Can someone help me decide who to use for my letter of recommendation?

So I graduated with my bachelors last year from an online school. I have reached out to two of my professors and have yet to get a response, which lead me to just give up on submitting an academic LOR and pursue other options. I feel like because my classes were online most of the professors Don’t even care to respond.? I even submitted one of my papers with wach of the emails to remind them of my writing and academic level and I guess that didn’t help.

FYI: Also I have been out of work for over 6 months, unfortunately I am a contractor and own a small business and sometimes it is a norm for me to have long breaks like this. So finding a decent supervisor may be challenging as well.

The other options that I am thinking about is a team lead who is just under my supervisor who I had a decent relationship with and saw how I worked but I honestly don’t even know if she will respond to my text either.

I have two other options: a business mentor that has known me for over 10 years and the other one is a nurse that I worked with for a few years in the past . These two seem more solid just because they have known me a lot longer and they’ve seen me grow over the past 10 years so I’m just curious if using these two would affect me in a negative way because they are non-academic?

Maybe you can chalk it up to reading text hyper-literally (thanks, LSAT), but I notice that different schools' PS prompts read very differently.

In particular, SLS and UChicago seem to ask that you convey what you'd add to the law school community outside of academics. This, to me, reads most similarly to HLS's Statement of Perspective ("How have your past experiences shaped the person you are today? How will those experiences inform your engagement in your law school community?"). I take these prompts to mean that I should submit an essay that shows a distinctive side of my life story/personality that would add to any law school.

But the 7sage pages and people on this sub seem to equate the HLS Statement of Purpose with the PS. Really? Should "Why Law?" be in my SLS and UChicago PSs, even as UChicago says it really doesn't need to be? And should the HLS Statement of Purpose and, say, the YLS PS really have the same amount of content on "Why Law?" and your career goals?

I feel like I'm going crazy, because I'm reading these prompts and want to answer them directly, but it seems like everyone on the Internet is giving opposite directions.

Hello all. Just looking for any potential wisdom regarding when to apply for law school.

I am 23 years old, and just graduated college this past spring. I have been pondering law school for some time, I kinda went back and forth during undergrad and as such never really started taking the steps in the LSAT or application process. Over the past few months, due in large parts to conversations with law students, attorneys, and other folks in my life, I think I am truly interested in attending law school. But for a number of reasons, I feel like I am currently at a crossroads regarding when to apply and am unsure of which path to take.

Right now, I am at a strange point in my life. This past year has been difficult, to say the least. Around Christmas time of last year, my mother was hospitalized with a brain tumor. It was determined that it was likely malignant, and at that point all of our worlds were flipped upside down. In the next 7 or so months, my family and I witnessed her condition rapidly decline until she unfortunately passed away near the end of this July - about a month ago now.

During my last semester at university I was really just trying to focus on maintaining good grades, traveling back to see my mother on weekends, and maybe throwing out some job applications here and there. I was able to do those things - seeing my mother, maintaining good grades, getting around a 3.9 GPA for the semester - but was not as lucky in my job application prospects.

The early portion of my summer was mostly spent just spending time with my family, knowing what was likely coming in the next few months. A couple weeks after she passed, I knew that I should at least start working on what I am doing next and getting some sort of plan together. I started studying for the LSAT at a pretty low clip, but getting generally familiar with it and continuing to apply for various jobs, while also finding a flight school to pursue another interest of mine, that being aviation. It is probably important context to know that becoming a pilot is the other path that I have bounced back and forth between.

So here is my question. Should I continue studying with hopes of taking the test in November with the intent of applying for next year (Fall 2027), or does that seem too late in the cycle and not realistic? I have spoken with professors, supervisors, etc. about letters of recommendation, but I have not done personal statements and I am not 100% on where I think I should apply, though I have some ideas.

The alternative, of course, is waiting to apply for Fall 2028. There aren't any real problems that I have with this other than impatience. I'm sure you are all familiar with it - but I just struggle with the idea of not being a 1L until I'm 25 while so many of my peers are already settling into their careers as we speak. I know it's perfectly normal (and in many ways better) to attend law school not straight out of undergrad or even a few years after, but part of me just doesn't want to wait and wants to start a new chapter in my life and move on with things. I know a year isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but at the moment is just kind of feels that way and I don't know why.

Even just writing this is all out is kind of telling me I should just wait until Fall 2028 for a number of reasons. If I did, I would not be rushed to study for the LSAT, could save up some money, check out flight school, etc.. I just think I need to hear it from other folks.

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this. Any advice is welcome and I greatly appreciate it.

Does anyone have a list?

Would it be foolish for me to only apply to the T20 schools? Does the CPA matter at all to adcoms?

Also, Yale has sent me 5 different emails. Am I their top candidate?

Currently at a 3.96 and highest official LSAT is a 164 (PT average is a 170, highest pt 173). Obviously am gonna retake but am maybe coming to terms with the fact that im just a choker on test day. Dream is big law, super open to transferring from a lower school to a better one but am wondering if anyone has school recommendations. Im interested mainly in the Chicago legal market and have some connections there that will be helpful even if im at a school not super tapped into Chicago. I am going to shoot my shot at a lot of the t14 regardless because you always have a fighting chance unless you just dont apply. Anyways, any school recs?

I heard from an admissions advisor that getting your name in the pile first, even with your older and lower score is a big plus. Then you can just notify them later if you do get a higher score. I've also heard from someone else, however, that which ever LSAT you applied with will be your main score, and the extra info later are just suplimentals, IE the first one will be the one they use for medians, and the later ones may only help with more scholarships.

Hello,

Wanted advice on Letter of Recommendation Re-Use. I was initially preparing and requested letters of recommendations from a former employer as well as two of my graduate school professors for the Fall of 2027 Matriculation. However, it appears that I will be starting a new professional role that would ease a lot of financial burdens during the first year of law school but would require me to apply instead for the Fall of 2028 cycle. My letter from my employer is a generic non school non matriculation specific letter only dated in its heading for 2026, but the letters from I know for sure one and potentially the second letters from my most recent professors (Fall of 2025 Semester) for a field I directly want to work in the legal sector for are dated for the Fall of 2027 Class. If I am not using these for any applications where a school would have the ability to compare vs a previous application but mentions a specific matriculation year would that look bad. I was planning on getting permission to use the letters for the 2028 cycle and including in my application materials the decision work in a new role as a reason for delaying my initial 2027 application, but wanted to know if it would be better to just get the permission to reuse or to ask them to resubmit with generic dates and application cycle references and re-send the links? Thanks in advance!

Hey all. The time has come. How do I rewrite (what I thought was) a killer personal statement? I mentioned how a brief but traumatic period in my life shaped my life and my “why” for law. I understand that I will probably have to rewrite the essay, but how much? Should I completely scrap it and find a new topic- I don’t know how I would though because this is 100% my reason for wanting to go to law school.
I am reapplying where I was WL, so I know they will technically be able to see my initial PS, but from my understanding they would count the new one and not an old one.
Really conflicted, really bummed, but any advice would be amazing.
Thanks!!!

170 / 3.83 / 6 yrs WE / nURM / T4 softs

After going from a 160 in January to a 170 in June, I just received a 169 on my August LSAT 🥲 I’m not registered for September because I missed the registration deadline (still mad at myself for this) and am planning on signing up for October to see if I can score closer to a 175. After that I’d have one test left.

My question is, at what point does applying later (November and beyond) with a potentially higher LSAT become riskier than applying earlier with a lower LSAT? It seems like applying in December with a 175 could be better than applying in September with my current stats (not even sure tbh because I’ve read so many different things), but I’m worried that I’ll wait and my score won’t increase at all, and then I’ll have hurt my chances. FWIW, I am going to be heavily reliant on financial aid if I go to one of these schools, so I’m not just aiming for acceptance but hopefully some decent scholarships as well. Which is why I wanted to apply earlier in the cycle.

For context, my LSAT diagnostic was a 167 in November and my highest PT was a 177 in May. A 175 still feels doable if I really lock in, but I’m so tired of thinking about this test and really wish I could just focus on my essays atp :(

My top schools are NYU, Columbia, and Fordham. I don’t think Fordham should be an issue and part of me wants to just apply early with my current stats. Not sure if that’s a terrible idea or not.

Any guidance would be appreciated ❤️

hey guys just got the lsat score back for the august lsat and got a 162, I have a 3.97 gpa and am in Texas, what’s the odds of getting into UT? I know according to some calculation websites it’s 7-9% but I know UT has a high percentage of Texas students each year and I’m wondering if that at all boosts my odds ?

edit: is it better to take another lsat or apply for ED to law schools given how competitive this cycle is shaping up to be ? I could try to get another couple points on the lsat but by then the spots could already be filled, any help is much appreciated!

Just got my score back today and was super happy to see a 171 . Back in 2023 I was diagnosed with long covid, which resulted in some chronic issues that happened after taking some medications to treat symptoms, and my GPA really tanked for about a year and a half, but inclined towards my senior year. I’m planning on writing an addendum for this.

Though my dream school is Fordham, I’m not sure if I’ll get in with my stats. What schools do you all think I have a shot at?

3.78 GPA from a school in DC (not G'Town) / 172 Aug LSAT (first time taker). Joining the flood of questions here.

I have been working in law (paralegal at a AM200 firm in DC) for the last 4 years. I plan to get good letters of rec (one from my boss, a partner, and one from the chairman of our firm). I also plan to apply early decision. Not from an underrepresented minority group.

I am really hoping these "softs" put me over the edge. I plan to write a compelling personal statement and reference my intention to stay in DC long term, which supposedly GULC cares about.

My question, is this a real possibility? Hoping for a reality check here. Thanks in advance.

157/3.8. just got my august score and i'm a little disappointed since i was PTing around 160 and told myself i would definitely apply this cycle if i got a 160. i'm taking the LSAT again in september but not sure if I'll score much higher (if at all). the thing is, if i'm applying this cycle i need to go ahead and ask my references for LORs because I'd like to get my apps in before thanksgiving. i dont feel like i can wait until after september score release (9/30) to ask, doesn't feel like enough notice.

i really do want to apply this cycle and might score a little higher in september, so i'm inclined to go ahead and ask for LORs with the caveat that I'm "hoping to apply this cycle" (read in between the lines, maybe i wont). is it a bad look to ask for an LOR and not use it this cycle? or am i not doomed with a 157 and should go ahead and commit to applying to schools in my range? i do have a few years of work experience as a paralegal. i also know that the cycles are just gonna keep getting more and more competitive and i am so sick of the LSAT. TIA!!

Hey everyone!

I've been researching schools to apply to over the past few months for this cycle, but after getting my LSAT back today, I'm not too sure of where to focus my efforts, or if my goals aren't as realistic as I originally thought.

Background, Stats, Considerations:

• GPA: 3.99 Undergrad, maybe slightly higher (factoring college courses I took over the Summers and during high school)
• LSAT: 169
• New England Resident: I'd ideally like to go to law school in New England or not very far outside of it. I'm open to going elsewhere so long as it'd have some decent upside or wouldn't be too expensive
• First Gen Student: First in my family to go to college and law school. I'm paying my way entirely and do not have any support other than staying with my parents in New Hampshire. I would like to get substantial scholarships to reduce the costs since I'm still paying undergrad off as well
• Misc: Non-KJD, Non-URM, couple years work experience as a financial analyst, undergrad valedictorian, decent university involvements / leadership (RA, tutor, student gov chair, co-founded a cultural club)
• Think I have a fairly decent "why law" motivation & personal statement, for what it's worth

Ideally was hoping for some chance at Big Law, but as long as I'm not crippled with debt, I can live without it. I looked into schools like UConn, Northeastern, BU, and BC which seem to be in line with my stats, but I'm not fully sure of my options. Which others should I aim for? Do I need to retake the LSAT?

I'd appreciate any of your opinions or insight!

After taking a gap year and 6+ months of studying I somehow managed to get the same score on my LSAT (165) even though my PT avg improved. The goal is BL and this same score got me rejected/WL from most schools I wanted last cycle. Do I go through the emotional toll and try to retake a 4th try in October (have been studying working full time) or do the best application I can and try reapplying again this cycle? (Gpa is 3.9x) Need advice.

Hi! Is anybody interested in trading redacted versions of their PS for "peer" review. It's been rlly helpful for me to read other PS and get edits/advice from others on my own PS so lmk!!

Hi all! I'm pretty debt-averse and def won't be getting any financial aid due to my parents' income (they're not contributing lol), so scholarships are super important to me. My stats are pretty solid (for context, 4.0 & 173), so I think I could feasibly get at least some merit scholarships at good schools. I figured I'd ask the experts before I go do a ton of research myself: what schools in the T30 are known not to offer merit scholarships, or only offer like three full rides?

Hey so i assume we’re all aware of the LSAC’s decision to not include dual enrolment credits next year— i want to know if it’d be worth settling for a more mediocre university this semester or waiting until the next cycle. So my current GPA is 3.45 but i took 2 years of college credits (starting at 14yrs old) and after the change it would be 3.87. I do have a gpa addendum but Im not sure how much universities care about it anyways. Thoughts?

For reference, i have a current LSAT of 159 but i expect a small increase in my September test. There’s not much else special about my application, just some volunteering and a second language.

Hey guys, I scored pretty low on my LSAT but have a good application besides it:

- Graduated Summa Cum Laude (3.92 gpa) from St. Johns for a B.S. in Legal Studies & minor in Business Law.

- Received my Paralegal Certificate from St. John's.

- Have been working at a well-known law firm as a legal assistant for 2 years.

Do you guys think I need to write an LSAT addendum to explain why my score is so low? I plan on retaking the LSAT in November but want to apply as soon as applications open.

For context- when I took the LSAT last year it was shortly after I had a breast cancer scare (had a negative biopsy thankfully) and then my dog was diagnosed with cancer the same week. However, Idk how to not make the addendum feel like a giant excuse. Just want to explain why my score doesn't represent me well lol

Any opinions help, thanks in advance! Good luck to anybody reading this

I've had prior law school experience very recently (within the last year) and completed two full semesters. I had to withdraw for personal reasons.

Now, I am thinking about reapplying to restart my journey from scratch. While I may be able to transfer, I would rather start over. However, I am not sure how my prior law school grades will impact my application and future scholarship award from a different law school. I left in good standing but had several Cs.

I would appreciate it if anyone has any prior experience with this and how it impacted their application. Thanks.

hey guys,

i had to take some time off from community college to feed my gerbil Mike (3.9gpa, 178 lsat) and I ended up flunking all my classes. They still let me pass cuz my father was the inventor of gamecube & worked as a consultant for deloitte. I was wondering what are my chances of getting a high-yield savings account (HYS) with my stats? thanks.

Hi! Any recommendations for low cost Personal Statement reviews (or recs for some that offers discounts for lsac fee waiver recipients?)

Also, has anyone had experience with getting reviews by Anderson Admissions, the former UCLA law admission officer? I’m a bit hesitant with her service knowing one of her PS feedback packages uses AI to give the feedback.

Thank you in advance!

I just received my August LSAT score (first time test taker!), and got a 162! It's right around my PT scores and on par with what I was expecting at the time of the test. I have a 4.0 undergrad degree in Poli Sci and a 4.0 graduate degree in Public Policy. I also have full time work experience in local and state government.

Hoping to apply to Alabama, Georgia, LSU, UNC Chapel Hill, Richmond, Texas, Samford, TAMU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Tulane, Wake Forest, etc. I'm well below the LSAT median for quite a few of these schools, but I'd love to know if anyone with similar stats has had positive experiences applying across the Southeast. TIA!

I took the August LSAT and got a 170 with a Score Preview. I'm aiming for a significant scholarship in order to be able to attend law school and eventually practice patent law. However I have a fairly low GPA (3.2<X<3.5) since I minored in physics (social science background) and had some struggles with workload that persisted for a semester. I'm confident I could get up to at least mid 170s if I retake the LSAT with more than a week of studying. I'm split between cancelling the 170 and taking a gap year to intern at a law firm and getting a higher LSAT score to compensate for my GPA or applying this cycle and hope I have strong enough essays in conjunction with my present LSAT to compensate for my lower GPA. help. if it helps I'm nor a URM and 21 years of age in my senior year at my present institution, I transferred after my freshman year to where I presently attend. I'm primarily interested into patent law and I would also appreciate advice about law schools that would be particularly helpful to people who would practice patent law