. Forum

[Sh@keNb@ke]

Be careful with using booby87 as a reference. She's 1/2 AA...I'm pretty sure we get more of a boost than any other URM. Plus, she's also insanely awesome as a person, so no one was surprised when she swept HYS.

But KG, I have a feeling you'll be just fine <3

Agreed. An AA boost is much more predictable. Re-take if you're still averaging around 175+, get fee waivers, apply to the T14 and see what happens. Best of luck to you and also congrats on the LSAT score!

[Knock]

Be careful with using booby87 as a reference. She's 1/2 AA...I'm pretty sure we get more of a boost than any other URM. Plus, she's also insanely awesome as a person, so no one was surprised when she swept HYS.

But KG, I have a feeling you'll be just fine <3

Agreed. An AA boost is much more predictable. Re-take if you're still averaging around 175+, get fee waivers, apply to the T14 and see what happens. Best of luck to you and also congrats on the LSAT score!

Thank you. I haven't touched a PT since the June LSAT, and I'm not planning to for a while, August at the earliest, so i'm not sure what i'll be hitting or averaging. Hopefully a long break will haven't hurt me, and I can pick it back up pretty quick. Anyways, thanks for the post.

[lonerightly]

Is your last name Hispanic sounding? I have a pretty good friend from UG who applied this year, and is also half-mexican but his last name is Scottish (dad is white) and he received little to no boost at all. His numbers were right around yours slightly lower LSAT (169.)

I'd say you have a good chance at most places as is, but an even better chance if they think you are a URM. Although I have my doubts if you don't really have ties to the community and it shows in your DS then you might end up like my friend, unless your last name is Gonzalez or Perez or something like that.

[20121109]

Is your last name Hispanic sounding? I have a pretty good friend from UG who applied this year, and is also half-mexican but his last name is Scottish (dad is white) and he received little to no boost at all. His numbers were right around yours slightly lower LSAT (169.)

I'd say you have a good chance at most places as is, but an even better chance if they think you are a URM. Although I have my doubts if you don't really have ties to the community and it shows in your DS then you might end up like my friend, unless your last name is Gonzalez or Perez or something like that.

Correlation =/= Causation.

I sincerely doubt the name made a difference in your friend's application. I know plenty of AAs with the last name of Smith, Jones etc. didn't write a DS, and the boost was still apparent. The boost is based purely on how you self-identify on your app...a DS is always credited, though. Why not exhaust all the avenues in which to present yourself to the adcomms?

[Knock]

Is your last name Hispanic sounding? I have a pretty good friend from UG who applied this year, and is also half-mexican but his last name is Scottish (dad is white) and he received little to no boost at all. His numbers were right around yours slightly lower LSAT (169.)

I'd say you have a good chance at most places as is, but an even better chance if they think you are a URM. Although I have my doubts if you don't really have ties to the community and it shows in your DS then you might end up like my friend, unless your last name is Gonzalez or Perez or something like that.

No, my Mexican blood is from my mother's side, and my mom took my dad's last name and of course I received that last name as well.

Do you know what boxes he checked and if he wrote a DS?

I didn't say I don't really have ties to the community. I do, but they're not super strong, mainly family ties. I'm not extremely actively involved or anything. I just got an internship this summer though that is with a PI law firm that provides low income, primarily Mexican-American families with legal assistance, and is also staffed mainly by Mexican-Americans. Hopefully this will show some activity in the Mexican-American community, we'll see if it helps.

Anyways, thanks for the input.

[Knock]

Is your last name Hispanic sounding? I have a pretty good friend from UG who applied this year, and is also half-mexican but his last name is Scottish (dad is white) and he received little to no boost at all. His numbers were right around yours slightly lower LSAT (169.)

I'd say you have a good chance at most places as is, but an even better chance if they think you are a URM. Although I have my doubts if you don't really have ties to the community and it shows in your DS then you might end up like my friend, unless your last name is Gonzalez or Perez or something like that.

Correlation =/= Causation.

I sincerely doubt the name made a difference in your friend's application. I know plenty of AAs with the last name of Smith, Jones etc. didn't write a DS, and the boost was still apparent. The boost is based purely on how you self-identify on your app...a DS is always credited, though. Why not exhaust all the avenues in which to present yourself to the adcomms?

I agree. I believe I can show adcomms how my mixed heritage and upbringing will bring diversity to their law school, so i'm planning on writing a DS.

[lonerightly]

Correlation =/= Causation.

I sincerely doubt the name made a difference in your friend's application. I know plenty of AAs with the last name of Smith, Jones etc. didn't write a DS, and the boost was still apparent. The boost is based purely on how you self-identify on your app...a DS is always credited, though. Why not exhaust all the avenues in which to present yourself to the adcomms?

Thanks for that tip on logic. African-Americans in general are not easily identifiable by name alone. So like you said, there are plenty black guys named John Smith, or Carl Jones.

However the same doesn't apply to Mexican-Americans in general. Most Mexican-Americans have Hispanic names. Rarely you will see a Jose Jones, or Juan Smith.

So if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked AA and the persons name is John Smith, it doesn't really matter because most black people don't have African names per se.

But if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked Mexican-American, and a name like John Smith, then they are probably going to be a bit suspicious.

Is your last name Hispanic sounding? I have a pretty good friend from UG who applied this year, and is also half-mexican but his last name is Scottish (dad is white) and he received little to no boost at all. His numbers were right around yours slightly lower LSAT (169.)

I'd say you have a good chance at most places as is, but an even better chance if they think you are a URM. Although I have my doubts if you don't really have ties to the community and it shows in your DS then you might end up like my friend, unless your last name is Gonzalez or Perez or something like that.

No, my Mexican blood is from my mother's side, and my mom took my dad's last name and of course I received that last name as well.

Do you know what boxes he checked and if he wrote a DS?

I didn't say I don't really have ties to the community. I do, but they're not super strong, mainly family ties. I'm not extremely actively involved or anything. I just got an internship this summer though that is with a PI law firm that provides low income, primarily Mexican-American families with legal assistance, and is also staffed mainly by Mexican-Americans. Hopefully this will show some activity in the Mexican-American community, we'll see if it helps.

Anyways, thanks for the input.

Yeah he checked the box, only the Mexican-American box. He wrote a DS but he doesn't really have a cultural connection. Mom immigrated here but went to HS here and everyone speaks English. He doesn't even speak Spanish. So although he wrote a DS I don't know how much it helped if at all considering there really isn't a lot of substance to it. He said himself that he never faced the same discrimination other Mexican-Americans faced, when it came to language, poverty, etc that other first generation kids did.

So it might not be the same for you but, I think if you are honest you should get a boost relatively to how you self-identify.

[Knock]

Correlation =/= Causation.

I sincerely doubt the name made a difference in your friend's application. I know plenty of AAs with the last name of Smith, Jones etc. didn't write a DS, and the boost was still apparent. The boost is based purely on how you self-identify on your app...a DS is always credited, though. Why not exhaust all the avenues in which to present yourself to the adcomms?

Thanks for that tip on logic. African-Americans in general are not easily identifiable by name alone. So like you said, there are plenty black guys named John Smith, or Carl Jones.

However the same doesn't apply to Mexican-Americans in general. Most Mexican-Americans have Hispanic names. Rarely you will see a Jose Jones, or Juan Smith.

So if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked AA and the persons name is John Smith, it doesn't really matter because most black people don't have African names per se.

But if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked Mexican-American, and a name like John Smith, then they are probably going to be a bit suspicious.

Is your last name Hispanic sounding? I have a pretty good friend from UG who applied this year, and is also half-mexican but his last name is Scottish (dad is white) and he received little to no boost at all. His numbers were right around yours slightly lower LSAT (169.)

I'd say you have a good chance at most places as is, but an even better chance if they think you are a URM. Although I have my doubts if you don't really have ties to the community and it shows in your DS then you might end up like my friend, unless your last name is Gonzalez or Perez or something like that.

No, my Mexican blood is from my mother's side, and my mom took my dad's last name and of course I received that last name as well.

Do you know what boxes he checked and if he wrote a DS?

I didn't say I don't really have ties to the community. I do, but they're not super strong, mainly family ties. I'm not extremely actively involved or anything. I just got an internship this summer though that is with a PI law firm that provides low income, primarily Mexican-American families with legal assistance, and is also staffed mainly by Mexican-Americans. Hopefully this will show some activity in the Mexican-American community, we'll see if it helps.

Anyways, thanks for the input.

Yeah he checked the box, only the Mexican-American box. He wrote a DS but he doesn't really have a cultural connection. Mom immigrated here but went to HS here and everyone speaks English. He doesn't even speak Spanish. So although he wrote a DS I don't know how much it helped if at all considering there really isn't a lot of substance to it. He said himself that he never faced the same discrimination other Mexican-Americans faced, when it came to language, poverty, etc that other first generation kids did.

So it might not be the same for you but, I think if you are honest you should get a boost relatively to how you self-identify.

So like a half-boost lol. I'll take it . Even though I don't necessarily agree with it. Many bi-racial and multi-racial people have to deal with the whole "one drop of oil..." mind-set.

And I don't think speaking Spanish is a requirement at all for receiving a URM boost, neither is discrimination, and neither is being first generation. But let's save that for the many other various affirmative action debates in other threads.

I think a big reason why being involved/connected with your ethnic community is so after you get your law degree you can do some good in that community. Not necessarily to offset discrimination or prejudice.

[20121109]

Correlation =/= Causation.

I sincerely doubt the name made a difference in your friend's application. I know plenty of AAs with the last name of Smith, Jones etc. didn't write a DS, and the boost was still apparent. The boost is based purely on how you self-identify on your app...a DS is always credited, though. Why not exhaust all the avenues in which to present yourself to the adcomms?

Thanks for that tip on logic. African-Americans in general are not easily identifiable by name alone. So like you said, there are plenty black guys named John Smith, or Carl Jones.

However the same doesn't apply to Mexican-Americans in general. Most Mexican-Americans have Hispanic names. Rarely you will see a Jose Jones, or Juan Smith.

So if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked AA and the persons name is John Smith, it doesn't really matter because most black people don't have African names per se.

But if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked Mexican-American, and a name like John Smith, then they are probably going to be a bit suspicious.

Who cares if the adcomms would be suspicious (which, there is no evidence that they would be) of a name like John Smith if you are Mexican-American? As long as you actually are the race you claim to be, a "non-ethnic" name is not going to be held against you and the boost will not be withheld.

What exactly are you trying to argue, here? OP, you might not get the boost if you don't have a typical Mexican name? Or maybe, that names play a role in the process at all? Unless you have some something concrete on which you can base your claims, it is mere speculation.

[Knock]

Correlation =/= Causation.

I sincerely doubt the name made a difference in your friend's application. I know plenty of AAs with the last name of Smith, Jones etc. didn't write a DS, and the boost was still apparent. The boost is based purely on how you self-identify on your app...a DS is always credited, though. Why not exhaust all the avenues in which to present yourself to the adcomms?

Thanks for that tip on logic. African-Americans in general are not easily identifiable by name alone. So like you said, there are plenty black guys named John Smith, or Carl Jones.

However the same doesn't apply to Mexican-Americans in general. Most Mexican-Americans have Hispanic names. Rarely you will see a Jose Jones, or Juan Smith.

So if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked AA and the persons name is John Smith, it doesn't really matter because most black people don't have African names per se.

But if an adcomm sees an application with a box checked Mexican-American, and a name like John Smith, then they are probably going to be a bit suspicious.

Who cares if the adcomms would be suspicious (which, there is no evidence that they would be) of a name like John Smith if you are Mexican-American? As long as you actually are the race you claim to be, a "non-ethnic" name is not going to be held against you and the boost will not be withheld.

What exactly are you trying to argue, here? OP, you might not get the boost if you don't have a typical Mexican name? Or maybe, that names play a role in the process at all? Unless you have some something concrete on which you can base your claims, it is mere speculation.

Gaia <33333333

[SuperFreak]

I think the purpose of the boost is to give it to full Mexican Americans born and raised as Mexican American, not some half Mexican who doesn't care at all about anything to do with being Hispanic.

[Knock]

I think the purpose of the boost is to give it to full Mexican Americans born and raised as Mexican American, not some half Mexican who doesn't care at all about anything to do with being Hispanic.

Ehh lol stop trying to incite something. Go away.

And I definitely never said I don't care at all about anything to do with being hispanic....zip it

[bk1]

I think the purpose of the boost is to give it to full Mexican Americans born and raised as Mexican American, not some half Mexican who doesn't care at all about anything to do with being Hispanic.

Now this thread is going places!

As a fellow mixed Hispanic, I'd like to see how your cycle turns out knockglock.

[20121109]

I think the purpose of the boost is to give it to full Mexican Americans born and raised as Mexican American, not some half Mexican who doesn't care at all about anything to do with being Hispanic.

Yeah....no. The purpose of AA is to help ensure the representation of certain races in the legal field relative to their representation in society. You don't have to full-blooded Mexican, African-American, Native-American or Puerto Rican to benefit from the initiative. Also...unless you're NA (there is some ambiguity as to whether a tribal card is needed), any demonstrated cultural affiliation is considered complementary, rather than a prerequisite.

[clintonius]

I've said this somewhere on the forum before, but a friend of mine who is half Mexican got into NYU with a 3.9x and 164. She got her acceptance letter about three weeks after sending in the application. I flatly don't believe that a "half" URM doesn't get the same boost as a "full" URM (and I'm pretty sure the point has already been made in this thread that the percentage of your blood that comes from minority roots isn't the point).

[bk1]

I've said this somewhere on the forum before, but a friend of mine who is half Mexican got into NYU with a 3.9x and 164. She got her acceptance letter about three weeks after sending in the application. I flatly don't believe that a "half" URM doesn't get the same boost as a "full" URM (and I'm pretty sure the point has already been made in this thread that the percentage of your blood that comes from minority roots isn't the point).

Agreed. From what I've read, you either are or you aren't a URM. There is no halfway.

[Knock]

I've said this somewhere on the forum before, but a friend of mine who is half Mexican got into NYU with a 3.9x and 164. She got her acceptance letter about three weeks after sending in the application. I flatly don't believe that a "half" URM doesn't get the same boost as a "full" URM (and I'm pretty sure the point has already been made in this thread that the percentage of your blood that comes from minority roots isn't the point).

Very interesting. Thank you for posting this. Do you know what box(es) she checked? do you know if she wrote a DS?

Thank a lot!

[blink]

Knock, I followed your "on track for June 2010" thread for a long time just trying to get in the mindset of what it will be like for me next year, and I was really surprised when you got your score. I feel like you certainly could (should) have scored a lot higher. I vote retake.

[Knock]

Knock, I followed your "on track for June 2010" thread for a long time just trying to get in the mindset of what it will be like for me next year, and I was really surprised when you got your score. I feel like you certainly could (should) have scored a lot higher. I vote retake.

Yeah.........me too . I just choked, no excuses. I've already signed up for a retake, and while not 100% sure that I am going to retake, i'm definitely leaning that way.

[clintonius]

I've said this somewhere on the forum before, but a friend of mine who is half Mexican got into NYU with a 3.9x and 164. She got her acceptance letter about three weeks after sending in the application. I flatly don't believe that a "half" URM doesn't get the same boost as a "full" URM (and I'm pretty sure the point has already been made in this thread that the percentage of your blood that comes from minority roots isn't the point).

Very interesting. Thank you for posting this. Do you know what box(es) she checked? do you know if she wrote a DS?

Thank a lot!

You're very welcome! I'm afraid I don't know what boxes she checked, though I am reasonably sure she wrote a diversity statement.

I should add that she was a pretty impressive candidate aside from the LSAT that NYU wouldn't ordinarily touch -- she did TFA and her GPA was closer to 4.0 than 3.90. Even so, I think my original point about being URM stands.

[bk1]

Yeah.........me too . I just choked, no excuses. I've already signed up for a retake, and while not 100% sure that I am going to retake, i'm definitely leaning that way.

I've already signed up as well, though I'm leaning the opposite direction due to my circumstances.

Personally I think you leaning towards a retake is probably a good idea for yours. Good luck either way.

[Emma.]

I've said this somewhere on the forum before, but a friend of mine who is half Mexican got into NYU with a 3.9x and 164. She got her acceptance letter about three weeks after sending in the application. I flatly don't believe that a "half" URM doesn't get the same boost as a "full" URM (and I'm pretty sure the point has already been made in this thread that the percentage of your blood that comes from minority roots isn't the point).

Agreed. From what I've read, you either are or you aren't a URM. There is no halfway.

I don't know if this is accurate. I'm multi-racial (checked multiple boxes, submitted DS essays) and probably received some kind of "boost". I'm really happy with my cycle, but I think if my ethnicity was solely my URM side I probably would have done better.

[bk1]

I don't know if this is accurate. I'm multi-racial (checked multiple boxes, submitted DS essays) and probably received some kind of "boost". I'm really happy with my cycle, but I think if my ethnicity was solely my URM side I probably would have done better.

Hmm. I guess Knockglock and I will post our cycles after this and help by providing more anecdotes. It feels like they wouldn't care considering they can still say that x% of their class are y ethnicity whether or not those people are 1/2 or full blooded.

[Knock]

I don't know if this is accurate. I'm multi-racial (checked multiple boxes, submitted DS essays) and probably received some kind of "boost". I'm really happy with my cycle, but I think if my ethnicity was solely my URM side I probably would have done better.

Hmm. I guess Knockglock and I will post our cycles after this and help by providing more anecdotes. It feels like they wouldn't care considering they can still say that x% of their class are y ethnicity whether or not those people are 1/2 or full blooded.

That's kind of what I think as well. I guess we will find out though.

[Knock]

Does anyone know if the California schools give a little bit of preference to in-state applicants?

I'm curious, but I don't want to start a whole new thread.