3.5 / 167 shooting for NYU Forum

[bellbane12]

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[Bodhi_mind]

I'm sorry but I don't think your softs are that compelling, and it would take a significantly higher LSAT to pull NYU.

Retake 加油！

[bellbane12]

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[Bodhi_mind]

Yeah I would encourage you to retake. Don't worry about waiting another year. Edit: saw that you're in Japan. Leave Japan after this year, go to China and save money and drink baijiu!

[bellbane12]

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[Bodhi_mind]

Yeah the process is tough. My brother went through it when he was living in China. A lot of money on postage and time online...

No I just studied Chinese in college and lived there for a couple stints in Beijing. My brother is there right now. China is a lot of fun. Where are you in Japan?

[tennisking88]

So I know my numbers don't cut it, but I am interested in international law and working in the public sector, so my dream school is NYU.

I graduated with honors (by writing a thesis) as a double major from a very competitive liberal arts college, and I took lots of classes outside of my majors (which explains the GPA).

I am currently on a fellowship teaching in Japan. I had an 'unusual experience abroad' when I was little, and I'm fluent in both mandarin Chinese and Japanese. I'm not URM, I'm Asian as you would probably guess.

I have 'pretty average' community service and other activities in college, and did a summer internship at a law firm. I also have significant musical talents (if this matters at all).

I'm wondering if I have a chance at NYU or will I just land in the reject pile with these numbers.

addendum: by "pretty average", I mean I have done worthwhile stuff but no leadership positions and competitions/awards, probably about as impressive as every other applicant at this level

addendum: also I've checked LSN and it doesn't look good, but I'm just wondering if my softs plus showing them that NYU is a great fit for me would make a difference

Unfortunately I would say nothing lower than NYU's median of 172 would get you in.

[bellbane12]

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[Bodhi_mind]

Yeah I'm really unfamiliar with Japan and never had much interest because it's so unfriendly to outsiders and expensive. China is the total opposite lol. That may not be as big of an issue for you bc you're Asian, maybe even Japanese.

What are your favorite spots in China? I'm hardcore 北京人 lol I guzzle 二锅头 and talk like a pirate.

[PinkCow]

Like others have said, the highest you're looking at right now is maybe Cornell. NYU is notoriously GPA-heavy, so you're going to need to, at minimum, hit that 172. If you're at that 172, though, worst case scenario is you can fall back on Penn or Michigan.

Good luck!

[bellbane12]

Pinkcow- Thanks! If I can I hope to do better than 172 to compensate for my GPA.

Bodhi- I am actually half 美国人 and half 中国人. I know what you mean about Japan, but they're less hostile to women as long as I conform to their stereotype of docile housewife (which is a whole other pain-in-the-ass issue).
至于中国，我喜欢上海和杭州。北京我只去过一次而已所以不熟。

[Bodhi_mind]

That's cool! Yeah that's why I choose to avoid Japan, but that's just me. I mean women aren't treated great in China either, but there is more opportunity. You can't get into politics or certain fields but I feel like it's a better situation.

杭州很漂亮。我哥哥刚刚去过那儿。你是上海人马？我害怕上海女生lol...

[03121202698008]

Everything everyone else said. Also, you realize there is no such thing as international law right? What many people call that is in reality various forms of transactional work but for an overseas company. Outside of the government, there is really no public sector international law that I'm aware of.

My point, keep an open mind about what you want to do. In reality, very few 0Ls understand what their goal really is about or whether they'll enjoy it. Most people I know have changed several times what they plan to do.

[bellbane12]

Yeah I know things may change once I start law school, but I think it's important to show the schools that you *know* what you want to do, right? It seems to me like the whole process is numbers + crafting your image. So don't worry, I'll keep an open mind

Also, no I'm not a Shanghai girl lol.

[Bodhi_mind]

That sounds good, and it's good you're not from Shanghai lol. 加油！

[03121202698008]

Yeah I know things may change once I start law school, but I think it's important to show the schools that you *know* what you want to do, right? It seems to me like the whole process is numbers + crafting your image. So don't worry, I'll keep an open mind

Also, no I'm not a Shanghai girl lol.

No. Schools do not expect you to know. In fact, from what I've been told by both administrators and employers....they dislike and may even judge you unless you have exceptional reasons for knowing what you want. Employers want you to be leaning towards transactional or litigation but even then you do both over the summer. Look at it from their perspective...if you want X and they hire you to try XYZ and then X dries up...you aren't happy and so neither are they.

[bellbane12]

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[kaiser]

Nah, NYU def isn't happening with your stats. You would need to retake the LSAT to make it halfway realistic.

[03121202698008]

Wait, now I'm confused. I thought in our personal statements it's good to talk about yourself and why you want to go to law school. Especially since I'll be a few years out of school by the time I apply it's probably good to think about why I even want a law degree, right? So, you think it's better to not have a specific angle in my application and just say "I'll give whatever a shot"?

It can be a good idea to talk about why law school (although not required) and employers will ask that. However, they do not expect you to know the kind of law you want to practice ( and this can work against you).

[Bodhi_mind]

blowhard is right, you don't want to get too specific about that. You just want to paint yourself in a good light as a person and a potential law student.

Wait, now I'm confused. I thought in our personal statements it's good to talk about yourself and why you want to go to law school. Especially since I'll be a few years out of school by the time I apply it's probably good to think about why I even want a law degree, right? So, you think it's better to not have a specific angle in my application and just say "I'll give whatever a shot"?

It can be a good idea to talk about why law school (although not required) and employers will ask that. However, they do not expect you to know the kind of law you want to practice ( and this can work against you).

[bellbane12]

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[TheThriller]

Ever end up retaking?

Probably not if your bumping your own thread from 2 years ago.

[hephaestus]

And the answer is still retake.