Chance me 83% with drops, LSAT: 165, applied discretionary

[danytea]

Hello everyone,

I'm posting on behalf of a friend who doesn't have an account.

Like the title said: their GPA is 83% with drops, LSAT: 165, applied discretionary.

- Not too decent ECs: participated in school peer guide programs, mental health support team, in a subcommittee for student association.

- Ok PS and LoR: one from a professor from a law course (took as elective), one from their manager at work.

- They applied discretionary for mental health issue, this was addressed after third year (submitted a letter from a physician), also got a letter from academic supervisor and mental health counsellor. My friend worried if this is enough to prove their diagnosis (the wait time for a psychologist was too long, they got medication from a physicians and felt better so did not get diagnosed by a psychologist).

Any insight would be appreciated!

Edit: I'm adding they have a lot of withdrawn courses which they are worried about (6 W in the span of 3 years)

[CandidJD]

The stats seem to be good enough for the regular category (which you're automatically considered for even if you apply discretionary for all law schools with a discretionary category). Stats really don't matter for discretionary committees. As in, it's almost a negligible factor depending on the seriousness of the grounds of applying for discretionary. I've seen people get in with a 65% (was a refugee) or with a sub 150 LSAT (a teen mother). What the committee, when they sit together, asks themselves during the evaluation is, "does this applicant have the grit to be a successful student in law school and how can they meaningfully contribute as an alumni as a competent lawyer". 

Therefore, don't view this category as a remedy for slightly less competitive stats. It's a category that exists to capture those that fell through the cracks of admissions who otherwise would be just as competitive as other law students admitted through the general category. It acknowledges that the admissions system has major flaws and it seeks out just as good candidates if not better.

Edited November 16, 2022 by CandidJD

[GoBigOrGoHome]

On 11/16/2022 at 12:11 PM, CandidJD said:

The stats seem to be good enough for the regular category (which you're automatically considered for even if you apply discretionary for all law schools with a discretionary category). Stats really don't matter for discretionary committees. As in, it's almost a negligible factor depending on the seriousness of the grounds of applying for discretionary. I've seen people get in with a 65% (was a refugee) or with a sub 150 LSAT (a teen mother). What the committee, when they sit together, asks themselves during the evaluation is, "does this applicant have the grit to be a successful student in law school and how can they meaningfully contribute as an alumni as a competent lawyer". 

Therefore, don't view this category as a remedy for slightly less competitive stats. It's a category that exists to capture those that fell through the cracks of admissions who otherwise would be just as competitive as other law students admitted through the general category. It acknowledges that the admissions system has major flaws and it seeks out just as good candidates if not better.

Can you please consider doing a more fulsome response on the main forum somewhere about this so it doesn't get buried. I have never come across a better response on the topic. 

I know that law school staff are hanging out here, and I hope that they see your response. For those that don't approach their admissions this way, I hope they consider it. 

I have met some of the other discretionary candidates where I ended up, and I know for a fact that some are already giving back to the law school community significantly. The perspectives that we bring into classrooms have also been helpful. 

I think that grades matter. We need high academic achievers in our classrooms. Right now they motivate me to be my best. We shouldn't penalize people for having something happen in their lives that derailed their educational success for a period of time and prevent them from entering law school. On the other hand, there are also others that have had barrier after barrier and their LSAT and GPA will be low, but they can also succeed with the right supports to mitigate whatever those barriers are. 

Even though a lot of people in my class are not open about their background, I really appreciate the diversity of thought that I have seen come out due to the vast array of experiences amongst my classmates. I also really appreciate being around older students and learning from them. I hope that this trend to have more diverse classrooms isn't just a trend and it becomes commonplace. Maybe a 3rd/3rd/3rd - really really smart people that test well, people who have otherwise good grades but something happened and with that removed, they would be competitive with the really really smart people, and then the rest of us that have led lives that have been complicated by something and weren't really able to be academically successful but have been successful in some other aspect of our life. 

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I appreciated the perspective.