[Ended] Last-Minute Application Questions: Tuesday, Dec. 13th, 9 PM EST

Comments

• 2 Likes

  leo.cahoon Member

  December 2016 2 karma

  Where I have had my criminal record expunged, do I still need to write a character addendum?
• 3 Likes

  etphonehome Alum Member

  December 2016 edited December 2016 48 karma

  The reason why I am going to law school is because I received a DUI (reduced to reckless) in 2012 and had a terrible lawyer. I took over my entire case because the lawyer was incredibly awful which sparked me to want to pursue law. Prior to this I had no run in's with the law. I immediately went back to school and worked fulltime while also attending fulltime classes at night. I just recently graduated with my BA and also studying for the LSAT. A. do I mention my DUI anywhere in the applicationand B. should I consider weaving this into my personal statement or is that just dumb? It's literally the reason why I want to become lawyer. The DUI made me realize what I wanted to do for the rest of my life - defend people. I also don't want to be stupid and mention it if I don't have to. This has been my biggest struggle. Thanks!
• 1 Like

  desire2learn Member

  December 2016 1171 karma

  Do you have any advice on the order or timing of putting out apps for maximal benefit/scholarships/chances at dream school?
  Also, if LSAC is already including a letter in my file explaining the circumstances of a low LSAT score, do I need to include an addendum that explains it also?
  How do I draw the line between giving context to an award and clutter my resumé? Am I explaining too much (i.e. bragging) if I am explaining that I am the only student in the history of my university to mark a certain achievement? Is it overkill by the 1st one or by the 3rd one?
• 2 Likes

  Walliums Member

  December 2016 373 karma

  @etphonehome I want to hear the answer to yours! And kudos to you for all of your hard work
• 1 Like

  David Busis Member Moderator

  December 2016 7404 karma

  @leo.cahoon can you paste the C&F questions of schools to which you're applying? @desire2learn can you paste an example of a contextual bullet in your résumé that might just be clutter?
• 3 Likes

  DumbHollywoodActor Alum Inactive ⭐

  December 2016 7468 karma

  Regarding the broadness of a Diversity statement, would being a working Hollywood actor, a daytime daddy and/or a 40 year old student apply?
• 1 Like

  jhbm_nyc Alum Member

  December 2016 568 karma

  what do you write in petitions for February LSAT score consideration? (this is for some schools that don't normally consider scores from the February 2017 LSAT, but will if candidates petition in writing and receive confirmation of petition approval)
• 1 Like

  apublicdisplay Alum Member

  December 2016 696 karma

  1. Is it wise to submit an application in November with the intention of updating it pending a December LSAT score? Alternatively, is it wise to submit an application without an LSAT score and then update the application with a score once it's received? I know applications will not be reviewed until a score is submitted, but if you submit the application earlier would you be higher up the queue?
  
  2. In terms of waitlist etiquette, is it proper to send an email to the dean of admissions and all the admissions staff? Would calling or sending a letter be more appropriate?
  
  3. If you have work experience since high school working in a law-related position, say with the Office of the Public Defender, can you include it? If you have a lot of work experience, can your resume be more than one page in length?
• 1 Like

  WorkHard Member

  December 2016 13 karma

  I was written up my freshmen year because I was in an apartment that contained alcohol. The write up was though the University and the records are destroyed after six years. I requested the citation over a year ago, but I can't seem to locate the document. This is the sixth year so the record no longer exists. Erring on the side of caution and disclosing the incident is the right thing to do, but any advice is still greatly appreciated. To disclose or not to disclose?
• 1 Like

  claudiamartinez Member

  December 2016 edited December 2016 16 karma

  nevermind!
• 1 Like

  lacerdamarinhob Free Trial Member

  December 2016 2 karma

  As an international student, almost everything about my application or really me is diverse/different. How do I choose something to focus on, for both the personal statement and the diversity statement?! I'm from Latin America and started my DS by writing about how my and my family's past (under a dictatorship) shaped my world view and outlook in life and how that affected me as an international student in PoliSci at an American University. But I believe that just isn't interesting enough. What are some good DS topics for international students?
• 1 Like

  dreamlawschool Alum Member

  December 2016 139 karma

  1. For those schools that ask you to explain why you've taken the LSAT multiple times, what is an appropriate way to respond? Can you be honest and say that you were really underprepared the first (couple) time(s) and felt that you could perform better by practicing and taking it again? Or must you have a more concrete reason (e.g. you were sick during a take, etc.)
  
  2. How specific can I get in my personal statement regarding my prospective field of law? I am a relatively more experienced applicant, having been out of school for a few years, and through my other work/grad school experiences I've been able to narrow down my interest to a specific field of law. The issue is this: while I know it is a good thing in general to show some kind of contextual interest in law and/or vision of what your future professional practice might look like, I worry that from the perspective of admissions professionals---who might often see lots of applicants express their interest in more noble causes like human rights or children's advocacy, only to later on graduate and practice in big, white shoe firms and go on to specialize in more transactional, lucrative areas of the law---this might come off as naive. Is it okay to express strong commitment to one, very specific field of law, or is it better to soften that language in the personal statement?
  
  Thanks for answering questions!
  
• 1 Like

  sadimoradi Member

  December 2016 9 karma

  I currently have a reportable LSAT score from the September LSAT but am planning on retaking in February. I have finished all my applications less the upcoming LSAT score and I realize a lot of the school deadlines come before they receive the Feb LSAT score. I am planning on applying for Fall 2017 admission. I also realize that schools can have your application on file prior to the deadline but won't look at it until those Feb scores come in. My question is do I have to make some sort of specific indication to each school to not review my app until the Feb scores come in or are they able to see that I am registered to take the Feb LSAT and will thus wait on those scores. I've spoken to a few schools and some say to put it in the addenda while others say to email them.
• 1 Like

  LSATaker Free Trial Member

  December 2016 edited December 2016 250 karma

  1. I think I would like to talk about my diversity aspect in my personal statement.
  In that case, what can I write for diversity statement?
  Can there be any overlap or any overlap should be avoided? (such as touching a little in personal statement and talk in detail in diversity statement)
  Would challenge&overcome story work for diversity statement?
  I would like to hear some subjects and themes that I can use to write diversity statement.
  
  2. Would it be helpful to talk to admission people or can it actually hurt?
  I do not want to give negative images and thought if so I would rather not visiting them...
  In which case it can hurt application and in which case it can be helpful?
  What questions would you ask them and what questions would you avoid?
  
  3. Are law school booklets helpful in knowing the schools or they do not have much info? When I checked their websites there are so much info and I kind of got lost...especially where to pay attention to (such as for writing why X school essay)
  
  Thanks!
• 1 Like

  jobake223 Free Trial Member

  December 2016 14 karma

  Hi David, thanks for doing this.
  
  My target schools are NYU and Columbia, and I'm near their medians (170/3.79). I took the December LSAT to improve my chances of admission and maybe get scholarship money. Looking back on the test, I'm not feeling so good--my guess is that I did the same or maybe even worse. So my question is, should I submit my application now (it's ready to go), or should I wait for my December score? I know there's an advantage to applying early, so I'm leaning towards doing that. I doubt I will be rejected before Dec. scores come out, so could I add the new score to my application once it comes in and keep my place in line? What should be my strategy?
  
  Thanks for your time!
• Simbatron Member

  December 2016 175 karma

  SO THANKFUL FOR THIS!!!
  
  1. If the "Why School X" only allows 250 characters....should location (wanting to work in and better the community/location that is home to me) or a specific program I'm interested in that they offer (Institute for Professional Leadership) take precedence?
  
  2. As far as extra curricular activities go, what is considered "significant"? It's under a section labeled "Achievements"
  
  3. Time after college...it says to please describe in detail (in 500 characters or less). How much detail exactly are they looking for? Should I account for the 2-3 months I spent job searching immediately after graduation?
  
  4. Resume...I am in AmeriCorps, and my volunteer experience is easily 4 pages long. Most of the events lasted 2-4 hours, and all of them are community based. Is this a legitimate reason to make my resume longer? Or, do you have a suggestion on how to make 100+ hours of volunteer experience concise? Like, is there a question I can ask myself about each volunteer experience on whether or not to include it?
  
  THANKS!!
• Simbatron Member

  December 2016 175 karma

  Also, do I have to submit my high school transcript for one AP class I took to receive college credit?????
• 1 Like

  june62016goals Member

  December 2016 69 karma

  hey I want to include an addenda about my grades but i'm not sure if I should. Overall I have a 3.1; but its the worst 3.1 imaginable. Freshman year I had a 3.6 but after that I had a bunch of semesters with 2.5s or less, and some semesters with 3.3s. My grades trend downwards as I get older-- nothing consistent but def trending downward with 2.5s in my senior year
  
  In my addendum I wanted to talk about motivation. My freshman year I was motivated to try and become a professor, but even though I got decent grades I didn't find anything interesting so I started goofing off the following years. I discovered law after graduating in May 2014 and working in a law office immediately after. Work life made me motivated to attend law school.
  
  Is something like this worth writing in my application? I feel like I have to acknowledge the downward trend in my grades just because my grades fluctuated so much
• 1 Like

  RunawayJury Alum Member

  December 2016 edited December 2016 143 karma

  Similar to June2016 goals ^
  
  I am unsure of whether to submit an addenda related to my grades. During my first three years I was studying full-time but I split my fourth year into two years because I got a corporate sales position.
  
  Here is a summary of my transcript:
  
  Full-time courseload
  Y1: 3.1 gpa (including a 50 (D) on a full-year course, which I re-took and got a 68)
  Y2: 3.4 gpa
  Y3: 3.65 gpa
  Part-time courseload (working 20-25 hours a week while taking half a courseload and playing varsity soccer)
  Y4: 3.3 gpa
  Y5: 2.9 ( including a 50 (D), a 61 (C), and a 68 (C+) which are bringing down my average significantly.)
  Summer: 4.0 in two courses (88 and 90, respectively.
  
  Overall CGPA : 3.1
  
  I took commerce in university (Ivy League) and didn't do too well in my quantitative courses compared to my research and writing courses.
  
  My lowest marks (50,68,50, 61) are all in economics, finance, advanced accounting, and audit. In contrast, in business law I was able to score a 4.0 (88 final grade.
  
  This is one of the reasons I feel I am more suited to essay-style writing/research courses and it is one of the reasons I am pursuing law. I was also playing varsity sports and working a lot of hours during my last two years ( I got a part-time corporate sales job).
  I have excellent extra-curriculars and good references which is why I think I still have a shot at getting into law school if I score well on the lsat.
  
  Do you think it's useful to write an addenda to attempt to justify my poor performance in my last year/ sub-par performance in the last two years?
  
  Thanks for your time and sorry for the long explanation...Any help would be appreciated!
  
• 1 Like

  JustDoIt Alum Member ⭐

  December 2016 edited December 2016 3112 karma

  Thanks!
• 1 Like

  claudiamartinez Member

  December 2016 16 karma

  @JustDoIt waitlisted at two T6 schools? this sounds pretty good to me - high GPA? I'm pretty anxious about my applications... But sounds hopeful with mid 150's lsat?
• JustDoIt Alum Member ⭐

  December 2016 edited December 2016 3112 karma

  Thanks!
• desire2learn Member

  December 2016 1171 karma

  What is URM?
  
• 1 Like

  twssmith Alum ⭐

  December 2016 5120 karma

  @desire2learn URM= under represented minority group which can span many different areas:)
• 2 Likes

  desire2learn Member

  December 2016 1171 karma

  Thanks @twssmith !
• 1 Like

  Aidoe Free Trial Member

  December 2016 236 karma

  Long shot but worth a try -- was this by any chance recorded?
• Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  December 2016 11542 karma

  @Aidoe I'm sorry I don't believe it was recorded.
• 2 Likes

  David Busis Member Moderator

  December 2016 7404 karma

  Sorry! We don't record admissions webinars—but there will be more.