Should I write a Why essay? Forum

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thatcandoromg

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Should I write a Why essay?

Post by thatcandoromg » Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:31 am

I have a 158 and 3.94, thinking about applying to Boston College and Emory. Apparently they are not my safe schools, but I do not know how "reach" they are. With my number, should I write a Why essay?

As for the topic, I want to write about their Study Abroad program that I really really want to involve, because my future career plan is very international and both school offer the countries that I wanna go. Also, I've studied abroad in undergrad, and had great experience out of that. Is this a good topic for Why essay?

Thanks!

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cavalier1138

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by cavalier1138 » Fri Dec 08, 2017 2:54 pm

Wow. A lot of things to unpack here...

1. You're leaving huge amounts of money (and admissions to better schools) on the table by not retaking that LSAT.
2. BC and Emory are in radically different markets. What do you want to do with your degree? Where do you want to work?
3. A "Why [X]" essay is generally used to help prevent yield protection, not the opposite.
4. Study abroad programs are fun. But you shouldn't choose a school for a study abroad program, and studying abroad has very little to do with your future international career plan (if you're referring to practicing internationally, I'm even more confused by your school choices and your general interests).

So right now, your "Why [X]" essay is the least of your concerns and won't move the needle on admissions.

thatcandoromg

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by thatcandoromg » Fri Dec 08, 2017 3:44 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:Wow. A lot of things to unpack here...

1. You're leaving huge amounts of money (and admissions to better schools) on the table by not retaking that LSAT.
2. BC and Emory are in radically different markets. What do you want to do with your degree? Where do you want to work?
3. A "Why [X]" essay is generally used to help prevent yield protection, not the opposite.
4. Study abroad programs are fun. But you shouldn't choose a school for a study abroad program, and studying abroad has very little to do with your future international career plan (if you're referring to practicing internationally, I'm even more confused by your school choices and your general interests).

So right now, your "Why [X]" essay is the least of your concerns and won't move the needle on admissions.
There is actually a study abroad program in BC, that you can get a LLM degree from the international university if you studied for another semester post-graduation. I guess it does make a difference for career..?

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cavalier1138

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by cavalier1138 » Fri Dec 08, 2017 3:51 pm

thatcandoromg wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:Wow. A lot of things to unpack here...

1. You're leaving huge amounts of money (and admissions to better schools) on the table by not retaking that LSAT.
2. BC and Emory are in radically different markets. What do you want to do with your degree? Where do you want to work?
3. A "Why [X]" essay is generally used to help prevent yield protection, not the opposite.
4. Study abroad programs are fun. But you shouldn't choose a school for a study abroad program, and studying abroad has very little to do with your future international career plan (if you're referring to practicing internationally, I'm even more confused by your school choices and your general interests).

So right now, your "Why [X]" essay is the least of your concerns and won't move the needle on admissions.
There is actually a study abroad program in BC, that you can get a LLM degree from the international university if you studied for another semester post-graduation. I guess it does make a difference for career..?
No, I guess it really doesn't. LLMs are mainly there for schools to suck another year (or in this case, semester) of tuition out of willing students.

So again, what do you want to do with your degree?

SomewhatLearnedHand

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by SomewhatLearnedHand » Fri Dec 08, 2017 3:53 pm

How many times have you taken the lsat? Unless that 158 is your absolute maxed out score, you really owe it to yourself to retake, especially with that awesome gpa. It would be a terrible mistake not to.

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thatcandoromg

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by thatcandoromg » Fri Dec 08, 2017 3:55 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:Wow. A lot of things to unpack here...

1. You're leaving huge amounts of money (and admissions to better schools) on the table by not retaking that LSAT.
2. BC and Emory are in radically different markets. What do you want to do with your degree? Where do you want to work?
3. A "Why [X]" essay is generally used to help prevent yield protection, not the opposite.
4. Study abroad programs are fun. But you shouldn't choose a school for a study abroad program, and studying abroad has very little to do with your future international career plan (if you're referring to practicing internationally, I'm even more confused by your school choices and your general interests).

So right now, your "Why [X]" essay is the least of your concerns and won't move the needle on admissions.
There is actually a study abroad program in BC, that you can get a LLM degree from the international university if you studied for another semester post-graduation. I guess it does make a difference for career..?
No, I guess it really doesn't. LLMs are mainly there for schools to suck another year (or in this case, semester) of tuition out of willing students.

So again, what do you want to do with your degree?
Apparently I want to take the Bar in either California or New York, but do not have any "specific specific" area in mind yet. Prob intl law or IP.

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cavalier1138

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by cavalier1138 » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:00 pm

thatcandoromg wrote:Apparently I want to take the Bar in either California or New York, but do not have any "specific specific" area in mind yet. Prob intl law or IP.
Ignoring the jarring "apparently" at the front of that sentence...

Why are you applying to regional schools in Boston and Georgia if you want to work in New York or California? And do you know what "international law" looks like in practice? It very rarely involves actually practicing in a foreign country.

thatcandoromg

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by thatcandoromg » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:02 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:Apparently I want to take the Bar in either California or New York, but do not have any "specific specific" area in mind yet. Prob intl law or IP.
Ignoring the jarring "apparently" at the front of that sentence...

Why are you applying to regional schools in Boston and Georgia if you want to work in New York or California? And do you know what "international law" looks like in practice? It very rarely involves actually practicing in a foreign country.
What are some un-regional law schools? Or where can I look for these information? Thanks a lot!!

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UVA2B

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by UVA2B » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:03 pm

thatcandoromg wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:Apparently I want to take the Bar in either California or New York, but do not have any "specific specific" area in mind yet. Prob intl law or IP.
Ignoring the jarring "apparently" at the front of that sentence...

Why are you applying to regional schools in Boston and Georgia if you want to work in New York or California? And do you know what "international law" looks like in practice? It very rarely involves actually practicing in a foreign country.
What are some un-regional law schools? Or where can I look for these information? Thanks a lot!!
Start with the T13, and the schools become increasingly more regional after that.

How many times have you taken the LSAT?

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SomewhatLearnedHand

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by SomewhatLearnedHand » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:04 pm

I really don't mean this to be insulting at all but it seems like you need to do a little more research about legal careers / employment and how your school choice will affect those prospects. As Cavalier mentioned, BC & Emory are considered regional schools that are not in either of the markets you are considering practicing in. Additionally, with a 3.94 you should not be settling for a 158, unless like I mentioned earlier, that is your absolute best after several takes and hard study.

thatcandoromg

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by thatcandoromg » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:07 pm

UVA2B wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:Apparently I want to take the Bar in either California or New York, but do not have any "specific specific" area in mind yet. Prob intl law or IP.
Ignoring the jarring "apparently" at the front of that sentence...

Why are you applying to regional schools in Boston and Georgia if you want to work in New York or California? And do you know what "international law" looks like in practice? It very rarely involves actually practicing in a foreign country.
What are some un-regional law schools? Or where can I look for these information? Thanks a lot!!
Start with the T13, and the schools become increasingly more regional after that.

How many times have you taken the LSAT?
I took one in June without much prepare, and cancelled.
Then I took one in Sept and got 158, but I studied A LOT over summer. I messed up with the last LR (-13). I think it was because I drank a refresher at the beginning of the test so I burned out. I rarely drank those before.
I took one on December 2nd, but not feeling good about it. Cuz I happened to only sleep for 2 hours.
Ugh...feel like the actual LSAT is so so hard.

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UVA2B

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by UVA2B » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:12 pm

thatcandoromg wrote:
UVA2B wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
thatcandoromg wrote:Apparently I want to take the Bar in either California or New York, but do not have any "specific specific" area in mind yet. Prob intl law or IP.
Ignoring the jarring "apparently" at the front of that sentence...

Why are you applying to regional schools in Boston and Georgia if you want to work in New York or California? And do you know what "international law" looks like in practice? It very rarely involves actually practicing in a foreign country.
What are some un-regional law schools? Or where can I look for these information? Thanks a lot!!
Start with the T13, and the schools become increasingly more regional after that.

How many times have you taken the LSAT?
I took one in June without much prepare, and cancelled.
Then I took one in Sept and got 158, but I studied A LOT over summer. I messed up with the last LR (-13). I think it was because I drank a refresher at the beginning of the test so I burned out. I rarely drank those before.
I took one on December 2nd, but not feeling good about it. Cuz I happened to only sleep for 2 hours.
Ugh...feel like the actual LSAT is so so hard.
The LSAT is hard. It's meant to be that way. But with proper study and preparation, most can conquer it.

In response to your question in the other thread, given this: you're not at a point where an addendum does anything for you. DO NOT write an addendum. It'll come off poorly, I promise you.

thatcandoromg

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by thatcandoromg » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:18 pm

SomewhatLearnedHand wrote:I really don't mean this to be insulting at all but it seems like you need to do a little more research about legal careers / employment and how your school choice will affect those prospects. As Cavalier mentioned, BC & Emory are considered regional schools that are not in either of the markets you are considering practicing in. Additionally, with a 3.94 you should not be settling for a 158, unless like I mentioned earlier, that is your absolute best after several takes and hard study.
Is the ranking of schools more important or the geography?

With my numbers I am afraid that I can't get into any t20 law schools in CA or NYC. But if I focus on the rankings, then BC and Emory fall in the range of my numbers. If I focus on the geography, I might get into some NY/CA schools rank in 60s. :cry: :cry:

SomewhatLearnedHand

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Re: Should I write a Why essay?

Post by SomewhatLearnedHand » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:28 pm

thatcandoromg wrote:
SomewhatLearnedHand wrote:I really don't mean this to be insulting at all but it seems like you need to do a little more research about legal careers / employment and how your school choice will affect those prospects. As Cavalier mentioned, BC & Emory are considered regional schools that are not in either of the markets you are considering practicing in. Additionally, with a 3.94 you should not be settling for a 158, unless like I mentioned earlier, that is your absolute best after several takes and hard study.
Is the ranking of schools more important or the geography?

With my numbers I am afraid that I can't get into any t20 law schools in CA or NYC. But if I focus on the rankings, then BC and Emory fall in the range of my numbers. If I focus on the geography, I might get into some NY/CA schools rank in 60s. :cry: :cry:
I think the smart move is to retake the lsat. Utilize the resources on lsat page here and study hard. If 158 is the best you can score, so be it- but given your gpa I imagine you are capable of scoring well with proper preparation.

In terms of rankings, the t13 are where you want to be ideally. Once you start dropping in the rankings, those schools serve the markets they are located in for employment purposes for the most part whereas a T13 will have a more national employment reach.

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