Hey all, I'm pondering an ED at UChicago. However, my prelaw advisor said not to because she feels I have a good chance at HYS because of my softs (something I hadn't considered) do I?

3.83/171, Double Major: Chinese, Bus Management, Minor= International Relations, White Male, 23

Softs
Founded and managed successful Chinese-manufacturing consulting/ product sourcing firm while an undergrad (5.5 mil in orders).
Founded and ran my school's offical Chinese Club with 140+ members.
Founded a low-income/student tennant community rights group, working as a community organizer successfully petitioned for landlord-reparations due to committed construction-safety illegalities.
Conducted 9 months of research with a Nanjing University professor and a BYU MBA professor into the possible effects of the new ammendment of Chinese patent law on international business.
Authored a 25-page paper in Chinese on the above-mentioned research.
Served as a missionary for two years in Taiwan
Worked as a housing contract ( in Chinese) negotiator for 9 months in Taiwan.
Ran the finances for a 180 member NPO for 9 months
Fluent in Chinese, conversational in Taiwanese
Father and Husband

pfff why do you people even bother posting?

yes you have a chance, yes you should apply, and NO we didn't all start chinese manufacturing companies.. jeez.

Don't bother.

Seriously though...why not apply? And don't ED at Chicago.

GPA and LSATs are in the ballpark, and I'd say your softs make up for any deficiency in those two areas anyway. Apply!

Chicago ED would not be a good move IMO unless you absolutely had to have Chicago and would turn down HYS for it.

Flame?

If the first soft is true, why even bother going to law school? Unless you have some other plans, even if you make HYS, you're going to be starting your first job working for someone else (and for several years after that) way down on the totem pole doing a lot of boring work. You won't be orchestrating big deals or taking a major role on big cases. And if you do have other plans, do you really need the law degree?

After achieving the 5.5 mil, our partner-engineering firm (not mine, different company who worked with us) was offered leadership positions in the private equity firm who was financing our orders' working capital. I then learned before jumping in that this investment company was perpetuating severe ethics violations. I refused to be apart of something so unethical and walked away from the deal and money, retaining my company, but losing 9 months of work.

My Reason for attending law school: I love the Chinese people, and have seen many good people on both the Chinese and US side get burned and destroyed financially and morally by the current messed up Sino-US business situation. I want to gain the legal experience necessary to help those on both sides who are being screwed.

Someone should sticky this thread so all those clowns who post about their "good" softs as a D1 athlete or a prom queen have a point of comparison.

How chivalrous. Wish I had a good a reason as this for attending law school. Apart from the app fee, there is no harm in trying (might as well shoot for yale)

wow you sound like a good guy

your numbers are a bit low (below median LSAT and slightly below median GPA) but your softs make you stand out. if you can come out as thoughtful and mature in your PS and LORs (which I believe you can because these posts already make you seem that way)...you have a real shot. dont ED chicago unless you want to be in that city above all else.

This is not a soft!

Luckily for you, the rest are killer. I feel like a waste of space now. Also, we should sticky this thread because someone's pre-law advisor might have been right about something.

My thoughts exactly.

They should be. Being a competent husband and father are probably the hardest and most meaningful things I've ever done. I think I'm going to put them under work experience.

I'm visiting Chicago this month. My wife really wants me to go there. UChi def. seem unique to me. I get a good feeling about them (can't explain it). I really haven't deeply considered HYS (due to the the 171 LSAT). However I probably should.

Chinese company? Pssh...come back to me when you found your own city

Your wife's happiness should be a huge factor in your decision making; invite her to consider Harvard with you and make sure you both have the same feelings you do for chicago. It's very important to be happy where you go and feel drawn to the institution in some way. Harvard is Harvard; however, chicago is a darn fine institution. You CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT go wrong with UC

...except if you turn down Harvard for it

These comments summarize my stream of conciousness.

Is UChi really that much worse than Harvard? I'm not thinking employment prospects (I'm thinking my background will offer me some employment mobility if I can hit the top-half of my class), but rather quality and depth of the educational experience.

I know Harvard is Harvard, but Chicago has some legal-scholar rock stars on faculty. If you're interested in law and economics or interdisciplinary stuff, you could make some great connections with scholastic heavyweights that could help you a long way down the road.

Agreed. My wife's happiness (and son's living environment) is paramount.

What was that guy/girl's name? I'd forgotten all about it!

...except if you turn down [b]Harvard for it[/b][/quote

Au contraire, that will even make UC a better choice. When a man turns down Harvard for another institution, he walks like he has three balls and an "S" on his chest. He leaves that experience, more man than he was before the rejection. I would want to be in that man's shoes.

haha I don't even remember. the statement outlives the person

OP, please, tell me you're flaming.




yeah, right, because there is no other reason why one would want to go to law school

Mormon?