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Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:08 pm
by MiracleNeeded
Hard to word that properly, what I mean is, are there any projects I can undertake today that might work to impress admissions at the various schools I apply to after my Oct. LSAT?
Please no smart ass remarks, this is a serious question. My brother-in-law sent me a link to Yale's admission page and on it was a list of the entering class. It was meant to look diverse from the mundane to the truly spectacular.
Vegan chef and au pair to investigator at world bank inspection panel and Kurdistan's presidential advisor.
While I might be short on time to become the presidential advisor of a pseudo nation, a speech writer for British parliament (that was another person) I can do impressive things. One guy went on a trip to 27 developing countries.
Working at my local church and visiting the retirement home Might not cut it. Any serious ideas?
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:22 pm
by eric922
This thread is a great example of how most softs aren't very much help. Unless you are the guy who was the adviser to the president of Kurdistan they really don't help that much, because nearly everyone has something they can put on their application. The main thing you can do is get your numbers as high as possible. I know it wasn't the answer you were looking for, but honestly there isn't much you can do in terms of softs.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:30 pm
by star fox
Get a 177 on the LSAT
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:30 pm
by wannabelawstudent
john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:34 pm
by eric922
john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
TCR
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:51 pm
by banjo
There are some basic things you can do to avoid underperforming your numbers. Get glowing academic letters of recommendation, write a genuine personal statement, and try to think about how your activities and interests fit into a coherent narrative that culminates in law school. Also try to convey that you're passionate about stuff without actually using the word "passion".
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:38 pm
by A. Nony Mouse
The thing is, I can't imagine that any of these people undertook their amazing experiences with the intent of using them to get into law school (and if that's why you do something, you're not likely to be very successful). Nor are any of those examples things you can accomplish in 6 months. But except at Yale/Stanford, it really doesn't matter. Do what matters to you and write about why it matters to you - that's much more effective than trying to come up with an "impressive" soft.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:39 pm
by BerkeleyBear
eric922 wrote:john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
TCR
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:43 pm
by ManOfTheMinute
BerkeleyBear wrote:eric922 wrote:john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
TCR
177? Please. 180 or bust.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:51 pm
by BerkeleyBear
ManOfTheMinute wrote:BerkeleyBear wrote:eric922 wrote:john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
TCR
177? Please. 180 or bust.
Okay, you win MOTM.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:52 pm
by Dr. Dre
ManOfTheMinute wrote:BerkeleyBear wrote:eric922 wrote:john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
TCR
177? Please. 180 or bust.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:00 am
by Dr. Dre
"impressive" softs will not make a great lawyer.
a high LSAT score will (I use "will" as most likely or 60%-80% chance)
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:35 am
by hdivine
john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
Worked for me.
Seriously, make yourself memorable. It doesn't have to be super impressive. It just has to show you have work ethic.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:43 am
by longlivetheking
hdivine wrote:john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
Worked for me.
Seriously, make yourself memorable. It doesn't have to be super impressive. It just has to show you have work ethic.
wow. 177 + 3.98 + sept 1st applications. were you the first person to be accepted for the cycle? Lol
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:51 am
by heywatchitbuddy
The most annoying thing about softs is that most regular middle class people don't have the time/money/connections to do something like start a nonprofit or whatever. It seems that the upper class have the most to gain from "holistic" admission than people who had to work at walgreens during the summer instead of saving babies in Africa.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:00 am
by Dr. Dre
heywatchitbuddy wrote:The most annoying thing about softs is that most regular middle class people don't have the time/money/connections to do something like start a nonprofit or whatever. It seems that the upper class have the most to gain from "holistic" admission than people who had to work at walgreens during the summer instead of saving babies in Africa.
This, so much, this
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:22 am
by scruffy556
heywatchitbuddy wrote:The most annoying thing about softs is that most regular middle class people don't have the time/money/connections to do something like start a nonprofit or whatever. It seems that the upper class have the most to gain from "holistic" admission than people who had to work at walgreens during the summer instead of saving babies in Africa.
What? The biggest softs are military service, Fulbright/Rhodes, tfa/peace corps. None of those require you to be upper class.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:04 pm
by Dr. Dre
scruffy556 wrote:
What? The biggest softs are military service, Fulbright/Rhodes, tfa/peace corps. None of those require you to be upper class.
To even get those, you do. (except military service & MAYBE peace corps.)
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:05 pm
by eric922
Dr. Dre wrote:scruffy556 wrote:
What? The biggest softs are military service, Fulbright/Rhodes, tfa/peace corps. None of those require you to be upper class.
To even get those, you do. (except military service & MAYBE peace corps.)
Even with the Peace Corps. I can't imagine that most middle-class people have the time to take a year or however it is long off of school or work to do it, even if expenses are paid for.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:34 pm
by scruffy556
eric922 wrote:Dr. Dre wrote:scruffy556 wrote:
What? The biggest softs are military service, Fulbright/Rhodes, tfa/peace corps. None of those require you to be upper class.
To even get those, you do. (except military service & MAYBE peace corps.)
Even with the Peace Corps. I can't imagine that most middle-class people have the time to take a year or however it is long off of school or work to do it, even if expenses are paid for.
It could just be what i've been exposed to, but I am one of the three (the one no one's arguing about) and know people in the other two and none of us grew up well off. I'm just saying you don't have to be rich to do them, whether or not most people are I don't know.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:36 pm
by Dr. Dre
You definitely don't have to be rich to do them, but being wealthy helps substantially. Like everyone else has said, the middle-class simply just not have the resources to do them.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:53 pm
by star fox
heywatchitbuddy wrote:The most annoying thing about softs is that most regular middle class people don't have the time/money/connections to do something like start a nonprofit or whatever. It seems that the upper class have the most to gain from "holistic" admission than people who had to work at walgreens during the summer instead of saving babies in Africa.
Well, being a URM is a pretty big soft at least. The big losers in this whole process are poor white people.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:15 pm
by Dr. Dre
john7234797 wrote:
Well, being a URM is a pretty big soft at least. The big losers in this whole process are poor white people.
this is true, sadly
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:28 pm
by hdivine
longlivetheking wrote:hdivine wrote:john7234797 wrote:Get a 177 on the LSAT
Worked for me.
Seriously, make yourself memorable. It doesn't have to be super impressive. It just has to show you have work ethic.
wow. 177 + 3.98 + sept 1st applications. were you the first person to be accepted for the cycle? Lol
Actually I wasn't. I was in about a month after they started making decisions. Made me really nervous.
heywatchitbuddy wrote:The most annoying thing about softs is that most regular middle class people don't have the time/money/connections to do something like start a nonprofit or whatever. It seems that the upper class have the most to gain from "holistic" admission than people who had to work at walgreens during the summer instead of saving babies in Africa.
You make your own luck. Of course wealthy people have major advantages, but that's true in everything, and I'm sure well-educated people like those at Yale are smart enough to realize that not all people come from the same background. In fact, that's the angle I took. I had to work a lot during my undergrad, but I made sure I accomplished a bunch of personal goals as well. Nothing I did was outstanding, but I think it showed I had a decent work ethic.
Re: Things I can do that might WOW admissions when I apply
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:07 am
by sinfiery
eric922 wrote:Dr. Dre wrote:scruffy556 wrote:
What? The biggest softs are military service, Fulbright/Rhodes, tfa/peace corps. None of those require you to be upper class.
To even get those, you do. (except military service & MAYBE peace corps.)
Even with the Peace Corps. I can't imagine that most middle-class people have the time to take a year or however it is long off of school or work to do it, even if expenses are paid for.
It's 27 months, virtually unpaid. If it were 24 months, I would be doing it this moment.
Also, being poor and Asian is objectively worse than white because of UG differences in admission difficulty at top tier schools so chillax.