I think you can succeed applying in January, but it is definitely a little late in the game. I would seriously suggest trying to have a personal statement ready and applications initiated before taking the lsat. Ideally you would send applications out the minute your lsat score is posted.
So I'm on 9 waitlists right now, wondering when they start moving typically? My understanding is that may 1 is a big day for deposits, so lots of schools are getting an idea for who's committing or not and therefore, in theory, should be letting some waitlisters in soon?
Has anyone gotten in off a waitlist yet this cycle? Or have experience from past years and want to chime in??
If I was doing PTs 50-54 I would break up PT 54 for experimental sections. Then I do PT 50 with a fifth section from 54. When i finish i use a randint generator to pick which 2 of 3 LR sections are scored. Or 1 of 2 RC/LG as the case may be. The scoring may be off by a hair because of curve or having an extra question, but overall it balances and replicates test conditions well.
@xadrianas6x881 said:
This has been my full time study schedule for the past three or so months.
Non-PT Days:
6:15-6:45AM - Wake up, I budget 30 mins extra sleep in case of a bad night's sleep.
6:45-7:15AM - Meditate, headspace app.
7:15-8:45AM - Study Mandarin Chinese & drink morning coffee
9:00AM-11:30AM - FP Logic games
11:30-12:30PM - Lunch
12:30-4:30PM - Various drills
4:30-5:30PM - Walk the doggos
5:30-7:00PM - Study Mandarin Chinese, Dinner
7:00-8:30PM - Housework and exercise if time allows
9:00PM - All bright lights off in room, start reading.
9:45PM - Melatonin and multivitamin
10:00PM - Sleep
PT Days:
6:15-6:45AM - Wake up, I budget 30 mins extra sleep in case of a bad night's sleep.
6:45-7:15AM - Meditate, headspace app.
7:15-8:45AM - Study Mandarin Chinese & drink morning coffee
9:00-11:00AM - Warm up drills, mostly LG and NA questions
11:00-12:45PM - Lunch, listen to music to get into the zone
1:00PM - Start PT.
3:45PM - Finish PT
3:45-5:30PM - BR PT
5:30-7:00PM - Study Mandarin Chinese, Dinner
7:00-8:30PM - Housework and exercise if time allows
9:00PM - All bright lights off in room, start reading.
9:45PM - Melatonin and multivitamin
10:00PM - Sleep
This schedule has worked well for me thus far, but I'm honestly going to need to pull it back a little bit because I think I'm starting to burn out. Yesterday while taking my PT I got angry and cussed out the LSAC writers because I ran out of time & space on my LG section. (PT71 S2 G4, seriously wtf lsac writers, you have to brute force literally every single question.. smh).
My main worry going into the June exam is consistency. My goal is 175+ and my scores are all over the place. I can score 169 on Wednesday and 178 on Friday.. my scores just have so much volatility lately that I'm extremely worried I'll end up way below my average on test day.
Hate to be that guy, but a PT should be taking 3hr 10 minutes minimum. If you're doing it in 2:45, you're either skipping the experimental section(very unwise!), skipping the break (unwise), or jumping to the next section before 35 is up (very unwise). Any of these is robbing you of value and preparation for test day conditions. Hopefully you just rounded, but PSA rant just in case!!
I promise I'm not a dick, trying to be helpful! Cheers :)
My nyu app took about 15 weeks, not that atypical. I think touching in wouldn't hurt, just be sure you don't come across as impatient.
Agree with @ctsoucalas903, there is no difference. I will caution that writing personal statements, supplemental essays and other application stuff takes way longer than most people expect. So if you take in july, you might want to start drafting essays and filling out apps sooner. I tested in sept. '17 thinking include easily finish apps by the time I got my score back and still be early for this cycle. Ended up applying in January and it's definitely hurt me. So budget time for application work betwixt lsat studying and either June or july should suit you fine
This is funny to me, because I'm not sure which camp I fall into. My room is clean and organized but far from meticulous. My car however...looks like a hoarder nest lol. But its all there for a reason! I frequently go straight from work to happy hour, friends places, or sporting activities. So I have multiple outfits, shoes, soccer ball, frisbee, longboard, goggles , swimsuit, backpack, Xbox controller, tools etc in my trunk/backseat. That said, I will not tolerate trash or filth
I just heard back from NYU....WL :[ Also lots of schools I was already waitlisted at are sending updates, basically, sit tight we're going to start letting a few lucky souls in from purgatory in the vague future
More related to PSLF, but want to follow up on the likely effects of PI lawyers. This is the brilliance of PSLF, and why it must be preserved! It all but eliminates the financial barrier to a public interest legal career! It's better than a scholarship because it forces you to put in 10 years to get your loans forgiven. It opens doors for prospective lawyers without trust funds, and it provides a massive incentive to do good, necessary work.
@marine4life6798246 said:
My background is in literature/humanities, so I love everything pertaining to that. When I look at an RC, first thing I do is look at the topics. I rank them in the order I'd like to do them. The one I save for last is always science oriented, especially if it has to do with space or anatomy (if I see the word "peptide", I'm done).
Lol, I'm an engineering major with a minor in biology, total opposite. If I see a topic about iambic pentameter or Thoreaus influence on American literature...i use all my lifelines!
The RC from the Sept 2017 test was wicked IIRC. Something about judges maybe?
@ninaleaoishi762 said:
Would you all say there's a big difference in admissions chances -- disregarding softs -- between those applying in the 175-180 range? What I'm saying is, in that range, does a point or two make a difference...a 175/176/177, for example, or a 177/178/179?
I really don't think so. Obviously all things being equal a 177 beats a 175, but for EVERY school a 175 is 75th percentile, so your effect on their stats and therefore rankings is identical, which is meaningful. Also, like others have said, if you're in the high 170s you're very bright, you're probably going to do well in school, and law schools know that. That's why Yale waitlists and rejects 180s in favor of 169s with great work experience, a rhodes scholar, or other great "softs" (fully agree @stormhur181 we need to come up with an updated, more accurate moniker, they matter now).
@leahbeuk911 said:
Sigh, final nail in the coffin of my cycle, WL at Northwestern. Now just UCI outstanding but don't think I'd ultimately commit there this year at least.
When and how did you hear from northwestern? I'm just waiting on them and NYU
I side with @jchamberlainf946 I have a 176 and have been outright rejected by HYS in the past 2 weeks. While my 3.56 gpa is probably a factor, my minimal WE and comparably unimpressive extracurricular activities are definitely hurting me. Make a serious effort to pad your resume with experience, activities that might stand out, and write the hell out of the PS.
I feel like numbers are now necessary but not sufficient. I've been waitlisted at some lower t14 schools, so don't count on the LSAT to carry you by itself, no matter how well you do.
@stepharizona288 said:
@ctsoucalas903 said:
@mcglazo260 said:
Any updates today? I'm expecting/hoping for some waves this week.
No news on my waitlist from BU. Waiting on yale too :(
I'm withdrawing from BU and so are a few people I tutor so hopefully that opens some spots and should put some money back on the table. It's an amazing school just not a good fit for me in Boston.
Lol, Boston is actually one of few big cities I like! But, to each his own-best of luck!
I think talking to both friends and/or a professional is massive! I also think it's key to not make school, work, or even studying for the LSAT your whole life. Take time for yourself: exercise, paint, play tennis, or rock climb! Whatever brings you joy and peace, HAS to remain a part of your life, regardless of how busy you are.
I worked 20+ hours a week while in undergrad and I felt I didn't have time for "extras". I had a bad period where I was irritable, felt scrappy all the time, and just unhappy. I joined an intramural soccer team(my only true love ☺) and the difference was immediate. It does immeasurable good to set aside you worries and your obligations and just be a kid for a minute!
@xadrianas6x881 said:
Imposter Syndrome strikes everyone at one point or another, I think. The feeling like we don't belong somewhere, or haven't earned the right to be at that nice job/ that awards ceremony/ that school.
A fan once asked the famous author Neil Gaiman about Imposter Syndrome. This is what he said:
"The best help I can offer is to point you to Amy Cuddy’s book, Presence. She talks about Imposter Syndrome (and interviews me in it) and offers helpful insight.
The second best help might be in the form of an anecdote. Some years ago, I was lucky enough invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realise that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.
On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of, “I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”
And I said, “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”
And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter, maybe everyone did. Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for."
I tend to agree with Neil. I think most of us feel like kids, masquerading as adults who know what they're doing (at least for the first few years in a profession or in a school), and that no one dare admits this. God knows I feel this way sometimes. There are situations where I wonder how am I the adult, and why isn't there a bigger authority figure to turn to. Not all the time. Just sometimes. And I think that's okay. We should admit it more, and quit making a stigma of our doubts and our feelings as though they are wrong and should be repressed.
Anyway, as for what can we do about it? Talk to people. I wonder if people wouldn't open up and go "Me too!" if one of their friends admitted they felt insecure or stressed or unhappy. It's easier to not be "the only one", ya know? We don't want to seem weak around each other for some reason. We want to look cool as a cucumber, but the truth is, we are all a mess inside. I know for a fact we will all be an utter wreck come that first year. No one will know what the hell they're doing.
Amen!
Michigan really touts their PI reputation, and the data backs it up. They have really great record for placement and options. I agree that Columbia students tend to choose biglaw and if you wanted PI I still think Columbia would give you ample opportunities. However the edge there has to be UofM.
As @19398 said, cost of living is a nontrivial factor. NYC is one ofnthe most expensive housing markets in the country, while Ann arbor is probably the cheapest city with a t14 school. I'm leaning michigan and finding solid options as cheap as 800-900 a month for a 1 bedroom apt in AA. In New York that might get you a taco
I'm also a late applicant, mid January
@pcainti665 said:
@mcglazo260 said:
@tylerdschreur10199 said:
Just got an email from Yale---Dinged. Totally expected, but still sad. Anybody else hearing anything today? Hopeful this means more positive decisions impending
I assumed it would be quiet for a while because of Easter. I’m sorry about Yale.
Law schools have no chill lol
One thing I've learned this cycle is that as soon as you let your guard down, you get hit in the face with a decision lol
What I've learned is that I should've worked harder in undergrad...if only my mother had repeatedly encouraged that and told me to go to class...#MomKnowsBest
Just got an email from Yale---Dinged. Totally expected, but still sad. Anybody else hearing anything today? Hopeful this means more positive decisions impending
@pcainti665 said:
U.Penn wait-list
Now I’m:
0 - 6 - 4(5) on apps
Hang in there man! I know it shreds ur confidence, but you are great, and you're going to end up at a great school! Maybe it's off the waitlist. Maybe it's a April 25 admit. Maybe you prove your resilience by postponing a cycle. But you're going to get there, we believe in you brother!!
Now maybe I can get in !
I feel you. I got dinged by Harvard tuesday with a 176 and 3.6 in a brutal STEM program, not shocked, but certainly disappointed.
I'll echo what some have said, this cycle is competitive at a unprecedented level. There's a link in a nother thread to some mind-boggling data from SPivey consulting. To summarize, applicants and applications per applicant are up significantly, and high LSAT scores are WAAAAY up as well. All signs point to this being the toughest cycle for top applicants in a while.
So curse your luck that you didn't apply last year bro, I know I am wry smile
I’m curious what this will mean for this class. With potentially 16% more 1Ls will it be harder to enroll in specific classes down the road? Seems like journals and positions might be more competitive as well.