Mexican American URM Forum

[Dreambig15]

I've seen many URM's, predominately AA's, discuss their experiences regarding their URM boosts and softs etc. but i haven't seen very many if any MA Mexican American or other Hispanics/Latinos present their numbers, and sucesss with schools, particularly the T14. I'm freaking out as I take the LSAT next month and I'm more so desperately reaching out to see if there is any Raza out there in the same boat as me! or if there are any current Hispanics/Latinos that are currently law students who could spills us those numbers to either inspire us or finish destroying our hearts.

[Necho2]

You're good dude. Go kill the LSAT and you'll have a fantastic cycle. I definitely saw a boost, and wound up in a situation that was better than I had previously imagined.

[ljalba]

There are not a lot of active MAs on TLS and the few past experiences on here get lost because there are few of us if you don't know where to look. Here is a good start to look at some MAs from last year's cycle, http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=275052, where there's also some PR stats (and maybe general Latinxs). Moreover, some of the lack of MA experiences are perhaps self-selective. Some people may not want to post in a TLS thread where the majority of posters aren't MA and hence the cycle continues of a lack of MA representation. Now, the reason we don't see as many MAs isn't necessarily because there are less of us in the applicant pool. I'm not sure why they aren't as aware or encouraged to post (any MA reading this, make a profile, join us) but hopefully, this changes over time. With that being said, schools don't do the best job of tracking/reporting the varying kinds of Hispanic/Latinx ethnicities of applicants so data isn't as clear on what our "boost" is or how many MAs are really out there applying or in law school.

For now, focus on studying, and know that you're not alone.

Edit: the link got cut off, http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=275052

[Dreambig15]

You're good dude. Go kill the LSAT and you'll have a fantastic cycle. I definitely saw a boost, and wound up in a situation that was better than I had previously imagined.

Thanks Homie! If you don't mind, could you share where you are currently attending (I assume you are student) and perhaps a gist of the Hard factors on your apps?

[Dreambig15]

There are not a lot of active MAs on TLS and the few past experiences on here get lost because there are few of us if you don't know where to look. Here is a good start to look at some MAs from last year's cycle, http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=275052, where there's also some PR stats (and maybe general Latinxs). Moreover, some of the lack of MA experiences are perhaps self-selective. Some people may not want to post in a TLS thread where the majority of posters aren't MA and hence the cycle continues of a lack of MA representation. Now, the reason we don't see as many MAs isn't necessarily because there are less of us in the applicant pool. I'm not sure why they aren't as aware or encouraged to post (any MA reading this, make a profile, join us) but hopefully, this changes over time. With that being said, schools don't do the best job of tracking/reporting the varying kinds of Hispanic/Latinx ethnicities of applicants so data isn't as clear on what our "boost" is or how many MAs are really out there applying or in law school.

For now, focus on studying, and know that you're not alone.

Edit: the link got cut off, http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=275052

Thank you so much! It's nice to know I'm not alone. Thanks for the encouragement

[lgsb2014]

Hello!
Fellow MA URM female. I totally am with you on the lack of MA presence on these boards. The application process has been incredibly difficult for me. I am now barely applying to law schools even though I graduated nearly 4 years ago. I particularly struggled with the LSAT but it is what it is. I am hoping for the best and remaining optimistic.

[ljalba]

Don't feel like you needed to go to law school right after undergrad—you haven't missed out on anything. Work experience is always super helpful and law school isn't going anywhere so don't feel rushed! The LSAT is hard but don't let it keep you down and don't settle for a school if you're not happy with it!

[fastfretxfingers]

I've seen many URM's, predominately AA's, discuss their experiences regarding their URM boosts and softs etc. but i haven't seen very many if any MA Mexican American or other Hispanics/Latinos present their numbers, and sucesss with schools, particularly the T14. I'm freaking out as I take the LSAT next month and I'm more so desperately reaching out to see if there is any Raza out there in the same boat as me! or if there are any current Hispanics/Latinos that are currently law students who could spills us those numbers to either inspire us or finish destroying our hearts.

I am a MA urm. 164 lsat 3.3 gpa 1st generation former military and great work experience (investment banking). I would caution against reading too much into urm boosts. I’m in the middle of my cycle and am seeing very, very little boost, if any for MAs. The URM boost is very strong for AAs. If you’re full MA, I would go into your lsat prep hoping for a score above your preferred school’s median. I think there’s a few other MAs that have noticed a progressively weaker MA boost over the years. If you look at the statistics for LSAT takers over the years, MAs are progressively scoring better while other races are somewhat stagnant.

TL;DR hit a home run on the lsat! Good luck!!

[Tr3]

3L MA here. Good luck! My stats are a few cycles old at this point, but feel free to PM with any questions. As other posters have said, focusing on LSAT is most important right now. I definitely out performed my numbers. IDK if it's because I'm MA or because I had other things in my app, but I would say MAs are very under represented in law school and the legal profession, so I wouldn't be surprised if there is a pretty good boost.

If you're aiming for T14, also apply to SEO!

You can see my LSN here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/tr3

Kill the LSAT!

[AlPastor]

MA here as well, +1 to everything that has been said so far.

Based on what I've seen, I feel like some MAs really outperform their numbers, while others don't seem to get an appreciable boost vis-a-vis other URMs. I don't know why that is, but the one thing any MA can do to improve their odds is obviously to kill the LSAT and have a great GPA.

I'm currently going through the process, but so far I've been happy with the results! LSN http://lawschoolnumbers.com/AlPastor

Feel free to PM me, good luck with the LSAT!

[DorkothyParker]

MA female here.
163 LSAT, 2.9 UGGPA, 3.87 grad school GPA. I'm non-trad (34 y/o) so I think that puts me in an unusual place as well.
Also, I am looking regionally, not T-14. Hey, though!

[Dreambig15]

MA female here.
163 LSAT, 2.9 UGGPA, 3.87 grad school GPA. I'm non-trad (34 y/o) so I think that puts me in an unusual place as well.
Also, I am looking regionally, not T-14. Hey, though!

Good luck! You got this !

[Dreambig15]

I've seen many URM's, predominately AA's, discuss their experiences regarding their URM boosts and softs etc. but i haven't seen very many if any MA Mexican American or other Hispanics/Latinos present their numbers, and sucesss with schools, particularly the T14. I'm freaking out as I take the LSAT next month and I'm more so desperately reaching out to see if there is any Raza out there in the same boat as me! or if there are any current Hispanics/Latinos that are currently law students who could spills us those numbers to either inspire us or finish destroying our hearts.

I am a MA urm. 164 lsat 3.3 gpa 1st generation former military and great work experience (investment banking). I would caution against reading too much into urm boosts. I’m in the middle of my cycle and am seeing very, very little boost, if any for MAs. The URM boost is very strong for AAs. If you’re full MA, I would go into your lsat prep hoping for a score above your preferred school’s median. I think there’s a few other MAs that have noticed a progressively weaker MA boost over the years. If you look at the statistics for LSAT takers over the years, MAs are progressively scoring better while other races are somewhat stagnant.

TL;DR hit a home run on the lsat! Good luck!!

Thanks! I'm taking it in February so I'm hoping for the best!

[dietcoke1]

1L MA at Berkely. I think I remember reading/hearing somewhere that schools located in a region where more MAs are located tend to give a bigger boost than the schools where there are not. i.e. CA schools may make it more of a priority to attract MAs than say for example northeast schools.

Either way, take the advice of others on this thread and get the best stats possible and apply broadly.

[jimmyplayer601]

I’m MA, 167/3.84 if you wanna keep up with my cycle my lawschoolnumbers username is the same as this one

[AlPastor]

I’m MA, 167/3.84 if you wanna keep up with my cycle my lawschoolnumbers username is the same as this one

I feel like I've posted this before but we have almost identical stats and a pretty similar profile (your numbers are higher). Really curious to see how your cycle goes. Best of luck!

[crookedsmile]

1L MA at Harvard. Don't be discouraged by the lack of representation on the forums, I think its more a sign of people falling off of TLS over the years! Like dietcoke said a few posts above, the trend does seem to be that schools where MAs are a prevalent population make it more of a priority to recruit them. Feel free to PM or post if you have questions.

My stats are here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7#p9927297

[goingnutslawschool]

It seems logical that at law schools where the region has more of a presence of MA potential applicants it would increase the interest to recruit them but does this equate to a boost in your chances for the school? I know that for the undergrad college acceptance rate the chance of MA Minority status actually helping you was better in schools with a lower percentage of MA students. Those schools appeared to want MA students because they added some different and worthwhile value to the classroom environment as well as a reputable diversity stat. Less MA undergrad students were applying and that increased the schools interest in the undergrad MA student. I noticed that with my friends who were Minority but ORM’s - Asian. They had much more success at LAC’s than at universities known for STEM which were already popular with Asian families.

[goingnutslawschool]

I meant reportable diversity stat. Not reputable. Autocorrect is a pain.

[thebreeze930]

Hi! Thought I'd give an update on my cycle. My stats are 164/3.76. Disclaimer: I am only half MA, the other half is South Asian. I wrote my DS about being both.

I had thought that being half would give me a URM boost, but I'm starting to doubt that it is. It's been a super weird cycle for me. I submitted all applications by first week of December. I've only been accepted to BU and GW. I was rejected from Michigan yesterday and it's really thrown me for a loop. It was my top choice and now I've lost quite a bit of hope for the other T14. I do have an interview with UChicago, but otherwise silence from everywhere else.

[AlPastor]

Hi! Thought I'd give an update on my cycle. My stats are 164/3.76. Disclaimer: I am only half MA, the other half is South Asian. I wrote my DS about being both.

I had thought that being half would give me a URM boost, but I'm starting to doubt that it is. It's been a super weird cycle for me. I submitted all applications by first week of December. I've only been accepted to BU and GW. I was rejected from Michigan yesterday and it's really thrown me for a loop. It was my top choice and now I've lost quite a bit of hope for the other T14. I do have an interview with UChicago, but otherwise silence from everywhere else.

Did you write a Why Mich? If not, it's possible that they might be YP. An interview is required for acceptance at Chicago, so don't lose hope just yet. Put it this way, if you stood no chance at the T14, Chicago wouldn't be extending an offer to interview you.

[poptart123]

1L MA at Berkely. I think I remember reading/hearing somewhere that schools located in a region where more MAs are located tend to give a bigger boost than the schools where there are not. i.e. CA schools may make it more of a priority to attract MAs than say for example northeast schools.

Either way, take the advice of others on this thread and get the best stats possible and apply broadly.

+1 to this from my impression

[Obama2008]

3L MA checking in. Happy to PM my numbers, although my cycle is old. I definitely want to encourage more MA applicants to shoot for "reach" schools, as we are still very underrepresented and you might outperform your numbers both acceptance/scholarship wise.

I want to chime in to emphasize the importance of the LSAT, as I believe it made the biggest difference in my cycle (and for those applicants who are out of school and your GPA is set in stone, it is the single most important factor within your control).

I also want to encourage more MA folks to post their stats on LSN. I kept my LSN fully updated during my cycle and was very forthcoming with identifiable information on TLS, and it never affected me negatively. As many of us have noticed, there is a real lack of good information about MA cycles and sharing this information really helps others in their application process.

Good luck and feel free to PM.

I would love to know more about your numbers. Also, do you have a link to your LSN profile?

[thebreeze930]

Hi! Thought I'd give an update on my cycle. My stats are 164/3.76. Disclaimer: I am only half MA, the other half is South Asian. I wrote my DS about being both.

I had thought that being half would give me a URM boost, but I'm starting to doubt that it is. It's been a super weird cycle for me. I submitted all applications by first week of December. I've only been accepted to BU and GW. I was rejected from Michigan yesterday and it's really thrown me for a loop. It was my top choice and now I've lost quite a bit of hope for the other T14. I do have an interview with UChicago, but otherwise silence from everywhere else.

Did you write a Why Mich? If not, it's possible that they might be YP. An interview is required for acceptance at Chicago, so don't lose hope just yet. Put it this way, if you stood no chance at the T14, Chicago wouldn't be extending an offer to interview you.

I did write a Why Michigan which I thought was pretty decent. I'm originally from the rural midwest and went to college in northern Indiana. I thought they would dig that, but obviously not. I don't think I have the numbers for YP, even for URM. But I do appreciate the encouragement!! We'll see how things shake out in the next few weeks!

[LoganCouture]

I would love to know more about your numbers. Also, do you have a link to your LSN profile?

PM'd!