I'm sure there have been a lot of threads like this, although I feel my particular situation is a bit of an outlier. I would sincerely appreciate any thoughts you have, as this is a difficult situation and I have little idea how to move forward.
So basically, I royally f***ed up sophomore year and committed an act of academic dishonesty. Though the scenario is a bit complex (as I'm sure many of them are), I won't attempt to justify it or blame "circumstances" or anything -- what I did was incredibly stupid, unfair to my peers who actually did the work (and those of you out there who do your's as well), and something that (rightfully) will be following me for the rest of my life. That said, it truly was a one time thing and won't be happening again.
The summer after this happened I had a chance to do a bit of soul-searching. I'm the first in my family to go to college, and it began to dawn on me that what I had done would essentially call into question the legitimacy of my degree whenever transcripts were required for jobs, graduate, and law school applications. As much as this sucks, I can't blame those who would second guess a candidate for having acted dishonestly. If someone is willing to lie once (and then gets caught), who's to say they weren't doing it before? The summer after the incident I spent a good deal of time (too much time) attempting to justify my actions to myself. When it occurred to me that I was acting like a ****, I transitioned to beating myself up about it (depression, anger, regret, etc.). When it occurred to me that I was digging the hole deeper, gaining weight, and letting a mistake rule my life, I resolved to learn from it and move forward. Since then, I feel I've done just about everything right. I retook the class with the same professor and got an A, my grades have gotten progressively higher, I've had some really awesome work experience, have secured some really good LORs, and have begun crafting an addendum. While I'd like to keep things somewhat vague (because I'm paranoid), here's a quick rundown of what my application is looking like (I've listed each part in order of what I'm assuming is most important):
LSAT: 172 -- is a retake worth it considering my situation? (Would be shooting for a 175+)
Education (Class of 2012, 2 years out of school):
UG: Top 3 Liberal Arts College
UG GPA: 3.6 (Cumulative), 3.8 (Major), 3.9 (Senior Year)
Study Abroad: Oxbridge
Study Abroad GPA: 3.67 (Cumulative)
Work Experience:
Top 10 Law Firm (Paralegal - 2 years)
White House (Intern)
Governor's Office (Intern)
Top 3 Law School (Project Assistant)
Well-Respected Company* (Intern)
Volunteer Experience:
Homeless Shelter
Tutor Disadvantaged Kids
Extra-Curriculars:
Varsity Sport
Glee Club
Campus Dems
and more!
"Softs":
First-Gen / Low-Income
Letter's of Rec: Complex situation here (although not a horrible one). I definitely have 3 professors/supervisors who are happy to write for me. 2 have let me read them, and while I personally think they're really supportive and awesome, I have no frame of reference to compare them to. My professor who I've retaken the class with has said s/he would be willing to write one for me (which couldn't be too bad, considering he gave me an A when I retook the course), although this would have to be submitted in place of a rec that I know is stronger. Also, I thankfully have professors/supervisors who are willing to write for me from some of the more "prestigious" places I've worked/studied (White House, Oxbridge). Given my scenario, is it worth it to take a chance on a rec that's more "prestigious" in place of one that is guaranteed* to be really strong?
Dean's Letter: I have a very good relationship with my Dean. Though s/he has said s/he usually writes "straightforward accounts of what happened", s/he has said s/he plans on writing a couple paragraphs afterward attesting to my character since the incident.
Addendum: I feel it's pretty strong. I don't spend time trying to "justify" my actions, just trying to show how I learned from the fallout they created and how this fits into the larger narrative of my life (which is spelled out in my personal statement).
Personal Statement: If I my application could be assessed on one thing only, it would be this. I know it's entirely subjective, but I really feel like if I'm good at anything it's writing (although maybe not in forums
) And that's that. Basically, anything of note I've done has happened since the incident. I've spent a bit of time researching schools, and if you aren't already completely sick of reading this incredibly long post, I would be immensely grateful if you could comment on what you think my chances would be of getting accepted to the following schools:
*indicates my top choices
FAR, FAR REACH:
Harvard*
Yale
Stanford
FAR REACH:
UChicago*
Michigan
REACH:
Northwestern*
Georgetown*
Please feel free to be as candid as you wish, as I have nothing to lose. Any advice anyone has is also welcome. (are there any success stories? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Cheers.
