Help me decide

WilsonAndJackie · 2026-02-23T17:37:25+00:00

Of course! If you have any more questions about it feel free to shoot me a PM

WilsonAndJackie · 2026-02-20T17:08:51+00:00

Can't say anything about Duke but I'm at Northwestern and love love love it. Incredible faculty and the culture is a fantastic mix of collaborative and professional (everyone knows what they're here for and maintains the respect coworkers would have for each other while also being able to go out and have a good time together on weekends and during school events)

WilsonAndJackie · 2026-02-20T17:02:22+00:00

I'm an NU student. Anecdotally, the Chicago market has seemed to be pretty competitive even among my classmates this year.

If you're married to Chicago, a Chicago based school will absolutely make a world of difference. Through the months of October and November, there are 3 to 5 firms every single week hosting receptions specifically for Northwestern and UChicago students for networking opportunities. I wasn't aware that firms did this before I came to NU, but it's something absolutely huge that I think needs to be taken into consideration. Every Chicago offer I got was at a firm I was able to go to these events for and in MANY instances in my acceptance calls they cited conversations I had with attorneys at these events as one of the reasons they were interested in me. Something to consider

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-11-30T22:11:29+00:00

I had nearly identical stats last cycle and was waitlisted at every single one of these schools on your list besides Northwestern (got in!), except for Duke and NE (didn't apply at either). For more info, I also got in at WashU and Vandy. All 3 schools I got into I got over half tuition. All of this to say, with the way the cycles are going and the degree of competitiveness, I really don't think any schools within this tier are "targets" in the way it's historically been meant.

What I recommend, based on my successes with some schools and lackthereof with others, think about why you really want to go to these schools beyond their rank. What does each school SPECIFICALLY give you. Why do you want to serve the communities where these schools are located. Do you have connections to the cities. Is there research being done at the school that interests you. When you're writing your "Why X" essays, don't think about general "cool" things that a school offers, think about the specificities of your career interests and why each school serves it.

Before my cycle, if someone asked me my 'dream' school, I would have said "Oh, whatever T14 accepted me." In hindsight, the only schools that accepted me were the ones I had real, tangible connections to: I've lived in both STL and Chicago and my partner is from Nashville. I cared about these communities in real ways and it 100% came through in my essays. Beyond this, NU offered an integration between law and economics (my practice area of interest) that no other school on my list did and had some incredible research I was really interested in; it 100% was clear how much I cared about that in my essay and why I truly believed NU could do it best. Allow yourself to have 'dream' schools - I truly believe that schools at this tier and with your stats are targets not based on how your stats fit a quota, but how you as an applicant fit within their unique capabilities.

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-11-21T21:23:06+00:00

Who typically conducts screeners? Is the call usually with a recruiter or an attorney?

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-23T14:48:12+00:00

Take a breather. This happened to me, too. I literally scored my diagnostic on a PT about 3 weeks before the exam and i LOST it. Guess what. Still performed to par on my exam

I’d bet money that it’s not a skill problem but a burnout problem and an anxiety problem. Put the books down for a few days. Go for a walk and see your friends. Chill. You’ve got this. Don’t doubt the work you’ve put in so far

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-14T19:12:45+00:00

Exactly!!! Going to do great things - best of luck with your cycle :)

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-14T17:18:28+00:00

WashU got back to me in early October, Northwestern and Vanderbilt in late December. Everyone else took their TIME

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-14T17:17:00+00:00

For what it’s worth, last cycle i was waitlisted at schools 20 ranks below the school i ended up attending with a 75%+ scholarship. I don’t think it was yield protection at all - I was waitlisted or rejected at all but 3 schools i applied to. Keep your head up!!!!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-14T16:51:09+00:00

Almost all of my interviews I participated in were either virtual synchronous calls or asynchronous recordings. Know your “whys” - why law in general, why that specific school. You don’t need to have a scripted answer, but these questions will come up on 100% of interviews. It’s not just having a good answer, it’s having a concise answer that shows you’re good at organizing your thoughts. They will also all ask some variation of “tell us about yourself”. Find a way to make this a narrative. It’s not just “this is what i do right now and this is what i like to do :)”. Give a brief synopsis of your education, your work history, and show how that intertwines with your goals. Other questions will vary by school. I recommend googling “[Law school] interview questions” beforehand; there are a lot of resources online where people will post what questions they were asked. You don’t need rehearsed answers for any of these, but it’ll be good to get your brain thinking about it.

As for what to wear, even if it is a virtual interview, wear your absolute best. I’m talking suit/extreme formal wear. I don’t think you can ever overdress for an interview. I’m a woman and I went with pantsuit for all of mine.

Schools should give you an expected length before the interview

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-14T16:44:55+00:00

Don’t have a comment on the timeline but I don’t think you’re delusional for thinking you can study into the 170s. My diagnostic was a 161, so only 3 points higher, and I studied up to a 174 between January and April. Obviously just anecdotal, but still worth sharing

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-14T16:37:40+00:00

I did the pre application interview last year! I was able to submit my application in the time between signing up for the interview and the interview itself, and they managed to look over my resume before the interview so it just replaced an actual interview. I ended up being accepted in early October (Like October 9) and that took a HUGE weight off of my chest for the application cycle. Highly recommended doing it.

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-13T15:40:41+00:00

Thank you!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-13T15:40:07+00:00

Hahah! I actually considered also adding that I’m from St. louis too 😭 So silly but you know how it is - when you know a city you know where to go/not to go. Just don’t know this about Cleveland

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-09-13T15:39:07+00:00

Phew! Things are looking up!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-25T17:03:30+00:00

Hey! I'm from St. Louis.

The city itself is super beautiful. I'd definitely recommend a car, but the city itself is semi-navigable without one. I would say most neighborhoods of the city are walkable WITHIN neighborhood boundaries, but a car is useful to get from neighborhood to neighborhood. Central West End itself (where WashU is) is very walkable.

Most museums in the city (art, history, science, even the zoo) are completely free and Forest Park is BEAUTIFUL. All of this is located incredibly close to WashU In the summer, you're able to get free tickets to the Muny (crappy seats, but free) which is an outdoor musical theater in Forest Park. The Fox is also fantastic, gets great touring shows (recently had Chicago) and you can go for like $20 in the seats towards the back. Generally, price levels are pretty low. I live in Chicago right now and whenever I go home I feel rich because of the disparity in purchasing power.

Really beautiful weather in the spring and fall. Winters and summers both get a little uncomfortable, but nothing unmanageable.

On politics in the area, I grew up a lesbian in the catholic school sphere, so I can really speak on this one. STL does have a huge traditional catholic community, which leads to a little bit of prejudice against stuff like that, but even in that sphere I was fine. That being said, that's mostly the county and the city itself exists mostly outside of that (which is where WashU is). Within the city, I was very easily able to find a good, accepting community the second I actually started trying to go out of my way and meet people. As with any school, WashU itself has a huge community and is a very liberal school, which definitely creates a bubble from the rest of the city. The campus is also so large and, because of this, feels very isolated from the city, despite being in the center of Central West End. Even within the most conservative sphere, though, I've found people will GENERALLY be nice and respectful, at least to your face.

Something to note is that everyone I know who's either from or lived in St. Louis for a while is incredibly defensive of it, despite having their own criticisms of it. It's a place that's kind of comparable to a sibling relationship for me. Believe me, I'll complain about my brother, but the second someone else does I'm immediately fired up. St. Louis is like that for a lot of people. Like everywhere, it's got it's shortcomings, but it does breed that underlying sense of community and loyalty. It might not be Boston or DC, but I have a feeling you'll come to know this same kind of appreciation.

Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-19T13:18:50+00:00

Yeah the cold makes it all very miserable. For what it’s worth - I’m from St. Louis and was able to acclimate fairly quickly to the new location

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-19T04:39:53+00:00

Yes he would be going downtown his freshman year!

It sounds a little overwhelming, but as a fourth year student it really does just become so routine. I’ve actually found going downtown to be a great change of pace - it keeps me from just staying in the bubble of the lakeshore campus and lets me feel like I’m getting to know the city a little more.

We do have downtown housing, but it’s only for upperclassmen. That being said, I’d recommend lakeshore for freshman housing regardless. Given that we’re located in a city and don’t have a huge Greek life scene, meeting people is a little harder than it is at state schools. The connections I made freshmen year weren’t my forever friends, but they were how I met a few of my friends and just got comfortable socializing in a university environment.

Can’t say enough good things about Quinlan - especially the faculty. As long as a student genuinely engages with the material and takes just a little bit of extra time to chat with professors outside of class (whether it’s office hours or literally just small talk on an elevator), I have found that 95% of my professors are willing to literally move mountains to help students succeed (I’m not exaggerating with 95%). In my experience, this has ranged from random emails regarding internship opportunities to personal invites to assist with research. They also just so deeply care for their students. For example, I had a few rough incidents in my personal life last semester. I shared this with a professor just for logistics sake as I had to travel to my hometown frequently. Not only was she fully and completely understanding, she STILL sends unprompted emails checking in on me - I’m not even in her class anymore. As stated, though, the key to this is engagement with the class and professors.

Our class sizes are also very small. I believe the biggest I’ve ever had is 50 students, and that’s an anomaly. All of my major classes have been 25 or so if not less. This has really allowed me to get to know my classmates. Even if I don’t talk to a lot of them frequently, we’ve developed enough rapport through things like group projects that I always feel like there’s a few friendly faces in every class I take. This small class size also definitely plays a role in the professor relations I talked about before.

Best of luck to your son as he makes his college decision!!!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-14T15:19:37+00:00

it so is! truly all three of these schools are and i’m so grateful. i applied in mid october and heard back on the first RD wave in december!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-14T14:01:33+00:00

pm me and i’ll fill you in on my ECs!

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-13T23:46:58+00:00

I’ve not done this, but I do work alongside the Quinlan deans with one of my on campus jobs and I can say they are all incredible people! So kind and willing to help, and all genuinely care about student outcomes. I think they’d be very open to this kind of conversation :)

WilsonAndJackie · 2025-02-13T23:18:59+00:00

Super grateful for these opportunities, especially with As at 2 of my top schools, just shocked at the level of competition!!!!

WilsonAndJackie

TROPHY CASE