Rejected with 170 LSAT...?

[makeitmakesense]

3.4 OLSAS calculated GPA (should be 3.5 by my calculations.)
No legal work experience, 1st generation law school applicant.
I tailored my personal statement to Ottawa - it was my dream school. It fit what I want to pursue in law perfectly.
oh and first pass LSAT was 163, improved to 170 with second attempt.

Why was I rejected? Not even a waitlist. Im shocked. Is having work experience really that crucial to getting into Ottawa law school?

Edited March 14, 2023 by makeitmakesense

[Nyoom]

Potentially yield protection…?

[Chewy]

 

4 minutes ago, Nyoom said:

Potentially yield protection…?

I don't think Canadian schools practice yield protection.

OP, I am sorry to hear this. Did you have your Personal Statement proofread by others before submitting it?

[makeitmakesense]

4 minutes ago, Chewy said:

 

I don't think Canadian schools practice yield protection.

OP, I am sorry to hear this. Did you have your Personal Statement proofread by others before submitting it?

I did - I worked on it for 6 weeks, went through around 10 drafts

[Octoprophet]

Wow that is crazy! I can't believe you weren't accepted with those stats! 

Now I know I have 0 chance of getting in. 😅 

 

[LMP]

Huh, that one's a head scratcher. At the end of the day I can't say for sure what it was, but I doubt it is your lack of work experience. 

After the cycle is over you should consider reaching out and asking UO themselves.

 

As an edit, I'll add this. Are you sure your letters of recommendation were supportive? Any chance of a backstab, even a slight one?

[makeitmakesense]

Just now, LMP said:

Huh, that one's a head scratcher. At the end of the day I can't say for sure what it was, but I doubt it is your lack of work experience. 

After the cycle is over you should consider reaching out and asking UO themselves.

I reached out as soon as I got the message, thinking there was some mistake, and received a very curt "we cannot comment on the application process. try applying again next year".

[СлаваУкраїні]

I’ve heard that UOttawa places a higher emphasis on GPA and lower emphasis on the LSAT relative to other  non-Quebec Canadian law schools, so perhaps that is why. I’m really sorry to hear you got rejected from your dream school. I don’t know if you applied to other schools, but if you get accepted elsewhere I’m sure you could put in the legwork to get into what you want to do from them as well.

[makeitmakesense]

Just now, СлаваУкраїні said:

I’ve heard that UOttawa places a higher emphasis on GPA and lower emphasis on the LSAT relative to other  non-Quebec Canadian law schools, so perhaps that is why. I’m really sorry to hear you got rejected from your dream school. I don’t know if you applied to other schools, but if you get accepted elsewhere I’m sure you could put in the legwork to get into what you want to do from them as well.

Thank you for your kind words ❤️ I applied to Queens and Osgoode as well, but they concern me as being to corporate-heavy... I want to go into civil litigation in human rights/labour law, and I learn best hands-on. Ottawa is perfect. Plus it's a dream city

[utahjazz]

2 minutes ago, LMP said:

Huh, that one's a head scratcher. At the end of the day I can't say for sure what it was, but I doubt it is your lack of work experience. 

After the cycle is over you should consider reaching out and asking UO themselves.

Second this. Honestly bizarre. I would definitely reach out to them. You never know, there might have been a clerical error. My GPA was miscalculated at one school last cycle, and fortunately, a change was made, and I ended up being accepted. The error was only caught because I called about some completely unrelated thing, and the person I spoke to got to talking about my GPA. 

In the very limited amount I've read, you come across really well. I'm quite confident your personal statement was good, so I don't think that was an issue.  

Sorry to hear about your luck, but I have a feeling you're going to be just fine. 🙂 

Ah just read your next post. Disregard the reaching out to them part! Jeez, that's shitty. I know it's hard in moments like these, but stay strong and positive. 

[makeitmakesense]

8 minutes ago, LMP said:

Huh, that one's a head scratcher. At the end of the day I can't say for sure what it was, but I doubt it is your lack of work experience. 

After the cycle is over you should consider reaching out and asking UO themselves.

 

As an edit, I'll add this. Are you sure your letters of recommendation were supportive? Any chance of a backstab, even a slight one?

Re: references: It would frighten me to even begin thinking that way... I worked very closely and had a great personal relationship with my undergrad professors, I couldn't think of any reason they would have to undercut me...

[makeitmakesense]

2 minutes ago, utahjazz said:

Second this. Honestly bizarre. I would definitely reach out to them. You never know, there might have been a clerical error. My GPA was miscalculated at one school last cycle, and fortunately, a change was made, and I ended up being accepted. The error was only caught because I called about some completely unrelated thing, and the person I spoke to got to talking about my GPA. 

In the very limited amount I've read, you come across really well. I'm quite confident your personal statement was good, so I don't think that was an issue.  

Sorry to hear about your luck, but I have a feeling you're going to be just fine. 🙂 

Ah just read your next post. Disregard the reaching out to them part! Jeez, that's shitty. I know it's hard in moments like these, but stay strong and positive. 

Thank you ❤️ I did write an email as well with a similar question, and I will try to reach out and see why OLSAS miscalculated my GPA. 

Maybe this is irrelevant, but I switched programs going from y1 to y2 (y1 in program 2), and the marks in program 1 were... lets say slightly under par, as it was an arts program, and the low marks were in classes that were entirely subjective. Do you think there would be value in attempting to explain away that program 1 year 1 from my transcript?

[utahjazz]

Do you mean explain away your grades to OLSAS? I don't know much about OLSAS, but my impression is that they would be hard to budge on something like this. 

[LMP]

14 minutes ago, makeitmakesense said:

Thank you for your kind words ❤️ I applied to Queens and Osgoode as well, but they concern me as being to corporate-heavy... I want to go into civil litigation in human rights/labour law, and I learn best hands-on. Ottawa is perfect. Plus it's a dream city

Osgoode is far from corporate centered! We've got more clinics than anyone else and a large part of our class practices in exactly the areas you described. 

If you end up here you'll be very happy with the oppertunities presented to you. And if it's any consolation, you're one of the rare people who want to live in Ottawa! So if your goal is to move there, you'll get a lot of enthusiasm and little restitance.

[СлаваУкраїні]

7 minutes ago, makeitmakesense said:

Thank you for your kind words ❤️ I applied to Queens and Osgoode as well, but they concern me as being to corporate-heavy... I want to go into civil litigation in human rights/labour law, and I learn best hands-on. Ottawa is perfect. Plus it's a dream city

Best of luck with those! And don’t worry so much about their focus - law school is what you make of it, and the course selection at either will be broad enough for you to pursue what you want. With regard to your “hands-on learning” point, I’ve also heard very good things about their clinical selection, especially Osgoode (although I should emphasize I never applied to any of these schools so go to their websites for specifics and don’t take my word for it). You may be surrounded by a higher proportion of corporate gunners, but that ultimately doesn’t affect your own choices and I’m sure you’d find a group of like-minded students at any of them. Really, the only thing you’re for sure missing out on here is living in Ottawa itself as opposed to Kingston or Toronto for three years - and like @LMP said (just saw his post) you can always move there after.

[Chef Justice]

21 minutes ago, makeitmakesense said:

Thank you for your kind words ❤️ I applied to Queens and Osgoode as well, but they concern me as being to corporate-heavy... I want to go into civil litigation in human rights/labour law, and I learn best hands-on. Ottawa is perfect. Plus it's a dream city

As a Queen's student, I can also put to rest any worries that Queen's is corporate-heavy. I know many people who want to go into civil litigation, criminal law, labour law, etc. Queen's even has a journal specifically for labour and employment law. You'll be able to pursue these things at Osgoode or Queen's and will likely run into a few people with similar aspirations

[makeitmakesense]

1 hour ago, LMP said:

Osgoode is far from corporate centered! We've got more clinics than anyone else and a large part of our class practices in exactly the areas you described. 

If you end up here you'll be very happy with the oppertunities presented to you. And if it's any consolation, you're one of the rare people who want to live in Ottawa! So if your goal is to move there, you'll get a lot of enthusiasm and little restitance.

😄 I based my judgements of Osgood (and Queens) off of their website and self-promoted material, I guess I should have gotten some firsthand accounts :3 Yall have been incredibly comforting. 

And yeah... I'm well aware that I may be the only person in Ontario that loves Ottawa... Its just so relaxing and beautiful and and and XD And I'm just weird like that.

1 hour ago, СлаваУкраїні said:

Best of luck with those! And don’t worry so much about their focus - law school is what you make of it, and the course selection at either will be broad enough for you to pursue what you want. With regard to your “hands-on learning” point, I’ve also heard very good things about their clinical selection, especially Osgoode (although I should emphasize I never applied to any of these schools so go to their websites for specifics and don’t take my word for it). You may be surrounded by a higher proportion of corporate gunners, but that ultimately doesn’t affect your own choices and I’m sure you’d find a group of like-minded students at any of them. Really, the only thing you’re for sure missing out on here is living in Ottawa itself as opposed to Kingston or Toronto for three years - and like @LMP said (just saw his post) you can always move there after.

I appreciate you, thank you. I'll definitely take this to heart, and rethink how I viewed my "second" choices!

1 hour ago, Chef Justice said:

As a Queen's student, I can also put to rest any worries that Queen's is corporate-heavy. I know many people who want to go into civil litigation, criminal law, labour law, etc. Queen's even has a journal specifically for labour and employment law. You'll be able to pursue these things at Osgoode or Queen's and will likely run into a few people with similar aspirations

Thank you, this does put my mind at ease somewhat! Like I said above, I just went off of what I saw on Queen's and Osgood's websites, and how they marketed themselves.

1 hour ago, utahjazz said:

Do you mean explain away your grades to OLSAS? I don't know much about OLSAS, but my impression is that they would be hard to budge on something like this. 

I meant to explain them away to the admissions council at the schools 😛 I dont think OLSAS could/would do anything - I don't see them as anything more than a computer program that we shell out waaay too much money towards for them to just pass on our information ahah