URM- Puerto Rican Male-HYS Chances? Forum

[SM1915]

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[bernaldiaz]

Holy shit. Not only do you not have an LSAT, you don't have a fucking GPA either and you haven't started college. What did you want us to judge you on?

[SM1915]

Holy shit. Not only do you not have an LSAT, you don't have a fucking GPA either and you haven't started college. What did you want us to judge you on?

I not only requested judgement, but advice and suggestions. Perhaps some former veterans also made the transition from military to law school, or fellow Ricans that may be able to shed some light on this. As I don't have a reliable authoritative figure in my life that pertains the knowledge necessary to initiate proper judgement, I figured this forum would help greatly.

[bernaldiaz]

Holy shit. Not only do you not have an LSAT, you don't have a fucking GPA either and you haven't started college. What did you want us to judge you on?

I not only requested judgement, but advice and suggestions. Perhaps some former veterans also made the transition from military to law school, or fellow Ricans that may be able to shed some light on this. As I don't have a reliable authoritative figure in my life that pertains the knowledge necessary to initiate proper judgement, I figured this forum would help greatly.

Use the search function and check out lawschoolnumbers.com. There is a wealth of knowledge on this website and the data is there for you to explore on LSN.

Everything else is so speculative it is absurd to entertain at this time.

[Always Credited]

Holy shit. Not only do you not have an LSAT, you don't have a fucking GPA either and you haven't started college. What did you want us to judge you on?

I not only requested judgement, but advice and suggestions. Perhaps some former veterans also made the transition from military to law school, or fellow Ricans that may be able to shed some light on this. As I don't have a reliable authoritative figure in my life that pertains the knowledge necessary to initiate proper judgement, I figured this forum would help greatly.

My best advice is that you reread what you wrote, and then don't do that any more.

[sharktankdean]

i'm happy for you know what you want to do so early but here's what i think

-Chill a little. you are just 17. You still have at least 4 years before law school, take it easy. I am not saying forget your goal but focus on the present which is getting into a good college and graduating. I think you should really focus on planning on college not law school. Start actively planning that your junior year of college.

-To get into HYS, it would help to have a great gpa so while you are college please don't forget to study...sometimes people do forget. I would advice you to also start studying for the lsat your junior year. If you really really really cant stay away from the lsat you might just want to do the games for fun in your freshman/sophomore years...just like how people do crossword puzzles and sudoku.

-extracurriculars: do stuff outside the classroom, join/create organizations that are in alignment with your goals and passions. Also community service is great, i think its great to give back so it may be rewarding to you.



I think thats all you need to know for now...keep your future goals in the back of your mind but focus on the present...you won't get into law school if you don't focus on your current circumstances. GOOD LUCK!!!

[pno12006]

X

[rad lulz]

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[ru1ess]

I admire the courage and forward thinking it takes to not only find this message board, but post and ask advice on goals at 17.
Kudos bro, if you stick with it, and have a work ethic that matches your ambition-- the sky is the limit. As for law school, pick a major that your interested in during undergrad. From what you said, it seems like INTL Affairs would be a great choice. Also, grab a critical language and study abroad as often as you can. I would also suggest taking 2-3 Logic/Philosophy classes to supplement your core requirement, this is good for both language (grammar rules esp in things like Arabic) and the LSAT. Lastly, keep a good circle and enjoy life.. It's good to have professional goals but make sure you're building yourself up personally as well.

Don't give up and goodluck!

[StarLightSpectre]

I admire the courage and forward thinking it takes to not only find this message board, but post and ask advice on goals at 17.
Kudos bro, if you stick with it, and have a work ethic that matches your ambition-- the sky is the limit. As for law school, pick a major that your interested in during undergrad. From what you said, it seems like INTL Affairs would be a great choice. Also, grab a critical language and study abroad as often as you can. I would also suggest taking 2-3 Logic/Philosophy classes to supplement your core requirement, this is good for both language (grammar rules esp in things like Arabic) and the LSAT. Lastly, keep a good circle and enjoy life.. It's good to have professional goals but make sure you're building yourself up personally as well.

Don't give up and goodluck!

This is the advice I wish I would have had when first thinking about applying to law school.

[slackerman]

Go to the easiest undergrad that you enjoy, enroll in the easiest major you enjoy, graduate with a 3.8 + then do a stint w/ Teach4America and study for your LSAT those two years. Then apply to Yale talking about the experience helping disadvantaged minority youth that remind you of yourself.

Your welcome.

[Guchster]

Go to the easiest undergrad that you enjoy, enroll in the easiest major you enjoy, graduate with a 3.8 + then do a stint w/ Teach4America and study for your LSAT those two years. Then apply to Yale talking about the experience helping disadvantaged minority youth that remind you of yourself.

Your welcome.

TTTT

[Guchster]

I am currently a 17 year old male, a junior in high school. As long as I can remember I've always wanted to practice law, I've taken quite an interest in the past 5 years. Although I am a bit young, I feel as if it is never too early to plan for my future. I love my country and I cannot wait to enlist in the Armed Forces so I may serve and finally give back to this country that has granted me such opportunities. I am hopeful I may be able to become a 27D- Paralegal Specialist, while in the force (Army). I am unsure as to whether I should pursue my BA while in the Army, or wait until afterwards. I would like to major in Economics, then go on to law school, my dream school being YLS, but I'm also hopeful for HS or any T14 school. My interest in public service has compelled me to seek the best possible profession that will enable me to give back to my country, I would love to become an elected official after practicing law for a few years. As I have longed for this dream since middle school, I think it's safe to say my heart is set on law.
I would just like some advice from the law school student body on my chances on getting into HYS if I maintain a GPA of 3.5-4.0 while getting my bachelors and score a 170+ on my LSAT? At first I believed attending HYS would be an impossible endeavor, however given my URM status as a Puerto Rican, the tides may turn in my favor. Here are some softs:

• -Volunteer at the local hospital and continue until I enlist (roughly 2 years of volunteer work)
  -Will be a 4 yr. Army veteran when I apply.
  -Come from impoverished background, will be first in my family to graduate with a BA
  -Grew up in a low-income area
  -Worked at a process serving office (2 months)

Any suggestions, criticism, etc. will be happily accepted

EDIT: My long-term goal is to become a Congressman, whether in the HoR or Senate I'm unsure, but I believe my extreme interest in American domestic and foreign policy and my love for public service at this young age speaks for itself. But I'm not sure if I would mention this on an application or if it would even matter? Thanks.

I personally would POTUS or SCROTUS. Not a fan of legislative body.

[slackerman]

Go to the easiest undergrad that you enjoy, enroll in the easiest major you enjoy, graduate with a 3.8 + then do a stint w/ Teach4America and study for your LSAT those two years. Then apply to Yale talking about the experience helping disadvantaged minority youth that remind you of yourself.

Your welcome.

TTTT

RacisTTT

[bernaldiaz]

Go to the easiest undergrad that you enjoy, enroll in the easiest major you enjoy, graduate with a 3.8 + then do a stint w/ Teach4America and study for your LSAT those two years. Then apply to Yale talking about the experience helping disadvantaged minority youth that remind you of yourself.

Your welcome.

TTTT

RacisTTT

Guchster, I'm missing what's wrong with the "LSAT those two years." Am I retarded or is this a diabolical red herring?

[ru1ess]

Go to the easiest undergrad that you enjoy, enroll in the easiest major you enjoy, graduate with a 3.8 + then do a stint w/ Teach4America and study for your LSAT those two years. Then apply to Yale talking about the experience helping disadvantaged minority youth that remind you of yourself.

Your welcome.

Lol, you mad

[slackerman]

Go to the easiest undergrad that you enjoy, enroll in the easiest major you enjoy, graduate with a 3.8 + then do a stint w/ Teach4America and study for your LSAT those two years. Then apply to Yale talking about the experience helping disadvantaged minority youth that remind you of yourself.

Your welcome.

Lol, you mad

Why would I be mad?

[Nova]

Should have stopped reading after,

I am currently a 17 year old male, a junior in high school.

But I kept reading...

OP, as a fellow URM, I would advise you to put any bump you may get in admissions out of your mind entirely. Do not hold yourself to a lower numerical standard.

3.8/HYS median LSAT and you're probably in.

Unless you dont mind s and haters, keep those lofty career aspirations to yourself IRL. No one wants to hear about how you haven't decided between House and Senate. Just like no one wants to hear what I would do as POTUS, or even better, POTW.

[elterrible78]

Holy shit. Not only do you not have an LSAT, you don't have a fucking GPA either and you haven't started college. What did you want us to judge you on?

I not only requested judgement, but advice and suggestions. Perhaps some former veterans also made the transition from military to law school, or fellow Ricans that may be able to shed some light on this. As I don't have a reliable authoritative figure in my life that pertains the knowledge necessary to initiate proper judgement, I figured this forum would help greatly.

My best advice is that you reread what you wrote, and then don't do that any more.

+1

[TheProsecutor]

I started thinking about this when I was 17 as well. I think that it is the perfect time for you to start preparing if you want to break into HYS. I am a URM, went to YLS and had a great time in law school. There was maybe one puerto rican male in my class, so you really have to be among the best in order to get into YLS. I also got into SLS and HLS, so I can provide admissions tips.

First, thank you for your service to the country. Enlisting is a great thing. If you'd like to improve your chances at YLS, I would suggest calling up your congressman and asking him to recommend you to one of the service academies. When you leave school, you'll have to typically spend four years in the service, but you will come in as an officer and you'll lead groups of people. Enlisted men are very brave, but they don't typically get the sort of leadership training necessary to be competitive at YLS. There were quite a few military men in my class at YLS and I think all but one or two were officers.

Second, if you go to a service academy, don't sell yourself short by this 3.5-4.0 stuff. Aim for a 4.0. Work your tail off to get perfect or near perfect grades. Do this from day one. And by the way, this goes for you if you do not go to a military academy. YLS will not accept you with a 3.5. It won't happen. So, you need to get a 3.75+ in order to be competitive. When I was in high school, I was not a very good student. When I graduated from high school I made a goal of getting into Harvard law. One of the ways I accomplished it was by creating a plan to get a 4.0 every semester and following it.

If you don't go to one of the military academies, go to a school where you can get great grades and you do not have to pay a lot of money. It should be better than a community college - and as a rule of thumb it should appear in the PR Guide to the 365 best colleges. But go to the school where you can compete for perfect grades and pay very little. YLS does not give merit money, just grant aid. No matter what, you're going to be taking out loans unless you have wealthy parents. So prepare for that in advance by having the financial security you need to accept an offer from YLS.

Third, do extracurriculars that interest you. For your interests, I think working for a presidential campaign, doing public policy fellowships at some of the nation's best public policy schools, starting and founding a student organization to deal with an important cause (for you it might be an organization that has something to do with veterans) would be great. I would avoid student government. It takes too much time and many student government leaders build enemies with faculty that come back to bite them during recommendation time. You think you're the Student Body Prez and the great nice teacher is going to give you a good rec and it ends up being "John is nice but arrogant. He came to class and did well, but I don't particularly remember his performance." Teachers can deep-six you and just like in real life politics, they won't like you if you're adverse to their interests as a student leader.

Fourth, write and publish. Do it on your own terms about something you're interested in, but show that you can write. All the better if it is published in a scholarly journal. This is a useful strategy for URMs especially because one of the knocks on us is that we cannot write well. Nip that in the bud by publishing.

Fifth, try to win a national scholarship (Truman, Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, Goldwater, Gates). This will signal to schools that you have the intellectual chops and leadership capability to fit in and do well at YLS. You may not win, but even becoming a finalist or regional finalist can add a useful dynamic to your package.

Sixth, start studying for the LSAT as early as you can. My goal was, unsurprisingly, to get a perfect LSAT score. I failed, but I came pretty close. The key is to give yourself the time to get better. I started studying summer after my sophomore year. Took the real thing almost 1 year later. I took testmasters twice and canceled my score once. There's not very much room for error on the exam. YLS will give you some wiggle room on the LSAT (definitely not on GPA though) so as long as you get in the mid-high 160s you have a shot (assuming great GPA). If you're in the 168+ range, then you're solid. But don't apply until you get there. If it takes you a year, ok. If you have to take a year after you graduate to get the score to where it needs to be, then do that.

Seventh, apply early. Have your applications done on the first day. Yale actually has two admissions seasons and if you're late, you'll miss the first one. When I applied to Yale, I was admitted in early december after the dean looked over my application. The dean approved me for admission and then I got a phone call. That was that. About 10-15% of the entire class is admitted this way, but the process, from what I understand is done after that. That means that no matter how strong you are, if you apply after that first wave has been admitted, you have to go through a faculty review process where three faculty members rank you based on their own whims. All 3 have to love you to be admitted...very very difficult.

Eighth, do research and extra stuff for your professors. Yale is intellectually focused and rely heavily on academic letters of recommendation. You want an exceptional letter, so make sure you're helping the professor edit his articles or you serve as a research assistant or you volunteer to teach the class if he's absent. Things like that will help you stand out from other A students and get you that long and personalized letter of recommendation.

Now that ends my advice on how to prepare to get into YLS. I'll say this about your choice to enlist. If you enlist, do not go to school simultaneously. After you serve, the miltary will pay for you to go to college. You also don't want to serve and go to school simultaneously because it will hurt your academic performance. I would choose one or the other. Another option is to go to school and simultaneously do the ROTC program. The service will give you a scholarship for school in return for a service committment after you graduate. As an additional bonus, you will graduate as an officer.

Finally, they (your enemies) will be able to track your messages in the future. Though this board is somewhat anonymous, I would be very careful about detailing your ambition to become a senator or congressman. It just doesn't do you any good to be that young and have that much raw ambition and disclose it. If you do actually make it to be in a position to run, these posts might come back to haunt you.

Obviously, no matter how great you are, if I was reading your application and you detailed how you wanted to become a congressman or a senator, I'd ding you. You don't need to go to law school to become a politician (even though YLS produces its fare share). If you want to go to YLS, talk about becoming a change agent in a less pompous position and one where you can make an impact on discrete and identifiable group of people rather than a general group like the electorate.

Good luck. Let us know in a couple of years how you fared.