What are "Strong Softs"?
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:00 am
Assuming you are coming straight from UG, and have no work experience, what are "strong softs"?
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I wouldn't call URM status a soft. It's its own thing. Also, plenty of URM get into schools with both numbers below the 25th percentile. URMs are highly unpredictable.pichu wrote:It seems like the consensus is that GREAT softs (i.e. what gets people in under both GPA and LSAT 25th percentiles) are quite rare. They include:
-Being famous
-Being the son/daughter of a famous person, Senator, Governor, President, or Vice President
-Being the son/daughter of a wealthy alumnus who has donated tons of money to the school
-Being an Olympic athlete
-Being a well-known NCAA athlete (Tim Tebow, et al)
-Starting a successful business (successful to the point where you don't really need law school)
-Student body president of a big university (I'm actually not sure about this one. Can anyone confirm about student government positions?)
Good softs are (i.e. things that will help get you in if you are between the 25th percentile and median of GPA and/or LSAT)
-Being an unknown NCAA athlete
-Peace corps
-Teach for America
-Military service
-PhD
-Student body president of your university
Regular softs:
-Law firm experience
-Regular work experience
-Clubs and Greek organizations
Being a URM counts as a soft. URMs will generally need a GPA above the 25th percentile, but can have an LSAT score lower than the 25th percentile.
Actually the whole categorization is pointless.pichu wrote:It seems like the consensus is that GREAT softs (i.e. what gets people in under both GPA and LSAT 25th percentiles) are quite rare. They include:
-Being famous
-Being the son/daughter of a famous person, Senator, Governor, President, or Vice President
-Being the son/daughter of a wealthy alumnus who has donated tons of money to the school
-Being an Olympic athlete
-Being a well-known NCAA athlete (Tim Tebow, et al)
-Starting a successful business (successful to the point where you don't really need law school)
-Student body president of a big university (I'm actually not sure about this one. Can anyone confirm about student government positions?)
Good softs are (i.e. things that will help get you in if you are between the 25th percentile and median of GPA and/or LSAT)
-Being an unknown NCAA athlete
-Peace corps
-Teach for America
-Military service
-PhD
-Student body president of your university
Regular softs:
-Law firm experience
-Regular work experience
-Clubs and Greek organizations
Being a URM counts as a soft. URMs will generally need a GPA above the 25th percentile, but can have an LSAT score lower than the 25th percentile.
pichu wrote:It seems like the consensus is that GREAT softs (i.e. what gets people in under both GPA and LSAT 25th percentiles) are quite rare. They include:
-Being famous
-Being the son/daughter of a famous person, Senator, Governor, President, or Vice President
-Being the son/daughter of a wealthy alumnus who has donated tons of money to the school
-Being an Olympic athlete
-Being a well-known NCAA athlete (Tim Tebow, et al)
-Starting a successful business (successful to the point where you don't really need law school)
-Student body president of a big university (I'm actually not sure about this one. Can anyone confirm about student government positions?)
Good softs are (i.e. things that will help get you in if you are between the 25th percentile and median of GPA and/or LSAT)
-Being an unknown NCAA athlete
-Peace corps
-Teach for America ---- Ehhhh. Everyone and their mother has done Teach for America... Wouldn't exactly count that as a "good soft"
-Military service
-PhD
-Student body president of your university
Regular softs:
-Law firm experience
-Regular work experience
-Clubs and Greek organizations![]()
Being a URM counts as a soft. URMs will generally need a GPA above the 25th percentile, but can have an LSAT score lower than the 25th percentile.
If you're a 166, it's not going to get you into Cornell.moopness wrote:Tainted praise, you are out of your damn mind. Teach for America isn't a "good soft"? lulz
Yeah, my cycle turned out the exact way my numbers dictated it should despite doing TFA. I think this is probably true for most TFA alums.FeelTheHeat wrote:If you're a 166, it's not going to get you into Cornell.moopness wrote:Tainted praise, you are out of your damn mind. Teach for America isn't a "good soft"? lulz
The 3.0 doesn't help either. This doesn't mean it's not a good soft. Few good (not great) softs will get you into a school that your numbers wont.FeelTheHeat wrote:If you're a 166, it's not going to get you into Cornell.moopness wrote:Tainted praise, you are out of your damn mind. Teach for America isn't a "good soft"? lulz
Yea, because it's a good soft. There are plenty of anecdotes around here that JR LOVES TFA. Because. It's. A. Good. Soft.terrybhs06 wrote:For HYSCCN, at least, TFA is pretty regular and so is student body president.. There are literally dozens of TFA alums in the HLS incoming class.
The problem here is one of definition. By "good" soft we mean one that would you get you in a place your numbers are a bit below. Great soft is the type of stuff that gets someone into HYS with a 3.5/160 combo. Whats the point of a soft being defined as good if it gives no noticeable boost?moopness wrote:This doesn't mean it's not a good soft. Few good (not great) softs will get you into a school that your numbers wont.FeelTheHeat wrote:If you're a 166, it's not going to get you into Cornell.moopness wrote:Tainted praise, you are out of your damn mind. Teach for America isn't a "good soft"? lulzYea, because it's a good soft. There are plenty of anecdotes around here that JR LOVES TFA. Because. It's. A. Good. Soft.terrybhs06 wrote:For HYSCCN, at least, TFA is pretty regular and so is student body president.. There are literally dozens of TFA alums in the HLS incoming class.
I was going off the list above. And I generally agree with it (except the student body president thing, that's definitely not a "great soft").terrybhs06 wrote:The problem here is one of definition. By "good" soft we mean one that would you get you in a place your numbers are a bit below. Great soft is the type of stuff that gets someone into HYS with a 3.5/160 combo. Whats the point of a soft being defined as good if it gives no noticeable boost?moopness wrote:This doesn't mean it's not a good soft. Few good (not great) softs will get you into a school that your numbers wont.FeelTheHeat wrote:If you're a 166, it's not going to get you into Cornell.moopness wrote:Tainted praise, you are out of your damn mind. Teach for America isn't a "good soft"? lulzYea, because it's a good soft. There are plenty of anecdotes around here that JR LOVES TFA. Because. It's. A. Good. Soft.terrybhs06 wrote:For HYSCCN, at least, TFA is pretty regular and so is student body president.. There are literally dozens of TFA alums in the HLS incoming class.
You know what? I'll agree with this. I'm a bit surprised with the Marshall scholar though, thought it was much more prestigious.terrybhs06 wrote:Well I will put it this way. All this based on my experience last cycle and friends from the cycle before. I only applied most of the T-14+Vandy/Texas so this is from that perspective. All these are from people who were 4 years or less out of undergrad:
Great Soft: (Can get you in with numbers not extremely close)
Co-Founder/Board member on a successful system of charter schools focused on impoverished students
MAJOR experience in the public policy arena from a very young age
Rhodes Scholar with really good research
Good Soft: (Can get you a bump but you at least have to be somewhat in the realm)
Marshall scholar (not sure about this one.. may be a tweener between good/great)
Military experience
Tons of leadership credentials in a mid-sized city
Public policy experience on immigrants rights (as an immigrant them self)
Avg Soft: (great to have if borderline)
TFA
Finance/Consulting/Big name work experience
School leadership
Etc.
lolmoopness wrote:The 3.0 doesn't help either. This doesn't mean it's not a good soft. Few good (not great) softs will get you into a school that your numbers wont.FeelTheHeat wrote:If you're a 166, it's not going to get you into Cornell.moopness wrote:Tainted praise, you are out of your damn mind. Teach for America isn't a "good soft"? lulz