2.7/160 URM, good public interest resume Forum

[m6maing]

My numbers are dismal, I know.

But soft factors are okay.

I was undergraduate student body president for a large research university. I started a NPO where I gathered volunteers to teach ukulele to needy elementary school students. I served as a volunteer at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, worked as a legislative researcher at both State and local levels of government, and am currently a graduate student in public administration.

My personal statement is below which describes my overcoming of adversity as well as my commitment to serving the Native Hawaiian people. What are my chances?

Thanks a lot!

Personal Statement:

A stubborn crown tearing through a pair of brand-new gloves at five-thirty in the morning is a bad omen. I knew this meant that by six o’clock, my jeans and chaps would be drenched in a mixture of pesticides, rotted fruit fragments, and the remnants of the last night’s rain. By then, before the sun was even up, a torn glove would be the least of my problems.
It was 2002: six months since my father died. I was fourteen years old. One day he was leading our family; the next day he was gone. A brain aneurysm took him from us instantly. My older brother was boarding at Kamehameha Schools, which left me to help my mother with my younger siblings at home on Maui. I picked pineapples 50 hours a week on summer days and washed dishes at a local diner on most evenings. I worked hard; my father taught me that.
We didn’t have it easy. In college, I discovered how many had it harder. I became spellbound by the hardships that others in the Native Hawaiian community continue to face. I heard stories about great Hawaiian leaders and activists such as George Helm, Nainoa Thompson, Haunani Kay Trask, and Queen Liliʻuokalani, who rose to do great things on their own accords. From their influence, I became increasingly active in demonstrations of Hawaiian rights, and my long-lasting passion for music evolved to performing primarily traditional Hawaiian songs.
From subsequent work experiences in public service and policy, I realized that my niche rested in my ability to condense complex ideas into fundamental points and succinctly communicate my message to the public. I honed my analytic thinking skills (Psychology) and broadened my ethical foundations (Political Science) through my studies and extra-curricular activities. Last year, my older brother and I became the first people on either side of our family to graduate from college.
Hawaiian leaders from the late 20th century spawned a movement through their zeal and steadfastness and laid down a solid foundation for future political and social engagement. Leaders can now focus on fostering intelligent and directly solution-oriented activism. I am a “radical”-at-heart, and feel at-home on the frontlines, but I recognize that upcoming generations call for this new type of activism. Analytic thinking and civil discourse will equate in importance to passionate demonstrations; change will be likely whenever these actions occur together.
By pursuing the world-renown public interest program at ________, this is the type of activism I look to one day practice. I understand the difficulties faced by modern Native Hawaiians, and by acquiring and applying a high-quality legal education, I will bring this skillset back home to strive to help them achieve justice. ________ is the ideal institution for me to obtain the skills to grow into the leader that I strive to be, and to make a positive contribution for the future of Hawaiʻi and the Native Hawaiian community—just as my father would have wanted me to.

[Fresh]

Not sure if you're looking for help on the PS, but I'm sure you can post it in that forum and some will help you out. In my opinion it could benefit from a little work.

About chances, it's going to be tough with those numbers. Where are you looking to apply? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what type of URM are you? I'm not sure that native Hawaiins get a boost (I'm not sure, and I'm not sure if you are one).

[bk1]

Man that's a rough drop from the 170/3.4 in your profile.

[TheStrand]

Second what Fresh said, I would repost your personal statement and get critiques on it. I think you could probably get URM status as a Native Hawaiian (a quick google search indicates that if you are on the registry it's considered along the same lines as being Native American or certain Native Alaskans). However, I think that might depend school to school so I would perhaps call and clarify so that there's not an issue with them not considering it, seeing that you checked URM and then reading your personal statement and thinking you were being deceptive.

As for chances, what schools were you thinking of? Any possibility of retaking lsat? The softs will not help really (sorry)

[ODBCP]

I agree with Fresh, the PS could benefit from some work. I like the mindset, and it seems like you have good material to draw from, but it needs clarification as to your goals/desire to obtain a JD. It's not clear why you need to be a lawyer in addition to your grad degree in public admin in order to accomplish your goals.

Having a 2.7 is going to be rough no matter what, but especially with that LSAT. Judging by your statement, it seems like you want to either stay in Hawaii (presumably to go to U of Hawaii) or go to school on the mainland and return later. I would advise the former. I doubt that you will be able to gain acceptance to a mainland school that would have better job prospects in Hawaii than U of H, and no school is going to be able to match the in-state tuition rate that you'd get.

[SupraVln180]

Man that's a rough drop from the 170/3.4 in your profile.

It's probably his roommate or something posting on his name, I feel like this happens alot.