non-traditional, how much will these softs matter? Forum

[santisuk]

163 / 3.66
Newbie here. I've been out of undergrad for 7 years, spent 5 years in Thailand working with a non-profit in the slums of Bangkok (community development/organizing), fluent in Thai, planning on public interest law. I'm just trying to gauge whether this kind of experience will help me much or if I should still rely solely on the predictions for my numbers. Any reaches that I should try for that someone shouldn't otherwise attempt with just those numbers? I'm not aiming for biglaw, but from what I've heard PI jobs are also super competitive these days, so I'd like to go to the best school I can get into. Thanks for any thoughts!

[im_blue]

Your softs are fine but they won't get you into a reach school. Since you live in CA, you should aim for the schools in your range: UC Davis, UC Hastings, Pepperdine, Loyola LA, and USD.

[JazzOne]

Softs don't help.

[runningzigzag]

I've heard that schools only care about numbers.

[The Gentleman]

Your softs are fine but they won't get you into a reach school. Since you live in CA, you should aim for the schools in your range: UC Davis, UC Hastings, Pepperdine, Loyola LA, and USD.

It may sound crazy, but why not throw an app at UC Berkely? If you can craft your experience working in Thailand into an awesome PS, then you at least have a chance. Not a very good one, but a chance nonetheless.

[KMaine]

I am also a non-trad. I don't feel like my softs helped too much except maybe to make me a better candidate for schools within my range. GPA is a little better than mine, but I got into a few t-14s with a higher LSAT score. I think that is your best shot, retaking if you want to get into a "better" school. That said, I would not hesitate to send a few apps to reach schools. A good PS may catch somebody's eye, but it is probably a long shot. Good luck.

[santisuk]

Thanks, guys-- that's pretty much what I figured. Berkeley would be awesome, so maybe I'll give it a shot, but count on Davis/Hastings/Loyola/USD (Pepperdine a bit too conservative for me). I'm a fairly good writer so I think my PS should stand out, it'll just be a matter of whether they want to take a risk on me or not. My average PT was around 165 with quite a bit of studying, so I don't think I can count on a much higher retake. I'll just give my best shot with what I have.

[happyfeet]

another non-trad here, i've been out of undergrad for 10+ years, working most of the time in international development, and made it to 3rd reserve at columbia last year with your same lsat and a slightly lower gpa. i retook and am now above 170 and in the midst of reapplying to columbia and some other t-14, amongst others. i definitely think my ps + cv got someone's attention at columbia because the numbers i had last year definitely don't explain it. so, yes, softs can matter.

[pppokerface]

Softs matter if they are remarkable and yours are pretty remarkable (in my opinion).
edit-I don't think it will get you into a T14, but it can get you into some pretty good schools.