Top Law Schools

I only did a few half-assed searches before starting this thread, so this discussion may already be happening elsewhere on the forum...please don't shoot if this is the case.

I wanted to start up a thread for those of us who have been (and still are) waiting for what feels like ages for the 2011-2012 application cycle to start. I've been working for nearly two years and can barely wait to get started on this cycle and finally put it behind me.

I imagine that many of us who are planning on applying in the upcoming cycle are lurking and not posting...hopefully this thread draws them out.

I'm curious to see how everyone's planning on taking the application process, so why not post the following:

Favorite Reach School:
Favorite Target School:
Favorite Safety School:
In ten words or less, what you plan to put in your personal statement:

I guess I'll go first...

UChicago
Michigan
UIUC
Work experience at home and abroad, college leadership positions

And...go

Yea I realize a bunch of the Fall 2011 applicants probably don't have LSAT scores yet. Use your PT average to guess at your Reach, Target, Safeties then...I'm lowering the bar here!

Favorite Reach School: Ave Maria
Favorite Target School: Thomas Jefferson
Favorite Safety School: Cooley

Work experience: Taco Bell and Burger King.

This is absolutely pointless without real scores. But good luck to you all nonetheless!

Reach: UVA ED/Cornell with 170+
Target: UNC/Wake with 164-169.
Safety: Something other than law school...

Work experience/softs: some sales, internship with District Attorney's office, been in an honors society and economics club, some volunteer work. Strong upward grade trend (3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9).

I think I'm probably missing a good number of schools where between my targets and reaches; any suggestions on where to apply? My PT average right now is 168...

LSAT 171
LSDAS 3.4X

Reach: Penn
Target: Texas
Safety: WUSTL

PS Something about leadershipping

westinghouse60 wrote:Reach: UVA ED/Cornell with 170+
Target: UNC/Wake with 164-169.
Safety: Something other than law school...

Work experience/softs: some sales, internship with District Attorney's office, been in an honors society and economics club, some volunteer work. Strong upward grade trend (3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9).

I think I'm probably missing a good number of schools where between my targets and reaches; any suggestions on where to apply? My PT average right now is 168...

Good luck! Are you taking the test this month?

DaftAndDirect wrote:

westinghouse60 wrote:Reach: UVA ED/Cornell with 170+
Target: UNC/Wake with 164-169.
Safety: Something other than law school...

Work experience/softs: some sales, internship with District Attorney's office, been in an honors society and economics club, some volunteer work. Strong upward grade trend (3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9).

I think I'm probably missing a good number of schools where between my targets and reaches; any suggestions on where to apply? My PT average right now is 168...

Good luck! Are you taking the test this month?

Yep, not studying/minimal studying for it this weekend is going to be a challenge because its become such a habit for me lol. What about you?

My scores are too varied for me to even attempt this

westinghouse60 wrote:

DaftAndDirect wrote:

westinghouse60 wrote:Reach: UVA ED/Cornell with 170+
Target: UNC/Wake with 164-169.
Safety: Something other than law school...

Work experience/softs: some sales, internship with District Attorney's office, been in an honors society and economics club, some volunteer work. Strong upward grade trend (3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9).

I think I'm probably missing a good number of schools where between my targets and reaches; any suggestions on where to apply? My PT average right now is 168...

Good luck! Are you taking the test this month?

Yep, not studying/minimal studying for it this weekend is going to be a challenge because its become such a habit for me lol. What about you?

I re-took last October. Been debating one last re-take for a while now but I've settled on only doing that as a last resort to get off a waitlist in February.

Chem, you rocking any tie-breaking softs or do you think your app will be pretty much straight numbers?

GPA: 2.79
LSAT: 173

Reapply from last year, but I figure I still count.

Reach/Target: Northwestern
Safety/Target: WUSTL



Edit: I am removing myself from this thread as I am in of the NU wait list!

Nice. NU is a close favorite next to Mich. Going to NU law was actually the major reason I even chose to work after college instead of applying straight. Funny how things change up.

DaftAndDirect wrote:

westinghouse60 wrote:

DaftAndDirect wrote:

westinghouse60 wrote:Reach: UVA ED/Cornell with 170+
Target: UNC/Wake with 164-169.
Safety: Something other than law school...

Work experience/softs: some sales, internship with District Attorney's office, been in an honors society and economics club, some volunteer work. Strong upward grade trend (3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9).

I think I'm probably missing a good number of schools where between my targets and reaches; any suggestions on where to apply? My PT average right now is 168...

Good luck! Are you taking the test this month?

Yep, not studying/minimal studying for it this weekend is going to be a challenge because its become such a habit for me lol. What about you?

I re-took last October. Been debating one last re-take for a while now but I've settled on only doing that as a last resort to get off a waitlist in February.

Chem, you rocking any tie-breaking softs or do you think your app will be pretty much straight numbers?

Nothing tie breaking, I'd imagine the same as other applicants. Engineering can be a good soft, and I got the internships that go with it. There were a bunch of honor and professional societies presidencies too. No military or peace corps though.

DaftAndDirect wrote:Nice. NU is a close favorite next to Mich. Going to NU law was actually the major reason I even chose to work after college instead of applying straight. Funny how things change up.

I absolutely love Chicago, could totally see myself there for the long haul. I'll tell you what's funny, before I found this site I was targeting Suffolk Law and a 155-160 LSAT. This site saved my life, and opened up opportunities.

Yay! I was wondering when we could start this. I'm both nervous and excited about applying.

Favorite Reach School: Stanford/Yale
Favorite Target School: Berkeley

PS: Interesting background having lived in several different places and/or involvement in social justice groups

mjcaccio wrote:

DaftAndDirect wrote:Nice. NU is a close favorite next to Mich. Going to NU law was actually the major reason I even chose to work after college instead of applying straight. Funny how things change up.

I absolutely love Chicago, could totally see myself there for the long haul. I'll tell you what's funny, before I found this site I was targeting Suffolk Law and a 155-160 LSAT. This site saved my life, and opened up opportunities.

Tell me about it, I was targeting schools in the 50's

spek wrote:Yay! I was wondering when we could start this. I'm both nervous and excited about applying.

I'm URM so I'm not exactly sure what my targets and safeties should be but this is what I've been thinking:

Favorite Reach School: Stanford
Favorite Target School: Berkeley
Favorite Safety School: UC Davis (?)

PS: Interesting background having lived in several different places and/or involvement in social justice groups

Why Davis over USC/UCLA? Are you dead-set on NorCal? If Berkeley's a target for you though, I don't think that safety discussion really matters all that much. I'm not throwing an app Stanford's way, but I'll be in the pile with you at Berkeley!

Well Davis is my default I guess. I think if I don't get Berkeley then I'll wait a year and try again.

Reach: NYU
Target: Cornell
Safety: BU/BC

How diversity has affected a middle class white guy.

Reach/Target: Yale/Harvard
Target/Safety: NYU/Chicago
Also applying to Stanford, Columbia, and maybe Michigan/Berkeley

172/4.0/PhD (ABD)

Statement about an activity in which I participated as an undergrad.

kulshan wrote:Reach/Target: Yale/Harvard
Target/Safety: NYU/Chicago
Also applying to Stanford, Columbia, and maybe Michigan/Berkeley

172/4.0/PhD (ABD)

Statement about an activity in which I participated as an undergrad.

We're numbers twins; it'll be interesting to watch how our cycles play out.

spek wrote:

kulshan wrote:Reach/Target: Yale/Harvard
Target/Safety: NYU/Chicago
Also applying to Stanford, Columbia, and maybe Michigan/Berkeley

172/4.0/PhD (ABD)

Statement about an activity in which I participated as an undergrad.

We're numbers twins; it'll be interesting to watch how our cycles play out.

Me too!

Favorite Reach School: Yale/Harvard
Target/Safety School: Columbia/UChicago

PS: About a club in UG.

3.93/176
It would be interesting to see how my cycle plays out since I attend a TTTT UG and have almost nothing on my resume.

3.6 with a weird trend. My spring grades are always better than my fall. Ex: Fall—3.4, Spring 3.925. Top public institution.

My average PT is 172. I haven't gone lower than 168 and my highest is 178 (PT 57). I'm taking the real deal on Monday, so I have my fingers crossed.

Reach: Columbia, NYU, Boalt
Target: UCLA
Safety: USC, IU

I'm planning to ED Columbia because I desperately want to do their 4 year JD/LLB (Columbia/London) program. I'm probably going to end up staying in CA if I don't go to NY.

Softs:
Panhellenic Officer
Various communications internships, including one in London
Campus radio station

Question: Would being Asian give me any sort of boost? Or would this work against me, especially at CA schools?

mjcaccio wrote:GPA: 2.79
LSAT: 173

Reach/Target: Northwestern
Safety/Target: WUSTL

O HAI GPA/SCHOOLS TWIN...and hopefully close LSAT after this June. Assuming I go 170+ (been PTing there consistently)...

Favorite Reach School: NU ED
Favorite Target School: WUSTL/UC Davis (I don't really know if this is a target given that CA schools favor GPA)
In ten words or less, what you plan to put in your personal statement: My PS is about my involvement in grassroots activism.

Relevant Softs - post grad WE (for NU)

Oh, and to the above poster -- being asian will not help. Asians are ORMs.