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[Anonymous User]

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[kathj06]

So I applied to 11 schools and waitlisted at 4 so far. No acceptances whatsoever..
My LSAT is solid, and my GPA is not too bad either 17x, 3.7x
For all the schools that I was waitlisted at, I was above both median GPA and LSAT.

I'm starting to think it had to do with my character & fitness statement
where I talked about having an anxiety disorder that partially led me to cheat on my exam..
(Stupid reason, I know. There cannot be any excuses for cheating.)

What do you guys think?
(i.e., should I expect waitlists/rejections from other schools and start thinking about NOT going to law school at all? :/)

Maybe it led them to think that... I cannot handle stress that comes from law school & beyond?
Or maybe they were stigmatized?

On __/__/____, I pleaded guilty to violating _________'s Code of Academic Integrity by cheating on the final exam for ______ class. I was given a grade punishment for the exam.


Although I understand that there is no excuse for cheating or academic dishonesty, I was suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I had not received any treatment at this point because even though I was attending counseling sessions, I was not yet diagnosed with the disorder. Regardless of the circumstances, the decision I made on the exam was wrong.

On __/__/____, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I received treatment and have since been able to control my anxiety under academic and non-academic pressure alike. The incident mentioned above was my first and only violation of the Code, and I remained in good standing until graduation.

I'm in no way an expert on this sort of thing/take this with as much salt as you'd like, but I would want to see a lengthier explanation on how the Generalized Anxiety Disorder led to your cheating, or about how the disorder undermined your ability to think clearly and altered your state of mind to the point where you were not thinking like yourself, and thought that cheating was acceptable.

In my Gtown group interview, Dean Cornblatt talked about how so many of the C&F issues he sees say something to the effect of, "I know there is no excuse BUT," and how they are typically not remorseful enough. He likes to see the applicants take full responsibility for their actions. I would just flesh yours out a bit more--hope this is somewhat helpful!

[Law Sauce]

I feel like what was said was enough. Acknowledge it and move on. It may sounds worse when you say a bunch more. You could b e being YPed, or just unlucky. Admission is a crap shoot, not some automatic thing.

[papercut]

Yeah it's mostly the C&F. I think you wrote a fine addendum, but you know how big of a deal cheating is.

It's still too early to tell what's going to happen, but I think you'll be mostly okay. Your numbers are still very good.

Good luck!

[akg144]

Agree with everyone else your addendum is very well written that's probably not the issue it's either 1) Yield Protection since your numbers are terrific or 2) The substance of the incident itself. I def. would not go into further detail I think that would only make things look worse you gave them the information clearly and succintly - you've shown there was a problem it's been addressed and your moving forward - end of story. If you don't get a stellar cycle for sure sit out this time higher Spivey Consulting and revamp everything next year - I would also recommend if you take this route demonstrating a growth and maturation in character to add bona fides to your C & F contention that you have not only addressed the concern but actually grown as a result. Hopefully it doesn't come to sitting our till next cycle but as a plan B I think it's definitely a viable option if they adcomm's don't like your current app as is.

Best of luck my friend!