Are respectable softs needed for named scholarships? Forum

[thatlawschoolshit]

Obviously only the most impressive applicants get named scholarships at top schools. But aside from great LOR, personal statements and gpa/lsat, are amazing softs absolutely necessary? As a potential KJD applicant, I'm wondering if I should force myself to put together amazing extracurriculars or put 100% of my time into getting that 4.0.

[cavalier1138]

You should not "force yourself" to do any extracurricular activities in college. If it's not something you're genuinely interested in doing, don't do it. In terms of law school admissions and scholarships, achieving a 4.0 is infinitely more important than anything else you can do during undergrad.

Some named scholarships do turn on your soft factors (e.g. scholarships based on a PI focus, a specific research agenda, etc.). You should not craft your life towards those scholarships unless you're actually dedicated to the relevant area, because they often lock you into specific career options. And because living a life that is artificially structured to please some faceless adcomm is just depressing.

The rest of the major scholarships outside of HYS are based on merit, which means your GPA/LSAT are going to be the driving factors.

TLDR: Stop trying to make decisions based on something you shouldn't even be thinking about. Get good grades in undergrad because it's good to get good grades. Do things that interest you. Focus on finding out what you enjoy and hopefully having a few years after school to work/live a little before deciding if law school is the right path for you.

[Vursz]

I disagree with the TLS line that GPA is all that matters. I didn’t have a 4.0 (low 3.9s) and spent a significant amount of time during college on extracurriculars—debate teams, independent writing, and a whole bunch of other projects. I’m certain that played a role in getting named scholarships as a K-JD student, and I’d seriously caution folks against obsessing too much about a few hundredths of a GPA point.

(For what it’s worth, the K-JD folks I know from college who did nothing but study all day had better grades than I did, but tended to underperform their numbers in the admissions cycle.)

[cavalier1138]

I disagree with the TLS line that GPA is all that matters. I didn’t have a 4.0 (low 3.9s) and spent a significant amount of time during college on extracurriculars—debate teams, independent writing, and a whole bunch of other projects. I’m certain that played a role in getting named scholarships as a K-JD student, and I’d seriously caution folks against obsessing too much about a few hundredths of a GPA point.

(For what it’s worth, the K-JD folks I know from college who did nothing but study all day had better grades than I did, but tended to underperform their numbers in the admissions cycle.)

No one would ever claim that there's a difference in outcomes between a 4.0 and 3.9x for the overwhelming majority of applicants. And it's not at all shocking that your GPA combined with a high LSAT would give you great scholarship offers.

I'm certain that you spent time on extracurricular activities in college because they interested you and you enjoyed them, not because you thought "If I can grit my teeth and write a novel, Yale will surely think I'm worth admitting!"

[Bingo_Bongo]

I'm certain that you spent time on extracurricular activities in college because they interested you and you enjoyed them, not because you thought "If I can grit my teeth and write a novel, Yale will surely think I'm worth admitting!"

I think you greatly underestimate the number of students and parents whose driving force in life is to appease future faceless adcoms.