santaclarahopeful (2022-2023)

nothing much, really. few groups and 2 years WE out of undergrad.

great letters of rec ( I read 2/3 of them and they seemed to be great to me).

really personal personal statement. I honestly think that this is what got me money from many schools that I didn't expect to, and this also got me into schools that I didn't expect to as well.

With my gpa, I had to make sure I had a bunch of safeties. The goal was to be as close to the Bay Area as possible while also getting into the best school I could, since that's where I want to be when I'm done. All dates are approximate. I remember the month and around the week I received each response from, but the exact date is sketchy.

December: GGU gives me full ride while on X-Mas break. This is a worst-case scenario.

January: Whittier, CalWestern, Chapman, and Southwestern get a hold of me. I'm excited about the scholly Chapman and CalWestern have given me, and shocked by the lack of money thrown at me by Whittier and SW. Maybe they knew I only applied as a safety and wanted to gauge my interest? Anyway, Chapman becomes my #1 at this moment, since housing is not a factor (I live in the area with a relative).

February: Rejection time. Rejected by Hastings (I applied LEOP due to personal statement) and Arizona State (no surprise here, those damn fee waivers make it enticing though, even when you have little chance to crack in). Also waitlisted at USF.
Accepted at UoP, with money though. This becomes my first choice, but Chapman still is a compelling situation due to living with relative.

March: Quiet month. Got rejected by Pepperdine and waitlisted at Temple (damn fee waiver!). Withdrew from Temple since I want to stay in Cali anyway.

April: Rejected at Loyola (not even a waitlist???) but in part-time at USD and WL for the day program. Didn't want to do part time with no money, so I let the deposit deadline fly by with no response.

May: Waitlisted at Santa Clara, my top choice. Wanted full time so I stayed on the WL, even though I was told to switch to part-time for a better chance.

June: San Diego sends another letter. I thought it was going to be a "Thanks for not letting us know in writing that you didn't want us", but instead it was an offer for a grant of 60k (1/2 tuition) renewable every year. No GPA requirements at all. Stunned.

July: Switched to part-time at Santa Clara since I pretty much knew it was hopeless to stay on the WL with my GPA for the day program. A day later, I got a *surprise* call from them that I'm in. Immediately withdrew from every other school.

Finally got into the school that I want.

*This is my second cycle. Last year, I applied to 5 of the schools above (all T2) and was rejected by 4, WL at one (UoP). I had a few less points than my current score, and my PS was crap. Took another year off to study for the LSAT and perfect my application. Was practicing in the 165-168 range, got real nervous and choked on first section of actual test. Anyway, to everyone out there who is applying for next cycle, don't give up. Don't settle on a school just because you got in. Aim for a school you want to go, and if you can't hit that lsat be patient. I waited for 2 years, got a job, and enjoyed my life. No rush to get into law school, especially if its to be at one where the situation is not beneficial (a T3 or T4 that will make you pay full tuition). Good luck everyone!