Interested in attending law school with a focus on Labor Law so I can work with and for unions and be a voice for the underrepresented members during negotiations.
Graduated with a B.S. on August 4th, 2022.
I have extensive firsthand experience of the importance unions have as well as the unchanging power dynamics and lack of progress for the minority membership. I have over 15 years of experience as a stagehand and audio-visual technician working as a volunteer, contractor, union employee, and company employee for theaters, concert venues, hotels, and conventions. I also have extensive experience of discrimination and questionable work environments as well as attempts to block unionization. I feel that my lived experiences and unique position as a member of several under-represented minorities within unions AND the law would be beneficial both within the classroom and in practice.
I could not afford any classes for the LSAT, so all studying was done by myself. The exam was taken in October of 2022 virtually and there were innumerable connection problems and delays that complicated my testing experience. I retook the LSAT in February with minimal technical issues but some ongoing health issues. Results were released on March 1st and both my score and percentile went up.
Chicago-Kent Application Updates: 12/15/22- My application update webpage started glitching around noon and then loaded properly around 1PM. The long, welcoming message at the top of the page was no longer included and the application status date had changed from 11/30/2022 to 12/15/2022 but I could not find any other noticeable changes on the page. Emailed admissions just to notify them of the technical glitch and confirm that I wasn't missing any changes on my end. I was notified that I was not missing anything and that there were no updates to report at this time.
01/05/23- The application update webpage was showing a change in the application status date section from 12/15/2022 to 01/05/2023. I emailed the admissions department just to clarify that this wasn't an issue and I wasn't missing any important notifications or updates. The admissions department emailed back shortly after and informed me that this date change signifies that my application has moved through another step and I should be hearing back about a decision soon, likely by tomorrow evening.
01/06/2023- Received a notice stating that my application had been wait-listed and I had to complete a short survey if I wanted to continue being considered. I filled out the survey and sent it back within a half hour. They suggest sending in another letter of recommendation as well as any updates about achievements or activities that may have occurred since my application was submitted. They also stated that they would accept a letter of continued interest if emailed to their office. They will review the wait-list files periodically but most of that review and reconsideration will not occur until at least April 15th. All wait-listed applicants will be notified of a decision (accepted, denied, or continued wait-list for possible further consideration over the summer) by May 31st. I emailed the admissions office to inquire as to what the chances are of waitlisted applicants receiving financial aid if they are accepted and to clarify that wait-listed applicants will not be eligible for the summer early start program.
01/10/23- Received a response from admissions stating that being waitlisted would NOT affect my eligibility for financial aid or chances of being awarded a financial aid offer if I am accepted. They also clarified that the only factor that would affect eligibility for sure would be a late or missing FAFSA form for the year I'm applying for. They also explained that they will not be able to determine the chances at being able to join the Summer Early Start program, as that will largely be decided by when I am accepted. If I am accepted and make all necessary admission payments before the classes start, it is a possibility. If I am accepted after the classes start, I will be ineligible to participate.
WashU Application Updates: 12/1/2022- I emailed admissions to confirm if the financial aid form mentioned on the LSAC application page was necessary to be considered for scholarships and other aid and, if so, where it could be obtained from as the link included in the application loaded a dead page. Admissions responded very quickly and clarified that they no longer use that form and had not realized that the outdated information had been included in the released application for this year. They thanked me for bringing this to their attention, explained that all they require for financial aid consideration is a completed, current FAFSA, and informed me that they had updated the application format on LSAC to remove any mention of the outdated and unnecessary form.
12/4/22- I received an email confirming that my application was being reviewed by the admissions committee and apologizing in advance because they seem to be falling a bit behind their published 2-3 week turnaround estimate and want to ease any anxiety. They also provided hyperlinks to their Discord channel and to their upcoming virtual events for consideration.
12/15/22- Received an email from the Dean of Admissions late at night informing me that I was eligible to apply for the elite graduate school fellowship program. She included a hyperlink within the body of the email and politely requested that if I am interested in applying for the fellowship, she would like for me to submit the completed fellowship application as soon as possible.
Application for Washington University graduate student fellowship submitted 12/28/22. I emailed the admissions office to notify them that I had in fact applied for the fellowship and received a positive response from a member of admissions as well as a thank you for notifying them and good wishes.
Early February 2023- I received an email informing me that I had NOT been selected for the fellowship. My admission decision is still pending.
University of Denver Sturm School of Law updates: I contacted their Admissions department to get some clarification on their resume requirements. One of their admissions staff members called me back a few hours later and explained that they use the resume component as a timeline of what you have done since graduating high school so they can evaluate if they feel you are a reliable candidate. They said not to worry about the length as long as you feel it accurately explains what you've been doing and does not have any gaps that cannot be explained. They added that any gaps should NOT be explained in the resume but in a separate addendum attached to the application and that if you have attended several schools and some of them were only for a few months without obtaining any credits, you can use your best judgement on whether to include all schools attended so long as all transcripts are received through the CAS report and you are being honest (and if there are any transcript issues, that you explain this as well in the addendum). He did explain that the margin requirements are very important to stick to though and that you should ensure all information in your resume is consistent with any information provided elsewhere. He ended the call by saying he hopes to see my application soon and reminding me when the early application deadline is.
Application was submitted before their deadline for priority consideration for financial aid and admission.
01/06/2023- Application Status page is showing a school number, a balance field with 0.00 listed at the moment, and several specific details pertaining to residency as well as the standard information. Application is still listed as under review. A google search revealed that some (but not all) applicants at this school and a handful of others are seeing these data points as well but no one has been able to discern what they mean as no one reporting this has received a decision yet.
Northeastern updates: 01/01/2023- I received an email informing me that the admissions committee had reviewed my application and seen on my application that I am scheduled to retake the LSAT in February. They have put a hold on my application until the scores from the February LSAT are released. I was given the option to request the hold be removed and my application move forward as is for consideration but have decided to wait since they overturned my initial request in the application not to have it held. This feels like a subtle hint that my application has potential but I will have a better chance at financial aid and acceptance if my LSAT score improves.
02/01/2023- My application status was updated from on hold pending new LSAT scores to complete and sent for admission review. Unsure what caused this but it doesn't seem to have hurt anything.
3/26/2023- A school reference number was added to my application status page. Decision is still pending
Georgetown updates: 12/29/2022- received notice of my application being received and complete. A link to their application status page was included. When I opened this page and logged in, a large notice was included on the bottom of the page. This notice informed all applicants that due to the large number of applications they would not be able to update the application status page for any first-year JD applicants and that any notices of admissions decisions or financial aid would be sent out by mail or email only.
University of Washington updates: 01/15/2023- submitted a complete application for the Gates Public Service Law Scholarship Program as well as a completed JD law school application.
St. Louis University updates: 02/17/2023- My application status changed from under review to Decision Made; Letter to Follow Shortly.
Suffolk University updates: 04/03/2023- A school reference number was added to my application status page.
