Chance me (3.52 gpa, 178 lsat black latina) Forum

[gcaba]

Hello Everyone!
I am having trouble choosing where to apply ED to. My top 3 are Harvard, Georgetown, and Columbia- however I am under the 25th percentile for their GPA so I'm a splitter. I have some pretty decent softs like leadership positions, internships, and studying abroad. Do I have a chance at the T-14? Also, my GPA is partly that way to due some mental health struggles which I have now dealt with. Is it worth mentioning that in a GPA addendum or during my personal statement? Thank you!

[cavalier1138]

Why are you thinking of applying ED at all?

As a URM, your numbers put you in a good position everywhere. You should be applying broadly across the T13.

[Access]

Congrats, you're going to Yale.

[crazywafflez]

You are a strong applicant for every school. Apply to all T13 schools. Go to the one that gives you a fullride, unless you really feel the need to go to Yale (maybe worth it for certain leg up on unicorn outcomes).
Best of luck.

[gcaba]

What is a unicorn outcome? And if I can, I'd love to go to Harvard. Would it be worth applying ED there then?

[Access]

If Harvard is your first choice and you'd take it over Yale or a full scholarship from CCN then sure why not apply ED. Otherwise, ED just minimizes your options especially for scholarships and scholarship negotiations. Personally if I were you I'd see if I could get full ride from CCN over Harvard.

Unicorn outcome means like a think tank or something, a prestigious job that's extremely hard to get even at Yale, and virtually impossible elsewhere. What are you trying to get out of law school? If biglaw, then go to Columbia on scholarship. If you want to clerk and other prestigious outcomes, apply to Yale.

[gcaba]

I guess I've been under the impression that applying ED increases your chances of being accepted because it shows that school that you're committed to going. But I understand the scholarship negotiation aspect of it, so it definitely makes me rethink that. I really want to work in the international realm (in line more with diplomacy or business law). I'm not necessarily opposed to big law, but I really value work/life balance and I don't want to be 29 and working 80-100 hours per week. Any thoughts?

[nixy]

I'm pretty sure Harvard doesn't have an ED program.

And you can show your interest in a school through "why school X" essays, there's no great reason to apply ED unless it's a school that hangs a full-ride on an ED. It doesn't really make sense commit to one school without seeing all your options.

Going back to your first post, mental health issues can be tricky. There shouldn't be any stigma, yet there still can be. Personally, I think that if those struggles are really meaningful and integral to your reasons for going to law school and your goals, then it's something that could be discussed in a personal statement (e.g. you want to advocate for mental health patients because of your own experiences, or the like). Otherwise, I wouldn't bring them up in a PS. You could do a grade addendum, as a short and matter-of-fact statement explaining the grade issues, as long as you can definitively say that the issues are under control and won't recur, your grades increased as a result of treatment/resolving the problem, and those grades are more representative of your academic ability. Like if you got As, developed the MH issues and got C/Ds, then got treatment and got nothing but As again, that could be compelling. If you went from low Bs to higher Bs/low As, or your grades were inconsistent after treatment as well, it's not going to be as clear that the mental health issues were the issue versus figuring out school/improving generally, and raising it at all would probably hurt more than help.

(This isn't my personal view about how we should talk about mental health in society, just my take on how it works for law school admissions. Also I think different issues are viewed differently - depression and anxiety are pretty widespread and not so stigmatized, although have also become so widespread that you run the risk of them not being taken seriously. Conditions like bipolar or schizophrenia are more likely to raise concerns about ability to practice law. Again, not saying any of these attitudes are correct, just my take on what's out there.)

Short version: mentioning mental health is risky and probably not worth doing when you're a strong candidate anyway (if you were throwing absolute Hail Marys out there, sure, why not, but you realistically don't need to), so really only makes sense to address if it's so much part of your identity and goals/plans that you can't even give an accurate sense of yourself if you leave it out.

[gcaba]

Thanks for the advice! I know it's never 100% accurate, but what are my overall chances of getting into the T6? In additional to my stats in my original post, I'm also first gen and from a lower middle class family. Not sure if that adds a bit more context.

[Access]

Thanks for the advice! I know it's never 100% accurate, but what are my overall chances of getting into the T6? In additional to my stats in my original post, I'm also first gen and from a lower middle class family. Not sure if that adds a bit more context.

Go check out https://mylsn.info/dispresults.php but I'd be very surprised if you didn't get in to most of the T6, likely with a full scholarship at at least one of CCN (YSH don't give full).

[jb11111]

What is my chance with a 178 and 3.6, but as a White male?