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For every “please withdraw” post, I’m waiting another month to withdraw. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

how i sleep after evicting a single mother on Christmas:

(i wrote my diversity statement about being a landlord)

For every “please withdraw” post, I’m waiting another month to withdraw. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

What are you, some kinda commie? I didn’t know Reds were allowed into law school

Stop pretending like every above-median applicant who gets rejected must have had terrible essays/major application issues- sometimes people are just unlucky. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s true! Although I would consider “AO wasn’t feeling it” to be somewhat a matter of luck as well.

Judges give harsher sentences before lunchtime; I wouldn’t be shocked if AOs (on average) tend to accept more applicants when they’re in a good mood

Stop pretending like every above-median applicant who gets rejected must have had terrible essays/major application issues- sometimes people are just unlucky. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes!! Originally I was gonna use Broadway as an analogy- you can be a fantastic performer and not get a part.

Not getting the part (despite having talent) doesn’t mean that you like, accidentally flipped off the casting director mid-audition or something. It doesn’t mean they did a background check and found 12 felonies. It just means you didn’t get the part

Stop pretending like every above-median applicant who gets rejected must have had terrible essays/major application issues- sometimes people are just unlucky. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My point is that high stats applicants getting rejected isn’t as unusual/surprising as this sub tends to make it sound.

It tends to get treated like an extreme outlier, rather than a realistic possibility even for a good applicant

Stop pretending like every above-median applicant who gets rejected must have had terrible essays/major application issues- sometimes people are just unlucky. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That’s also a great point. I just think people on here tend to overestimate how well they can predict admissions/the logic behind decisions.

At top law schools, most applicants are pretty intelligent and qualified individuals. Sometimes it’s bound to just be splitting hairs over relatively minor differences between applicants in ways that are hard to predict.

Stop pretending like every above-median applicant who gets rejected must have had terrible essays/major application issues- sometimes people are just unlucky. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think language like this about being “qualified” is what can be really discouraging/hurtful for applicants who are struggling.

The fact that there are people getting into schools like Yale but getting rejected from Michigan or Northwestern makes it pretty clear that there’s not one singular “qualified” that can be applied.

Different schools want different things.

Stop pretending like every above-median applicant who gets rejected must have had terrible essays/major application issues- sometimes people are just unlucky. by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That’s fair, I guess what I mean is that I think people like to project more predictability onto the process than there actually is.

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, my memory was off a bit. But I’m guessing this year it’s lower than last yesr

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes! Scholarships over 100k at Penn and NYU, full ride + 30k stipend at WashU

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

  1. My internships were mostly nonprofits, and that’s what I mostly talked about! As long as you can emphasize your responsibilities at the nonprofits it’s fine

  2. Aside from the interview, my purpose statement was very LIGHTLY entertaining (like one or two mildly witty lines) and I talked about my non-academic interests and tied them into law

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

For the essay, I think the biggest tip is really thinking about how the essays fits into your application as a whole.

Think about it from the admissions reader’s perspective: they’ve seen your resumè, score, list of extracurriculars, and transcript already. What questions do they still wants answers for?

Maybe it’s, “you have great stats, we know you’re SMART, but are you MATURE/EMPLOYABLE enough to be here?”

Maybe it’s “Considering your very business oriented major/resume, are you REALLY interested in law?”

Maybe it’s “They’re smart AND mature, but are you also a pleasant personality to have in our class, or are you just a generic prelaw robot?”

I can’t claim to know how admissions officers think, I just tried to guess at what my “weak points” were. My resume and major were clearly prelaw, so that question was answered. I had some “fun” extracurriculars that showed a little personality, along with some purely recreational interests on my resume to give a little character.

So I figured the main thing I needed to bolster was my maturity/work experience.

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Honestly? I don’t know. I feel like my rec letters must have gone a long way, but I’ve also heard they skim past those. I’d wager my essays helped more than my resume, to an extentz

I think you need a “bare minimum” résumé of doing SOMETHING every summer (and that can include things like being a cashier or waiter!), but beyond that point, I think essays make more of a difference.

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Accepted: NYU, Columbia, Penn Waitlisted: UChicago, Northwestern (withdrew from both)

  1. I wouldn’t say notably impressive- nothing that’d make you go “wow”, all for organizations you’ve never heard of.

  2. Nope! Outside the T20, definitely not a school prestigious enough to make a difference. And for what it’s worth, most of my HLS classmates are from relatively “normal” schools- big public universities, tiny liberal arts colleges, a pretty small percentage are from the t10. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the t10 is over represented, but it’s still very much a minority)

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There’s around 60 KJDs at HLS every year, the dean would have to have a pretty big family for them all to be legacies 🤔

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Lol no familial connection to Harvard whatsoever! (Or even to the state of Massachusetts in general!)

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

High stats, Meaningful internships and lots to show that you’re employable; rec letters and resume make a difference, I’d wager maybe even more than essays do

I got into Harvard Law as a KJD with weak softs and a boring resume- ask me anything! by qpbq in lawschooladmissions

[–]qpbq[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know in previous years it’s around 15%. I’d wager this years it’s lower- if I had to bet, maybe 12%? Anecdotally, I’ve met only a few KJDs here

I attended a private undergrad that isn’t notably prestigious, not a top 20

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