2011-2012 Cycle Applicants! Forum

[chem]

Outside of that, I know Penn has specific essays every year, and a lot of schools have specific scholarship essays, but if your PS is good and polished, if you're writing a diversity statement and that's good and polished, then you should start on Why Xs. If you don't know what any of this means, do a forum search. hth

Anyone have a general idea of what schools really want to see Why Xs? To me, it seems some schools really want it/ask that you write it, but for others it just doesn't seem that important and in the case of a few of the very top schools, it seems kind of like a rhetorical question...

UVA is another one that likes to see a Why essay.

Michigan likes em too

[lawschool12345]

how much do the how essays matter in the application?

[kulshan]

Do CCN want 'Why' essays?

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Do CCN want 'Why' essays?

No. They're T6, they already know they're awesome schools.

[Pocahontas]

Hey guys!

I'll be applying this cycle as well! I think I'll refrain from placing any stats on here until I receive my October score, but I can say that I'm aiming for the following schools:

Reach: Harvard/Yale/Stanford
Target: Michigan(Top Choice & My First Love!)/Northwestern/Vanderbilt
Safety: WashU, Boston U

PS: I'm not exactly sure what I'll write about just yet. I'm a first generation URM with about 2 years of public interest internship experience, including the US Senate and HOR.

Good luck to everyone out there!

[kulshan]

Do CCN want 'Why' essays?

No. They're T6, they already know they're awesome schools.

Cool, 3 fewer things to write.

[dasani13]

If anyone in here would like to trade/critique resumes let me know.. I have a decent amount of stuff to put on it but I need some advice on how to make it sound better in the perspective of law schools.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Do CCN want 'Why' essays?

No. They're T6, they already know they're awesome schools.

Cool, 3 fewer things to write.

Hehehe yup. Working on my Why Mich/Virginia/Penn essays right now... and they aren't particularly fun.

[descartesb4thehorse]

Do CCN want 'Why' essays?

No. They're T6, they already know they're awesome schools.

Cool, 3 fewer things to write.

Hehehe yup. Working on my Why Mich/Virginia/Penn essays right now... and they aren't particularly fun.

Seriously. You have to tell the school what they already know but make it sound like you're telling them something new and enlightening. There's a bit of personality and new facets to your story that you can introduce, but it's so hard not to just write a marketing guide, especially if you don't know what extremely specific field you want to pursue yet.

[triplem25]

Hi everyone, thought I would join.

LSAT: 168
GPA: 3.8X
URM: MA male

Reaches: UC Berkeley, Stanford
Targets: UCLA, USC
Safeties: UC Hastings, UC Davis

I'm working on my PS right now about disadvantaged socio-economic status/traumatic family event. Need to figure out my DS still and will probably write a Why Berkeley essay included in a targeted Berkeley PS, since they have the 4 page limit. I'll also apply many other places, but mostly for scholarship negotiation.

[chem]

Do CCN want 'Why' essays?

No. They're T6, they already know they're awesome schools.

Hehehe yup. Working on my Why Mich/Virginia/Penn essays right now... and they aren't particularly fun.

Seriously. You have to tell the school what they already know but make it sound like you're telling them something new and enlightening. There's a bit of personality and new facets to your story that you can introduce, but it's so hard not to just write a marketing guide, especially if you don't know what extremely specific field you want to pursue yet.

So easy when youre IP. Just have to regurgitate their IP brochure

[outsidethescope]

Hi everyone, thought I would join.

LSAT: 168
GPA: 3.8X
URM: MA male

Reaches: UC Berkeley, Stanford
Targets: UCLA, USC
Safeties: UC Hastings, UC Davis

I'm working on my PS right now about disadvantaged socio-economic status/traumatic family event. Need to figure out my DS still and will probably write a Why Berkeley essay included in a targeted Berkeley PS, since they have the 4 page limit. I'll also apply many other places, but mostly for scholarship negotiation.

hello numbers twin!

[mmkitkat]

Just jumping on the bandwagon here...

LSAT: October 2011, diagnostic 165 but doing a lot of prep between now and then (hoping for 170+)
GPA: 3.86 (mostly upward trend, but last semester was my worst so far)
URM: black female
pretty average softs (community service, sorority and professional fraternity leadership)

Favorite Reaches: Yale, Stanford, Duke (probably ED)
Favorite Targets: Hastings, Pepperdine, Penn State
Safeties: I haven't found any yet. Go big or go home, I guess
PS: still working on it, about community service experiences

would it do me any good to write a DS? Honestly, I'm kind of what people would call an oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside)...

[Tiago Splitter]

Just jumping on the bandwagon here...

LSAT: October 2011, diagnostic 165 but doing a lot of prep between now and then (hoping for 170+)
GPA: 3.86 (mostly upward trend, but last semester was my worst so far)
URM: black female
pretty average softs (community service, sorority and professional fraternity leadership)

Favorite Reaches: Yale, Stanford, Duke (probably ED)
Favorite Targets: Hastings, Pepperdine, Penn State
Safeties: I haven't found any yet. Go big or go home, I guess
PS: still working on it, about community service experiences

would it do me any good to write a DS? Honestly, I'm kind of what people would call an oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside)...

Even if you stay at 165, you need to toss out those "target" schools and forget the idea of going ED with Duke. Black female trumps all.

[lawschool12345]

Just jumping on the bandwagon here...

LSAT: October 2011, diagnostic 165 but doing a lot of prep between now and then (hoping for 170+)
GPA: 3.86 (mostly upward trend, but last semester was my worst so far)
URM: black female
pretty average softs (community service, sorority and professional fraternity leadership)

Favorite Reaches: Yale, Stanford, Duke (probably ED)
Favorite Targets: Hastings, Pepperdine, Penn State
Safeties: I haven't found any yet. Go big or go home, I guess
PS: still working on it, about community service experiences

would it do me any good to write a DS? Honestly, I'm kind of what people would call an oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside)...

Even if you stay at 165, you need to toss out those "target" schools and forget the idea of going ED with Duke. Black female trumps all.

+1 you dont need to apply to your targets if you snag the 165 you will be looking at the t 14

[descartesb4thehorse]

Just jumping on the bandwagon here...

LSAT: October 2011, diagnostic 165 but doing a lot of prep between now and then (hoping for 170+)
GPA: 3.86 (mostly upward trend, but last semester was my worst so far)
URM: black female
pretty average softs (community service, sorority and professional fraternity leadership)

Favorite Reaches: Yale, Stanford, Duke (probably ED)
Favorite Targets: Hastings, Pepperdine, Penn State
Safeties: I haven't found any yet. Go big or go home, I guess
PS: still working on it, about community service experiences

would it do me any good to write a DS? Honestly, I'm kind of what people would call an oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside)...

Even if you stay at 165, you need to toss out those "target" schools and forget the idea of going ED with Duke. Black female trumps all.

AA male trumps all actually, but yea, OP, don't ED Duke. And add Harvard to your apps, as well as at least 3 other places in the T-14 to negotiate scholarships. The AA URM boost is pretty significant.

[iphone7]

LSAT: 169
GPA: 3.87
URM: White Male
Solid softs: Organized Concerts, School Leadership, good internships

Favorite Reaches: Stanford, Columbia, Chicago
Favorite Targets: ED at NYU, Penn, Berkeley, Michigan, and UVA
Safeties: Rest of the top 15

I'm really hoping for top 10. I know I can get a higher LSAT score and I will probably retake (I was PTing 171-173) if I don't get top 10 or $$$ at top 15. My PS is in the works and a why MVPB will follow. Does this seem reasonable?

[Deuce]

LSAT: 169
GPA: 3.87
URM: White Male
Solid softs: Organized Concerts, School Leadership, good internships

Favorite Reaches: Stanford, Columbia, Chicago
Favorite Targets: ED at NYU, Penn, Berkeley, Michigan, and UVA
Safeties: Rest of the top 15

I'm really hoping for top 10. I know I can get a higher LSAT score and I will probably retake (I was PTing 171-173) if I don't get top 10 or $$$ at top 15. My PS is in the works and a why MVPB will follow. Does this seem reasonable?

I would add safer safeties.

[milljp02]

Alright. New on here, been nosing around for a while and suppose I ought to contribute for karmic purposes.

LSAT: 162 diagnostic (took it this morning, timed and no prep, just a raw benchmark to get an idea of what I need to do). Shooting to hit 170+. Need to work on LR sections.

GPA: Current school, 4.0 but undergrad 10 yrs ago was another story (addendum will obviously be required, alcoholism being the core issue).

PS: Recovery as a backdrop (not the center of it, there will be enough about that in the addendum and maybe DS) to overcoming/owning the past and becoming better for it. Prove it by noting professional, academic and service/leadership accomplishments. Or maybe just a haiku.

Reach: Cornell
Targets: Colorado (in state), Wake (if they'll have me back, that was my first undergrad '98-'01)
Safetys: Denver, Montana

Taking the LSAT in Oct, so I hope to have all my apps in early Nov. and hope for some nice early-in-the-cycle mojo. I'll need all the help I can get!

[Yeshia90]

LSAT: 169
GPA: 3.87
URM: White Male
Solid softs: Organized Concerts, School Leadership, good internships

Favorite Reaches: Stanford, Columbia, Chicago
Favorite Targets: ED at NYU, Penn, Berkeley, Michigan, and UVA
Safeties: Rest of the top 15

I'm really hoping for top 10. I know I can get a higher LSAT score and I will probably retake (I was PTing 171-173) if I don't get top 10 or $$$ at top 15. My PS is in the works and a why MVPB will follow. Does this seem reasonable?

I would add safer safeties.

You really think he's not a mortal lock at Cornell?

[NCB166]

LSAT: 167
GPA: 3.67
Personal Statement: I have a couple of ideas, but as of right now, I can't know exactly what this will be about. It will most likely deal with overcoming a specific incidence of adversity in my life.
Softs: Alright for someone my age (I will be turning 21 early next year, when I finish my undergraduate degree), but I obviously am lacking in terms of substantive work/volunteer experience.

Favorite Reaches: Chicago, Michigan (Though I realize these are basically pipe dreams)
Favorite Targets: Any of the B1G schools ranked 20-40, Wash U, Notre Dame
Safeties: Chicago-Kent, Loyola, and DePaul

It's comforting to see that I am not alone in my feelings of both excitement and subdued anxiety for this cycle. Hopefully, it goes well for all of us.

[Deuce]

LSAT: 169
GPA: 3.87
URM: White Male
Solid softs: Organized Concerts, School Leadership, good internships

Favorite Reaches: Stanford, Columbia, Chicago
Favorite Targets: ED at NYU, Penn, Berkeley, Michigan, and UVA
Safeties: Rest of the top 15

I'm really hoping for top 10. I know I can get a higher LSAT score and I will probably retake (I was PTing 171-173) if I don't get top 10 or $$$ at top 15. My PS is in the works and a why MVPB will follow. Does this seem reasonable?

I would add safer safeties.

You really think he's not a mortal lock at Cornell?

I think he'd get in, and maybe to 1-2 more of those schools as well. I was rejected from Cornell with very similar stats though, and just think he'd do himself well to also apply to schools he likes in the 15-25 range to at least be able to consider/leverage scholly offers.

[dasani13]

Why would Cornell reject someone (you) with those stats?? Do you think it was for YP?

[Killingly]

Seriously. You have to tell the school what they already know but make it sound like you're telling them something new and enlightening. There's a bit of personality and new facets to your story that you can introduce, but it's so hard not to just write a marketing guide, especially if you don't know what extremely specific field you want to pursue yet.

Would it be generally alright to show some personality by adding a slight bit of humor to your WhyX essays? Or will adcomms just not be inclined to take you seriously? I don't intend to saturate my essays with jokes, but I do want to include a little wit.

Also, would it be more advisable to write a separate essay or can you just slip in a school-specific paragraph to your PS? I know the latter can seem a little tacky, but...

[kulshan]

Seriously. You have to tell the school what they already know but make it sound like you're telling them something new and enlightening. There's a bit of personality and new facets to your story that you can introduce, but it's so hard not to just write a marketing guide, especially if you don't know what extremely specific field you want to pursue yet.

Would it be generally alright to show some personality by adding a slight bit of humor to your WhyX essays? Or will adcomms just not be inclined to take you seriously? I don't intend to saturate my essays with jokes, but I do want to include a little wit.

Also, would it be more advisable to write a separate essay or can you just slip in a school-specific paragraph to your PS? I know the latter can seem a little tacky, but...

Surely wit well done will be appreciated. It's just the well done part that's tricky.