Worst Cycle of the Year award Forum

[dresden doll]

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/finalaspects

Those rejections certainly don't look very friendly. It's hard for me to know what a 168/3.1 is supposed to expect, since all my research last fall was based on my numbers. Part of the disappointment for me is the huge disconnect between my expectations and my actual results. If my numbers were lower, being shut out of the T14 would be an easier pill to swallow.

Wait, you have a 168/3.1 and you're surprised you got shut out of the T14? I don't mean to be harsh, but - really?

[DanInALionsDen]

It's too early in my cycle to tell for sure, but it's not going swimmingly so far. Check out my lsn page (link in profile).

[erniesto]

It's too early in my cycle to tell for sure, but it's not going swimmingly so far. Check out my lsn page (link in profile).

Huge scholarships at two historically T-20 schools so far

Stroke your ego much?

[legallybound]

I'm noticing a common theme among these "worst cycles." High LSAT, low GPA, mainly applying to top schools. To get into a top school, you need good grades, LSAT, PS, Recommendations, Extracurriculars, LOR, etc. That's why they're top schools. Doesn't mean they'll be a bad lawyer, but when schools have the choice between 175+LSAT/3.3-GPA or 170LSAT/3.7GPA/Good PS/Diversity of Experience who would you honestly choose?

[Stringer Bell]

I'm noticing a common theme among these "worst cycles." High LSAT, low GPA, mainly applying to top schools. To get into a top school, you need good grades, LSAT, PS, Recommendations, Extracurriculars, LOR, etc. That's why they're top schools. Doesn't mean they'll be a bad lawyer, but when schools have the choice between 175+LSAT/3.3-GPA or 170LSAT/3.7GPA/Good PS/Diversity of Experience who would you honestly choose?

OP is 3.6, 172

[phoenix323]

I'm noticing a common theme among these "worst cycles." High LSAT, low GPA, mainly applying to top schools. To get into a top school, you need good grades, LSAT, PS, Recommendations, Extracurriculars, LOR, etc. That's why they're top schools. Doesn't mean they'll be a bad lawyer, but when schools have the choice between 175+LSAT/3.3-GPA or 170LSAT/3.7GPA/Good PS/Diversity of Experience who would you honestly choose?

OP is 3.6, 172

Which means there is something seriously wrong with the application. Grammatical errors, wrong school on the PS. Has to be something.

OP, what are your softs?

[09042014]

I would put at least one vote in for this guy:
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/encyclopediabrown

Nah, the 2.95 GPA makes a bad cycle sort of expected.

I completely disagree. Splitters have unpredictable cycles, but there should have been some more acceptances so far in that list with those numbers.

The 2.95 will explain the T14's, but he got shitcanned at George Mason, and WL'd at Cardozo. Like you say there should be some acceptances.

If I were him I'd hire a consultant next cycle.

[Ragged]

OP, I'm sure you'll get alot more acceptences. You just have to.

It seems like what we all dreaded is true. This cycle sucks.

[DanInALionsDen]

It's too early in my cycle to tell for sure, but it's not going swimmingly so far. Check out my lsn page (link in profile).

Huge scholarships at two historically T-20 schools so far

Stroke your ego much?

I wasn't talking about that part, obviously.

[dk8]

OP, I'm sure you'll get alot more acceptences. You just have to.

It seems like what we all dreaded is true. This cycle sucks.

this right here. i think he will make it off at least one of the T14 waitlists

[NayBoer]

I usually assume that under-performing numbers is due to lack of softs, poor LORs, or poor essays, assuming no criminal history. Sure it's 95% a numbers game, but softs do matter if you have almost none.

Schools aren't really number-whores so much as number-sluts. You can't totally buy them; you need the semblance of romance so they can tell themselves that they accepted you for the stuff you learned those 4 weeks helping poor people in Honduras and that student government office sophomore year, not just for your 75th GPA and median LSAT. Just a theory.

Also, you can waste ED if you overshoot. If you do a strategic ED (instead of ED for love) then be practical. And UVA ED is dramatically overrated (much like the LS).

[Aeroplane]

^^I don't think a lack of softs would cause severe and systematic underperformance of numbers like OP's. To me that signals some kind of "red flag" issue with the application, i.e. a significant negative, not just an absence of positive soft factors. Major application errors, unpleasant/offensive PS, bad LOR, academic integrity issue, internet controversy (google, facebook, etc), or something like that.

[09042014]

^^I don't think a lack of softs would cause severe and systematic underperformance of numbers like OP's. To me that signals some kind of "red flag" issue with the application, i.e. a significant negative, not just an absence of positive soft factors. Major application errors, unpleasant/offensive PS, bad LOR, academic integrity issue, internet controversy (google, facebook, etc), or something like that.

I think being boring will land you exactly where your numbers say, but the above can screw you.

[vanwinkle]

The 2.95 will explain the T14's, but he got shitcanned at George Mason, and WL'd at Cardozo. Like you say there should be some acceptances.

I don't think being WL'd at Cardozo proves much. I got into UVA and I was WL'd at Cardozo.

[Borhas]

There might be a rare breed of applicant that has no softs and no luck and that causes a ding at all the targets, while the #'s are too good for safeties and gets YPed

[legallybound]

I usually assume that under-performing numbers is due to lack of softs, poor LORs, or poor essays, assuming no criminal history. Sure it's 95% a numbers game, but softs do matter if you have almost none.

Schools aren't really number-whores so much as number-sluts. You can't totally buy them; you need the semblance of romance so they can tell themselves that they accepted you for the stuff you learned those 4 weeks helping poor people in Honduras and that student government office sophomore year, not just for your 75th GPA and median LSAT. Just a theory.

Also, you can waste ED if you overshoot. If you do a strategic ED (instead of ED for love) then be practical. And UVA ED is dramatically overrated (much like the LS).

What makes sense is if schools put you in one of three piles. Auto-Admits (above 75% LSAT & GPA and overall quality application), Auto-Reject (below 25% LSAT & GPA, nothing to account for low grades/LSAT or anything that makes you special), and the tough decisions. The tough decisions come down to the view of the "overall class." Here's where I think applying early helps. Each applicant becomes a package, their numbers and their softs/diversity. In other words, what would they bring to school? With the LSAT/GPA they are capable of completing the work, but how will they help the university. It could be URM, raising LSAT/GPA median, leadership, extracurriculars, career interests, connections to university, geographic diversity, interesting life experiences, etc. If someone fits into the certain hole in the class, they don't need another person with the same characteristics. The law school would benefit from someone with different characteristics--even if they have a lower LSAT (note: as long as it doesn't reduce the median).

OP, baring any application omissions/errors, you WILL get into a top-50 school. I wouldn't count on a T14, but you never know. PS- you've heard from maybe half of your schools, I wouldn't judge your cycle based on that.

[CardinalRules]

A 172 / 3.6 ought to have a decent shot at the lower T14 and an outstanding chance at places in the 20s and 30s. Is it possible that you made some glaring mistake in your PS or resume?

[blue5385]

A 172 / 3.6 ought to have a decent shot at the lower T14 and an outstanding chance at places in the 20s and 30s. Is it possible that you made some glaring mistake in your PS or resume?

Could a mistake on one's resume or PS, even if it's glaring, really shut down an applicant's cycle? I made a fair number of typos (at least 2-3) in my app & it hasn't seemed to affect me, although none were egregious or called my writing skills into question. Maybe there is a red flag on a part of OP's app that he/she wouldn't know about, like a LOR...

[beef wellington]

I nominate myself. Still haven't gotten in anywhere in the top 50. At this rate, I'll be playing the WL game with half the T14 and I won't know where I'm going until August. And that's being optimistic.

LSN Results

Does anyone want to try to compete with this? AKA make me feel better about my lack of success?

Oof. About that...

Count me as one more vote for a trojan LOR or something else similarly f'ed up with yr app.

[CardinalRules]

A 172 / 3.6 ought to have a decent shot at the lower T14 and an outstanding chance at places in the 20s and 30s. Is it possible that you made some glaring mistake in your PS or resume?

Could a mistake on one's resume or PS, even if it's glaring, really shut down an applicant's cycle? I made a fair number of typos (at least 2-3) in my app & it hasn't seemed to affect me, although none were egregious or called my writing skills into question. Maybe there is a red flag on a part of OP's app that he/she wouldn't know about, like a LOR...

I didn't mean a typo but something where the facts didn't match between the PS and resume, for example, or an essay for school A that included a paragraph about how much he likes school B. You make a good point about the LORs, which are always a wildcard.

[Borhas]

I nominate myself. Still haven't gotten in anywhere in the top 50. At this rate, I'll be playing the WL game with half the T14 and I won't know where I'm going until August. And that's being optimistic.

LSN Results

Does anyone want to try to compete with this? AKA make me feel better about my lack of success?

you don't happen to be a Nietzsche fan do you?

[blue5385]

A 172 / 3.6 ought to have a decent shot at the lower T14 and an outstanding chance at places in the 20s and 30s. Is it possible that you made some glaring mistake in your PS or resume?

Could a mistake on one's resume or PS, even if it's glaring, really shut down an applicant's cycle? I made a fair number of typos (at least 2-3) in my app & it hasn't seemed to affect me, although none were egregious or called my writing skills into question. Maybe there is a red flag on a part of OP's app that he/she wouldn't know about, like a LOR...

I didn't mean a typo but something where the facts didn't match between the PS and resume, for example, or an essay for school A that included a paragraph about how much he likes school B. You make a good point about the LORs, which are always a wildcard.

I see what you mean, I didn't really even think of those kinds of mistakes (when I saw the phrase "glaring mistake" I immediately started thinking about typos & how much I obsessed over mine post-submission). That could definitely hurt an applicant's credibility to the point of no return.

[rx3r]

It's got to be this guy: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/daninreallife

175/3.74 screwed around with his ED obligation to CLS and got rejected from all top schools...

Fake.

Yeah, this profile is a total flame. A couple of months ago he wrote that he was rejected from Yale before anyone else had any letters and then when people asked about it, called it a "joke." I'm pretty sure there was a Harvard acceptance before anyone else too. It was just flametastic.

[rx3r]

BTW Kaffee, still rooting for you

[09042014]

It's got to be this guy: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/daninreallife

175/3.74 screwed around with his ED obligation to CLS and got rejected from all top schools...

Fake.

Yeah, this profile is a total flame. A couple of months ago he wrote that he was rejected from Yale before anyone else had any letters and then when people asked about it, called it a "joke." I'm pretty sure there was a Harvard acceptance before anyone else too. It was just flametastic.

Look what he just posted after I wrote on his wall.