Program Specific Softs Forum

[aldoleopold]

Hello,

I am thinking about testing the law school waters and had a question about how relevant certain softs are to law school applications. For example, I am currently an MA student in environmental history that is interested in going into environmental law. I have an article soon to be published in a respectable academic journal and have been on the editorial staff of a prominent academic publication involved with environmental history.

Would these soft factors earn me any points if I applied to a program that seeks to attract students interested in environmental law, such as NYU, or do I stand the same chance as any other applicant with the same LSAT score and GPA?

Thank you so much for your help.

[akili]

If you have the same LSAT and gpa it will probably help a tiny bit. If you don't have the numbers it isn't going to make a difference.

[puppylaw]

It seems like they would help a little if that's what a specific school is looking for, but I'm not sure how much schools are looking for specific interests. They probably aren't much. Your experience would be a much larger boost if you use it to tie together your personal statement and resume.

[aldoleopold]

It seems like they would help a little if that's what a specific school is looking for, but I'm not sure how much schools are looking for specific interests. They probably aren't much. Your experience would be a much larger boost if you use it to tie together your personal statement and resume.

Very interesting. So, even though NYU has an environmental law fellow program that remits partial or full tuition to students who are interested in environmental law, the LSAT and GPA are going to be the primary determinants of who gets the funding?

[sarahh]

It seems like they would help a little if that's what a specific school is looking for, but I'm not sure how much schools are looking for specific interests. They probably aren't much. Your experience would be a much larger boost if you use it to tie together your personal statement and resume.

Very interesting. So, even though NYU has an environmental law fellow program that remits partial or full tuition to students who are interested in environmental law, the LSAT and GPA are going to be the primary determinants of who gets the funding?

It is not that the LSAT score and GPA are the primary determinants of who gets the funding, it is that you need a good LSAT score and GPA to get into the school and be considered. (To borrow from the LSAT, they are necessary, but not sufficient.) Having an environmental background will probably help for a program like that, but you need the numbers.

ETA: I know for at least RTK at NYU, the admissions decisions were completely separate from the scholarship decisions. First they decided who to admit, and then the admitted students were considered for the scholarship. It is probably the save for the environmental program.

[Capitol A]

It seems like they would help a little if that's what a specific school is looking for, but I'm not sure how much schools are looking for specific interests. They probably aren't much. Your experience would be a much larger boost if you use it to tie together your personal statement and resume.

Very interesting. So, even though NYU has an environmental law fellow program that remits partial or full tuition to students who are interested in environmental law, the LSAT and GPA are going to be the primary determinants of who gets the funding?

It is not that the LSAT score and GPA are the primary determinants of who gets the funding, it is that you need a good LSAT score and GPA to get into the school and be considered. (To borrow from the LSAT, they are necessary, but not sufficient.) Having an environmental background will probably help for a program like that, but you need the numbers.

+1.
I have worked in health care for 7.5yrs, and I applied to a number of schools with strong health law programs, and i tied in my interest with a good PS and strong resume. My cycle went exactly as expected for absolutely anyone with my numbers.