Questions From A Younger Applicant

tyson7776

Hello,

I am currently 19 years old. I worked my butt off and took 60 credits of college classes from a community college while I was in high school, which all transferred to a large public university. I'll finish undergrad in May 2019, two years after I graduated from high school. Ideally I would like to go straight from undergrad to law school, which means I'm applying to law schools this coming fall. It also means that I have had only one year out of high school to actually work on extracurriculars and such, and because of that, the Experience and Activities sections on my resume after high school are pretty much nonexistent. I shined Activity-wise in high school (Student Body President, Honor Society President, Valedictorian, leader of a Youth Nonprofit for multiple years, part-time job, etc.), but David has said repeatedly not to include high school accomplishments. My undergrad GPA is a 3.93, and I am currently PTing right at or right below the median for my target law schools. I am practicing full time before my LSAT in September.

I just want to know, do law schools care about how young I am? Does applying at age 19 hurt, help, or even have any effect at all on my chances for getting accepted? Does a lack of Experience and Activities on my resume hurt me, or will law schools be understanding given that I've had only one year out of high school? Should I use my Personal Statement to explain my circumstances, or would it be smarter to write an addendum? I feel like my age would be a good narrative for my Personal Statement, but what do you guys think? Any answers or advice would be greatly appreciated

sx23

I don't think it's gonna be too much of a problem unless your targets schools are Yale or Stanford; hit or go beyond the medians for your target schools and you should be fine. That said, I don't think law schools are going to count your ECs from high school. Have you thought about taking a gap year to work or do volunteer work? That might be a good idea given you're still so young. Is there a reason why you have to go to law school right away?

FixedDice

I just want to know, do law schools care about how young I am? Does applying at age 19 hurt, help, or even have any effect at all on my chances for getting accepted?

A friend of a friend got into Harvard Law when she was 18. So no problems there.

Should I use my Personal Statement to explain my circumstances, or would it be smarter to write an addendum?

Out of consideration for mental health of everyone (including you) involved in the process, please don't treat your PS as an extended addendum. In fact, since age doesn't matter, I don't think there is any reason you should write an addendum on the matter.

_oshun1_

I would talk to an admissions advisor about this bc it sounds really specific and I doubt anyone on this forum has experience with this.
I think that the main reason we're told not to mention high school activities in our application/resume is because applicants went to high school at least 4 years ago.
Considering that you were in high school recently, maybe that is something that is appropriate to mention in your resume/application...especially considering that you were simultaneously going to college...
I personally think that your experience is really unique and you should certainly mention it in your PS. You've accomplished a lot in the past few years. I'm sure you can speak on how everything you did in HS shaped you as the person who you are today and further tie that into why you'll be a great law student.

Leah M B

I think my opinion falls pretty much right in line with @"surfy surf". It's a very unusual circumstance and you'd probably be better off asking an admissions person. Perhaps @"David.Busis" could give a quick opinion, or Mike Spivey is active on lawschool.life and reddit, and gives some advice out. That's probably a little above the pay grade of the average forum user around here. We're more likely to be old folks than going to law school at 20 haha. Good luck working it out though, that's an impressive accomplishment!

tyson7776

@sx23 said:
I don't think it's gonna be too much of a problem unless your targets schools are Yale or Stanford; hit or go beyond the medians for your target schools and you should be fine. That said, I don't think law schools are going to count your ECs from high school. Have you thought about taking a gap year to work or do volunteer work? That might be a good idea given you're still so young. Is there a reason why you have to go to law school right away?

It's mainly personal preference as to why I'd rather go straight from undergrad to law school. I think that if I don't perform well on the LSAT in September and potentially the LSAT in November as well, I might take a gap year to work, volunteer, and practice LSATs. A gap year isn't out of the question at all, it's just not my number 1 choice.

studyingandrestudying

Your recommendation letters may be a good spot for the activity mentions. Good job being so motivated and having this initiative to start early. So when you're done, you'll be about 22 if you start soon and are a full-time law student?

tyson7776

@lsatplaylist said:
Your recommendation letters may be a good spot for the activity mentions. Good job being so motivated and having this initiative to start early. So when you're done, you'll be about 22 if you start soon and are a full-time law student?

If all goes well, then yes, that's what I'm hoping for

Mike Spivey

When I was an admisisons officer we admitted an 11 year old. She ended up attending Berkeely I believe. I wouldn't sweat your age.

kleinstd

I would write about your age in your personal statement. It's extremely unique and could be a great story while showcasing your strengths as a student.

Chipster Study

I really can't shed much light on your specific admissions situation, but congratulations on your hardworrk and success. You will no doubt do very well in whatever you undertake career-wise.

LSATStudent780

I am in a similar situation as you! I am only 19 and applying to law school. From what I have been told by most people is to actually highlight my age because that is what makes me unique. I think I will talk about activities, the motivation to do this all so early, and more! Hopefully, we can help each other out on the essays or other stuff too! Let me know.

samantha.ashley92

@"Mike Spivey" WAIT so was there a 14/15-year-old lawyer floating around at some point?

AudaciousRed

@"samantha.ashley92" said:
@"Mike Spivey" WAIT so was there a 14/15-year-old lawyer floating around at some point?

Yeah... I gotta hear more about this...

David Busis

I think you should worry about the stuff you can control! You've decided to apply this year, so you'll apply this year; now your task is to frame your story.

Is it possible that some admissions officer would prefer candidate X with 5 years of professional experience over candidate Y with no professional experience, all else being equal? Of course. But all else isn't equal. You have your own compelling story, and the flip side of your inexperience is your obvious drive and maturity, to which your age and academic career attest.

You may or may not want to write a personal statement about blazing through college. That depends on your other options. Even if you do write about your fast-track degree, though, I wouldn't think of it as an explanation. Think of it as a story you're telling about yourself. Write an addendum if you need to explain a liability or answer questions that your application might raise.