@-2 That was a brief dip for them! They sure have a T-14 median! lol

Yes, I applied for fall 2022. Just spending my time obsessing about what I could/should have done differently. Here's hoping my type-A personality will be helpful in law school!

Hello! I would definitely get your fundamentals down before attempting any PTs. They are not useful if you just take them to take them. Knowing the materials will make you more confident, quicker, and ultimately more successful on the LSAT. Just be patient with yourself, the leap into the 160s is one of the steepest, so just trust the process and keep at it. You can get there!

Agreed with @ . I am 44 and applied this cycle, I vacillated over whether or not to include a diversity statement and ultimately decided not to as my resume and PS both hit on my experience and (hopefully) maturity, which I think are the big advantages for us students with more work and life experience. Just think of it this way: will a diversity statement give the AdComms information they can't find anywhere else in your file, that is necessary in order to know that you will be a good law student?

Essentially, don't write one just to write one, but really consider if it will make you a stronger candidate. Some schools leave a broad definition, but there should still be novel and salient information in each application piece. Good luck!

@-2 First of all, congrats, and to the OP as well! Just an FYI GULC did officially drop to #15 (not that it matters, it's an amazing school regardless) in 2021. Also, why do give clout to the top 14? anyone know? is 15 or 20 just not exclusive enough??

Yes, law schools know if you are registered for an upcoming LSAT. The thing to be aware of when applying while registered for a future exam is that many schools will not review your application as it will be considered incomplete unless you have communicated with them that you want them to review your file with your current score.

Agreed with @ , that is good advice. Just remember to be very polite and very gracious in your letter if you send one. One important thing to consider in asking for more money is whether the school negotiates scholarships at all. Some schools are very clear that their offers are last and final, in which case pushing your luck could backfire. I would just check reddit or another site to confirm that scholarships are negotiable at your out of state school before you proceed with the ask.

Once you get into filling out apps you will see that many of the schools' Character and Fitness sections will ask about such incidents and they will specify that it should be explained in full regardless of the circumstances or whether it was major/minor, reported/not reported. You will not be denied entry to law school simply for making one mistake, but you can lose your chance to sit for the bar by failing to disclose.

As the AdComms say, when in doubt, disclose! Be succinct, but thorough in your explanation. Be sure you own your mistake(s), take responsibility, and demonstrate how you have grown/changed since the incident.

If it's within a year, it should be fine. You could ask your profs to re-date their letter submission through LSAC if you are concerned.

Yes, I would be happy to read your addenda, if you still need some clarification/help.

My pleasure! I worked in HR for many years, happy to share the knowledge!

@ is 100% right, it will not hurt your chances to have multiple takes, but a low score certainly can. If you do not need to apply this cycle, it would be best to wait to take the test until you are really ready, and consistently scoring in your target range on PTs that simulate the actual test as best as possible.

FTR, if I don't count retakes, I only took 39 PTs ;)

@-1 Well said!

First of all, congrats on your 176!! That's stupendous! I wouldn't mention a canceled score before your first official. I would focus on the fact that you weren't ready, had just taken your final exams, and that you had less than ideal testing conditions as the reasons for your low score in June, mentioning each but very matter-of-factly. Any one of those would be enough to throw you off your game, let alone all three!

Yes, you can apply this cycle and if you don't like your offers or think you might be a more competitive applicant earlier in the next cycle, you can definitely withdraw your apps and submit again in the fall.

If you think you can improve your score, I'd take it again. You want to apply with the strongest application you can, and the LSAT is an important component of that. Your chances of getting into many schools goes up drastically with just a few more points. January does put you later in the cycle, but it would be better to be a bit late than to have a less competitive application, especially this cycle. I took it 4 times, you can take it up to 5, use all your shots if you need to!

That specific question (if it doesn't mention layoffs specifically) is asking about being terminated (fired) or allowed to quit in lieu of termination, implying you were at fault for the separation. If you are concerned, you can include a brief resume addendum that simply states you were laid off due to the pandemic, but a layoff is not considered a dismissal or firing.

I would write two separate addenda: one that discusses your probation and dismissal for the disciplinary action section, and one discussing the effect on your GPA. These, though related, need to be addressed individually as one is a mandatory character and fitness disclosure and the other is an optional addenda.

Yes it is disciplinary action. The addendum section is going to be for your addenda such as GPA, LSAT, Resume, etc, if you have any. If there is a specific section for a given topic, use that section.

Yes, I read an ABA article about that, indeed the GRE can be accepted in lieu of the LSAT at all law schools... however the LSAT is still preferred, and it is too soon to know how the GRE will be treated for the purposes of scholarships. I think it will take until at least next cycle for schools to figure out how to handle this change.

You can honestly find most of the answers to your application questions from folks who have been around the block with regard to admissions. If you attend enough info sessions, you'll start to feel like an AdComm yourself ;)

For PS writing and editing, it is a grueling process, and if you have the means to hire a pro to help you with that, I have heard nothing but good things about 7Sage's service (doesn't surprise me, these guys are great!).

Yes, focus on doing well on your LSAT and write a concise addendum for your GPA. One thing I would strongly recommend is to try to pull out an overarching theme(s) for your addendum so that it doesn't read as an excuse, but an explanation. Create an outline and be sure to only include the pertinent facts effecting your grades (I was hospitalized, I needed to care for my family member, I was battling X illness, I was immature, I didn't know how to prioritize, etc). End by focusing on the fact that your grades aren't necessarily representative of your capabilities, but the lesson learned or experience gained was invaluable... or something to that effect. If you can't demonstrate how you grew from the experience, I wouldn't include it. I think owning your shortcomings has power, just be careful not to overshare.

I think there's a way to write it where you can explain and highlight the silver lining of whatever issues were underpinning your undergraduate struggles. Good luck!

No it does not as long as you withdraw, but be sure you've cancelled as most schools will view your application as incomplete if you are still registered for an LSAT. Obviously that's not a problem if you are not applying this cycle, just thought I'd put that out there in case it's a consideration.

You can do either. The point of only reviewing the ones you flagged is to gauge if you know when you don't know the answer. I found that until my understanding of the material and the fundamentals improved drastically, I didn't get much from the flagged BR alone as I was missing not catching my own mistakes reliably. I needed more time with the questions and to really understand what I missed. For me, it was one method then the other as I gained confidence that I knew when I might have missed a question.

Here's the lowdown: If you submit your app with a pending LSAT, most schools will not consider your file complete (there are exceptions and you should get that info from the admin staff directly to be sure you have the right info for that school) and will not review it until it is.

If you would like them to review your application before your January score, you will need to communicate that. Depending on your reasons for retaking (I know you said it was to get closer to the median), you could have your app reviewed with your score on file and then ask for reconsideration with the new score. The big question mark with the January administration is typically scholly money, as most may already be allotted by score release. Just some food for thought.

@ , that is my understanding as well!