follows:

The University of Virginia School of Law and our graduates have a well-known and long-standing reputation for collegiality, involvement, and collaboration. Therefore, because we would like to know how you may have displayed these qualities, please list your significant extracurricular, extra-professional, community and/or other activities in the order of importance to you. Please provide a brief description of each activity, and specify your involvement, length of involvement, special projects, and responsibilities. required (maximum characters 2000)

Wouldn't this just be a repetition of my resumé? Or should I list the same extracurricular activities in essay format? If anyone has any insight it would be greatly appreciated! #help

My test is rescheduled to this weekend. I have two cancels on my file already, and two 15x from January and March. My goal is 165+. Here is my recent five PT scores and BR scores:

6/7: PT 63 (retake) 163, BR 172

6/18: PT 71 (retake) 167, BR 173

6/26: PT 78 (retake) 166, BR 175

7/3: PT 79 (retake) 169, BR 180

7/17: PT 87 163, BR 176

I have exhausted all recent PTs numbered 40 and forward. PT 63 I took and reviewed two years ago, PT 71, 78, 79 I took and reviewed a year ago. So those scores are probably inflated. PT 87 probably is the most representative of my current ability but I'm worried about the "test day toll". I haven't figured out a way to close that BR gap and hearing how difficult July test is makes me doubt if I should sit for the test this weekend. I will keep any score above 158 but if I get 158 again, or lower, I'm inclined to cancel and retake for free in October. However, I already have two cancels on my file so I'm not sure adding one cancel just for the free retake is worth it. Does the third cancel look worse or a lower/same score?

Also, I'm not sure if I will ever be able to figure out how to close that BR gap. I started BR only on 6/7 but I have been studying for the test for two years. I feel so exhausted and just want to be done with it. My family is upset that I haven't been able to move on with my life because of this test, too.