Does anyone know what categories are looked at in the holistic admissions process?

tayanthony31

I just finished watching a WSJ youtube video on harvards secret admissions criteria and how asian american personalities did not stand out enough for acceptance and it got my thinking about what kind lf students they want at their school. Especially from minority students and students that are less fortunate. As someone who checks both kf those boxes I find it difficult to make myself stand out, Ive never even left the US and my gpa is not where it needs to be. I was hoping flr the lsat to be my saving grace but now im thinking even a perfect score from a poor minority student wont cut it. Any thoughts?

BinghamtonDave

I'm not 100% sure if you are asking for advice on HLS specifically towards the end there. My initial thoughts are to ask what you mean by your GPA "not where it needs to be." Do you mean below the 25th percentile for the school you are looking at? A 3.4 is not a deal breaker for many top schools with a compensating high LSAT, but a 2.6 might be something that even a top, top score might be difficult to overcome for certain schools (but not others). MYLSN is a great resource for playing out these scenarios.

I will state here that a perfect score on the LSAT can more than make up for a GPA being on the lower end, but it would depend on how low. The people who apply with these stats are called "splitters." 7Sage is replete with stories of people with numbers like these who have made it into great schools.

Leah M B

I'd highly recommend checking out the blogs of the admissions departments of a few schools. Yale's "Ask Asha" has a lot of really good information: https://law.yale.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/ask-asha

It's old, Asha isn't at Yale anymore, but the advice in it is mostly timeless. Dean Z at Michigan has some blog posts as well. Mike Spivey's blog is also really helpful I think: https://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/

That's just the thing, is holistic really means everything. Sometimes it's a plus even if you're just from a state like Nebraska that has fewer applicants. They look for diversity of majors and experiences. Your essays need to be really strong. You shouldn't worry too much about what admissions officers are looking for and fitting yourself into a mold, but try to craft the best story about yourself that you can. Think of what your best, most interesting qualities are and how you can highlight them.

Chipster Study

I have mentioned this before, but the Dean of a medical school who I became friends with later said they were looking for a circus performer. If the person was not an ax murderer and showed up for the interview, they were basically getting in. And, when one showed up in the application pool, sure enough they got in. I think I basically got a lot of help getting into med school because I had worked many years as a production worker on the open hearths. I was told later that they just had not really ever had any steelworkers in their class. You just never know what you might have that they would find interesting. Lots of people get into top schools without having founded an orphanage in India. Don't get discouraged.

studyingandrestudying

Georgetown has been asking students to make videos about their candidacy in the past 1-2 admissions years.

tayanthony31

Im only aiming for a t14 on the lower end. I just worry that I wont seem interesting even with a high lsat score coupled with a los gpa.

redshift

n/a