What is one thing you wish someone would have told you? Forum

[karmakmsa]

I've heard this advice but chose not to take it, and wish I had:

If you have a bad feeling about your performance on the LSAT, don't wait around to find out your score. You're letting your curiosity get the better of you. Jitters are fine, but if you feel like something was seriously off, cancel and re-take. It's better to apply with just a September (or December) LSAT and a cancellation than with a low score and a high score.

Related to this was the earlier advice to take the June LSAT if you possibly can. I wish I had.

I think it's a bit more complicated than giving in to your feelings of doubt. I too felt I bombed my LSAT and made the fatefully decision to not cancel my score after weeks of agonizing. It wasn't that horrible -- 6-8 points below my practice tests averages but 4 points above my first LSAT, and I was grateful for that much. I was sure I had scored lower than my previous score.

So the moral of the story is, you never can tell.

[MURPH]

If you are part hawaiian then you might be URM. Certainly if the Akaka Bill passes this year you will have a tribal status governed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs so you will definately check the box for American Indian/Native American. Anyway, the definition of native american is not set in stone. People who's grandmother was 1/4 Cherokee could count. If Alaskan natives count so should Hawaiians, right? Who knows? Check the box and write a diversity statement. Also, call the Office of Hawaiian affairs. They offer free LSAT prep courses for Hawaiians.

I appreciate this immensely. I did a happy dance right here in my chair (I kid you not!). I think you may have just dramatically lowered my law school tuition. ^_^

Glad to help. OHA is really trying to build an army of Hawaiin lawyers in preparation for the Akaka Bill. I saw a graph of the increase in the number of Hawaiian law students at UH. It was up six fold in about five years. Once that bill passes they are going to sue everyone who ever set foot on Hawaii. Between now and then they are offering prep courses, scholarships and admissions preference.

[OmbreGracieuse]

I think the one thing I learned from my cycle (which is mostly over, though not quite) is that I have no idea what the AdComms at any given school are thinking. I was waitlisted at schools that I felt somewhat safe for, and waitlisted at schools that I numerically had no business even applying to.

So I guess the moral here is to put your best into every aspect of your application, because God only knows what the person reading your file will be looking for that day.

Well thank you. I half suspected something like this was the case, so I am going to take it to heart.

Where did you ultimately decide to go, may I ask?

[OmbreGracieuse]

Glad to help. OHA is really trying to build an army of Hawaiin lawyers in preparation for the Akaka Bill. I saw a graph of the increase in the number of Hawaiian law students at UH. It was up six fold in about five years. Once that bill passes they are going to sue everyone who ever set foot on Hawaii. Between now and then they are offering prep courses, scholarships and admissions preference.

All I envisioned there was an army of zombie-lawyers. There has to be some kind of elemental truth to that.

On a more serious note, I am looking to do more international law (I want to do embassy work), but my thoughts on that are.... they are more than welcome to pay for it.

[calkel]

i wish someone had told me there was no such thing as international law

[karmakmsa]

i wish someone had told me there was no such thing as international law

Why's that calkel?

[Son of Cicero]

1) I wish someone had advised me to go to an HBCU (Historically Black College or University). I would have had a ball at Howard or Morehouse and would have performed even better than i did academically. Plus I would have dated even more really hot black women!

2) I wish someone would have told me that I could take a really easy major, get a 3.9/4.0 and get into any law school I wanted. Despite what adcoms say, they don't give much weight to the rigor of courses you take; they just buy numbers to keep their rankings up and keep the money coming in.

I'd give this the biggest +1 - I had no idea GPA would matter much actually when getting my BA. I thought do well, you're over 3, you'll graduate no problem, make some Dean's lists, etc., it'll be good enough for grad schools, etc. If I'd known that tenths of GPA points would be worth tens of thousands of dollars and completely different ops, could have easily boosted by .3-.5 with very little effort.

That's cool, but tell us more about your enthusiasm for #1.

[OmbreGracieuse]

i wish someone had told me there was no such thing as international law

Why's that calkel?

Agreed. Now I am curious, too.

[mi-chan17]

I think the one thing I learned from my cycle (which is mostly over, though not quite) is that I have no idea what the AdComms at any given school are thinking. I was waitlisted at schools that I felt somewhat safe for, and waitlisted at schools that I numerically had no business even applying to.

So I guess the moral here is to put your best into every aspect of your application, because God only knows what the person reading your file will be looking for that day.

Well thank you. I half suspected something like this was the case, so I am going to take it to heart.

Where did you ultimately decide to go, may I ask?

You may ask! And I wish I had an answer for you, but I'm not quite decided. I'm flying out to visit one more school and am in scholarship negotiations with another. But regardless of where I decide to go, at this point I'm looking at $$$ from the T20-25, and I'm riding several waitlists in the T14 - including one at a school where my numbers were at/below the 25ths. So there was obviously something else someone was looking at in my file one day.

[erniesto]

i wish someone had told me there was no such thing as international law

Why's that calkel?

Agreed. Now I am curious, too.

It's a field that is virtually nonexistent other than in academia?

[Drake014]

Reading a book on how to take law schools exams is a must. Professor's don't care if you know how to take one, they'll get the same number of A, B, and Cs regardless because of the curve.

[neimanmarxist]

I've heard this advice but chose not to take it, and wish I had:

If you have a bad feeling about your performance on the LSAT, don't wait around to find out your score. You're letting your curiosity get the better of you. Jitters are fine, but if you feel like something was seriously off, cancel and re-take. It's better to apply with just a September (or December) LSAT and a cancellation than with a low score and a high score.

Related to this was the earlier advice to take the June LSAT if you possibly can. I wish I had.

I think it's a bit more complicated than giving in to your feelings of doubt. I too felt I bombed my LSAT and made the fatefully decision to not cancel my score after weeks of agonizing. It wasn't that horrible -- 6-8 points below my practice tests averages but 4 points above my first LSAT, and I was grateful for that much. I was sure I had scored lower than my previous score.

So the moral of the story is, you never can tell.

I told this story and the funny thing about your response is that I was 6-8 points off my average too. I wished I'd canceled; you were glad for the higher new score. I guess it also depends on what you're expecting.

[honestabe84]

I've heard this advice but chose not to take it, and wish I had:

If you have a bad feeling about your performance on the LSAT, don't wait around to find out your score. You're letting your curiosity get the better of you. Jitters are fine, but if you feel like something was seriously off, cancel and re-take. It's better to apply with just a September (or December) LSAT and a cancellation than with a low score and a high score.

Related to this was the earlier advice to take the June LSAT if you possibly can. I wish I had.

I think it's a bit more complicated than giving in to your feelings of doubt. I too felt I bombed my LSAT and made the fatefully decision to not cancel my score after weeks of agonizing. It wasn't that horrible -- 6-8 points below my practice tests averages but 4 points above my first LSAT, and I was grateful for that much. I was sure I had scored lower than my previous score.

So the moral of the story is, you never can tell.

I told this story and the funny thing about your response is that I was 6-8 points off my average too. I wished I'd canceled; you were glad for the higher new score. I guess it also depends on what you're expecting.

Exactly. If scoring 6-8 points below you're average will get you into the school you want, then go for it. On the other hand, that's quite a decrease even when you consider the fact that most people drop some points on the real thing.

[snowpeach06]

What I have learned:

- Law school, no matter what they say is really just all about numbers. LSATs more than grades, but, I would have been better off going to my State U and graduating with higher grades, than my not that amazingly ranked, but still difficult as fuck undergrad.
- Use the Bible's to study for the LSAT.
- Don't stress out so much over the PS. You really are just numbers, unless you are a URM, you make some horrible mistake, or you are on a WL.
- LSN is a great predictor. Use it. Don't, however, spend hours looking at it when you could be studying for your LSAT.
- Don't listen to the people who say you are a failure at life if you don't get into HYS. Sure, it's fantastic if you get in. And sure you will have some more opportunities (esp. if you want a big firm or to go into politics) but, there is life beyond big law. Save yourself the stress. Be confident. Be proud of where you go. Hey - apparently 40% of people get in nowhere. So, you are a step ahead of the game. And that is just for potential lawyers. Think about how you are also smarter than a whole smattering of other professions. I say this not to sound just like the cocky HYS people, but to say, you worked hard, you are smart, be proud of yourself no matter what. Law school isn't worth compromising your confidence.
- Do Apps EARLY!!! Otherwise, you will near deposit deadlines with no responses from some schools.
- Negotiate scholarships. I never thought you could, but, you can. And it'll save you a ton of money. You seriously have nothing to lose, except perhaps your pride. But that returns after you find yourself with a bigger scholarship. In fact, the feeling is pretty darn awesome.
- Think before you apply. Think about the area, the price, the job market, the students. For me, I wish I would have considered price more when I applied. I focused solely on location, and now I realized I can't afford any good location. If I had realized just how much money 200k worth of loans is, I think where I would have applied may have changed.
- Along those lines, sometimes your happiness is better than a few rankings. USNWR is not god. That said, it still wouldn't be worth it to go to some online law school.
- Ask for LOR's from old professors in Sept. They will procrastinate as long as they possibly can. Nag them. Don't feel bad about it. They get paid tons of money to teach 2-3 classes a week. They have time to write you a form letter.
- Make friends with other people applying to law school. People applying to other grad programs just don't get it. Law school will take over your life. You'll want to talk about it. Talking about it with people who aren't going through it is useless. The people who are can sometimes give good, or at least informed advice.
- Be nice and make friends on this website. Who knows, they could be your future classmates.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Good luck future law school applicants!

[OmbreGracieuse]

What I have learned:

- Law school, no matter what they say is really just all about numbers. LSATs more than grades, but, I would have been better off going to my State U and graduating with higher grades, than my not that amazingly ranked, but still difficult as fuck undergrad.
- Use the Bible's to study for the LSAT.
- Don't stress out so much over the PS. You really are just numbers, unless you are a URM, you make some horrible mistake, or you are on a WL.
- LSN is a great predictor. Use it. Don't, however, spend hours looking at it when you could be studying for your LSAT.
- Don't listen to the people who say you are a failure at life if you don't get into HYS. Sure, it's fantastic if you get in. And sure you will have some more opportunities (esp. if you want a big firm or to go into politics) but, there is life beyond big law. Save yourself the stress. Be confident. Be proud of where you go. Hey - apparently 40% of people get in nowhere. So, you are a step ahead of the game. And that is just for potential lawyers. Think about how you are also smarter than a whole smattering of other professions. I say this not to sound just like the cocky HYS people, but to say, you worked hard, you are smart, be proud of yourself no matter what. Law school isn't worth compromising your confidence.
- Do Apps EARLY!!! Otherwise, you will near deposit deadlines with no responses from some schools.
- Negotiate scholarships. I never thought you could, but, you can. And it'll save you a ton of money. You seriously have nothing to lose, except perhaps your pride. But that returns after you find yourself with a bigger scholarship. In fact, the feeling is pretty darn awesome.
- Think before you apply. Think about the area, the price, the job market, the students. For me, I wish I would have considered price more when I applied. I focused solely on location, and now I realized I can't afford any good location. If I had realized just how much money 200k worth of loans is, I think where I would have applied may have changed.
- Along those lines, sometimes your happiness is better than a few rankings. USNWR is not god. That said, it still wouldn't be worth it to go to some online law school.
- Ask for LOR's from old professors in Sept. They will procrastinate as long as they possibly can. Nag them. Don't feel bad about it. They get paid tons of money to teach 2-3 classes a week. They have time to write you a form letter.
- Make friends with other people applying to law school. People applying to other grad programs just don't get it. Law school will take over your life. You'll want to talk about it. Talking about it with people who aren't going through it is useless. The people who are can sometimes give good, or at least informed advice.
- Be nice and make friends on this website. Who knows, they could be your future classmates.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Good luck future law school applicants!

I seem to hear most of that as a general concensus. It is nice to see it all in one place. I'd just like to say thank you. I found this post to be exceptionally helpful!

So, where did you end up going to school?

[SueZkay]

I'm going to say I wish I would have gone in as an undeclared major before diving into the 'pre law/political science' major that I started with. I know that law schools don't look for any particular major now. It took me 3 years to realize I was in the wrong major, and my GPA suffered for it... x_X

[amclane]

I would say for me, someone who has middle of the road numbers, I wish someone had told me early on to apply to Part Time to my reach schools. It really can make a difference at some schools!

[OmbreGracieuse]

I would say for me, someone who has middle of the road numbers, I wish someone had told me early on to apply to Part Time to my reach schools. It really can make a difference at some schools!

But... what if you would have gotten in full time? How confident were you before you applied?

[snowpeach06]

What I have learned:

- Law school, no matter what they say is really just all about numbers. LSATs more than grades, but, I would have been better off going to my State U and graduating with higher grades, than my not that amazingly ranked, but still difficult as fuck undergrad.
- Use the Bible's to study for the LSAT.
- Don't stress out so much over the PS. You really are just numbers, unless you are a URM, you make some horrible mistake, or you are on a WL.
- LSN is a great predictor. Use it. Don't, however, spend hours looking at it when you could be studying for your LSAT.
- Don't listen to the people who say you are a failure at life if you don't get into HYS. Sure, it's fantastic if you get in. And sure you will have some more opportunities (esp. if you want a big firm or to go into politics) but, there is life beyond big law. Save yourself the stress. Be confident. Be proud of where you go. Hey - apparently 40% of people get in nowhere. So, you are a step ahead of the game. And that is just for potential lawyers. Think about how you are also smarter than a whole smattering of other professions. I say this not to sound just like the cocky HYS people, but to say, you worked hard, you are smart, be proud of yourself no matter what. Law school isn't worth compromising your confidence.
- Do Apps EARLY!!! Otherwise, you will near deposit deadlines with no responses from some schools.
- Negotiate scholarships. I never thought you could, but, you can. And it'll save you a ton of money. You seriously have nothing to lose, except perhaps your pride. But that returns after you find yourself with a bigger scholarship. In fact, the feeling is pretty darn awesome.
- Think before you apply. Think about the area, the price, the job market, the students. For me, I wish I would have considered price more when I applied. I focused solely on location, and now I realized I can't afford any good location. If I had realized just how much money 200k worth of loans is, I think where I would have applied may have changed.
- Along those lines, sometimes your happiness is better than a few rankings. USNWR is not god. That said, it still wouldn't be worth it to go to some online law school.
- Ask for LOR's from old professors in Sept. They will procrastinate as long as they possibly can. Nag them. Don't feel bad about it. They get paid tons of money to teach 2-3 classes a week. They have time to write you a form letter.
- Make friends with other people applying to law school. People applying to other grad programs just don't get it. Law school will take over your life. You'll want to talk about it. Talking about it with people who aren't going through it is useless. The people who are can sometimes give good, or at least informed advice.
- Be nice and make friends on this website. Who knows, they could be your future classmates.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Good luck future law school applicants!

I seem to hear most of that as a general concensus. It is nice to see it all in one place. I'd just like to say thank you. I found this post to be exceptionally helpful!

So, where did you end up going to school?

Thanks! And I will likely be going to Case Western.

[amclane]

I would say for me, someone who has middle of the road numbers, I wish someone had told me early on to apply to Part Time to my reach schools. It really can make a difference at some schools!

But... what if you would have gotten in full time? How confident were you before you applied?

I would say I was ignorantly confident before I applied. Midway through my cycle I could see things werent going well, so I changed 3 of my apps to part time. I got into one school that was a reach, and waitlisted at the highest ranked school I applied to. It's almost a miracle my success at these two schools compared to others on LSN, and I really can only point to being a part time applicant.

[pearl_earrings]

What I have learned:

- Law school, no matter what they say is really just all about numbers. LSATs more than grades, but, I would have been better off going to my State U and graduating with higher grades, than my not that amazingly ranked, but still difficult as fuck undergrad.
- Use the Bible's to study for the LSAT.
- Don't stress out so much over the PS. You really are just numbers, unless you are a URM, you make some horrible mistake, or you are on a WL.
- LSN is a great predictor. Use it. Don't, however, spend hours looking at it when you could be studying for your LSAT.
- Don't listen to the people who say you are a failure at life if you don't get into HYS. Sure, it's fantastic if you get in. And sure you will have some more opportunities (esp. if you want a big firm or to go into politics) but, there is life beyond big law. Save yourself the stress. Be confident. Be proud of where you go. Hey - apparently 40% of people get in nowhere. So, you are a step ahead of the game. And that is just for potential lawyers. Think about how you are also smarter than a whole smattering of other professions. I say this not to sound just like the cocky HYS people, but to say, you worked hard, you are smart, be proud of yourself no matter what. Law school isn't worth compromising your confidence.
- Do Apps EARLY!!! Otherwise, you will near deposit deadlines with no responses from some schools.
- Negotiate scholarships. I never thought you could, but, you can. And it'll save you a ton of money. You seriously have nothing to lose, except perhaps your pride. But that returns after you find yourself with a bigger scholarship. In fact, the feeling is pretty darn awesome.
- Think before you apply. Think about the area, the price, the job market, the students. For me, I wish I would have considered price more when I applied. I focused solely on location, and now I realized I can't afford any good location. If I had realized just how much money 200k worth of loans is, I think where I would have applied may have changed.
- Along those lines, sometimes your happiness is better than a few rankings. USNWR is not god. That said, it still wouldn't be worth it to go to some online law school.
- Ask for LOR's from old professors in Sept. They will procrastinate as long as they possibly can. Nag them. Don't feel bad about it. They get paid tons of money to teach 2-3 classes a week. They have time to write you a form letter.
- Make friends with other people applying to law school. People applying to other grad programs just don't get it. Law school will take over your life. You'll want to talk about it. Talking about it with people who aren't going through it is useless. The people who are can sometimes give good, or at least informed advice.
- Be nice and make friends on this website. Who knows, they could be your future classmates.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Good luck future law school applicants!

+1
It took me a while to wrap my head around this, but I'm so glad I did. It's incredibly tempting to go to the best school possible - but it may not be the best school for you. TLS can be quite the T-14 / T-10 / HYS or bust echo chamber. Maybe that's the best for you, and maybe it's not. Establish what you're looking for - what matters most to you - and find that in a school.

[OmbreGracieuse]

I would say I was ignorantly confident before I applied. Midway through my cycle I could see things werent going well, so I changed 3 of my apps to part time. I got into one school that was a reach, and waitlisted at the highest ranked school I applied to. It's almost a miracle my success at these two schools compared to others on LSN, and I really can only point to being a part time applicant.

I hear a lot about LSN, and it makes me wonder if it might actually HURT applicants by giving them a sense of "nothing outside your range." It really makes me wonder if it is doing what it is designed to (just be a guide).

[OmbreGracieuse]

+1
It took me a while to wrap my head around this, but I'm so glad I did. It's incredibly tempting to go to the best school possible - but it may not be the best school for you. TLS can be quite the T-14 / T-10 / HYS or bust echo chamber. Maybe that's the best for you, and maybe it's not. Establish what you're looking for - what matters most to you - and find that in a school.

I agree, and that's where I am stuck. I want a top 10 school at a community college feel. LOL-- then again I know I want to do big law work, so many a community college isn't where I belong. I am going to end up being a "splitter" I think, and that is where I am stuck (big school not so much funding, little school decent funding, career goal= big law).

Weird. O_o

[honestabe84]

What I have learned:

- Law school, no matter what they say is really just all about numbers. LSATs more than grades, but, I would have been better off going to my State U and graduating with higher grades, than my not that amazingly ranked, but still difficult as fuck undergrad.
- Use the Bible's to study for the LSAT.
- Don't stress out so much over the PS. You really are just numbers, unless you are a URM, you make some horrible mistake, or you are on a WL.
- LSN is a great predictor. Use it. Don't, however, spend hours looking at it when you could be studying for your LSAT.
- Don't listen to the people who say you are a failure at life if you don't get into HYS. Sure, it's fantastic if you get in. And sure you will have some more opportunities (esp. if you want a big firm or to go into politics) but, there is life beyond big law. Save yourself the stress. Be confident. Be proud of where you go. Hey - apparently 40% of people get in nowhere. So, you are a step ahead of the game. And that is just for potential lawyers. Think about how you are also smarter than a whole smattering of other professions. I say this not to sound just like the cocky HYS people, but to say, you worked hard, you are smart, be proud of yourself no matter what. Law school isn't worth compromising your confidence.
- Do Apps EARLY!!! Otherwise, you will near deposit deadlines with no responses from some schools.
- Negotiate scholarships. I never thought you could, but, you can. And it'll save you a ton of money. You seriously have nothing to lose, except perhaps your pride. But that returns after you find yourself with a bigger scholarship. In fact, the feeling is pretty darn awesome.
- Think before you apply. Think about the area, the price, the job market, the students. For me, I wish I would have considered price more when I applied. I focused solely on location, and now I realized I can't afford any good location. If I had realized just how much money 200k worth of loans is, I think where I would have applied may have changed.
- Along those lines, sometimes your happiness is better than a few rankings. USNWR is not god. That said, it still wouldn't be worth it to go to some online law school.
- Ask for LOR's from old professors in Sept. They will procrastinate as long as they possibly can. Nag them. Don't feel bad about it. They get paid tons of money to teach 2-3 classes a week. They have time to write you a form letter.
- Make friends with other people applying to law school. People applying to other grad programs just don't get it. Law school will take over your life. You'll want to talk about it. Talking about it with people who aren't going through it is useless. The people who are can sometimes give good, or at least informed advice.
- Be nice and make friends on this website. Who knows, they could be your future classmates.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Good luck future law school applicants!

+1
It took me a while to wrap my head around this, but I'm so glad I did. It's incredibly tempting to go to the best school possible - but it may not be the best school for you. TLS can be quite the T-14 / T-10 / HYS or bust echo chamber. Maybe that's the best for you, and maybe it's not. Establish what you're looking for - what matters most to you - and find that in a school.

+2
TLS has made many people look at the admissions process as a self-fulfilling prophecy. As if not getting into HYS makes you inferior to those that did.

[OmbreGracieuse]

+2
TLS has made many people look at the admissions process as a self-fulfilling prophecy. As if not getting into HYS makes you inferior to those that did.

Agreed. I want to do embassy work, so I can't necessarily go to a 100+ ranked school for example, but it would be no GREAT loss if I weren't top 5. I mean, I would love to, but I think finances and happiness are more important.

I think the people at Harvard try to make others feel inferior to themselves.