The Official BLSD "What Are My Chances?/Where Should I Apply?" Thread

[faith2005]

wait alci, does that mean we applied during the most competitive admissions cycle in history? thats shocking. where did you get that impression?  oh and are you in town? make sure you say hey!

[A.]

Hi all!

Black female
Ivy UG
3.35 (3.7 in concentration, writing addendum pre-med start yadda yadda)
159 on sept lsat (sucks, off by 1 question to get a 160)
Strong Recs (I've read 2 of the 3), 2 accademic and 1 work related
Co-founder of student group, played leadership role in other groups on campus
Internships since age 16, currently working at one of the top 10 hospitals in the country
Pretty good PS and diversity statement

Any chance at Penn, UVa, GULC, NU?  I wanna throw in a couple of CCN as high reaches.

I'm thinking you have very slim (very) at all of the schools you mentioned.

I disagree with that.  I think she's right on target.  I think you need to calibrate your assessments down a bit.  She would have had a chance two years ago, during the most competitive admissions season in history.  Now that apps are going down and down, I think her shot is even better.  No guarantees, but I would put money on her getting into one of the schools she mentioned.

Thank you Bivens! I know that I am borderline, but I am trying to formulate an overall package to show who I am and what I can bring.

Do you think I should apply to Penn ED?  It has always been one of my top choices and the ED may help?  Or should I just roll the dice and send out apps (early of course!) to the places I listed (in addition to others like BU, BC, GW?)

I thank you for your help 

If Penn is your absolute first choice, then go ahead and apply ED.  I think it would help.  But also try to get your other apps in early, in case Penn falls through.

[A.]

wait alci, does that mean we applied during the most competitive admissions cycle in history? thats shocking. where did you get that impression? 

In terms of the number of applications submitted, our year was the highest recorded (http://www.lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=/lsac/lsac-volume-summary.asp).  And our year broke the records at most schools for highest LSAT and GPA medians.

oh and are you in town? make sure you say hey!

I'm in DC right now, between interviews (after getting in at midnight last night due to a delayed flight from ATL.  Very tired right now).  I'll be down there on Thursday.  We should get lunch on Friday or something.  I'll e-mail you.

[Tryin2makeit]

thanks.  i initially thought of retaking upon recieving my score.  my practice tests were in the mid 160s however i got rocked by the reading comprehension on this past lsat.  i figured if i retook the lsat i would be applying later in the cycle and if i didn't def recieve   a mid 160 i would have a lesser opportunity at the 7-14 schools.  from what i've heard applying early in the application cycle (for myself by mid nov at latest) can assist chances of admittance. therefore thought i would be better off accepting my score and just just taking my chances with my score.

You weren't lying...that reading comprehension section was no joke. Especially the science passage. 

[Tryin2makeit]

Just out of curiosity, what makes the people that are responding to the numbers people are putting up so knowledgeable about what will get someone in the best schools? I mean, obviously, you are not on the admission team at the law schools. So, what makes you, an applicant just like us, or a law student, so much more knowledgeable? In other words, why should we listen to you?

[Lionking]

Just out of curiosity, what makes the people that are responding to the numbers people are putting up so knowledgeable about what will get someone in the best schools? I mean, obviously, you are not on the admission team at the law schools. So, what makes you, an applicant just like us, or a law student, so much more knowledgeable? In other words, why should we listen to you?

Because it provides a false sense of security, and that makes the application process slightly less nervewrecking for some people. And there are people who have been around long enough to see which kinds of applicants have success at certain schools.

[lioness101]

Hi all!

Black female
Ivy UG
3.35 (3.7 in concentration, writing addendum pre-med start yadda yadda)
159 on sept lsat (sucks, off by 1 question to get a 160)
Strong Recs (I've read 2 of the 3), 2 accademic and 1 work related
Co-founder of student group, played leadership role in other groups on campus
Internships since age 16, currently working at one of the top 10 hospitals in the country
Pretty good PS and diversity statement

Any chance at Penn, UVa, GULC, NU?  I wanna throw in a couple of CCN as high reaches.

I'm thinking you have very slim (very) at all of the schools you mentioned.

I disagree with that.  I think she's right on target.  I think you need to calibrate your assessments down a bit.  She would have had a chance two years ago, during the most competitive admissions season in history.  Now that apps are going down and down, I think her shot is even better.  No guarantees, but I would put money on her getting into one of the schools she mentioned.

Thank you Bivens! I know that I am borderline, but I am trying to formulate an overall package to show who I am and what I can bring.

Do you think I should apply to Penn ED?  It has always been one of my top choices and the ED may help?  Or should I just roll the dice and send out apps (early of course!) to the places I listed (in addition to others like BU, BC, GW?)

I thank you for your help 

If Penn is your absolute first choice, then go ahead and apply ED.  I think it would help.  But also try to get your other apps in early, in case Penn falls through.

thank you

[A.]

Just out of curiosity, what makes the people that are responding to the numbers people are putting up so knowledgeable about what will get someone in the best schools? I mean, obviously, you are not on the admission team at the law schools. So, what makes you, an applicant just like us, or a law student, so much more knowledgeable? In other words, why should we listen to you?

Because it provides a false sense of security, and that makes the application process slightly less nervewrecking for some people. And there are people who have been around long enough to see which kinds of applicants have success at certain schools.

Basically.  I'm a 2L, and I've been following these boards since sophomore year of college.  People post their numbers all the time, and especially with the advent of sites like lawschoolnumbers.com, you can get a sense of what it takes to get into certain schools if you're around long enough.  Is it an exact science?  No.  You can put together a bad application and get rejected at schools that should have been a shoe-in.  Likewise, you can put together a stellar application and get into some major reaches.  All we are saying is that, given your numbers, this is about how well the average applicant has done in the past.

[Tryin2makeit]

Thanks for answering my questions.

[John Galt]

Just out of curiosity, what makes the people that are responding to the numbers people are putting up so knowledgeable about what will get someone in the best schools? I mean, obviously, you are not on the admission team at the law schools. So, what makes you, an applicant just like us, or a law student, so much more knowledgeable? In other words, why should we listen to you?

We're just one resource among many. Why consult someone who has been on the admissions committee at one school, but not at all? Every school does things a bit differently. Patterns begin to develop and there are enough case studies to predict with at least some accuracy.