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Hi, I'm looking for some advice about how to boost my credentials and compensate for a low (by HYS standards) GPA. I'll be graduating with a 3.67 GPA for UG. My GPA took a hit because I suffered from (diagnosed) depression. I've read some comments on this forum that said that law schools would look poorly on histories of depression. I hope it's not actually true that law schools believe that depression indicates an inability to deal with stress. Because, counter to common belief, depression actually made me stronger. I hope that I can write an addendum that can increase my chances of admission rather than hurt them. I'm also going to be pursuing a fifth year masters in Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics, I teach SAT classes, and I'm going to apply for a Fulbright award to study in London for a year. Assuming that I can also get a 175+ LSAT (or a 180, because I aim high ), what are my chances of being admitted to HYS? What about other T14s? Any advice on other endeavors I could pursue to bolster my application?

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:Hi, I'm looking for some advice about how to boost my credentials and compensate for a low (by HYS standards) GPA. I'll be graduating with a 3.67 GPA for UG. My GPA took a hit because I suffered from (diagnosed) depression. I've read some comments on this forum that said that law schools would look poorly on histories of depression. I hope it's not actually true that law schools believe that depression indicates an inability to deal with stress. Because, counter to common belief, depression actually made me stronger. I hope that I can write an addendum that can increase my chances of admission rather than hurt them. I'm also going to be pursuing a fifth year masters in Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics, I teach SAT classes, and I'm going to apply for a Fulbright award to study in London for a year. Assuming that I can also get a 175+ LSAT (or a 180, because I aim high ), what are my chances of being admitted to HYS? What about other T14s? Any advice on other endeavors I could pursue to bolster my application?

Big assumption. Come back when you have an lsat. Until then, hit the lsat prep forums.

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:Hi, I'm looking for some advice about how to boost my credentials and compensate for a low (by HYS standards) GPA. I'll be graduating with a 3.67 GPA for UG. My GPA took a hit because I suffered from (diagnosed) depression. I've read some comments on this forum that said that law schools would look poorly on histories of depression. I hope it's not actually true that law schools believe that depression indicates an inability to deal with stress. Because, counter to common belief, depression actually made me stronger. I hope that I can write an addendum that can increase my chances of admission rather than hurt them. I'm also going to be pursuing a fifth year masters in Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics, I teach SAT classes, and I'm going to apply for a Fulbright award to study in London for a year. Assuming that I can also get a 175+ LSAT (or a 180, because I aim high ), what are my chances of being admitted to HYS? What about other T14s? Any advice on other endeavors I could pursue to bolster my application?

unfortunately there are tons of outrageous "what-are-my-chances?" threads on this site, but this one takes the cake.

are you seriously asking about your chances assuming you score in the 99.9th percentile, get a master's, and a fulbright? are you seriously asking us to go down that road with you?

your chances are decent if you do all that. if not, they're worse.

hth.

Getting a Fulbright is hard enough with that GPA, and even if the stars are right a 3.67 is still really low for HYS, even with a 175. Even at Stanford, with the lowest GPA range of HYS, a 3.67 is significantly below their 3.80 25th percentile.

Take the LSAT and get a score. Until then it's all theoretical.

But to humor you, here's my opinion: If you score below a 175, or miss Fulbright, your chances aren't going to be good. Master's will have a minimal effect.

Get a 176+ (Yale's 75th) and you can hope for a WL from one of the 3.

Get a 178+ (Roughly equivalent to a 180) and you can reasonably expect WL, but don't expect a direct offer unless you have amazing softs. I'm not talking about Fulby, something like AA URM or Rhodes. HLS does not even mention Fulbright in its fun-facts page. If you want, try playing around with LSN.

What are my chances for Yale assuming I win a gold medal in the summer Olympics

Clearly wrote:What are my chances for Yale assuming I win a gold medal in the summer Olympics

Zero - Take the LSAT first

Clearly wrote:What are my chances for Yale assuming I win a gold medal in the summer Olympics

Will it be in a prestigious event?

assume I break 130 on lsats waht are my chance at admitted to pontifical catholic?

Does Yale take having 99th percentile genitals into account? Should I submit a pic along with my application?

No need to focus on Harvard, Yale & Stanford law schools; better to focus on doing well on the LSAT & targeting law schools which are likely to offer you a full tuition scholarship. Your GPA is fine for at least half of the top 14 law schools.
The only GPA taken into account by law school admissions offices & USNews is your LSDAS GPA for your first bachelor's degree.
You're putting too much unnecessary pressure on yourself by focusing on goals (H,Y & S law schools & Fulbright) which are a bit of a reach. Think about career goals & minimizing the cost of obtaining a law degree. A 3.67 is a very strong GPA & a law degree from, for example, Duke or Michigan, is likely to lead to a very lucrative future.
Also, quit focusing on the topic of depression. Look ahead & be positive. People react better to positives than they do to negatives. Just force yourself to think positively about what you have already accomplished & what great opportunities lie ahead.

CanadianWolf wrote:Also, quit focusing on the topic of depression. Look ahead & be positive. People react better to positives than they do to negatives. Just force yourself to think positively about what you have already accomplished & what great opportunities lie ahead.

EXACTLY

[youtube]d-diB65scQU[/youtube]

dnptan wrote:Getting a Fulbright is hard enough with that GPA, and even if the stars are right a 3.67 is still really low for HYS, even with a 175. Even at Stanford, with the lowest GPA range of HYS, a 3.67 is significantly below their 3.80 25th percentile.

Take the LSAT and get a score. Until then it's all theoretical.

But to humor you, here's my opinion: If you score below a 175, or miss Fulbright, your chances aren't going to be good. Master's will have a minimal effect.

Get a 176+ (Yale's 75th) and you can hope for a WL from one of the 3.

Get a 178+ (Roughly equivalent to a 180) and you can reasonably expect WL, but don't expect a direct offer unless you have amazing softs. I'm not talking about Fulby, something like AA URM or Rhodes. HLS does not even mention Fulbright in its fun-facts page. If you want, try playing around with LSN.

So you think an AA URM would be more helpful than a Fulbright? I find that hard to believe frankly

PoopNpants wrote:
So you think an AA URM would be more helpful than a Fulbright? I find that hard to believe frankly

It's really just an opinion. I used to think that Fulbright was an amazing soft, but looking at HLS' profile this year they don't even mention it. For sure a Fulbright can usually outperform their numbers, but an AA URM is practically guaranteed to - significantly. Just like a Rhodes/military service.

Perhaps since Fulby pretty much requires a great GPA, the effects aren't as obvious?

assume I cure cancer. what my chance at admission to Stamford?

dnptan wrote:Getting a Fulbright is hard enough with that GPA, and even if the stars are right a 3.67 is still really low for HYS, even with a 175. Even at Stanford, with the lowest GPA range of HYS, a 3.67 is significantly below their 3.80 25th percentile.

Take the LSAT and get a score. Until then it's all theoretical.

But to humor you, here's my opinion: If you score below a 175, or miss Fulbright, your chances aren't going to be good. Master's will have a minimal effect.

Get a 176+ (Yale's 75th) and you can hope for a WL from one of the 3.

Get a 178+ (Roughly equivalent to a 180) and you can reasonably expect WL, but don't expect a direct offer unless you have amazing softs. I'm not talking about Fulby, something like AA URM or Rhodes. HLS does not even mention Fulbright in its fun-facts page. If you want, try playing around with LSN.

A 175 would actually give OP around a 50% at Harvard. Assuming OP is otherwise a solid candidate (good softs and such), a 178+ gives OP a very, very good chance at Harvard given the current decrease in high LSATs.

Yale and Stanford are totally different beasts, as they generally require higher GPAs/other intangibles. You should not be lumping in Harvard with Stanford and Yale, as Stanford emphasizes GPA considerably more than Harvard (who emphasizes LSAT more) and Yale is just next level shit.

CanadianWolf wrote:No need to focus on Harvard, Yale & Stanford law schools; better to focus on doing well on the LSAT & targeting law schools which are likely to offer you a full tuition scholarship. Your GPA is fine for at least half of the top 14 law schools.
The only GPA taken into account by law school admissions offices & USNews is your LSDAS GPA for your first bachelor's degree.
You're putting too much unnecessary pressure on yourself by focusing on goals (H,Y & S law schools & Fulbright) which are a bit of a reach. Think about career goals & minimizing the cost of obtaining a law degree. A 3.67 is a very strong GPA & a law degree from, for example, Duke or Michigan, is likely to lead to a very lucrative future.
Also, quit focusing on the topic of depression. Look ahead & be positive. People react better to positives than they do to negatives. Just force yourself to think positively about what you have already accomplished & what great opportunities lie ahead.

Thank you! Your post was very helpful!

dnptan wrote:

PoopNpants wrote:
So you think an AA URM would be more helpful than a Fulbright? I find that hard to believe frankly

It's really just an opinion. I used to think that Fulbright was an amazing soft, but looking at HLS' profile this year they don't even mention it. For sure a Fulbright can usually outperform their numbers, but an AA URM is practically guaranteed to - significantly. Just like a Rhodes/military service.

Perhaps since Fulby pretty much requires a great GPA, the effects aren't as obvious?

Yeah I think to some extent the AA boost is substantial, but more so for splitters with High GPAs/Low LSATs. One of my good friends is an AA and he had a 3.8/162 and he did great got H and Y, going to the latter.

Yeah but it's all speculation. I fell for that 50% stuff during my first 2 cycles - don't ever bank on it. Splitters are always hard to guess. Correction though: HLS 25th is 3.75 not 3.8! So everton's predictions may be more accurate. I've become a cynic

Also LSATs may be on the rise so apply asap!

http://blueprintlsat.com/lsatblog/lsat/ ... ince-2010/

Anyway OP you have great options with that GPA and any competent LSAT. Blanket the T-14, but temper your expectations.

dnptan wrote:Anyway OP you have great options with that GPA and any competent LSAT. Blanket the T-14, but temper your expectations.

I'm aiming for HYS in the hopes of getting into any of the T-14. I'm just aiming for the top in order to see where I go.

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:

dnptan wrote:Anyway OP you have great options with that GPA and any competent LSAT. Blanket the T-14, but temper your expectations.

I'm aiming for HYS in the hopes of getting into any of the T-14. I'm just aiming for the top in order to see where I go.

Wish you the best of luck. Hope to see you at H next year

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:

dnptan wrote:Anyway OP you have great options with that GPA and any competent LSAT. Blanket the T-14, but temper your expectations.

I'm aiming for HYS in the hopes of getting into any of the T-14. I'm just aiming for the top in order to see where I go.

I find you actually offensive. Idk y.

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:

dnptan wrote:Anyway OP you have great options with that GPA and any competent LSAT. Blanket the T-14, but temper your expectations.

I'm aiming for HYS in the hopes of getting into any of the T-14. I'm just aiming for the top in order to see where I go.

I think that's a good mindset to have OP. If you get your goal (175+ LSAT) I think you'll do fine. Especially if recent LSAT trends continue (there was a huge drop in the number of 175+ LSAT scorers this year, which means schools are more willing to overlook a somewhat lower GPA to get a high LSAT). One thing to look into: you might be better off not writing a GPA addendum. It isn't as if your GPA is horrifically low or anything, and I do wonder if it might just draw more attention to it than is needed? I really am just speculating though, I have no particular knowledge in this area, just think you should look closely into the pros/cons of writing an addendum. Best of luck, hope you get the Fulbright!

RunnerRunner wrote:

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:

dnptan wrote:Anyway OP you have great options with that GPA and any competent LSAT. Blanket the T-14, but temper your expectations.

I'm aiming for HYS in the hopes of getting into any of the T-14. I'm just aiming for the top in order to see where I go.

I think that's a good mindset to have OP. If you get your goal (175+ LSAT) I think you'll do fine. Especially if recent LSAT trends continue (there was a huge drop in the number of 175+ LSAT scorers this year, which means schools are more willing to overlook a somewhat lower GPA to get a high LSAT). One thing to look into: you might be better off not writing a GPA addendum. It isn't as if your GPA is horrifically low or anything, and I do wonder if it might just draw more attention to it than is needed? I really am just speculating though, I have no particular knowledge in this area, just think you should look closely into the pros/cons of writing an addendum. Best of luck, hope you get the Fulbright!

Thanks, Prefontaine!

175+ LSAT + Your GPA is totally do-able. If you want an easier admissions boost (that's not a Fulbright, etc.), get some work experience.

http://www.mylsn.info

Now go study.