are people accepted with low LSAT scores mostly URMs?

[amarain]

Jennaye, that is what I'm talking about - I looked up my preferred schools on LSN and that's essentially what I found. Of course it's not representative, and I would be genuinely interested in seeing some statistics that are representative.

Of course different schools have different policies, but that's not much consolation if you want to go to a school whose policy favors people not of your race/background.


Wow, now I have no idea what BigLatino is talking about.

[ilsox7]

I consider it an assault, just like the assault on AA. Ignorance is the root of it. So I will defend, AND by any means necessary. So that means if I top up against you in LS, I would hide law books, steal your notes, or otherwise sabotage your success in any way I can.

Lol.  I've heard of hiding books but stealing someone's notes?  That's a new one!

Edit: I wouldn't have responded but I did so earlier in this thread and am sick of seeing it in my unreads.  I'll say this, everyone is dealt a certain hand, you have no choice but to play with that hand.  Deal with it and let everything else fall into place.

[BigLatinoNYC]

I consider it an assault, just like the assault on AA. Ignorance is the root of it. So I will defend, AND by any means necessary. So that means if I top up against you in LS, I would hide law books, steal your notes, or otherwise sabotage your success in any way I can.

[BigLatinoNYC]

If you don understand it, you need to bone up on  your RC,  hon

[maricutie]

Wow, now I have no idea what BigLatino is talking about.

Yeah, me neither. I thought he was answering back at you, but maybe it was directed to me. Someone hasn't mastered the quote function yet ...

getting back to the original topic -- I still think it depends on the school as to their admissions. Some schools might have the bottom 25% of their class solely reserved for minorities, while other might have the bottom 25% be for "diversity" candidates (minorities, rhodes scholars, LGBT activists, SES-applicants, legacies, etc). My advice would be  to make a ROCKIN personal statement, AWESOME LORs, get some WE under your belt, etc ... anything to distinguish you from the rest of the "right out of undergrad, white person from the 'burbs, 3.5+/165+, standard ECs" crowd.   

[Regal_Muse]

Hey, I just acknowledged that I like being black. Geez....

Honestly, unless we decide to work in admissions, none of us will ever know what goes through the heads of the people making decisions on who to accept and who to reject from law school. Even if we did, each school is different. Every year they are looking for different characteristics to make up the law school’s incoming class. Granted there is a trend of URM getting into law schools with lower stats, we must also take into consideration that there is a lot less of "us" in law school and in the legal field in general.  I believe LSAC reported that minorities make up less than 5% of lawyers. On the same note, I know tons of non-URM at my school alone who have gotten accepted to T-14s with stats below the school’s 25%.

 My advice is to not go off on a tangent about how unfair the system is or make generalizations about an URM applicant. I was waitlisted at U Penn; I don’t understand why, but  frankly I’m over the disappointment. Based on the literature floating around concerning law school, I should have been their ideal application. I have high scores, add “diversity” to the school, and I think I’m a pretty interesting and well rounded individual. But hey, something in my application turned them off. Was I upset? Of course I was, but eventually the shock wore off and I moved on. You’ll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out the inside secrets to admissions in law school because there are none. Then again, do you. If being Mexican or a man from mars might have changed someone’s chances of getting into a particular law school, then so be it.

[ilsox7]

You’ll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out the inside secrets to admissions in law school because there are none.

Here, folks, is the best thing I've heard someone say.  So true.

[vkschicago]

it's unfortunate that place everyone with light colored skin in a monolithic "run-of-the-mill Anglo whitie" group.  your understanding of diversity appears to go no further than skin deep.

EDIT: but again, i'd wish this whole aspect of the thread would just end so i'll stop commenting on these types of posts no matter how much they annoy me (or at least i'll try to stop;)).

I am a white, non-URM.  I do not think, however, that this means I am not diverse.  My grandparent were Jewish Ukrainian immigrants.  I also do not think I have a boring profile.  I lived in an Arabic neighborhood of London for several months last year.  This taught me an enormous amount about culture and diversity.  Does the fact that I am a white women mean that I know nothing about racial hardship and/or culture?

I am also disapointed that this thread has become a diversity thread (although, yes I am contributing to it right now, apologies).  I am low LSAT high GPA  (158, 3.911) and would really like some honest comments about experiences in terms of a standout application.

[amarain]

I'll say this, everyone is dealt a certain hand, you have no choice but to play with that hand.  Deal with it and let everything else fall into place.

This is very true. At a certain point, there's not much more you can do except rely on what you've built up for your application.

I'm actually not all that worried about my own application, since I think I have enough to set me apart - a master's degree, work experience, and by the time I apply, some somewhat unusual volunteer work, plus I don't even know what my LSAT is going to be yet. I was just interested in what others in this situation (non URM or SES) are doing to stand out despite their apparent lack of contribution to 'diversity', particularly those who have done it successfully.

[BigLatinoNYC]

My advice would be  to make a ROCKIN personal statement, AWESOME LORs, get some WE under your belt, etc ... anything to distinguish you from the rest of the "right out of undergrad, white person from the 'burbs, 3.5+/165+, standard ECs" crowd.

There, happy??? stop diverting. Back to the real issues, once more.

You need to accep t the fact that cultural capital will be more heavily invested in blacks/Latinos who offer multiculturalism and bilingualism, actually growing up bilingual, not merely aquisition of a second language (orthird, etc.) it is not the same thing.

Just get over it that  you don't offer as much to the classroom dynamic and someone who TENDS (not automatically, by any means) to offer more in this vein.

NOW, do you understand me??

If not you need to get punched in the face.