does "adversity" affect acceptance? Forum

[mmy789]

Hey! I had a LS interview a while back and during the interview I mentioned that I had cancer while in college. The interviewer told me that I needed to put that in my PS as it could greatly affect my chances at being accepted to schools that may not otherwise consider me. Is that true? Does that sort of thing really give applicants a boost? If I apply T10 would there be a few schools that would look my past stats ( 3.93 GPA and 163/167 LSAT) and give me the benefit of the doubt? Am I wasting money by being too optimistic? Does any one have any experience with this sort of situation? ANY thoughts on this are appreciated...

[Shooter]

Applying to law school is all about making yourself sound as disadvantaged and destitute as possible, no matter what your life is like.

You have a terrific story to tell, and it will absolutely give you an advantage when applying to law school. Still - and you don't need me to tell you this - only bring it up if you feel comfortable talking about it.

[mmy789]

lol....thnx for the response! Deff something to keep in mind then....

[Kobe_Teeth]

Also, at the end of the day, all schools are slaves to the USNWR, so don't expect miracles. But definitely with a story like this, applying to your reach schools would be more worth your time than say another person with identical numbers who is 100% healthy....and white.

[omg]

I had cancer in high school/college and brought it up in my PS. I never knew whether it affected my applications but believe that it might have. My advice is not to dwell on it or make it the overarching theme of your PS (especially since it sounds like you are now several years past it), as you don't want to sound overly emotional or fragile. If you can integrate it naturally into a different overall topic, all the better.

[mmy789]

Thanks for the responses!:) I already wrote my PS and slipped the cancer thing among my college experiences that had a positive affect on my life-outlook. ...so im deff glad to hear what you said, OMG. Just want to make sure I am not totally wasting money by applying to reach schools (but then again I didn't want to NOT apply if I had a remote chance!) because I have to admit, I was slightly surprised when I was told that it could make any difference at all.

Now I'm glad I asked and I may take a few extra chances! Thanks again everyone