Ridiculous question but I'm still gonna ask

AstralCzarina

Hey guys!

So I graduate in may and I'm looking to move to Texas to gain residency. I am going to apply to UT next year, and one of their admissions criteria is geographical diversity, so they're looking for underrepresented areas of texas. I currently live 40 miles away from El Paso, Texas and 600 miles away from Austin. I am thinking they'd pass over someone already living in Austin. Am I giving this too much thought and this is really an unimportant soft factor?
On another note, I'm going to begin studying for the lsat again with 7sage as soon as I graduate. Currently scoring at 156.

Alex

@AstralCzarina said:
Hey guys!

So I graduate in may and I'm looking to move to Texas to gain residency. I am going to apply to UT next year, and one of their admissions criteria is geographical diversity, so they're looking for underrepresented areas of texas. I currently live 40 miles away from El Paso, Texas and 600 miles away from Austin. I am thinking they'd pass over someone already living in Austin. Am I giving this too much thought and this is really an unimportant soft factor?
On another note, I'm going to begin studying for the lsat again with 7sage as soon as I graduate. Currently scoring at 156.

I think you're probably giving it a bit too much thought. I'm sure establishing residency will be a good thing (soft factor), but at the end of the day your LSAT/GPA will be what ultimately gets you accepted. Congrats on the 156 -- almost at the 160 mark! Keep going and focus on what is under your control.

Good luck

Cant Get Right

Austin is a program with international pull, so that's not the angle you want to approach any kind of diversity argument from. Diversity is much more about experience than geography or anything else. What about your life makes you unique? What can your experiences bring to the classroom that will give you a perspective on something that others will lack?

BenjaminSF

I think that @"Alex Divine" makes a good point. While they will look at 'geographical diversity', it seems like this is one of the factors that move applicants from the strong-maybe to the yes pile. This group of applicants is relatively small, and there are several other parts of your application that will have a great deal more sway e.g. gpa/lsat/ps.

While location may give you a small bonus on your application, it seems like a highly secondary thought compared to other parts of your application. Additionally, the admissions officers will see that you went to an out-of-state school, and it's pretty easy to put 2+2 together: you moved to Texas recently. From there, they may ask 'why did @AstralCzarina move to X-town, Texas?'. If it really did become an important point in your application, I would be prepared to address this.

From my own experience, it was more important to live where I could be a part of a community that I loved. Instead of thinking about how to game the application process, think about what will help you to thrive. This can in turn help you to build a stronger resume and personal story.

imharris

hey @AstralCzarina,

this is a great question! and totally worth asking. something else to consider... where do you want to live after law school? if you plan on returning to the el paso area (better tacos than austin anyways), then it might be a good idea to start building a community there. if you plan on staying in austin, then you might as well start setting up your life there now. as @"Alex Divine" mentioned your LSAT/GPA will be the primary factor for admission.

per @BenjaminSF's advice being part of a community that you love is most important. it might also be nice to move to austin now to get the transition of moving to a new city out of the way before starting grad school... finding good housing, new friends, new routines for life, etc takes time.

also, @"Cant Get Right" 's point about life experience being worth more than geographic diversity presents a great opportunity for your year off between undergrad and law school. if you have an idea about what type of law you want to practice, then find a volunteer opportunity in austin in that field. that will help you integrate with the austin legal community and potentially lead to a great letter of recommendation from a UT alum. it will also just present you with some good real world experience that will pay off in the classroom. with that in mind I'd recommend seeking out a volunteer experience that will be enjoyable for its ownsake. don't count on it being the thing that gets you into UT. for that you need to count on your LSAT score and 7sage.

good luck!

Alex

@runningthroughthemountains said:
hey @AstralCzarina,

this is a great question! and totally worth asking. something else to consider... where do you want to live after law school? if you plan on returning to the el paso area (better tacos than austin anyways), then it might be a good idea to start building a community there. if you plan on staying in austin, then you might as well start setting up your life there now. as @"Alex Divine" mentioned your LSAT/GPA will be the primary factor for admission.

per @BenjaminSF's advice being part of a community that you love is most important. it might also be nice to move to austin now to get the transition of moving to a new city out of the way before starting grad school... finding good housing, new friends, new routines for life, etc takes time.

also, @"Cant Get Right" 's point about life experience being worth more than geographic diversity presents a great opportunity for your year off between undergrad and law school. if you have an idea about what type of law you want to practice, then find a volunteer opportunity in austin in that field. that will help you integrate with the austin legal community and potentially lead to a great letter of recommendation from a UT alum. it will also just present you with some good real world experience that will pay off in the classroom. with that in mind I'd recommend seeking out a volunteer experience that will be enjoyable for its ownsake. don't count on it being the thing that gets you into UT. for that you need to count on your LSAT score and 7sage.

good luck!

well said! I agree 100% with this, op!

texvd1988

Real quick- does an immigrant of Cuban/ Russian background quality as diversity? I attached a diversity statement underlining why my background means so much.

I just wonder if the Russian portion of my background kind of kills my diversity.

extramedium

@texvd1988 said:
Real quick- does an immigrant of Cuban/ Russian background quality as diversity? I attached a diversity statement underlining why my background means so much.

I just wonder if the Russian portion of my background kind of kills my diversity.

First generation immigrant of any nationality would seem diverse to me. Although I'd emphasize the Cuban element over Russian considering the political climate and all.

texvd1988

@extramedium said:

@texvd1988 said:
Real quick- does an immigrant of Cuban/ Russian background quality as diversity? I attached a diversity statement underlining why my background means so much.

I just wonder if the Russian portion of my background kind of kills my diversity.

First generation immigrant of any nationality would seem diverse to me. Although I'd emphasize the Cuban element over Russian considering the political climate and all.

Always have. The Russian side has never done much for me in regard to applications from what I understand.