@ I think your goal is unrealistic tbh

I completely agree with this.

@

said:

get a JD comped at a non ranked school or pay sticker at 25-35 ranked school ("brand").

if you even want to have a semi-successful firm, you still need a degree from a ranked school. people who graduate from top 50 schools and start their own practices still struggle with getting a clientele that trusts them and their training. So in the end, get a JD from a top 25-35 school, it helps you both with getting a job, and starting your own practice. unranked schools are almost always a death sentence.

@ I'm not sure submitting a mediocre DS or any other writing would be a good option. They will certainly note & take into consider how well thought out and written everything you submit is.

I agree, if you don't plan on submitting a quality DS then it might not be a good idea to submit one. It won't break you, but it wont look good for you either.

Just make sure it isn't redundant and that you have several people (who know what theyre doing) look it over. Make sure it isnt a recap of your resume, or an add on of your personal statement, and that it doesnt rehash other things available in your application (unless you have a story to tell about it). If you do a bad job it wont really break you, but if you do a good job, it could really make you stand out. Think of a very specific personal experience, how you overcame it, what happened as a result, etc. One person wrote a diversity statement about a bad date that they had and it was actually a really good read. Dont just submit something because you feel like you have to, people in admissions can always tell if something was written last minute or if very little time was spent on it.

I would say yes. A diversity statement doesn't have to be about race/ethnicity, economic status, etc. It can be a story about what makes you different (some people write about how they lost weight, others have written stories about their anxieties, etc). You have another chance beyond your personal statement to tell the school more about yourself and how you stand out, which can really help you if you do a good job of it.

@ I’d sleep from about 5pm - 1am. Then, I’d wake up at 1 and study until 6 am, then go to work. I was still exhausted, but the brunt of the exhaustion hit during work where I could handle it a lot better since work didn’t require the same level of intense mental concentration. It was a bit wonky, but I got 8 hours of sleep a cycle as well as 5 hours of quality studying time.

This was going to be my exact suggestion. I'm working full time now, and with my schedule + the exhaustion I just tend to wake up a good 5 hours before my work day, get some coffee in, and do timed sections (or timed tests). Then, after work I sit in a local Starbucks and just review the sections + blind review.

@

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All I know is, by around 8 P.M., I'm tired. Not tired as in "bored." But, slightly exhausted - think tipsy...slightly buzzed, what have you.

Usually it depends on the 'type' of exhaustion I'm feeling. If I'm starting to zone out or get a little tired (after ~6 hours of studying), then I take a 30 min study break and try to find ways to wake myself up (calling a friend, taking a walk outside, food/coffee/water, even just staring out of a window really does a lot to help me, etc) and when I get back to studying I'm a lot more productive.

If I'm ever at a point where I have to reread something a few times just to know what I read, then its a done deal. The decision is essentially made for me and I go to bed. It's a hard decision to make, especially if you didn't get through all the things you planned on getting through. But in the end you just have to remind yourself that sleeping will benefit you way more than spending time trying to read something that you're able to understand less and less as time goes on.

You just have to learn your limits, and figure out ways to work around them without burning out but still giving your mind enough time to process everything you're learning. If you're rereading sentences, it might be a good idea to call it quits and go to bed. If you don't want that time to go to waste, then take notes and review them early in the morning after you wake up. It helps with retention.

I'm interested in hearing more as well! Did any of you prepare for law school (either by taking a course or reading some books or even outlining) before actually starting? Did it work for you?

another good way to check is to go to lawschoolnumbers.com, select the school, and then sort through the applicants and see how many people have heard back, when they submitted, etc. if you still are having trouble and want a direct answer, just call the school and check on the status of your application.

No, different colleges have different degree requirements. Mine required 196 credit hours to graduate, but a neighboring college asked for only 102. Credit hours are generally inconsequential. You have no control over them, and graduating early isn't frowned upon.

@ I think it is a chance to show your work ethic and depending on your GPA it shows either that you got a high GPA despite working through UG or it provides a justification for a why your GPA might be lower than it may have been otherwise.

Thats true, and close to what I was thinking when I mentioned possibly including in reference to an addenda.

@

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I would like to include at least some of these in the resume, but not all.

Only include them if you're trying to make a point of something in either your personal statement, or addenda. But otherwise, they will not help you and I would avoid including them. You should only include relevant work history (your legal aid job, for example) and only for those you've done after you've graduated high school. If you had a few years gap between high school + undergrad (some people go onto do rotary or some other programs/jobs etc) then that's okay because it contributes to your application profile as a 'non traditional' student, but otherwise avoid disclosing that information.

@ I'm going to send you a message soon! I have a few questions for you!

Take a few practice tests at least. Look at the score you get and then look at the scores for the schools you want to get into. Odds are, you're going to need more than one month of prep.

Congrats!

@

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I graduated in 2013 and I don't think that my professors/ mentors will remember me.

Email a few profs whose classes you received good grades in. Mention a few things that might make them remember you. Also, in the email mention that you would be open to meeting in person and providing any anecdotes that they might need for your letter. Say you'd love to help in any way that you can. That usually encourages nice professors who might be hesitant about doing this on their own, especially if their memory is limited.

If this does not work for you, then when you ask for your supervisor's letter of recommendation, make sure that they discuss at length your academic/intellectual capabilities, so that information that law schools are looking for is not necessarily compromised. Again, tell your supervisor you would be happy to work with them during this process.

@

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Also, my resume has major gaps bc I've only been at this "company" and the shitty odd jobs in college.

This shouldn't be something you stress about. A lot, if not most, applicants have gaps in their resume. Instead, maybe section off gaps in your resume and talk about how you were looking for jobs, but then also detail any activities you may have done during this off time. Maybe you volunteered? Maybe you used that time off to get published? Maybe you studied for the LSAT? etc. It's important to point out that this is not that big of a deal, and that unless schools ask for you to format it in such a way that gaps in your resume are obvious/need to be explained, then just leave it and don't draw unnecessary attention to it. Life happens, and schools understand that.

Also, don't worry if they're shitty odd jobs. Deans know that most pre-laws will deal with shitty odd jobs. I know one dean was discussing how you should instead put in your resume any leadership related job duties that you had. Did you learn anything in this job? What did you do exactly that you enjoyed there? Etc. That way, even if you were a telemarketer, at least you were 'telemarketer of the month' and that's something they like to see.

@ Yeah I heard that -- I tried finding the specific test date for the country I'll be in and was unable to. I sent a message to the LSAC administrators about this and will hopefully hear back about it soon.

@ Thanks! I read that as well. I'll be in Eurasia so I'm not too worried about the India LSAT :P

I think the quickest possible improvement you could make at this point is trying to get a higher score in LG and maybe even RC. I find, at least from personal experience, that the slowest improvement comes from LR. Don't forget to review all sections though, so that it stays fresh in your mind. Maybe also reviewing general basics would be good too -- I know when I started PT a few months later I realized I needed to review, so thats a general guideline I go by: always go back to the basics.

@ For example, your conceptual tool kit expands, you tend to handle stress better, and sometimes your real world experience comes into play in the actual curricular matter that you deal with.

I have been out of school for ~2 years now and completely agree with this. I always thought that going to law school immediately out of undergrad would be perfect because studying and academics would still be fresh in my mind, but I've found that working might actually be better just because it gives me such a good perspective when I am doing work. You get some valuable skills that may not have been very well developed during undergrad. You become more mature, and that maturity helps you in so many ways relating to your academic/professional career. I don't regret taking time off, though at the time it was unintentional (and painful to come to terms with as I was gunning for the quickest possible route to that JD), I'm actually really glad that I did.

@ addenda probably only make sense if there's a good reason for them—or if you really do need to "fill in the gap" for admissions staff because you DID have a good reason for such an aberrant grade

I agree with this, but also want to add something else that is super crucial in an addendum:

writing an addendum should show two things: a BRIEF and to the point explanation for what happened (in your case, a bad grade), but it is also crucial to show evidence of growth and some sort of amendments you made to show you are 'not those grades'.

Do what @ said, and don't write an addendum because quite frankly, you don't draw anymore attention to it. Especially if your addendum will only show that maybe you were disorganized/rushed.

I'm interested in this course as well and was wondering the same thing as @ -- anyone know?

Do not write an addendum, unless you withdrew from or failed a class then writing an addendum will only hurt you in this circumstance. It seems unnecessary.

@.lydic

said:

I'm wondering if I should just wait a year after I graduate and work on my internship and studying so I can really dedicate time and get the score I want

definitely wait a year if you can get a higher score and get into a better school. this is important especially when it comes to the legal field. taking off another year is not a big deal, so dont stress it.

When I decided to publish this post I did not anticipate all the support and encouragement I would receive from everyone. I want to thank you all for being so reassuring and pushing me in a direction you would want for yourself (or your kids!).

@ Do you enjoy working at the NGO or coffee shop? Do they offer opportunities for growth?

Yes, at the NGO I do, but at the coffee shop I like my coworkers and not much else.

@ Would you be able to align either jobs with your future law school goals?

Nope :( very little room for growth currently and even if there was, not exactly where I'd like to see myself 5-10 years from now.

@ I'm really rooting for the latter. Hang around and let us know how it all unfolds!

Thank you! When I wrote this post I never imagined I would get this much support.

@ Give 'em hell!

Will do ;)

@ You wouldn't want to look back on this decision in 20 years and think to yourself..."What would it have been like if I took the scholarship and followed my dreams?".

This is true. I haven't traveled in a while due to financial constraints, which was part of the reason why I needed this Fulbright grant to do so. I have to keep a perspective on things, thank you.

@ The Fulbright will pay far more dividends in the long run than saving up $20k or something like that.

$20K was actually what I had calculated my projected savings to be. I didn't grow up with a lot of money so to me, having a year of living expenses figured out for my target cities (DC/NYC) was a pretty good deal. But you're right, I need to start considering the value of actually *being* in Fulbright and move beyond just looking at the numbers.

@ Unless you have a six figure Wall Street job lined up

A girl can dream!

@ It's not clear from your post if you've already been accepted to a law school, because that would change the circumstances a bit.

Sorry, I should clarify. I'm not accepted into law school nor have I applied. I have all of my application materials completed (essays, letters of rec, resume updated/formatted, transcripts submitted, fee waivers processed, etc) and am only waiting on sitting for the June LSAT (fingers crossed it all goes well) before I go ahead and apply. I'll be submitting applications this fall.

@ If you're aiming for HYS then the debt burden is yours alone, but you shouldn't have much trouble getting a good job to take care of that debt. If you're aiming anywhere lower, you should be able to "trade" a couple of ranking points for scholarship money (I'm not talking full ride at Arizona Summit vs sticker at Harvard, but rather significant money at Penn vs sticker at Harvard).

I'm don't think I'm HYS material! I wish! But I am aiming for top 14, preferably top 7. I was hoping I could get a high enough LSAT score to negotiate scholarships.

@ Either way, congratulations, and hopefully you enjoy your year abroad!

Haha thank you. I was really unsure about it all until I read all the lovely comments. I'm feeling better, but definitely think I need to do more research so I can relax.

@ Working a shitty job for a year is great life experience. Wait tables or something.

I currently work at an NGO on weekdays and as a barista in a coffee shop on weekends. Between all of that I do LSAT studying. Providing customer service in a food industry builds lots of character. Shitty jobs I can definitely do.

@ There is a balance between going further down the ranks for more money though so be mindful of that!

Oh, definitely! I'm very committed to 'top14 or bust' (regardless of how critical people can be of that mindset -- it has its merits)!

@ As a mom of daughters not far behind you in age, I would hope they would seize such an opportunity without regrets to expand their world and experiences that will have a far-reaching impact on their life and their future.

I really enjoyed reading your comment! I grew up with a single mom so being money conscious was pretty big in our home. Thank you for the lovely advice!