Chances at YLS or maybe HLS

AerospaceFlight

I would appreciate any feedback that anyone can give. I am applying to law schools this fall, and I am shooting particularly for YLS. How impactful will my softs be to overcome my not-so stellar UGPA (LSAC GPA 3.17) from over 10 years ago? My LSAT is 176.
Softs are:
1) AA male grew up in poverty & gang-filled neighborhood; I've been living on my own since the age of 19 years old
2) Worked approximately 60 hours a week (graveyard shift) throughout undergraduate college to live and survive
3) MS & PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from top 10 ranked-program on USNWR
4) MS in Electrical Engineering (graduated with Honors) from top, private institution (think Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, etc.)
5) Founded non-profit a few years ago to encourage underprivileged, minority youth to consider STEM field majors
6) Worked several years for top defense lab in the U.S.; now working in IP law
7) Published 2 manuscripts in a top-tier international peer-reviewed journal (#1:as a first author along with a co-author on first manuscript; #2 as the sole author on second manuscript)

Raphael Rivera

Yeah you're getting in

username

www.lawschoolpredictor.com

Softs like this at Yale aren't uncommon... at all. Won't hurt and provides good essay fodder. I imagine the URM status will help, if you're including that as a soft.

Apply broadly and early (although for Yale timing seems irrelevant). There are lots of stories of ppl transferring into YLS after killing 1st year and showing sustained interest. Honestly, the cycle starts soon enough. You're probs better just focusing on your apps and not thinking about it too much.

Alex

@AerospaceFlight said:
I would appreciate any feedback that anyone can give. I am applying to law schools this fall, and I am shooting particularly for YLS. How impactful will my softs be to overcome my not-so stellar UGPA (LSAC GPA 3.17) from over 10 years ago? My LSAT is 176.
Softs are:
1) AA male grew up in poverty & gang-filled neighborhood; I've been living on my own since the age of 19 years old
2) Worked approximately 60 hours a week (graveyard shift) throughout undergraduate college to live and survive
3) MS & PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from top 10 ranked-program on USNWR
4) MS in Electrical Engineering (graduated with Honors) from top, private institution (think Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, etc.)
5) Founded non-profit a few years ago to encourage underprivileged, minority youth to consider STEM field majors
6) Worked several years for top defense lab in the U.S.; now working in IP law
7) Published 2 manuscripts in a top-tier international peer-reviewed journal (#1:as a first author along with a co-author on first manuscript; #2 as the sole author on second manuscript)

Hard to say because there are so few people as accomplished as yourself. Obviously the lower UG GPA is the biggest deal here, but your softs are so impressive I wouldn't be surprised in you got H and had a better than coin flip's chance at Y.

Make sure you app tells your story well. This is a situation where a professional admissions consultant should be hired. How you craft your app in this case is really everything.

Congrats on being such an amazing candidate! Also consider going to other T14 / T6 schools with full rides, depending of course on your goals. HYS is nice, but 250k saved and a degree from Columbia might be nicer

ErlingRoald

@username said:
www.lawschoolpredictor.com

It looks like the site you provided is using data from 2012-2013. Am I reading that correctly? Are reliable resources with current data available? Can I infer school choices from this older data or does it not hold up due to being outdated?

Thanks for the info!

Alex

@ErlingRoald said:

@username said:
www.lawschoolpredictor.com

It looks like the site you provided is using data from 2012-2013. Am I reading that correctly? Are reliable resources with current data available? Can I infer school choices from this older data or does it not hold up due to being outdated?

Thanks for the info!

The sample of OP's stats are so unique, I think it's safe to say not much ha changed. Are your stats/softs similar?

David Busis

I think you have a good shot!

dfletch5

@AerospaceFlight

Kudos on the 176!

I wish you favor in the application process. You are an impressive candidate for YLS and HLS! Nevertheless, please consider other top tier schools such as Stanford and Columbia. You might find that they offer you an equally compelling reason to attend.

I believe you'll do well in the admissions process. So, do take time to enjoy these moments -:)

username

@ErlingRoald lawschoolpredictor.com is a pretty standard site for people to check things on. Admissions standards don't change much in the Top 20 from year to year (I have no clue about lower ranked schools), so I think it's pretty safe to use. All they provide are ranges though. Too many people get online looking for guarantees to shore up their nerves. They don't exist.

Mylsn.info aggregates and visualizes the lawschoolnumbers.com data. Digging into the latter directly can provide a few more specifics on those numbers. Many people will put their lawschoolpredictor.com prediction numbers on their profile and you can compare their actual admissions results for comparison, if you're so inclined.

TLS is another one. Although you log-on there at your own risk

Still, I don't see too much value in trying to predict your cycle beyond figuring out safe/reach schools and setting up an ED schedule.

Cant Get Right

It's Yale, so even if you had a 180/4.3, it wouldn't be a sure thing. That said, I think you've got as good a shot as anyone. You beat their LSAT median, which is a stat that is much more difficult to come by these days than 4.0 UGPAs. Plus, your softs really are killer. That puts you in very serious contention. Outside T3, expect not only acceptances but big money as well.