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Veni_Vidi_Vici wrote:Even if I have a perfect LSAT/GPA, a guy with connections will easily get in over me at HYS.

I'm worried now. Also, I don't have a lot of softs - not many clubs or volunteering.

MistakenGenius wrote:Your friend completely overstated the situation. Yes, there are a few people who will get in because of who they know despite mediocre grades and an LSAT. I mean, Ronan Farrow had a pretty damn low LSAT for the T14 but got into Yale (and his Rhodes scholarship) because he's the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. Yes, nepotism is alive and well and always will be. That said, Harvard offers 900 students, Stanford 400, and Yale 230 or so. You really think that many people have connections? Absolutely not. We're talking like a dozen in all. If you get the 4.0 and 180, you'll get into all three (small chance not Yale, they genuinely care about softs since they can afford to). So, long story short, will a guy with genuine connections get in? Yes, but there are hundreds of others who will also get into these schools. I'm a broke southern boy from a backwoods. I know a lawyer who works in a town of 12,000 people. That's about the scope of my political clout. I got into Yale because I had a great LSAT, pretty good grades, and bitching softs. Don't worry about things that are beyond your control and try your best.

MistakenGenius wrote:I'm not saying the dude isn't smart, he might even be brilliant, but his numbers were clearly boosted by the fact he has incredibly famous parents (I mean, his dad is basically the most famous director ever).

MistakenGenius wrote:He was on one of the other forums (maybe LSD?) a few years ago defending himself. He had right around a 160 (maybe 159). I don't feel those are bad scores, they're actually pretty good, but if someone came on here from Bard college (which is a college meant for teenagers who skip most of high school) with that LSAT wanting to go to HYS, we'd tell them their chances were nil and to retake to have any shot. His softs were definitely admirable, but it was really just him tagging along with his amazing mother. I'm not saying the dude isn't smart, he might even be brilliant, but his numbers were clearly boosted by the fact he has incredibly famous parents (I mean, his dad is basically the most famous director ever).

And as for the second post, I did suspect it was flame, but I posted a genuine answer in case some other confused applicant wound up here.