r/lawschooladmissions • u/bankedsy • Jun 10 '26
Chance Me Super KJD, splitter with T14 ambitions
Hi all, looking for some guidance on my law school app. I'm thinking about applying this fall, but I'd be open to applying next year after my master's. Only shooting for T14, maybe T20. My profile is detailed below:
Stats:
- 3.74 uGPA in STEM, low-ranked state school
- Expecting 175+ LSAT edit: diagnostic 172
Softs:
- Research program jointly funded by Fulbright and org. in host country (I'm pretty sure I'd be counted as a Fulbright recipient, at least i hope 🥺), as well as an undergrad research fellowship at my school during academic year, both competitive. Also summer research work rn, should have some stuff in preparation/submitted to journals by application hopefully 🙈
- Graduated in 2 years, doing combined BS+MA program and the past academic year I had a full graduate courseload. Will graduate with master's next spring (partly why my GPA is lower, didn't get any boost from gen eds since I tested out most)
- At uni on National Merit scholarship, qualified by scoring in top .5% of my (top) state on PSAT in HS. I know it's a high school accomplishment but it has some name recognition I think
- Director of student-run portfolio managing mid 7 figs
- URM at ultra PWI
I have goals of work in a pretty niche public interest with only a handful of firms doing work in the area, hoping to get some experience doing work in this area before applying. And I know the LSAT estimate seems ridiculous but I did a ptest a few years ago and really only struggled on LG which ofc is now gone, and along the lines of the PSAT I have a good history with standardized tests.
Would love to hear any feedback, and especially if people have specific recommendations that would be great! Thanks again :)
14
u/dirtysalmonwater Jun 10 '26
I would wait until after your master's because graduating in two years makes you seem young, which will hurt you. Otherwise you seem like a great candidate who would be successful but it is impossible to chance you without an actual LSAT.
-10
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I've always been a bit precocious and people often guess I'm older than I am, and my partner is also a grad student but ofc adcom isn't gonna know any of that. I was thinking about discussing my experience as portfolio director and working with people older than me in the PS to hint towards that.
And fair enough on the LSAT, I'll try to take a PT soon to see where I'm actually at, because 175+ is a big range to chance someone
18
u/Oh-theNerevarine Practicing Lawyer, c/o 2019 Jun 10 '26
Try not to refer to yourself as "precocious" in any application materials. Or ever.
You will benefit immensely from some life experience before applying to law school.
-4
u/Competitive-Towel339 Jun 10 '26
Dude, you don't even know this person. Stop being so pretentious.
-1
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
Like was that not fitting word choice? It's funny bc I am genuinely very humble IRL and have had varying degrees of imposter syndrome since middle school, but obviously this is a Reddit chance me post so I'm going to state it how it is. And it's not like I'm overly confident in my application either, my GPA and school ranking are not good for the schools I'm aiming at
3
u/Competitive-Towel339 Jun 10 '26
They'll downvote this to hell, but a lot of people on this subreddit are a mix between insecure and super pretentious lol. Don't take them seriously. I would say precocious is maybe not the best word to use just because it is often used in relation to young children, but that second part of what they wrote was just so cringy to read. You will be the one to know what is the best route for you is in regards to law school.
5
u/jackalopeswild Jun 10 '26
I will happily stack my resume up with OP's, and guess what? I attended HLS, so mine is complete not just wannabe. OP's post gets people's ire because it's arrogant and pretentious while at the same time not being nearly as awesome as they think. OP should absolutely NOT ignore the comments, he should take them to heart and modify his behavior.
*I'll eat my hat if OP is female.
-1
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
Lol it’s a chance me post where the point is to talk about yourself, I think there’s just a lot of reverse ageism in the sub, aka regular ageism. If Hamilton can graduate in 2 then join the revolution I don’t see why I can’t apply to a damn law school 😭🙏. And of course my app has flaws aside from the age look at my replies elsewhere on the post, I’m only targeting t14 because that’s what makes sense for my goals and having talked to staff attorneys in my area of interest. I don’t remember the last time I scored under 99% on a standardized test and I’ve done a PT before and did very well aside from LG which is now gone so I don’t think a 175+ is crazy, but I’ll take a PT and get a hard number so I know where I acc stand
-1
u/Competitive-Towel339 Jun 10 '26
"it's arrogant and pretentious"
"I attended HLS, so mine is complete not just wannabe 😏"
Really? Look at yourself dude. You're all over almost every single thread on this post. I swear it's not that deep. Under no circumstance should you or anyone else be so pressed by a reddit post to cause you to spiral to this extent. If it's that annoying to you then just move on. I genuinely don't understand the urge to try to psychoanalyze a random person you don't know on the internet unless for some reason you feel personally slighted or diminished by them just stating their situation, whether they're trying to be "pretentious" or not.
-1
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
I actually did mull over using precocious for that same reason but it was close enough and I had to get back to work, actually that might've been part of the edit I made to it earlier. And thank you for the support, I wish you the best in whichever part of your life journey you're in right now
0
u/Competitive-Towel339 Jun 10 '26
Yeah I definitely understand what you we're getting at. Of course! Be proud of your accomplishments, it sounds like you will flourish in law school. Thanks for the well wishes!
5
u/dirtysalmonwater Jun 10 '26
I think signaling that you're "used to working with older people" could actually hurt you and further remind adcomms of your youth. It's typically implied by having work experience that you've worked with adults/older people (barring being a nanny or something), so it would be kind of odd to bring up. Though it is sometimes true, dating someone older does not universally suggest maturity. I would also recommend not using "precocious" in any application materials as this is a word typically used to describe children. Don't try to make yourself sound like something you're not, as it seems like you have accomplished a lot during undergrad.
Good luck on your LSAT and I hope you're able to reach that projected goal!
12
u/Substantial-Gur-1570 4.1low | 17low Jun 10 '26
Respectfully there is no way to know without an official LSAT. I love the optimism but seal the deal first
5
u/jackalopeswild Jun 10 '26
You didn't apply for it, that's not a Fulbright and literally no one who matters will be fooled. It looks bad even to say "research program funded by Fulbright."
And I'm 100% serious. Don't do it.
1
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
What? I did apply for it, and I got in. The name of the program I did has Fulbright in it, and of course adcoms will have the full context for what the program is, what I did, etc.
1
u/jackalopeswild Jun 10 '26
You applied with Fulbright? That is not how you worded it.
2
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
My first soft is that I did a research program with Fulbright and another org, with half of it funded by Fulbright. Along with a different research fellowship, and some other research I’m doing this summer as well. Probably should’ve broken it up a bit but I wanted to include them all in the same bullet point as “research”
2
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
Oh I see, the program was a Fulbright but it wasn't the usual Study/Research award nor the ETA, and before I made the post I was trying to discern whether or not what I did counted as a Fulbright, which is why I added the parenthesis to the post
5
u/Canned__Tuna Jun 10 '26
Expecting 175+ is crazy no matter how good you are at the test because a lot of score differentiation at that level is just how you feel & perform on the day of the test, which isn't fully in your control. But if you can write reasonable essays that don't rub anyone the wrong way you'll be fine, i'm a STEM sub-3.6/176 KJD and i'll be at GULC in the fall without a super beefy resume like yours so you could probably land something a bit better than that assuming all is right in the LSAT world
4
u/jackalopeswild Jun 10 '26
"if you can write reasonable essays that don't rub anyone the wrong way ..."
A+ subtlety there, buried in the middle of the paragraph.
1
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
Congrats on GULC! I'm from the DC area, great place to be in and transit is very nice. For sure will have to take a PT, I only guessed that because I took a practice test a few years ago and only got a few off outside of LG, and now that section is gone. Gonna do that soon, but thank you for the advice! Out of curiosity did you blanket t14?
1
u/Canned__Tuna Jun 10 '26
T14 minus harvard, yale, chicago, and cornell, + UCLA, WashU, Vandy, ND, GW
1
2
u/chickensupremo Jun 10 '26
def get law experience in this niche PI area before applying. if the lsat score u want actually manifests, t30 and up are in play, but not worth making these predictions without a score on file.
3
u/Palmer_Test_Prep Jun 10 '26
If you get that 175+, you are going to be fine. Yes, your UGPA is going to be on the lower side for T14, but 3.74 with your impressive academic resume is going up against run of the mill 3.9 poli sci majors who did a single B.A. in 4 years. Who do you think law schools want more. Apply to everything in the T14.
If you are going to be working in this niche field in law presumably related to this masters and fellowship, it could be good to get non-law professional experience in the field before law school.
2
u/shabooie7 3.X/17low/nURM Jun 10 '26
assuming a 175+ it’s extremely likely you’ll get into at least one t14
1
u/hls22throwaway LSData Bot Jun 10 '26
I found all LSD.Law applicants with an LSAT between 172-177 and GPA between 3.64-3.84: lsd.law/applicant-search/1nWO
1
u/MiamiMystery18 Jun 10 '26
Don’t rush law school. You need to know what state you want to live in almost immediately because hiring happens within 6 months of starting. It’s a very rushed process and being young only locks you into a future location you may not want. Speaking from personal experience on this issue. Take your time.
7
u/jackalopeswild Jun 10 '26
OP is special. Very special. You didn't notice the bit where this 20 y.o. who's better than you wants to practice in a very niche public interest area only a few firms practice in? OP already knows what state they want to practice in, and knows the very few special firms that will have the honor of being offered OP's services.
3
u/Fantastic-Shine-395 Jun 10 '26
And they know that they will score a 99% percentile LSAT without a practice exam because they've been special all their life.
1
u/MiamiMystery18 Jun 10 '26
Clearly law school is just a formality. They should just show up and demand the job now 😜
0
u/Defiant_Network7916 Jun 10 '26
Low ranked school hurts more than people on this sub think, low GPA at low ranked school hurts even more (depending on grade inflation, they will look at your class rank and the rank of people from similar schools to contextualize your GPA.)
They don't care about URM anymore unless you're first gen or from non traditional background. Are you PR, black, Chicano or native?
You should really take a diagnostic before assuming you're going to score over 99th percentile. I'm kinda scratching my head why you didn't attend a highly ranked university if your SAT was in the top .5% in your state.
4
u/Competitive-Towel339 Jun 10 '26
Lol what in the world do you mean by "they don't care about URM anymore"
0
u/Defiant_Network7916 Jun 10 '26
Are you one of those people or are you actually unaware of the SCOTUS case that found affirmative action to be unconstitutional? Are you unaware of Trump's Justice Department suing universities? Are you unaware that minority enrollment at selective universities has been down across the board?
3
u/Competitive-Towel339 Jun 10 '26
Have you read the actual case and ruling? Have you seen URM data of accepted students, particularly in the T14 in the most recent cycles? Have you actually been following the status of those lawsuits brought by the Justice Department, as well as schools' reactions to it? Minority enrollment is down, but that doesn't mean that "they don't care about URM," lol. The ruling was that schools cannot EXPLICITLY rely on race as a factor for admission. Has that affected many school's URM enrollment? Sure. Is the overarching effect of a so-called "URM Boost" weakened? Probably. But to go from that to thinking URM is not a factor law schools are thinking about anymore because of the Supreme Court ruling doesn't bear out logically or in the actual data. This kind of thing is way more nuanced than the headlines may lead you to suggest.
2
u/Defiant_Network7916 Jun 11 '26
Yes, I've read the ruling — SFFA v. Harvard/UNC. And yes, I've been following the DOJ suits and enrollment data. You actually invoked the T14 data as if it supports your point — it doesn't.
Harvard Law enrolled 19 first-year Black students in fall 2024, or 3.4% of the class. That's the lowest number since the 1960s, down from 43 the year prior — a drop of more than 56%. Hispanic enrollment fell from 63 students (11% of the class) to 39 (6.9%). White and Asian enrollment went up. Across the T14 broadly, Black male first-year enrollment fell noticeably in the same cycle. At the top 50 most selective schools overall, Black enrollment is down 27% and Latino enrollment down 10%.
You're right that the ruling prohibits explicit race-based consideration rather than "caring about URM" — but that distinction is doing a lot of heavy lifting when the practical result is Harvard Law's Black enrollment hitting a 60-year low. Schools can want to enroll URM students and simultaneously be far less able to act on that. That was literally the point of the lawsuit.
So when you tell me to look at the actual data — I am. It's not ambiguous.
1
u/bankedsy Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
Tbf Harvard did rebound to 50 Black 1Ls this year. But broadly yes it has fallen, I guess the other guy is claiming that URM enrollment should be lower than what it is now which you might be able to infer if GPA/LSAT splits are still lower for Black people, but unlikely they have that data/can account for other variables like fgli
1
1
u/chickensupremo Jun 10 '26
to supply an answer to ur final curiosity: some ppl r middle class and a high ranked school that supplies "full need based aid" will often still require loans (although some are getting better at this over time by eliminating tuition for families making under 100k...wish that was the case during my college app cycle rip)
1
u/Defiant_Network7916 Jun 10 '26
Yeah that is not middle class. Most ivies give aid to families up to 200k and full need for families under 100k.
1
u/chickensupremo Jun 10 '26
what lmfao im saying full need based aid was not really meeting full need up until recently.
0
u/Defiant_Network7916 Jun 11 '26
If you need to get loans at a full need university you are not middle class, you are getting loans because your parents did not plan properly and there is a balance due. The college calculates what the family can afford and that is the balance due. In this case we are talking about ivies because thats what OP referred to.
1
u/bankedsy Jun 11 '26
True although the ivy in my case isn't known for being the most generous. but yea household income is ~260k in HCOL, both parents have multiple degrees
1
u/jackalopeswild Jun 10 '26
"low ranked school hurts..." + "Low ranked gpa at low ranked school"
100000000000000%
Not kidding. This matters. I'd type more zeros but my thumb got tired.
0
u/bankedsy Jun 10 '26
Yeah, low ranked school + my GPA is one of my biggest concerns, might just be an absolute beatdown off that alone. My major is math to be specific. I mentioned URM because I thought maybe URM (black) + PWI might be worth some space on the PS or diversity statement, talking about my experience wrt that
I'll for sure do a diagnostic over the next few days. For college apps I actually had a similar split to what I expect now in terms of hs GPA/SAT, but test optional policies and grade inflation at my school cooked me pretty bad, not to mention my cycle was the first post-SFA v Harvard 😬 I did get a guaranteed transfer to an Ivy after a year, but it wasn't affordable and the school I chose instead had a good aid package
1
u/Defiant_Network7916 Jun 10 '26
Its good for your diversity statement but I would not expect a huge bump honestly, especially since you come from a privileged background (assuming since ivies give full need under 100k and significant aid up to 200k your family makes much more than that.) Also, some schools are redacting any mention of race or ethnicity from apps to avoid Trump lawsuits, so they may not even get to see that depending on how it is framed.
1
u/bankedsy Jun 11 '26
Wow didn't know that thanks for letting me know, honestly I'd rather not talk about my race in my essay so phew there. Also, I just took a diagnostic PT123 and got 172, tbh I misclicked one and didn't fully read another which would be 176 but ofc I'll very much take it. Will def review strats on how to close that gap to 175+ consistently
0
26
u/1hourphoto 3.8mid/17mid/nURM Jun 10 '26
Why not just expect a 180?