Top Law Schools

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Woohoo! NYU c/o 2020 here.

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Checking in! I also applied late, so am waiting to hear back from most places. I am curious, though, if folks know if there is any sort of bump for being queer? Every application I completed had a place to indicate if you are queer or trans, which I assume means they're interested in the information...but do people outperform their numbers, or is it just sort of incidental? For what it's worth, I am white, "gender nonconforming" (aka a huge dyke), and a cis woman.

minkbrigade wrote: do people outperform their numbers, or is it just sort of incidental?

Checking in also! From what I understand, we don't get a "bump" for being LGBT in the same way that there's a URM bump, but it definitely contributes to diversity! And depending on your life experiences, your identity can contribute to a solid PS/DS. Personally, I haven't outperformed my numbers as far as acceptances/waitlists, but I have outperformed for scholarship offers (it could be for other things though, idk).

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Monday wrote:

floatie wrote:

minkbrigade wrote: do people outperform their numbers, or is it just sort of incidental?

Checking in also! From what I understand, we don't get a "bump" for being LGBT in the same way that there's a URM bump, but it definitely contributes to diversity! And depending on your life experiences, your identity can contribute to a solid PS/DS. Personally, I haven't outperformed my numbers as far as acceptances/waitlists, but I have outperformed for scholarship offers (it could be for other things though, idk).

Yep, based on my lurking on TLS for the past 5 years, no one (LGBT) seems to outperform their numbers. But more importantly, law firms consider us for 1L diversity summer associate positions! More needs to be done beyond just hiring but that's a discussion for some other time...

Hm, okay. I've only just started getting decisions from schools, so haven't seen any scholarship money yet...will cross my fingers that I have the same experience as you, floatie!

I'm a PI person, so it is unlikely that being eligible for a 1L SA will make much of a difference to me.

Checking in. The B in LGBT is for badass! Also, bisexual... Whaddup.

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Monday wrote:Welcome! Join us in our search for Easy D.

[+] Spoiler

ETA: Never Forget Bowling Green.

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minkbrigade wrote:(aka a huge dyke)

I hope to god you used that phrase in your DS.

minkbrigade wrote:I am curious, though, if folks know if there is any sort of bump for being queer?

My girlfriend, a 1L at HLS, claims that they do see gayness as a facet of your diversity. Not to the degree of being an URM, of course, but as in "Oh, a poor lesbian from the South, we could use one of those."

Monday wrote:

minkbrigade wrote:I'm a PI person, so it is unlikely that being eligible for a 1L SA will make much of a difference to me.

What type of PI? I'm torn about PI but I think my career path will largely depend on this cycle's results because I don't have the numbers for the substantial scholarships so I'd need to depend on loan forgiveness programs if I were to pursue this.

I think I'm most interested in legal aid / community lawyering work. I definitely want to work with low-income communities (which I've been doing in various capacities for the past few years), but could also see myself doing some sort of holistic criminal defense work along the lines of the Bronx Defenders. Cost is absolutely a huge concern for me, and I've spent a lot of time parsing through and stressing about different LRAP programs. Given the current administration, I will only be attending this year if I can get into a school with an independent LRAP program / a school that would reinstate their pre-PSLF LRAP program if PSLF is killed OR a school that gives me a massive scholarship. Otherwise it's back to the LSAT grind for a retake. Would you do the typical BigLaw route if you don't do PI?

KateMcKitten wrote:

minkbrigade wrote:(aka a huge dyke)

I hope to god you used that phrase in your DS.

minkbrigade wrote:I am curious, though, if folks know if there is any sort of bump for being queer?

My girlfriend, a 1L at HLS, claims that they do see gayness as a facet of your diversity. Not to the degree of being an URM, of course, but as in "Oh, a poor lesbian from the South, we could use one of those."

1. Cracking up over your username

2. I'm not going to lie, I had a pretty hard time figuring out a polite and legible way to talk about it! It felt important to make clear that I am not trans or genderqueer/whatever the kids are saying these days, but that being visibly gender nonconforming has been central to my experience of queerness. It's largely an irrelevant thing to bring up IRL, so I don't really talk about it outside of queer communities/situations where I can just go around calling myself a homo or dyke or whatever haha.

3. Good to know! I was hoping that was a possibility. Also, gf at HLS?! What a future power couple.

minkbrigade wrote:

KateMcKitten wrote:

minkbrigade wrote:(aka a huge dyke)

I hope to god you used that phrase in your DS.

minkbrigade wrote:I am curious, though, if folks know if there is any sort of bump for being queer?

My girlfriend, a 1L at HLS, claims that they do see gayness as a facet of your diversity. Not to the degree of being an URM, of course, but as in "Oh, a poor lesbian from the South, we could use one of those."

1. Cracking up over your username

2. I'm not going to lie, I had a pretty hard time figuring out a polite and legible way to talk about it! It felt important to make clear that I am not trans or genderqueer/whatever the kids are saying these days, but that being visibly gender nonconforming has been central to my experience of queerness. It's largely an irrelevant thing to bring up IRL, so I don't really talk about it outside of queer communities/situations where I can just go around calling myself a homo or dyke or whatever haha.

3. Good to know! I was hoping that was a possibility. Also, gf at HLS?! What a future power couple.

1. Thanks It's actually one of my cat's names. The others are Rachel Meow-dow and Eleanor Roosevelt. We punintentionally name our cats after famous lesbians (Ellie was hard...so she got a srs name).

2. I'm a big fan of balls-to-the-walls and just being super frank, but I dunno how you'd talk about that to the (likely) straight adcom. Maybe the implication of "dyke" would be lost. I imagine that's not easy and it's a good thing to emphasize for a DS. I get to "blend in" with my femmeness (trading gay slurs for catcalls?) so I had a different angle.

3. I think they'll be taking it into consideration, especially if you emphasized how you outwardly "look queer." Awwuh thanks We will be...if I can get into a comparable school since she set the bar so damn high. No sweat, right?

checking in, gay lady, still waiting on everything but my safeties

Checking in! Love this thread finally exists

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"A garbage dumpster in a dark alley" oh yikes guys *nervous laughter*

KateMcKitten wrote: 1. Thanks It's actually one of my cat's names. The others are Rachel Meow-dow and Eleanor Roosevelt. We punintentionally name our cats after famous lesbians (Ellie was hard...so she got a srs name).

2. I'm a big fan of balls-to-the-walls and just being super frank, but I dunno how you'd talk about that to the (likely) straight adcom. Maybe the implication of "dyke" would be lost. I imagine that's not easy and it's a good thing to emphasize for a DS. I get to "blend in" with my femmeness (trading gay slurs for catcalls?) so I had a different angle.

3. I think they'll be taking it into consideration, especially if you emphasized how you outwardly "look queer." Awwuh thanks We will be...if I can get into a comparable school since she set the bar so damn high. No sweat, right?

1. Oh god, that is so gay and perfect!

2. Yeah, I'm normally pretty frank as well, but the combination of not knowing my audience and trying to write something that walks the line between personal and professional threw me off. The whole application process felt so strange to me, and ran counter to all of my assumptions/feelings about what sort of information I'd share in a professional or vocational context. I understand why schools are looking for diversity (and totally support it!), but would much rather have just checked off the box on the application and written a professional statement of purpose instead of trying to do undergraduate college admissions essay pt. 2. How do you possibly convey the nuances of gender and sexuality in a DS?! At least I can rely on people's stereotypes of lesbians--I can't even imagine trying to talk about the complexity of being femme-presenting...

3. Crossing my fingers for you! How has your cycle gone so far?

Also, welcome to everyone else! So glad this thread has a bit of life--one of my big concerns re: law school is leaving my beautiful queer bubble to go to a school full of straight white dudes, so it's nice to see some other queers around!

Monday wrote:I made a poll because all the kewl kids were doing it.

Yay polls! Sad to see no love for the Midwest though it's not as backwards as you think!

minkbrigade wrote:2. Yeah, I'm normally pretty frank as well, but the combination of not knowing my audience and trying to write something that walks the line between personal and professional threw me off. The whole application process felt so strange to me, and ran counter to all of my assumptions/feelings about what sort of information I'd share in a professional or vocational context. I understand why schools are looking for diversity (and totally support it!), but would much rather have just checked off the box on the application and written a professional statement of purpose instead of trying to do undergraduate college admissions essay pt. 2. How do you possibly convey the nuances of gender and sexuality in a DS?! At least I can rely on people's stereotypes of lesbians--I can't even imagine trying to talk about the complexity of being femme-presenting...

3. Crossing my fingers for you! How has your cycle gone so far?

2. I totally understand that struggle. It's such a difficult topic to fully explore period, let alone in a 1 page statement. I suppose we could've just submitted a list of helpful books about queer theory for them to check out... Nah, I just avoided looks altogether in mine--way too in the weeds of queer experience for me to accurately explain it to the likely straight person reading it. Just went straight for the how-my-church-reacted angle.

3. D'awwuh thanks! Same to you. I submitted everything in January and it's been silent since then--no news is good news I tell myself. You?

KateMcKitten wrote: I suppose we could've just submitted a list of helpful books about queer theory for them to check out... Nah, I just avoided looks altogether in mine--way too in the weeds of queer experience for me to accurately explain it to the likely straight person reading it. Just went straight for the how-my-church-reacted angle.

3. D'awwuh thanks! Same to you. I submitted everything in January and it's been silent since then--no news is good news I tell myself. You?

Hah, yes! I definitely would have preferred to submit an annotated bibliography. Although I imagine you had a lot to write about with the church angle?!

I've heard from NYU and Columbia but am still waiting on the rest. And I haven't heard about $$$ at all, which will be the deciding factor about whether I attend this year or hold off and retake. The uncertainty is super stressful!

Anyone here going to Penn's admitted students weekend? Thinking about RSVP-ing for the Lamda Law social on Friday.

I just have to say KateMcKitten is the best screen name I've seen in a long time. If I were a cat person, I'd steal that name in a second haha.

Laughing at the idea that Ann Arbor is a dumpster. Like nah, NYC is a dumpster that will smell like a toilet once all this snow thaws.