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Hey everybody,

I am planning on taking the LSAT in October and then applying during the upcoming cycle. I go to a small, private, liberal arts school in southern California and I am wondering how much these LOR's will help me (I am planning on using 3).

1. My uncle is the President of the University and said he would be glad to write me one.

2. I have a good relationship with one of the prominent professors within my department as well as with the department head (i.e. they know more than my name and where I'm from)

3. I also have a double minor and have a good relationship with the head of that department as well.

While I am at it, I'll ask about softs as well.

I played College Baseball for two years at this school as well. I came back from a shoulder surgery that required me to do rehab three times a week at a location 20min from campus. I only stopped playing after the fall of my junior year because I was going to need an elbow surgery. Would this be considered a soft/would LS's look favorably upon it?

Thanks guys!!

A more relevant question is whether LORs help your admission chances at all.

The thing is, LORs by themselves don't make much of an impact. A stellar LOR with a consistent message from your PS could be a good soft, but that's the extent it'll help, as a soft. Don't count on these letters overcoming low numbers.

Yeah, I wasn't planning on them overcoming low numbers, but instead to help me if I was borderline or in comparison with someone with similar #'s.

bigfoot wrote:Will these LOR's significantly help my chances?

No.

Nova wrote:

bigfoot wrote:Will these LOR's significantly help my chances?

No.

Thanks for the insight....

What about the college athletics? I have a 3.7 gpa.

bigfootseattle wrote:

Nova wrote:

bigfoot wrote:Will these LOR's significantly help my chances?

No.

Thanks for the insight....

What about the college athletics? I have a 3.7 gpa.

This is the important part. Get a 170+ and you'll be in fairly good shape to get into a T-14.

literally all the incredible softs you can possibly think of (minus maybe military service/pulitzer prizes & olympic gold medals), packaged together, would amount to MAYBE 1 point on the LSAT. that's what 1 question out of 100/101... just go take some PTs!

edit: i'm gnna change that to a half a point cuz they really don't mean shit. pulitzer prize maybe a full 1

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bigfootseattle wrote:

Nova wrote:

bigfoot wrote:Will these LOR's significantly help my chances?

No.

Thanks for the insight....

What about the college athletics? I have a 3.7 gpa.

Other posters pretty muched summed it up. LORs dont really mean shit. Unless your softs are outstanding, they wont make a difference either.

College athletics + rehab is a nice soft. Not jaw dropping or anything, but its a nice story that will help adcomms see your humanity. Are your softs above average? IDK, IMO no, but thats subjective.

Everything depends on your LSAT. Roughly, a 173+ probably gets you CCN. A 169/170 probably gets you into the T14. a 167/168 probably gets you USC/UCLA.

You should also not get an LOR from a family member.

North wrote:You should also not get an LOR from a family member.

Good point

ifigotoschool wrote:

TLSwag wrote:literally all the incredible softs you can possibly think of (minus maybe military service/pulitzer prizes & olympic gold medals), packaged together, would amount to MAYBE 1 point on the LSAT. that's what 1 question out of 100/101... just go take some PTs!

edit: i'm gnna change that to a half a point cuz they really don't mean shit. pulitzer prize maybe a full 1

Nope. People with 170s get into Yale. That doesn't happen if they don't have amazing softs. Also, Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago, to name a few, all like these kinds of things.

3.7, 173= maybe Yale
3.7, 170 and a pulitzer/gold medal/something even less prestigious= have a great time at Yale

that's true. i was mostly speaking to schools outside of YS & B is def a good exception too.

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