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Discretionary - Didn't get in this year but willing to try again? Request Feedback


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  • Law Student

If you are interested in UBC and need to apply through the discretionary category, I suggest that you request feedback in the summertime. 

I applied last year and didn't get in. I reached out and asked what it would take to genuinely be considered. I was told that my LSAT score needed to go up to a certain point (at minimum) and was given some suggestions of information I may want to expand upon in my discretionary statement. 

Gareth took the time to review my file, and gave me targeted advice. I would suggest reaching out and doing the same if you are going to be trying again (if you genuinely don't plan on trying again, I suggest not doing this as it will take up a lot of their time). 

I took Gareth's feedback, implemented it, and was successful this time around. 

And while this is not the UVIC thread - I want to draw your attention to UVIC's admissions recordings. I like UVIC's application process more - and I am sure that some of what they speak about will be helpful to UBC applicants as well. I am confident that it was my application that was underlying some of the comments in the Why Law and Discretionary recordings. I ended up taking some sections that I put in the UVIC application last year and put them into my UBC application this time around. Here are the webinar links for reference: 

Why Law? Let’s talk about Admission to UVic Law

JD Discretionary Category

JD Indigenous Category

Bonus: 

Amicus: Latin for Friendship – Let’s Talk Student Support

JD/JID (Indigenous law) Program

And while I do not think that I should really be one to give any meaningful advice on how to present your application, I will give information about my overall approach which is supported by the webinars. It really comes down to "Be Yourself!" 

Do not write what you think they want to hear or in a way that you think it should be written. We are often so wrong in our assumptions in what we think law school applications should be like and what they look for. Discretionary decisions are basically subjective decision making. I can tell you that my application may have made some people shake their heads and at times chuckle. Some of it may have made them ask "did they really say that?". All in all, my actual personality came through that the people who know me in everyday life (not the tone I write work e-mails) get to see. 

There are other things that matter way more than what I have written here, but because I have never sat on an admissions committee, I won't offer up any other advice and hopefully someone who has sat on a UBC admissions committee will come here one day and add better information

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