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[Otunga]

How specific are people being in their Why X essays? I'm mostly just talking about the motivations for my interests and what they are, and how the coursework and clinics at school X can satiate those interests. The thing is, especially I would think with the top schools, if you're not interested in some esoteric legal field that school X so happens to emphasize, then the essay can come off as disingenuous. For example, if you flatter school X by saying their criminal law clinics are awesome, what's that really say? Any good school is gonna have awesome criminal law clinics, which makes it difficult to say why school X is especially compelling for someone interested in that. But neither can you force interests in things that school X does particularly well relative to top schools if you're not interested in them. Even if you don't feel weird about being disingenuous, your interests might just come up in an interview, and you don't want to sound hollow discussing them.

[CookieDough]

I wish more of you guys weren't scared of the lounge. Survivor is getting good and we haven't even had the first challenge yet.

Indeed. So, is anyone PWing in here tonight?

Your PW thirst ITT is insatiable.

In any thread.

If I wasn't so dumb at these things, I'd probably PW later. Alas, I have no clue how to post an image lol

[CookieDough]

How specific are people being in their Why X essays? I'm mostly just talking about the motivations for my interests and what they are, and how the coursework and clinics at school X can satiate those interests. The thing is, especially I would think with the top schools, if you're not interested in some esoteric legal field that school X so happens to emphasize, then the essay can come off as disingenuous. For example, if you flatter school X by saying their criminal law clinics are awesome, what's that really say? Any good school is gonna have awesome criminal law clinics, which makes it difficult to say why school X is especially compelling for someone interested in that. But neither can you force interests in things that school X does particularly well relative to top schools if you're not interested in them. Even if you don't feel weird about being disingenuous, your interests might just come up in an interview, and you don't want to sound hollow discussing them.

I've only written Why X essays for schools that I have a specific reason to attend (like they are in my current area, or where I have family). If you force an interest it will be obvious IMO and will be worse than not writing one at all. It also seems like for the top schools, they know exactly why you want to attend... I'd guess there's no point writing some b.s. about a clinic that would apply to any number of schools.

[Otunga]

How specific are people being in their Why X essays? I'm mostly just talking about the motivations for my interests and what they are, and how the coursework and clinics at school X can satiate those interests. The thing is, especially I would think with the top schools, if you're not interested in some esoteric legal field that school X so happens to emphasize, then the essay can come off as disingenuous. For example, if you flatter school X by saying their criminal law clinics are awesome, what's that really say? Any good school is gonna have awesome criminal law clinics, which makes it difficult to say why school X is especially compelling for someone interested in that. But neither can you force interests in things that school X does particularly well relative to top schools if you're not interested in them. Even if you don't feel weird about being disingenuous, your interests might just come up in an interview, and you don't want to sound hollow discussing them.

I've only written Why X essays for schools that I have a specific reason to attend (like they are in my current area, or where I have family). If you force an interest it will be obvious IMO and will be worse than not writing one at all. It also seems like for the top schools, they know exactly why you want to attend... I'd guess there's no point writing some b.s. about a clinic that would apply to any number of schools.

Yeah, I agree. Though I do have an interest that only some of the top schools recognizably emphasize, but otherwise, no. That's why I've sort of made it like a statement of purpose. It's not disingenuous, but neither does it present an extra-compelling reason for me to attend, well, any school really.

[mellow]

I wish more of you guys weren't scared of the lounge. Survivor is getting good and we haven't even had the first challenge yet.

Keeping out of the lounge until I send in my last app. I have a feeling I'll never get anything done otherwise.

Just don't bring your post-application submissions-waiting-for-responses neuroticism into the lounge. You'll get eaten alive.

Do people actually do this? There's an entire subforum for that and it's obviously not the one called the lounge.

[062914123]

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[dosto]

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[mellow]

How specific are people being in their Why X essays? I'm mostly just talking about the motivations for my interests and what they are, and how the coursework and clinics at school X can satiate those interests. The thing is, especially I would think with the top schools, if you're not interested in some esoteric legal field that school X so happens to emphasize, then the essay can come off as disingenuous. For example, if you flatter school X by saying their criminal law clinics are awesome, what's that really say? Any good school is gonna have awesome criminal law clinics, which makes it difficult to say why school X is especially compelling for someone interested in that. But neither can you force interests in things that school X does particularly well relative to top schools if you're not interested in them. Even if you don't feel weird about being disingenuous, your interests might just come up in an interview, and you don't want to sound hollow discussing them.

This may be bad advice but I try to go beyond education/employment when discussing Why X. For example, x law school has this one alumnus who is a forerunner for an issue I'm proactive about so I talked about how I am inspired by her and want to continue her work. Or y law school is the highest ranked diversity wise, which is important to me for blah reasons.

And if I really can't find anything unique to talk about, I try to find a student there and try to get info from him/her.

[062914123]

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[CookieDough]

And if I really can't find anything unique to talk about, I try to find a student there and try to get info from him/her.

ooh, this is a great idea. do you just reach out to current students from your ug? are you writing a why x along the lines of "a friend of mine, ______, has participated in _______ and tells me _______. i am very interested in _____ blah blah blah"? or are you just using them as a resource for things you might want to research?

Totally forgot about this. I did this for a few schools, and explicitly mentioned them in the statement. Based on what my friend ____ had to say about _____, etc. I also did this after a campus visit where I spoke to a professor in some detail.

[mellow]

And if I really can't find anything unique to talk about, I try to find a student there and try to get info from him/her.

ooh, this is a great idea. do you just reach out to current students from your ug? are you writing a why x along the lines of "a friend of mine, ______, has participated in _______ and tells me _______. i am very interested in _____ blah blah blah"? or are you just using them as a resource for things you might want to research?

I have a few close friends in law school already and for the others I found poking around the "Ask a Law Student" subforum. Most of the students who post there that I PMed are super nice and really, really enthusiastic about their school. It also helps if you have specific questions for them like neighborhood life, favorite professors, opportunities to "branch out" from the main curriculum, etc.

Generally my Why Xs are: Obvious reasons for attending school, more specific/unique reasons for attending school, and A close friend of mine, [name], is currently a student at [law school] and tells me [stuff about school that can't be found just by searching the school's website].

[usernotfound]

How specific are people being in their Why X essays? I'm mostly just talking about the motivations for my interests and what they are, and how the coursework and clinics at school X can satiate those interests. The thing is, especially I would think with the top schools, if you're not interested in some esoteric legal field that school X so happens to emphasize, then the essay can come off as disingenuous. For example, if you flatter school X by saying their criminal law clinics are awesome, what's that really say? Any good school is gonna have awesome criminal law clinics, which makes it difficult to say why school X is especially compelling for someone interested in that. But neither can you force interests in things that school X does particularly well relative to top schools if you're not interested in them. Even if you don't feel weird about being disingenuous, your interests might just come up in an interview, and you don't want to sound hollow discussing them.

I have the same feeling. Look at it from the position of the adcoms. When they recieve hundreds or thousands of these, they're mostly going to be the same unless someone genuinally wrote it for a specific reason. I'm hesitant to write them because in actuality I'm not applying there for said reason.

[alpha kenny body]

If I wasn't so dumb at these things, I'd probably PW later. Alas, I have no clue how to post an image lol

I'll help you do it right now so you can start the trend.

Step 1: Take said picture from your computer or facebook, or photobucket
Step 2: Copy the URL or choose file
Step 3: go to imgur.com
Step 4: choose to upload photo from either computer or website
Step 5: upload said photo and choose 'upload photo' option
Step 6: copy and paste the code that appears on the right that says (message boards or forums)
Step 7: post said code onto your post on TLS and submit
Step 8: profit

[CookieDough]

*poof*

[ftbchamp231]

For the school awards and honors, what awards and honor's are you guys putting in? I'm not sure if this is where I put Dean's list (they see this on the transcript report), sophomore honor's, a small scholarship I won, stuff like that. I doubt they care about those things and if this is where people are saying that are Rhode scholars I'd rather stay out of the ring.

[062914123]

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[snagglepuss]

I really haven't spent much (if any) time thinking about the LSAT, but I'm absolutely stuck in a state of inertia as far as getting myself ready to apply goes. I'm really excelling at drawing out this apply to law school thing as long as possible.

[ftbchamp231]

For the school awards and honors, what awards and honor's are you guys putting in? I'm not sure if this is where I put Dean's list (they see this on the transcript report), sophomore honor's, a small scholarship I won, stuff like that. I doubt they care about those things and if this is where people are saying that are Rhode scholars I'd rather stay out of the ring.

just put whatevers applicable. dont worry about how you stack up, just answer the question.

Thank you, is there any way to save that info so I don't have to resubmit it every time?

Also, under Penn's references section it asks for the names of two of your references with the fields to give their name, address, phone #, and email address. Do they want all this from my recommendation writers? There is a "this section doesn't apply to me" and that is really throwing me off.

[062914123]

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[062914123]

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[dosto]

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[062914123]

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[inyoureyes89]

Are international scores released on the same day?

[muzzy]

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[BLUERUFiO]

After reading all 83 pages of this waiting thread... I've decided to jump in! Hello everyone! I took the December LSAT in Oregon and had a really positive experience. Excited for January to see the score, but, I haven't written my PS yet. Should I be aiming for 2 pages double spaced for my PS?