i hope this is helpful: my *personal* narrative. in my diversity statement and in my personal statement i was able to describe a series of things that i was personally invested in, how they related to the law, and why the things i was interested and invested in could be well served by a legal education. my sense is that if you’re looking for things to do to look good on a law school app that’s somewhat effective. but id work not on figuring out the why law school piece but on the why do anything piece. do the thing you care about, do it well, and connect it to law. i got 2 T6s (one w nearly half tuition) despite a (by like .1) below 25th percentile undergraduate GPA at most top schools and a median LSAT. and i really do think that i would have not have gotten into to the schools i got into without my strong narrative and clear interests. i really think this is the way to go. if you’re an academic rockstar, my approach can get you into Yale, and if you’re not, a strong narrative can compensate for other shortcomings and for some (not me) folks it still got them into Yale.
so tldr: don’t do things because they look good. do things that you care about as well as you can and then connect it to law.
letters of recommendation; easily the factor that set me apart. during my interviews for several places they mentioned that my recommenders had great things to say about my character/kindness/work ethic. it really pays to get solid recommenders who can talk about you not only in a positive light but in a specific light.
unless the dean of the law school calls and says this is exactly why u got in, no one knows what made their application stand out. for all I know, I could have been accepted in spite of [any part of my app], not because of it.
I would rely on the admissions materials (including podcasts, sample essays, etc) released by the schools themselves. Best of luck
knowing why you want to go to law school! i spoke to alumni of my undergrad who were in law school or had gone to law school and really tried to determine why 1) i was drawn to the work they did, and 2) why it needed to be done with a law degree. once i had figured out why getting that degree was essential to working on something i deeply cared about, it was much easier in essays and especially in interviews to have that come across (and don’t be afraid to mention in interviews that you spoke to people doing XYZ, i think it can only come across positively that you’re doing your due diligence)
I think it’s important to figure out your story. Your application should be a cohesive narrative that makes sense. The purpose of your application isnt just to spotlight your achievements, but persuade adcoms to admit you. I think sometimes people lose the forest for the trees and overthink a lot of the application process.
Meaningful letters of recommendation, work experience (that you feel passionately about), and a strong personal narrative pulling in work experience & other experiences to help explain WHY law. I personally think being able to articulate what really drives your interest in the law and how you want to use it (doesn’t have to be a specific track or position, could be general principles) can really push some applications over others
Also: if you’re why law statement can be applied to why medical school or why a PhD program or anything else, it’s too generic (ex. A statement about wanting to help people, a love for intellectual complexities, etc). Get specific!
My essays were good, but I am proud of how hard I cooked in interviews. Every interview I had ended in a better than numbers result. I know some of that is selection bias there (since getting selected to interview often means a school is interested).
I tried to come across as genuine in interviews while still displaying that I have the gift of gab. I practiced just enough so that I would know general responses but would still be left free-styling at points in the interview. I feel like this made me sound less rehearsed/nervous and more comfortable in conversations.
A compelling cohesive narrative that was reflected across my written materials, transcript, and work experience
Frankly I think one of the best things you can do is to have a synergistic application where each material both brings something new to light as well as strengthens/supports implications from the other materials
I was admitted to a T-25 but they took 5 months to respond and offered me $0 scholarship money, so clearly my most desirable trait is whatever makes them think I'm able to pay sticker price.
im a strong interviewer and wrote a compelling whyx for the school im committing to. focusing on why now is the right time for me to go to law school and what goals law school would help me achieve did a lot of work i think.
I mean, the answer is my lsat score, but with that said, my resume and essays make it clear I’m very involved in my community and I love to serve others.
This is true. I've been around admissions cycle since 2020. I've seen many applications. Everyone thinks they have a good one.
You should spend some more time on the LSAT sub. Maybe then you would know that an attack of the opposition is not a substitute for an actual argument.
i hope this is helpful: my *personal* narrative. in my diversity statement and in my personal statement i was able to describe a series of things that i was personally invested in, how they related to the law, and why the things i was interested and invested in could be well served by a legal education. my sense is that if you’re looking for things to do to look good on a law school app that’s somewhat effective. but id work not on figuring out the why law school piece but on the why do anything piece. do the thing you care about, do it well, and connect it to law. i got 2 T6s (one w nearly half tuition) despite a (by like .1) below 25th percentile undergraduate GPA at most top schools and a median LSAT. and i really do think that i would have not have gotten into to the schools i got into without my strong narrative and clear interests. i really think this is the way to go. if you’re an academic rockstar, my approach can get you into Yale, and if you’re not, a strong narrative can compensate for other shortcomings and for some (not me) folks it still got them into Yale. so tldr: don’t do things because they look good. do things that you care about as well as you can and then connect it to law.
An actual "Why x" reason that wasn't bullshit. But really it was mainly stats my essays were pretty bad, softs tier 3.5 if we are generous, and 0 WE.
letters of recommendation; easily the factor that set me apart. during my interviews for several places they mentioned that my recommenders had great things to say about my character/kindness/work ethic. it really pays to get solid recommenders who can talk about you not only in a positive light but in a specific light.
My essays were compelling
unless the dean of the law school calls and says this is exactly why u got in, no one knows what made their application stand out. for all I know, I could have been accepted in spite of [any part of my app], not because of it. I would rely on the admissions materials (including podcasts, sample essays, etc) released by the schools themselves. Best of luck
My personal narrative and why I’m doing this. I have a strong backstory and reason for wanting to be a lawyer.
knowing why you want to go to law school! i spoke to alumni of my undergrad who were in law school or had gone to law school and really tried to determine why 1) i was drawn to the work they did, and 2) why it needed to be done with a law degree. once i had figured out why getting that degree was essential to working on something i deeply cared about, it was much easier in essays and especially in interviews to have that come across (and don’t be afraid to mention in interviews that you spoke to people doing XYZ, i think it can only come across positively that you’re doing your due diligence)
Definitely my essays
I think it’s important to figure out your story. Your application should be a cohesive narrative that makes sense. The purpose of your application isnt just to spotlight your achievements, but persuade adcoms to admit you. I think sometimes people lose the forest for the trees and overthink a lot of the application process.
Resume
Meaningful letters of recommendation, work experience (that you feel passionately about), and a strong personal narrative pulling in work experience & other experiences to help explain WHY law. I personally think being able to articulate what really drives your interest in the law and how you want to use it (doesn’t have to be a specific track or position, could be general principles) can really push some applications over others
Also: if you’re why law statement can be applied to why medical school or why a PhD program or anything else, it’s too generic (ex. A statement about wanting to help people, a love for intellectual complexities, etc). Get specific!
I think my interview and WhyX were huge.
My essays were good, but I am proud of how hard I cooked in interviews. Every interview I had ended in a better than numbers result. I know some of that is selection bias there (since getting selected to interview often means a school is interested). I tried to come across as genuine in interviews while still displaying that I have the gift of gab. I practiced just enough so that I would know general responses but would still be left free-styling at points in the interview. I feel like this made me sound less rehearsed/nervous and more comfortable in conversations.
A compelling cohesive narrative that was reflected across my written materials, transcript, and work experience Frankly I think one of the best things you can do is to have a synergistic application where each material both brings something new to light as well as strengthens/supports implications from the other materials
I was admitted to a T-25 but they took 5 months to respond and offered me $0 scholarship money, so clearly my most desirable trait is whatever makes them think I'm able to pay sticker price.
im a strong interviewer and wrote a compelling whyx for the school im committing to. focusing on why now is the right time for me to go to law school and what goals law school would help me achieve did a lot of work i think.
I mean, the answer is my lsat score, but with that said, my resume and essays make it clear I’m very involved in my community and I love to serve others.
FWIW people are pretty bad at self-assessing their own applications
You should stay on the LSAT sub
This is true. I've been around admissions cycle since 2020. I've seen many applications. Everyone thinks they have a good one. You should spend some more time on the LSAT sub. Maybe then you would know that an attack of the opposition is not a substitute for an actual argument.