ADVICE to the next cycle of applicants

[Niiice]

Red, what would you label a very low GPA?

[redemption]

Red, what would you label a very low GPA?

There's no hard line, and it varies by school. I'd say that anything more than 0.2 below the 25th percentile for a particular school is very low.

[Lily Jaye]

1. Your LSAT score is by far the most important element of your application. It will define your application cycle.

            - it is very, very learnable: do every single LSAC prep test there is until you own it. It is not
               an IQ test; it is a familiarity test.

            - do not take it too early: you'll have a hard time recovering from a mediocre score, even if you retake

            - anticipate a drop of 3 scaled points from your practice average. If you want a 170, practice at 174.


2. Applying early is the second most important element of success

              - ask for your LORs very early

              - don't underestimate how long it takes to write your statements

              - don't get caught in transcript hell


3. Almost nothing can overcome a very low GPA at the T14 schools. Likely not time, not a PhD, not an
     explanation. If you're a splitter, cast a wide net and count on a roller-coaster of a ride.
 

4. The most important aspect of your Personal and Diversity Statements is tone and clarity. Otherwise, they are not nearly as important as you think, except

                - if you're applying to Yale; or

                - if you're a URM or have severely disadvantaged socioeconomic background

                - if you're applying for a specific Scholarship, such as the Furman at NYU


That's it.

Please, people, do yourselves a favor: practice for the LSAT until you're ready to take it. You'll likely never again have the opportunity for that kind of return on investment.

Cheers

Seconded.

I'd like to add

• When you take practice LSATs, be sure to get in the habit of waking up early in the morning. This is especially true if you're a chronic insomniac and/or not a morning person.
• Get over any guilt you feel for having to screw your coworkers and friends over in order to do well on your LSAT.  (<---- My big mistake)
• If you do have a major transcript issue, learn how to hunt down VPs phone numbers. (<---Thing I'm proud of how I handled.)
• And even if you have radon in your apartment, don't move until after all your apps are out. (<----Semi-big mistake #2.)

Dear God am I happy this cycle's over.

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

Question to all of you pros out there:

Would you suggest using the LSAC application for the schools or each schools' specific e-app?

[Lily Jaye]

Question to all of you pros out there:

Would you suggest using the LSAC application for the schools or each schools' specific e-app?

LSAC.  Talk to Piggylola about that.

[RockyMarciano]

Thanks for the advice people!

I have a question.  Unfortunately, I can't take the June LSAT (decided this month that I would only take 1 year off instead of 2), thus I'm taking the exam on Sept 30th.

I'm taking a PS course that would end in Aug and leave me with Sept to take a fair amount of prep tests.  As long as I start putting my PS (which I've started), DS, and resume together in the summer, I should be okay to apply late Oct right?

Yea, you should be fine to apply in late October. Another piece of advice is to write the optional essays because it shows that you actually want to go to that school and it gives you some more room to write about yourself.

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

Thanks Lily, Rocky, and Dave!

[lovelovelovenyc]

*Optional essays are, in most cases, not optional.  If you are dead set on Penn/Michigan/etc, do the "Why __fill in the school___?" essay.

*Make sure your dean cert's get in  I did not have a prob, but I read numerous MSN profiles that made mention of late complete dates due to screw ups over dean certifications.

*When the time comes for you to decide on a school (if you are deciding between T14 schools), take money out of the equation.  This of course depends on the type of practice you wish to pursue, loan repayment assistance if you are doing PI.  But for the most part go where you will be happy, feel most comfortable, and enjoy your fellow students.  Prime example- the number of ppl turning down Hamiltons for HY.  Law school will be difficult no matter what, you might as well spend three years at a school you enjoy.   As someone else said: money comes, money goes. >shrug<

[Lily Jaye]

*Optional essays are, in most cases, not optional.  If you are dead set on Penn/Michigan/etc, do the "Why __fill in the school___?" essay.

*Make sure your dean cert's get in  I did not have a prob, but I read numerous MSN profiles that made mention of late complete dates due to screw ups over dean certifications.

*When the time comes for you to decide on a school (if you are deciding between T14 schools), take money out of the equation.  This of course depends on the type of practice you wish to pursue, loan repayment assistance if you are doing PI.  But for the most part go where you will be happy, feel most comfortable, and enjoy your fellow students.  Prime example- the number of ppl turning down Hamiltons for HY.  Law school will be difficult no matter what, you might as well spend three years at a school you enjoy.   As someone else said: money comes, money goes. >shrug<

I completely have to disagree with the third one.  If you prefer a group of schools roughly the same, go to the least expensive.  LRAPs aren't necessarily as helpful as they initially appear to be, and the extra 50-100k is would require living like a monk for two to five years while working at a Biglaw firm. 

[jb1246a]

1. even if you submitted yours early, beware of the power of dean's certs to hold up your application. be sure to check up with your prelaw advisors frequently to ensure that they haven't sat on them for over two months like mine did.

2. be sure to include an experimental section in each practice lsat you take, especially leading up to the big day. try all different combos. i remember feeling frazzled when i had LR, LR, RC, LR, G because i usually practiced with four sections only and allowed myself the luxury of taking the games section somewhere in the middle as a mental break.

3. think very, very hard about cancelling. list pros and cons of keeping v. cancelling. i was 95% ready to cancel because i felt like i bombed, but i'm incredibly glad that i kept my score. also, don't expect to hit your practice average. 3-5 point drop is normal, i think.

4.  for night owls, reset your circadian rhythm so that you are accustomed to waking up early for the sept/oct test. or just take it in june.