URM 2015-2016 Cycle Thread Forum

[BillClinton Jr]

Checking in! & Question!!

URM - Cauc/PR female.. 2.68 GPA from Northwestern & 162 LSAT; worked for a few years/currently at a large law firm

I submitted most of my apps between Dec 1 - 15, 2015... and heard back from all my safety schools with acceptances, but have yet to hear from the couple schools I applied to that are T20. (My top choice is WUSTL, they rejected me from ED and moved me to Regular Decision.) I got a full ride at UIUC and almost full at Pepperdine/still negotiating.

I didn't think to apply to that many T14 schools because I didn't have fee waivers and money was getting tight. I'm thinking of applying to Northwestern, Notre Dame, and maybe Berkely over the weekend after I get paid. All my materials are basically gathered so it's just a matter of submitting.

Do you think it's too late to even bother applying? It's a month from Northwestern's deadline. Part of my concern is scholarship money and if it's already depleted. I don't want to finish LS with a ton of debt.

Based on your numbers you may want to look at Duke too. As far as money, I think most of the T14 still have plenty of money like others are saying. Lots of them haven't even sent out initial scholarship info. Good luck.

Has the game changed that much that Duke would take a look at that low of a GPA? (Not to hate, but I haven't been on this board in a while and have always gotten the impression Northwestern is where its at for sub-3.0 URM candidates). This gives me a lot of hope, as I'd be partaking in the next cycle.

From what I have seen so far this cycle and talking to some current students who understand the goals/objectives of admissions it seems like they are open to considering a range of stats for URMs

[AshburtonGrove]

JS2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By an act from God, I had the day off from work and was with my mom when I got the call

[yaliehopeful]

JS2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By an act from God, I had the day off from work and was with my mom when I got the call

Hahah, congrats bro . I also got my JS2 and although i've long since made a decision as to where i'll be matriculating in the fall, i'm feeling blessed . Good luck to everyone else!

[condensation]

Congrats! Got my JS2 today too. Hope to see some of you at ASW.

[legallybrown312]

Congrats condensation and Ash! Y'all are GOALS.

[GreekOmega12]

JS2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By an act from God, I had the day off from work and was with my mom when I got the call

You're having a great cycle man! Congrats! My goals

[AfrocentricAsian]

JS2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By an act from God, I had the day off from work and was with my mom when I got the call

congrats!

[Oskosh]

I was also the recipient of a JS2 today! Does anybody know when admitted student weekend is? Hahaha

[AshburtonGrove]

I was also the recipient of a JS2 today! Does anybody know when admitted student weekend is? Hahaha

Literally didn't even remember to ask during the call. My guess is that we'll find out in the email we're supposed to receive soon.

[BillClinton Jr]

Congrats to all the JS2 people! You all are amazing. Can we get stats for you all?

[AshburtonGrove]

Congrats to all the JS2 people! You all are amazing. Can we get stats for you all?

Feel free to PM for specifics, but GPA above 25th and LSAT below 25th

[yaliehopeful]

Congrats to all the JS2 people! You all are amazing. Can we get stats for you all?

Thanks a lot dude! If you comb through my post history you can find my stats, but i'll post them here for simplicity.

- URM: Black male.
- GPA: Above the 75th.
- LSAT: Just above the median.
- Master's degree from a prestigious university in the UK.
- Had many EC's during my UG days.
- International work experience/prestigious internships.

[Harvette]

Anyone in at ucla yet? Have they released a date for the diversity week end event?

[Tr3]

Hey y'all, congratulations on your acceptances thus far. I am rooting for you! I've been debating whether or not to post, but as we get closer to choosing a school (well, like 3 months away), I thought I'd still give my two cents. Law school is obviously not a decision to take lightly, but I would say neither is THE law school that you choose to attend. TLS will tell you to go to a school that is somewhat a combination of who gives you the most money mixed with the highest ranked school you get into. I definitely see where that sentiment comes from and agree that it's good advice. That being said, I really want you to consider 1. where/what you want to practice long term and 2. where you'll be happy. I have an incredible honor to be part of a great scholarship program at NYU. I cannot understate how amazing my experience has been. That being said, New York/NYU was not my top choice and I can't help but think I would have overall been happier somewhere else despite my scholarship and program. Second, I do feel geographically confined to the NY market. Sure there are many examples of people making it to other markets from NYU, but many of them were born in those markets or have other significant ties (or just have exceptional grades). For example, I applied to several positions and all NYC market applications gave me at least a preliminary interview, my home market gave me interviews, but my preferred market (which is neither NYC nor my home market) gave me no interviews. I recognize that 2L OCI might offer better chances since 1L positions are so few and far between; but I also want to recognize that NYU thus far has given me about 0% assistance in finding jobs outside of NY.

I don't want to come off as harsh against NYU. The faculty, students, administration, and guest speakers are all AMAZING. NYU is particularly fantastic if you want to work in NYC. But if you're like me, not from the east coast, but also not from the market where you wish to practice, NYU might not be the best long term fit. As mentioned above, I'm only a 1L and I could still potentially get into the market I desire; but from my experience so far talking to 2Ls, 3Ls, and all the academic/career support offices at NYU, it doesn't seem like this is a school that supports westward goals.

Again, just my two cents. If you want to chat further, send me a PM. NYU is a great school. Just be mindful of your post-law school goals and what makes you happy. Law school is fun, exciting, challenging, and stressful. From my point of view, I'd rather be stressed in an environment I like rather than one I dislike. When you visit your schools for admitted students days, be sure to ask straightforward questions about your goals and expectations for a law school and be mindful that at that point they are trying to sell you--so try to read between the lines and figure out if that school is really meant for you. This is something I failed to do and got caught up in the excitement of law school admissions and "best possible outcomes." At the end of the day, I have thus far had a fantastic education and experience at NYU, but am concerned about future opportunities. Just food for thought.

I hope you find this more helpful than just being like a downer. Good luck, y'all!

Edit: Full-tuition to NYU can still be ~$85K debt.

[GreekOmega12]

Thanks for that! I really appreciate it and am sure others do too. In retrospect do you regret your decision or are you content with being relegated to NY now?

[jalahue]

JS2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By an act from God, I had the day off from work and was with my mom when I got the call

Hahah, congrats bro . I also got my JS2 and although i've long since made a decision as to where i'll be matriculating in the fall, i'm feeling blessed . Good luck to everyone else!

My first post ever!

ASW dates are in your official acceptance letter and the admissions packet to follow in the mail. This year's are April 1-2 and April 16-17. See you there!

[AshburtonGrove]

Anyone in at ucla yet? Have they released a date for the diversity week end event?

I haven't heard from them yet for some reason, despite hearing back from several higher ranked schools. Not sure why given that they've definitely accepted people

[GoogleWasMyIdea]

.

[CAJOLER]

Hey y'all, congratulations on your acceptances thus far. I am rooting for you! I've been debating whether or not to post, but as we get closer to choosing a school (well, like 3 months away), I thought I'd still give my two cents. Law school is obviously not a decision to take lightly, but I would say neither is THE law school that you choose to attend. TLS will tell you to go to a school that is somewhat a combination of who gives you the most money mixed with the highest ranked school you get into. I definitely see where that sentiment comes from and agree that it's good advice. That being said, I really want you to consider 1. where/what you want to practice long term and 2. where you'll be happy. I have an incredible honor to be part of a great scholarship program at NYU. I cannot understate how amazing my experience has been. That being said, New York/NYU was not my top choice and I can't help but think I would have overall been happier somewhere else despite my scholarship and program. Second, I do feel geographically confined to the NY market. Sure there are many examples of people making it to other markets from NYU, but many of them were born in those markets or have other significant ties (or just have exceptional grades). For example, I applied to several positions and all NYC market applications gave me at least a preliminary interview, my home market gave me interviews, but my preferred market (which is neither NYC nor my home market) gave me no interviews. I recognize that 2L OCI might offer better chances since 1L positions are so few and far between; but I also want to recognize that NYU thus far has given me about 0% assistance in finding jobs outside of NY.

I don't want to come off as harsh against NYU. The faculty, students, administration, and guest speakers are all AMAZING. NYU is particularly fantastic if you want to work in NYC. But if you're like me, not from the east coast, but also not from the market where you wish to practice, NYU might not be the best long term fit. As mentioned above, I'm only a 1L and I could still potentially get into the market I desire; but from my experience so far talking to 2Ls, 3Ls, and all the academic/career support offices at NYU, it doesn't seem like this is a school that supports westward goals.

Again, just my two cents. If you want to chat further, send me a PM. NYU is a great school. Just be mindful of your post-law school goals and what makes you happy. Law school is fun, exciting, challenging, and stressful. From my point of view, I'd rather be stressed in an environment I like rather than one I dislike. When you visit your schools for admitted students days, be sure to ask straightforward questions about your goals and expectations for a law school and be mindful that at that point they are trying to sell you--so try to read between the lines and figure out if that school is really meant for you. This is something I failed to do and got caught up in the excitement of law school admissions and "best possible outcomes." At the end of the day, I have thus far had a fantastic education and experience at NYU, but am concerned about future opportunities. Just food for thought.

I hope you find this more helpful than just being like a downer. Good luck, y'all!

Edit: Full-tuition to NYU can still be ~$85K debt.

Fantastic post. I remember you from the Results thread of last cycle. And actually, I was just thinking about what you suggest -- 1) where I want to work (California) and 2) where I'll be happy. That sort of disqualifies many schools. In fact, I might take UCLA over Duke, though some people on this site would call me an idiot for doing so. Point is, THANK YOU for reinforcing my viewpoint -- which is very illustrative of the fact that there is much more than $$$ and ranking to consider. I hope your semester is going well!

[Tr3]

Thanks for that! I really appreciate it and am sure others do too. In retrospect do you regret your decision or are you content with being relegated to NY now?

I don't necessarily regret coming to NYU (because it's a fantastic school), but I definitely don't like that it's automatically assumed that I want to work in NYC. I think it would be easier to get into my target market (SF/Bay) had I gone to a school in Nor Cal. Again, it's possible to get there from NYU and I'm sure going to try for 2L; but it seems I've met people (2Ls/3Ls/Alumni) who have struck out in Cali and some people who didn't really have a problem. Either way, the probability of getting to Cali from NYU seems lower than a Cali school to Cali market (obvi... smh).

Fantastic post. I remember you from the Results thread of last cycle. And actually, I was just thinking about what you suggest -- 1) where I want to work (California) and 2) where I'll be happy. That sort of disqualifies many schools. In fact, I might take UCLA over Duke, though some people on this site would call me an idiot for doing so. Point is, THANK YOU for reinforcing my viewpoint -- which is very illustrative of the fact that there is much more than $$$ and ranking to consider. I hope your semester is going well!

Thanks! I mean, it's all a personal choice, right? So I don't mean to say that my experience should guide anyone's decision, I just think there are more factors to consider than merely $$$ and prestige. In the end, it's your life and you need to make a decision that works for you, just try to be mindful of what you'll gain and lose by choosing one school over another. I'm definitely out here in NY hustling, but going to school out here caused stress that I didn't fully foresee when I chose NYU and it seems unnecessary considering I could have just gone to school in my target market. I have a love/hate relationship with my situation (lol) but am still totally grateful for the education/scholarship program. Good luck in choosing a school! =)

[mysojuli]

Hi Guys..

I don't know if I should try to apply to UCBerk I have to pay the app fee so that's whats holding me back.

155
3.8
AA URM average softs.

Pretty sad I applied for USC without noticing their LSAT floor....oops.

[180kickflip]

Hi Guys..

I don't know if I should try to apply to UCBerk I have to pay the app fee so that's whats holding me back.

155
3.8
AA URM average softs.

Pretty sad I applied for USC without noticing their LSAT floor....oops.

Getting berkeley with that LSAT is extremely unlikely, so if losing the app fee for nothing would really hurt, I'd suggest skipping that app.

I'd also just like to say that if you were able to retake and squeeze out a 165 (even if it meant waiting til next year), you'd probably get harvard and a couple t14 full tuition scholarahips to choose from. ImJusaying

[mindatwork]

Anyone in at ucla yet? Have they released a date for the diversity week end event?

I'm in at UCLA & I'm pretty sure the event you're talking about will be help April 1-3rd. They didn't call it a 'diversity' event - instead they said it was a chance to meet 'other under-represented students' admitted to UCLA. Which seems to be essentially the same thing, in this case.

It's an all-expenses paid trip, though!

ETA: Got another email today explicitly calling this event the Diversity Weekend Event. It's still that April 1-3rd slot.

[whitleygilbertwayne]

Hi all,

AA Female splitter and reapplicant from last cycle.

Very very happy to say that I was accepted to my first T-14 (and #1 choice) today, Northwestern!

[BillClinton Jr]

Hi all,

AA Female splitter and reapplicant from last cycle.

Very very happy to say that I was accepted to my first T-14 (and #1 choice) today, Northwestern!

CONGRATS! So are you set on Northwestern?