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[Ended] Live Lightning Consultations—Tues, Aug 2nd @ 9pm EST
David Busis
Member Moderator
Update: Thanks for your amazing responses, everyone. I’ve been pouring through them, trying to figure out how I would choose from such worthy and gripping accounts, when I finally realized I don’t have to choose. I’m going to change the format instead.
Here’s how it works now: I’ll go through these statements in order, spending five minutes or less with each person. Even in such a small window, I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to dispense some sound advice.
When it’s your turn, I’ll ask you to unmute your mic. Everyone else should stay muted.
I’ll end the webinar after an hour. If someone doesn’t show up, I’ll skip her, so it’s hard to say how far down the list I’ll get.
Talk to you tomorrow.
7Sagers,
This Tuesday, at 9 pm EST, I’ll do a live lightning consultation for one 7Sager.
What’s a lightning consultation? Basically, I’ll try to be as helpful as I can in fifteen to thirty minutes. We might brainstorm personal statement topics, strategize about addenda, or discuss LORs.
If you want a free fifteen- to thirty-minute consultation about your law school application, I’ll need you to post a few things in the comments section:
- Your three-sentence biography.
- Your biggest worry about your application.
- Two ideas for your personal statement.
I’ll choose whoever I think will lead to the most interesting consultation, and announce my choice here on Tuesday. When I’m done, I’ll take questions from everyone.
To join, just follow this link: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/710740293
- Dial +1 (646) 749-3131
- Use the access code 710-740-293.
- Use the audio PIN shown after joining the meeting.
We’ll use Citrix GoToMeeting. The meeting ID is 710-740-293.
Comments
2) The biggest worry about my application is my LSAT score.
3) the first idea I have for my personal statement is when I witnessed my cousins murder when I was a kid. The second would be how my disability helped shape who I am as a person.
2. Biggest worry is my LSAT score
3. Working at the Senate as an LD and falling in love with law.
3.5 Wanting to fight corruption in govt
2. My LSAT score.
3. (i) My story of growing up in Zambia and immigrating to the United States. (ii) To describe how after years of considering law school (from a very young age), and after working in a field that is closely related to law, I have concluded that it is my calling and I don't want to regret not pursuing a career in law.
2. Biggest Worry: Personal Statement (mainly which subject matter to write about and format - making sure it flows)
3. Ideas for Personal Statement:
The time I became homeless when losing my job as a stockbroker after 9/11, battling depression, starting over which eventually lead to my decision to study the law.
OR
Growing up a muslim, attending a Catholic school and going to a Baptist church on Sundays and how it had bearing on me becoming an atheist as an adult.
(I have more ideas but these are just two)
2. My biggest worry with my application is standing out amongst thousands of other well qualified applicants.
3. a. Using a legal education to start or grow a company that makes the world a better place.
b. Protecting people from being taken advantage of by others.
2. I am the most concerned about my LSAT score. The logic games, which many people say is the easiest section, always manages to throw me off. Hard.
3. For my personal statement, I am considering writing about (a) being able to understand/identify my cultural identity, or (b) writing about my liberal arts background and how it applies to my experience working in large, multinational companies.
2. LSAT Score/Letters of Recommendation
3. I don't particularly like talking about the bad times. So I'd enjoy a happier topic like (a) hobby of dog showing or (b) helping some out and the later unexpected reciprocity.
Hi David! My name is Julie Kim and I graduated from UCSB in 2015 with a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Black Studies. I'm currently working full-time as an office administrator at my dad's construction company, but have always been working for him part-time since 2009. My current favorite book is "Insatiable: Porn -- A Love Story" by Asa Akira.
2. Your biggest worry about your application:
I have a low GPA but have shown steady improvement every year for four years. Nonetheless, it's a low number.
3. Two ideas for your personal statement:
i) When my family emigrated from S.Korea in 1999, we moved into one of the poorest neighborhoods in southern California. Growing up as one of three Asian kids in the area, I dealt with racism and hate-crimes from my Black neighbors and classmates. I grew up despising Black people because of my childhood past. But in college I took one black studies course that changed my perspective forever. I learned that we were both victims of white supremacy and America's unique racial hierarchy, and graduated with a black studies minor.
ii) The time when I finally stood up for myself and our company when the general contractor of a project we were working at the time said to me, "you asians are all the same -- you work like idiots and weasel your way around everything." I have always held my tongue and been a pushover out of fear that we'll be cut from the job, and because I'm naturally a people-pleaser and don't like confrontation. But thanks to that asshole, I learned that I don't have be the "yes-man" and I can demand respect when it's due. I gained a lot more confidence in myself and in the workplace after that incident.
Your biggest worry about your application. I am worried about my LSATs in September. I work 60 hours per week and fitting in adequate LSAT prep is challenging, to say the least.
Two ideas for your personal statement. 1) growing up with a father with no executive functioning, short term memory, or impulse control; 2) being recently impelled to consider a career in law after losing two cousins, both of whom were represented by shoddy public defenders.
2)My biggest worry about my law school application is my college gap and also writing my addendum as to why I took two years off after graduating from college. My mom ended up having two surgeries back to back so I had to go and take care of her and help my family while working.
3) My two ideas for my personal statement are: 1) Being raised by two military parents and how that has always impacted my life by means of moving, learning to adapt, meeting new people from all different walks of life, and learning how to appreciate the moments in my life as they come no matter how difficult or unfortunate they may be. The second idea for my personal statement is about my mom. I know that may sound crazy but I watched her be a soldier in the military just to give me a better life and I've watched her go from a soldier to a doctor of psychology. She was in the military and still went to school to become a psychologist, while being mother and wife. I aspire to be just like her and she has instilled her dedication, determination, and passion into me. She is my hero and the force behind every success in my life and this I owe to her. She is the greatest person in my life.
2) My biggest worry is turning in an imperfect application as I will be a splitter (hopefully a super splitter because I'm going to crush the LSAT)
3) PS ideas: 1) Basketball and battling various medical diagnosis to still be able to play today. 2) My passion for automotive track racing and what I've learned through it that I can carry over as a law student (patience, precision, etc..)
I worry about my GPA- having taken 4 years of classes in 3 years forced me to take many difficult classes at once, which made me not do as well as I had hoped.
One idea for my personal statement is my traumatic brain injury and how it lead me to become certified as a 200-hour yoga instructor. It changed me from a very type-A personality to a more mindful person. Another idea is the two sides of my family history. My maternal grandfather had three ivy league degrees and was the chairman of a huge mutual fund in NYC. My mother grew up in a rich white suburb and has an associates degree. My paternal grandfather was a dutch sailor who left home at 13 to sail to America. My father grew up in a poor city, where he joined the police department directly from HS. I think that growing up with such differing perspectives shaped me in an interesting way.
Post graduation, I have held numerous job titles including paralegal, public relations consultant, and ESL teacher. Through all of it, I realized my passion lies in service and helping others and my strengths in attention to detail, hard work, and ability to connect with others.
2. Recommendations from professors, since it has been over 5 years since graduation, and even longer still since I've taken any of their classes. I was a shy student who stayed away from office hours preferring to study quietly in the privacy of my own dorm room. I will ask a former work supervisor for my second recommendation letter.
3. My volunteer experience with a local non profit organization that matched me with a refugee from North Korea. While we were the same age, his hardened face made him look 10 years older than his was while his stunted growth made him look 10 years younger than he was. I taught him English every week. I guess my essay could be a narrative about him, but I will tie in my work experiences and qualities that I've acquired along the way that will make me a good law school candidate.
I would also write a diversity statement as I am an international student from South Korea. When I was born, my grandfather was disappointed I wasn't a boy. Korea is a homogenous nation, with strong moral beliefs of right and wrong. I moved 14 times in my life in 7 cities in 3 countries. The beliefs I had been ingrained to believe wore away as I was exposed to cultures so different from my own. I felt like an outsider pretty much everywhere, with no niche to call home. Even in my home country, people felt off-put by me because my pronunciation was slightly 'off' or I had a 'gyopo' (Korean American) look. Ironically, Korean Americans didn't feel I was American enough, telling me I enunciated the 't' in the word 'international' too much and pointing out the fact that my parents were living in Japan.
(2) My age and that I have too many directions to go with my personal statement and I may have a hard time reining it in and writing a coherent statement.
(3) (A) My first idea would be to write about beating the odds: from a 16 year runaway, high school drop out to going back to school at age 25 while working full time in a demanding field while being a mom to 3 young kids. I want to show that I can face the law school challenge head on and fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming an attorney.
(B) My second idea would be to talk about raising my three boys whom are biologically all mine, but look completely different from each other (Hispanic, Caucasian and African American) to the outside world and how because of this Ive had to have "the talk" in different ways and raised each a little differently trying to prepare them for a world who may judge them differently because of the color of their skin, both in a good way and a bad way. Then I think I would like to dovetail into another one of my reasons for becoming an attorney (aside from it being life-long dream) and talk about wanting to become a civil rights attorney to hopefully make a difference -- not only by bringing a little justice, but also by educating all races and demonstrating how even though we might be different on the outside, we have more in common than we realize.
Thanks so much for doing this.
1. My name is Fon. I'm 23, female, and graduated with an international affairs degree from GWU last year. I was an international student from Bangkok, Thailand, where I lived for 18 years.
2. My biggest worry is the LSAT. I'm taking it this September and right now I'm scoring around 164, but want to do better. The problem areas are speeding up (in all sections) and not panicking.
3. Idea #1: I want to write about my experience witnessing coup after coup in Thailand and the awareness of rule of law from an early age (or lack thereof). I remember the fear and uncertainty. With a law degree, I can figure ways to help strengthen the rule of law while protecting myself and my family. Idea #2: I was thinking of writing about my many travels and how that helped shape my world view, but I'm also considering weaving that into the first idea. Should I do that or do you think it would detract from the first idea?
Thank you!
Fon
2. My biggest worry about my application are my references. I have one strong professional reference. I could have a second solid professional reference as well, but it would be from the same job, so potentially redundant. More worrying is that I don't have a strong academic reference. It's been 5 years since I had a professor with good written English. I could reach out to a few from five years ago or to a few foreign professors, but I fear the reference letter they'd write would be rote. Should I include an academic reference even if it's weak? Should I have three references instead of two, even if the third doesn't add much? And what's the statute of limitations on references? Is going back to someone I knew well 8 years ago too far?
3. I plan to write about my experience learning a foreign language, living abroad in politically unstable country, and my recent work with Middle Eastern human rights activists and lawyers. I plan to tie this together to show that I can commit to something difficult and to give a glimpse into why I want to study international law.
(2) The LSAT
(3) Have played the violin since 3 y/o (performed at a very high level at young age & could have played professionally in a symphony orchestra). That or debate.
2. My biggest worry about my application is that I am a very boring/average candidate (white, male, no real hardships/very plain life story) and I do not know what to write about with my personal statement.
3. The picture that sits in my office at school of the very first team I coached as a new college grad and how the community and support that was built through that team continues today.
My involvement in a mountain rescue at age 17 that changed my view of how active and real God is.
2) My Resume
3) I thought about reviewing the struggles that my parents faced in legally immigrating to the US and expound on applying that same commitment to realize a dream to my goal in graduating from law school.
2. I have a little bit of a conflicting application. Being so young starting undergrad, and really having my pick of school after high school, I had little grasp of the importance of a GPA. I was a terrible student my first few semesters. I want to find a way to draw the Adcom's attention to the hard work exhibited in my resume, and those last few semesters where I made The Dean and President's list. (Full disclosure: I do have a medical addendum for those first few semesters, but I think that will only go so far.)
3. I applied last application cycle and used a personal statement that was focused on the theme of "Figuring it out." My parents always encouraged me to solve my own problems, and I think that contributed heavily to who I am as a person, and how I might better solve problems in law school. I also had an idea that I thought was interesting, but I will definately need some consultation on: I think a resume is a list of the least interesting things about me. For example, I worked at a summer camp. That's cool. It's on my resume. I talk about what I did there. The experience that most effected me, though, isn't on my resume. The exerience that most effected me was when a ten year old said something that is now painted across the lobby of my office building, so I can see it every day. I don't know how to tie this into law school, but I think it could have an interesting (read: not boring) flair.
2. My biggest worry is the LSAT.
3. My two ideas for my personal statement are my co-ed business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi and how volunteering at the Houston SPCA has made me who I am today.
2) My LSAT score.
3) the first idea: my professional chess career from the point that my father thought me chess when I was 5 until when he forbidden me to play chess at age of 11 because of my poor results; to the point that I practiced on my own and become champion of my province youth tournament at age of 15.
3.5) The second would be how all those around me could not afford a lawyer and got shortchanged which gives me a very personal reason to become a lawyer.
2) My LSAT Score, my GPA is solid and I have solid extracurricular activities, just need the lsat score to match.
3 My personal statements will be geared toward public interest/civil rights law: Joining the Urban Debate League in high-school,and becoming a National Champion, defeating elite, more economically prosperous schools, while homeless. (overcoming obstacles stories)
3.5. Lessons I learned working in the african american male initiative helping underprivileged students overcome educational barriers.
Hello, my name is Tanesha. I currently work as a paralegal in the real estate industry. I've worked in the legal field in various areas for 9 yrs.
2.Your biggest worry about your application.
Not having anything interesting or unique to stand out from other applicants. I don't have much volunteering to add other than distributing sample ballots and providing a brief synopsis of a candidate's agenda at voting polls. I wasn't really active in undergrad and I'm still not. My undergrad GPA isn't the greatest so what if my LSAT score is also not the greatest?? This added to lack of accomplishments, volunteerism, etc. definitely makes me worry.
3.Two ideas for your personal statement.
Continuing to pursue law school after chemotherapy and brain tumor (I don't really know what this has to do with anything but I thought about just talking about continuing to strive for a legal career despite the curveballs life has thrown and somehow throwing work experience in there as well).
or
Discussing when and how I determined I wanted to practice law. My 5th grade teacher structured our classroom as a "city." We were all "citizens" and a few of us had extra roles. I was the lawyer. I was able to "argue" against and lower the fines imposed by the officers in the "city" to individual citizens. I was also able to negotiate "sanctions" imposed by our teacher. My proudest moment was being able to regain recess privileges for the entire class after being revoked by our teacher.
My biggest concern is that I will be able to express myself fully in a short and strategic way on my Personal Statement and Application.
Statement ideas: 1. About 20 years ago, my father reconnected with our Jewish family in Israel, after being estranged for years. Since his grandmother converted to Christianity, all ties were severed. My childhood dream was to find them and mend the relationship as well. I studied Hebrew for four years and prepared for the trip. Then when I was 20, I spent a month in Israel and met my cousins and aunts. I learned about the power of love that speaks universally across different cultures and belief systems.
2. It can be tough working hard for your own dreams, let alone working for dreams that are not your own. I have learned that serving the dream of my parents, at their church, has actually brought me more satisfaction and growth than I could ever imagine. Although I did not see it initially, I learned the lessons of hard work, selflessness, and the importance of relationships. In the end, working with my parents ended up giving me invaluable lessons for my future.
I grew up in Madison, MS- a high income suburb of Jackson with good schools- and went on to graduate with a BA in English Literature from the University of Southern Mississippi in December 2008, about three months after Lehman Bros declared bankruptcy and the whole world economy and job market went to shit; and so like so many of my friends, I found refuge in the food service industry (With a degree in English this would probably have happened anyway, lol). What was perhaps more surprising is how much I came to love it: I got the opportunity to help develop a concept for a local coffee & lunch spot which really caught on and became a local institution. As I really became a part of it, I fell in love with the little city of Hattiesburg and got to know hundreds of people who composed the bulk of its active community; but as happy as I was there, I never did feel content- I still wanted to do something big, to leave an impact- so I decided to return to school for degrees in law and public policy to position myself to advocate, as best I can, for equal access to quality education.
Application Worry
My biggest worry about my application is my GPA. There is a discrepancy over a class which I dropped but have recently discovered I received a grade which factors into my GPA as an F. The notation for the grade is NA, which I mistakenly assumed meant “not applicable” but which I have now learned means “not attended.” The professor of the class died recently and efforts to correct my transcript have so far been unsuccessful. The correction would bring my GPA from a 3.64 to a 3.75 which seems to make an enormous difference when plugged into a law school calculator.
Personal Statement Idea 1
My time as a professional poker player, and why the greatest single hand of my career was the last hand I ever played. The exact moment I knew I had what it took to really make it, I left it all behind.
Personal Statement Idea 2
My move from a progressive college town to rural North Mississippi, the culture of racial divide I found there, my helplessness to change it, and my conviction to try.
I'm a 41 year-old former actor with a lifelong passion for environmental issues. I'm currently working as a legal intern, focusing on pro-bono environmental efforts. I have a Certificate in Horticulture from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and am about to become a Master Composter through the Master Compost Certificate Program sponsored by the NY Dept. of Sanitation.
1) Your biggest worry about your application.
My biggest concern about my application is my academic/professional record, which I'm afraid won't assure an admissions committee that I can hack the intellectual rigor of law school. I did very well in pretty much all my undergrad academics in terms of GPA, but bounced around undergrad institutions. I transferred from a good liberal arts school after 1.5 years to an acting conservatory (BFA program), then left after two years and finally finished my undergrad degree at a non-highly-rated institution with what looks like a non-rigorous major. Because of my acting transfer credits from the BFA program, I have the unusual distinction of holding a Bachelor of Science in... Liberal Arts (technically my major). My academic grades were always pretty high, my acting grades in the BFA program were all over the place, and again, I did not have what looks like a rigorous major from the institution where I finished undergrad (a B.Sci. with a concentration in 'Visual Studies').
Aside from acting, most of my professional work has been in the service industry (yes, I know this probably goes without saying).
My ideas to counter this potential weakness in academic credentials:
a) Include one or two strong high-level papers written as an undergrad (good idea?)
b) Include an addendum emphasizing my academic marks over my acting marks
c) Hopefully obtain a strong letter of recommendation from my supervisor at the law firm which will emphasize my capacity for the particular demands of legal work.
3) Two ideas for your personal statement.
First Idea: Write about going home for a year to take care of a parent undergoing treatment for brain cancer. This was a transitional experience for me which in many ways initiated my interest in environmental advocacy and law school (essentially: finding my core values, re-connecting with nature in a way I hadn't since childhood, and seeking deeper meaning in my life's work).
Second Idea: Writing about various experiences that led me to understand studying law as a way to make a substantive difference in the world vis-a-vis the environment. These include studying horticulture (the business, ironically, is anything but 'green'), becoming a master composter, and experiences in my day job (running events in NY), where I witnessed a shocking level of waste (and I realized that there needed to be stronger, smarter laws and better enforcement of statutes around recycling).
Somewhere in there I want to talk about a recent experience I had of finding myself stuck with a giant garbage pail of chicken poop, which I simply couldn't throw away (I wouldn't dream of sending all that valuable nitrogen to a landfill). Somehow that moment crystallizes my values and my understanding of my place in the world.
My main worries with my applications are the LSAT since I've attended a foreign school which does not report an Undergrad GPA, and my personal statement.
As for my personal statement, I have though of writing about having to give up everything I had constructed to go overseas and help my father, and using that adverse time to reinvent myself, heading back to the US to pursue my long life dream career of becoming and attorney.
I would like to know how to say that I am a Vietnam Veteran in my personal statement without making this my whole personal statement.
Thanks for this great opportunity!
Bio: I am first generation Mexican- American whose only family in the United States consists of my mother and sister. My older sister and I were the first people in our family (we come from a huge family, mom has 10 brothers and sisters) to ever graduate from university. I am extremely passionate about food and want to improve our current food system which is built on the exploitation of humans (mostly undocumented) and animals.
My biggest worry about my application is my GPA since I have 2 "No Passes" from classes I took just for fun (I didn't know these counted as F's btw until after the fact) which brought my cumulative GPA from 3.5 to a 3.24. However, I was approved for testing accommodations for the LSAT. Do you think that if I score a 170 my 3.24 will still make me a very good candidate at my top choice school: UCLA?
My first idea for my personal statement would be about how I came to develop a passion for what we eat (Mom became diabetic and I realized that we live in a culture that does not support our health, we are constantly bombarded with junk food advertising and weight loss pills, Big Ag has taken over leaving farmers with barely enough means to scrape by and the rest of us to figure out what to eat by chasing convenience.
My second idea would be about my Mexican mother coming to this country illegally with not even a dollar to her name, was worked like a slave, mistreated, but then was granted citizenship with farmworker papers and now provides affordable housing to low- income individuals in one of the most affluent cities in the country. She raised two daughters who also developed a passion for social justice and are advocates for positive change.
Even if I don't get chosen, I hope we can email or you can reply to my response. Thanks so much for doing this!
-Stephanie
BIO: I'm a 32 year old single mother to a 6 year old. I have worked in law enforcement for the last 8 years. I have wanted to practice law since I was 11 years old but I have only recently made a decision to follow through.
My biggest worry: My low GPA. I graduated college 10 years ago and was in a completely different frame of mind at that time. I need every other aspect of my application to outshine my GPA.
Personal Statement Ideas: One option is to speak about my transition from law enforcement to pursuing the practice of law and how witnessing police brutality has lit a fire in me to fight for human rights. Another option is to speak about my community service efforts and how dedicated I am to making a difference in lower income areas.
My name is Yimei Zhang and I am a senior in University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, studying History and Polisci. I was born and raised in China and have been studying in Hong Kong. I speak Cantonese, Mandarin and French.
2. Your biggest worry about your application.
LSAT. My June score was not satisfying despite I felt good with my PTs. I will study heartlessly for September.
3. Two ideas for your personal statement.
a) I have many different working experiences. Walt Disney World in Orlando, Brookings Institution in DC. I have been to 20 countries.
b) I have come a long way since I set my mind to pursue JD degree. I transferred from HK, I chose a major that is difficult for non-native speaker over majors that would be easy for me, I worked in DC for a semester, and I studied French (I want to be an international lawyer).
Thank you, David!
https://7sage.com/enroll-admissions/