Importance of LSAT Writing?

[Jk1997]

I just read over my lsat writing and found grammatical mistakes and a few words that dont belong. Is this likely to have an effect on an otherwise competitive applicant?

[LawstudentinCanada]

14 minutes ago, Jk1997 said:

I just read over my lsat writing and found grammatical mistakes and a few words that dont belong. Is this likely to have an effect on an otherwise competitive applicant?

how did you read over your lsat writing? Do you have to pay to see it?

[Jk1997]

3 minutes ago, LawstudentinCanada said:

how did you read over your lsat writing? Do you have to pay to see it?

It available if you go to your LSAT writing status 

[Piffle]

21 minutes ago, LawstudentinCanada said:

how did you read over your lsat writing? Do you have to pay to see it?

No need to pay. At least if you did the LSAT writing remotely, you can log into your LSAC account to review it afterwards. (Not sure about in-person though.)

37 minutes ago, Jk1997 said:

I just read over my lsat writing and found grammatical mistakes and a few words that dont belong. Is this likely to have an effect on an otherwise competitive applicant?

As far as I know, Western is the only school that actually looks at it. But even then, the impression I got is that it's not a big deal. And for every other school, I'd be surprised if it had any more than a negligible impact, if any. The other parts of your application are far, far more important. 

Also, as a general comment, I'd recommend applicants not to look at the LSAT writing sample after it's done, or the PS after it's submitted. There's nothing you can do about it by that point, so if you find a mistake after the fact, you're just unnecessarily getting yourself worked up over something that's no longer within your control. 

Edited October 1, 2021 by Piffle

[Jk1997]

14 minutes ago, Piffle said:

No need to pay. At least if you did the LSAT writing remotely, you can log into your LSAC account to review it afterwards. (Not sure about in-person though.)

As far as I know, Western is the only school that actually looks at it. But even then, the impression I got is that it's not a big deal. And for every other school, I'd be surprised if it had any more than a negligible impact, if any. The other parts of your application are far, far more important. 

Also, as a general comment, I'd recommend applicants not to look at the LSAT writing sample after it's done, or the PS after it's submitted. There's nothing you can do about it by that point, so if you find a mistake after the fact, you're just unnecessarily getting yourself worked up over something that's no longer within your control. 

Western is one of my top choices thats why I'm a little concerned. Do you think it could prevent admissions for someone with a 3.7L2 and 167 Lsat?

[Piffle]

I’m afraid I can’t speak with any authority on this. Full disclosure: I was waitlisted at Western.

But what I will say is that back on the old LS.ca forum before it shut down, someone who also didn’t get into Western posted the feedback they got on the writing sample. (I.e., that person emailed Western after the admission cycle was over to ask what went wrong with their application, and Western gave them their adcomm’s comments on what they did/didn’t like about that person’s writing sample.) So they definitely look at the writing sample. They also explicitly state it on their website: https://law.uwo.ca/future_students/jd_admissions/admissions_FAQ/law_school_admission_test.html

But if I recall correctly, I don’t think it was over minor things like typos, misplaced words, or miscellaneous proofreading erros. That person’s writing sample didn’t have a strongly coherent and cogent argument to support their position. So in my opinion, as long as the big picture of your writing sample is ok, you shouldn't worry. 

Keep in mind though that your stats are qutie competitive. You're in a good position already. Again, the writing sample isn't a big deal.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Piffle

[Jk1997]

5 minutes ago, Piffle said:

I’m afraid I can’t speak with any authority on this. Full disclosure: I was waitlisted at Western.

But what I will say is that back on the old LS.ca forum before it shut down, someone who also didn’t get into Western posted the feedback they got on the writing sample. (I.e., that person emailed Western after the admission cycle was over to ask what went wrong with their application, and Western gave them their adcomm’s comments on what they did/didn’t like about that person’s writing sample.) So they definitely look at the writing sample. They also explicitly state as such on their website: https://law.uwo.ca/future_students/jd_admissions/admissions_FAQ/law_school_admission_test.html

But if I recall correctly, I don’t think it was over minor things like typos, misplaced words, or miscellaneous proofreading erros. That person’s writing sample didn’t have a strongly coherent and cogent argument to support their position. So in my opinion, as long as the big picture of your writing sample is ok, you shouldn't worry. 

Keep in mind though that your stats are qutie competitive. You're in a good position already. Again, the writing sample isn't a big deal.

Thanks so much 

[Jk1997]

39 minutes ago, Piffle said:

I’m afraid I can’t speak with any authority on this. Full disclosure: I was waitlisted at Western.

But what I will say is that back on the old LS.ca forum before it shut down, someone who also didn’t get into Western posted the feedback they got on the writing sample. (I.e., that person emailed Western after the admission cycle was over to ask what went wrong with their application, and Western gave them their adcomm’s comments on what they did/didn’t like about that person’s writing sample.) So they definitely look at the writing sample. They also explicitly state as such on their website: https://law.uwo.ca/future_students/jd_admissions/admissions_FAQ/law_school_admission_test.html

But if I recall correctly, I don’t think it was over minor things like typos, misplaced words, or miscellaneous proofreading erros. That person’s writing sample didn’t have a strongly coherent and cogent argument to support their position. So in my opinion, as long as the big picture of your writing sample is ok, you shouldn't worry. 

Keep in mind though that your stats are qutie competitive. You're in a good position already. Again, the writing sample isn't a big deal.

Sounds like even at a school like western it's more likely to something that can make the difference between two otherwise equal candidates. But otherwise may not have a large effect