HappyFeet2 (2022-2023)

Very good softs: Unique Work Experience, Strong LORs, Compelling Essays (all three were specifically mentioned in several acceptance letters and calls from the T14s)

Now that my cycle is over, I want to offer the following pieces of advice to those applying in the next cycle (all of which I believe really helped give me an edge at most of the Top 14 schools where the outcome could have gone in either direction):

Timing
-Apply as early as possible (preferably before Thanksgiving). You can potentially hear back earlier and have some peace of mind. You will also be submitting your application while there are still many spots left to fill, which will maximize your chances of getting in.

Research
-Carefully research each school you are considering before putting your applications together. Reading interviews from the Deans of Admissions (Top Law Schools and AdmissionsDean) is extremely helpful. Each Dean of Admissions looks for particular traits in law school applicants. Knowing what those traits are can inform you on which of your traits you should be emphasizing in the essays.

Letters of Recommendation
-Work on getting your letters of recommendations to the LSAC by mid-October at the latest. Reach out to your recommenders the summer before, and make sure to appropriately follow up with them. It is also better to have a strong letter from someone who can really comment on your abilities than a weak one from someone with high status. 3-4 letters is the magic number, and having at least two from academic sources is key.

Personal Statement and Other Essays
-Give yourself at least one month to work on your personal statement (and diversity statement, addend, etc. if applicable). It is extremely important to show law schools that you can write well (clear, concise, compelling and organized). Your personal statement topic will ideally be sincere and interesting. This is better achieved by a focused topic that illustrates your motivation and potential for success as a law student. Also have both someone close to you and a complete stranger read your essays- the person close to you should be able to confirm that you have accurately presented the best version of yourself and the stranger should be able to tell you what qualities s/he perceives you to possess after reading the essays.
-If a school has optional essays, you absolutely should write them. Of course, there are plenty of people who get in without writing the optional essays, but there are plenty of people who may have been able to tip the scales in their favor but did not because they failed to write the optional essays. Even if you have fantastic numbers and softs, write the essay to show the school that you are interested (to avoid having the admissions committee assume you would get into better ranked schools and therefore are not interested in them). And when writing the essays, think about they fit with the rest of your application. You will want them to add some new element, but also complement the existing elements. And do not simply write a generic regurgitation of facts from the school's website- explicitly demonstrate how those facts fit in with your motivation to attend law school.

Judgement
- Use proper judgement when putting your application together. Err on the side of caution and explain anything that the admissions committee might have questions on. Some things that require an additional explanation may be a significant increase in LSAT score, any misconduct charges, your interest in that particular school, and your contribution to diversity. Additionally, think through all of the application components and use your judgement to see if everything makes sense, is appropriate to include, and conveys what you want it to.

So while GPA and LSAT are extremely important, it is the other little things above that can make your application look more attractive than someone with similar numbers.

I will be attending Columbia, unless I get off the Harvard waitlist.

LawSchoolPredictor (With Real Outcome)

---ADMIT---
Cornell (>84%)= Admitted
UT Austin (>77%)=Admitted
USC (>86%)= Admitted
Wash U-St.Louis (>83%)= Admitted
GWU (>81%)= Admitted
BU (>95%)= Admitted
Emory (>95%)=Admitted

---STRONG CONSIDER---
Georgetown (>64%)= Admitted
UCLA (>71%)= Admitted
U.Mich (>64%)= Admitted

---CONSIDER---
UC Berkeley (>58%)= Rejected
Duke (>53%)= Admitted
Northwestern (>62%)= Admitted
UVA (>61%)= Admitted
UPenn (>60%)= Admitted
NYU (>44%)= Admitted
U. Chicago (>52%)= Admitted
Columbia (>39%)= Admitted

---DENY---
Harvard (>16%)= Waitlisted, 05/02/2012
(01/13/2012--> Hold Email)