Feel Good Anecdotal Stories of People Getting Accepted into DreamSchools/Big Scholarship Money

LindsMitch

I am sure we all have spent a little too much time poring over the median admission stats for our top choices and studying the spreadsheets of the info of all admitted students...and then comparing our own data and trying to figure out what it takes to get a little (or a lot) $$.

SO I thought it would be fun for us to share stories of people we know who have worked hard, gotten into their dream schools, and bonus points if they got a scholarship. I'll start!

I know a guy who went to a little-known undergrad school and applied to law school in two cycles. First year he got a full ride with a high 160s LSAT score to the University of Washington but wasn't feeling Seattle...he retook the LSAT the following September, got a low 170s and applied that cycle to most of the T14...and then retook the LSAT again in December, got a high 170s score and Harvard and Stanford admitted him almost immediately, which could have been coincidental timing buuut I doubt it. He went with Harvard. I wish I knew the exact stats, but to ask always feels just a little too nosey.

So moral of the story...don't be afraid to keep working for that high score because it will pay off!

Cant Get Right

Great thread. I don't know any law students or potential law students outside of 7Sage, and a lot of people probably already know Nicole's story (she did a webinar on it if you want to know more), but her success story was always really inspiring for me. She had a 2.9 GPA from Princeton and felt like T14 was out of reach. She decided to apply to her dream school anyway--Northwestern--almost on a whim. Turned in her app literally on the last day and was accepted with a $90k scholarship. Finished 1L top of her class.

Alex

Another really inspiring story is of Allison, an old sage/mentor/tutor, who was a big inspiration and teacher to me.

She went to a small undergrad and was interested in public interest law. She began studying hoping to possibly attend a local school where she was from in the PNW, but ended applying to and getting into Harvard Law School. They only give need based aid there, but the story itself was so amazing. She basically helped me learn that you should never let your present circumstances dictate your goals.

elle_sat

@"Cant Get Right" said:
Great thread. I don't know any law students or potential law students outside of 7Sage, and a lot of people probably already know Nicole's story (she did a webinar on it if you want to know more), but her success story was always really inspiring for me. She had a 2.9 GPA from Princeton and felt like T14 was out of reach. She decided to apply to her dream school anyway--Northwestern--almost on a whim. Turned in her app literally on the last day and was accepted with a $90k scholarship. Finished 1L top of her class.

I've seen her mentioned before by, I don't recall if it was you or someone else! What a beautiful anecdote! Sounds like a law school unicorn to me

tringo335

Great thread! Can't wait to see more hopeful stories.

LindsMitch

@"Cant Get Right" @"Alex Divine"

Wow both great! 2.9 and $90K at Northwestern is incredible!!

I want moreeeeee...I thought for sure this community would have tons of stories.

Cant Get Right

I suppose my story might be pretty good, although it is ongoing. My GPA is a 3.74 which is fine, but enough to make me a splitter in basically the entire T14. Applying last cycle, I got in with big money at Vanderbilt and George Washington which had been my crazy high reach schools back before I upped my LSAT. So that felt really nice to get those results at my reaches.

Penn is where I really wanted to be though. I applied to a grad program there on a whim (they'll let the LSAT take the place of the GRE so I figured why not) and got accepted. To do a dual degree though, you've got to be accepted to both programs independently, and I got the WL at the law school which is normally a lost cause at Penn (around 5% WL admits--among the very worst in the T14 and beyond). So I told the grad program thanks anyway. They told me to defer rather than withdraw, just in case, so that's what I did. I visited a few accepted students days at other universities and even let myself get excited about my 2nd choice. While I was traveling, I visited Philadelphia for the admitted students day at the grad school. Had a great time, fell in love with Philly, withdrew my other apps, and wrote possibly the greatest LOCI of all time. Two weeks later, my phone rang with an unknown number from Philadelphia, PA. The dean of admissions of the law school was recommending my application to the admissions committee and wanted me to go ahead and start filling out my financial information. A week later, it was official. I even got a decent scholarship. Getting in off the WL so late didn't leave me much time to prepare. Ultimately, I needed to defer at the law school as well so that I could build my finances a little and go up there with some kind of a plan. So that's where I'm at now: seats waiting on me at both the law school and the Fels Institute of Government. See you next fall Philly!

LindsMitch

@"Cant Get Right" WOW! That's incredible, congratulations!! With scholarship money too! Sometimes it is crazy how life can unfold in a way that we never could have expected/hoped for even only a few short years ago.

Question: I have a 3.76 GPA...I never really considered myself much of a splitter except for HSY and Chicago, otherwise I thought I just kind of fell either a little above or slightly below the median for the rest of the T14. Is that not accurate?

Cant Get Right

Well, so here's the thing with medians, lol. It's not an average, it's just the score that falls in the middle of the lineup. A 4.3 and a 3.5 will have the exact same effect on a school with a 3.4 median. If you're over you're over and if you're under you're under. By how much or how little will be noted, but it isn't necessarily as important because it won't influence the rankings.

I think you may be over Columbia's median, but that may be it, at least in the upper T15. One thing I didn't really understand for a long time is that the 25%/75% stats are a very poor indicator of where the median falls. Penn for example: The 25%/75% is 3.54/3.94. The median, however, doesn't fall anywhere even close to the midpoint between those two numbers. Penn's median is a 3.89.

That said, remember that half of the students that end up at any given school will be admitted below the median GPA. With an above median LSAT score, you'll have great odds.

LindsMitch

@"Cant Get Right" Ohhhh I see what you mean, of course that makes perfect sense, I knew they weren't averaging but I didn't think about the whole 3.5 or 4.2 would have the same effect on a 3.4 median.

I guess I'm pulling for a stellar LSAT anyway though, perhaps now I just have slightly more incentive haha. When I look at my transcripts now, I kick myself because I have a 4.0 in all the classes that "matter" and just got a bit lazy with some, what I consider to be, silly GenEd requirements that should have been easy easy A's. Hindsight is 20/20 though!

LCMama2017

I hope to be in this list one day... its my dream!!!