Advice/Insight regarding application/admission strategy Forum

[T Hagen]

Hello TLS community,

In order to help you, help me, here is some background information:

I intend to enroll in law school next fall (2016). I joined TLS after the June 2015 LSAT, on which I scored a 159. I have began to study for the December exam and am hoping my score will be more resemblant of my higher PT scores. I earned my BA in Economics from a small regional private University after transferring from an even smaller regional college, where I played soccer on an athletic scholarship. My transcripts show a sharp and unmistakable upward trend in grades [(from C's>/B's to A's>/B's)(Degree;LSAC gpa: 3.7; 3.3)], difficulty of courses (although I started out as pre-med), and course load (from 12 to 18 credits/semester). This was a result of my shift in focus from athletics to academics, choosing a course of study that I was passionate about and that mattered to me, as well as meeting a mentor who gave me the guidance I never received from my wonderful immigrant parents or relatives. I have been out of undergrad for two years (currently in the second year) and have completed internships at the Federal Trade Commission (for college credit) and a mortgage lending company (administrative position), although I understand that these experiences won't do much to bolster my application. I am currently working on the LSAT, writing my essays, and volunteering at two non-profits: as a tutor at a community center and answering phones at a local human rights organization. In light of the facts mentioned above, how would you advise me to approach the following topics:


Essays: I plan on submitting a diversity statement (about my parents being immigrants and me being the first in my family to graduate college), GPA Addendum (explaining how the difficulties of having to work full-time, go to school full-time, and play collegiate sports almost everyday for two years took it's toll on my grades), and of course the personal statement, for which I am indecisive about a topic. I've boiled my options down to just two (besides one directly related to tax law which I will send to just one school, UF): #1 My experiences growing up and being separated from an older (Liberian born) sister my entire life as a result of immigration inefficiencies, meeting her for the first time overseas while in college, my growing relatability to other families with the same predicament, how this motivated my decision to study law, and how those experiences will allow me to add a unique perspective to the law school class. OR: #2 An injury that halted my athletic career and lead me into an epiphanic situation where I was at home on a weekend, casted, next to my younger sister (who was born with mental retardation) and the thoughts that came to me that night: We were both disabled in that moment, the difference was that even if she wanted to, she couldn't pick up a book and read that night, whereas I could. That's exactly what I did. I picked up my anatomy text book and began studying for the next exam which was more than a month away. Born was my love for reading and analysis. I aced the exam, as well as the next 2 and final exams, and earned my first college A. Followed by meeting a mentor, and the change I made in my life thereafter. I would love to hear your opinions, suggestions, criticisms, etc.

Schools: I understand my gpa makes me a splitter for the top schools (if LSAT is high). Although I am currently busting my tail to get 170+ on the December LSAT, I understand this may not happen. I therefore plan on applying to some regional schools where my numbers and background might earn me a significant scholarship as well as some of the top schools, among them Georgetown, Northwestern, and Michigan, where I will definitely need that 170+ to have a shot. I am not a URM. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

LSAT: I have one score cancellation, a 159, and am registered for December. I know this puts me at a disadvantage at schools with rolling admission. I want to submit my apps before I get my score (November). However, for those regional schools where my numbers are both above the median, should I submit apps with the numbers as they are now (for $$ purposes)? Should I count myself out of some schools as a result of my gpa? Again, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

If you need any more information about me to help you offer suggestions, feel free to ask. If questions come to your mind that were not raised in this post, feel free to raise them. If you have advice about something not mentioned in this post, you are more than welcome to advise.

I apologize for the density of this post, I do not expect any one person to help me with all of the aforementioned matters.

Thanks, and good luck to all