How holistic is holistic? - Ontario Law Schools

[lawsandteas]

To those who have gotten in with a less competitive LSAT/GPA, but great overall application all things considered (LORs, extracurriculars, etc.), how holistic is, say, Osgoode, Queens, Ottawa?

I believe I have a fairly good shot at getting into a law school in Ontario, but I made the mistake of looking at other people's stats in this forum and now I'm having second thoughts lol. 

Applying as an Access applicant: LSAT in the mid 150s, cGPA 3.7, L2 3.92, amazing extracurriculars in the community with various leadership positions. Tied in my community work with why i want to pursue a legal education. Id say my PS is pretty strong. Strong LOR from Profs and non-academics. Not expecting to get in the first round, but would you say I have a shot at something? lol.

 

[Spinnaker]

If I were you, I'd register for and re-write the LSAT in January to improve your chances - it's the only thing missing from your application.

[Naj]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:20 PM, lawsandteas said:

how holistic is, say, Osgoode, Queens, Ottawa?

Not holistic enough for you to be thinking that your softs and LoRs will compensate for a mediocre LSAT score. 

[Yogurt Baron]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:20 PM, lawsandteas said:

Id say my PS is pretty strong. Strong LOR from Profs and non-academics.

Much, I think, will hinge upon the reasons for and strength of your access claim. I do know someone who had a disability that clearly and directly affected their LSAT score, and who was able to use the access claim to contextualize that. If it's a "my dog died, and I'm still pretty broken up about it, well technically it was my family's dog before I was born, but the whole thing has been a pall over the entire family" situation, maybe not.

Human nature being what it is (I'd love to see some academic research on this), I tend to think that everyone overrates their personal statement and letters of reference, especially if we're counting on those factors to put us over the top. Some of it's ego, some of it's that we can't possibly know what the competition looks like. I've been kicking around these boards as long as anyone and I have never seen anyone say, "Okay, 3.2 GPA, 155 LSAT, 30th percentile letter of recommendation, 20th percentile personal statement." People who have great stats that will get them in sometimes cop to half-assing a PS or an LOR, but I've never seen anyone who needed these things to be good who didn't think these things were good. And, law of averages, somebody's aren't good.

[cola]

You don't have to share details about your ECs, and they may very well be amazing, but I'd encourage you to read through other 'Chances' threads, or past 'Accepted'/'Waitlisted'/'Rejected' threads, and note the kinds of ECs others have applied with. Chances are you'll find that most applicants have ECs comparable to yours.

I don't say this to be discouraging. I do think you should have a more realistic and accurate picture of what the average applicant has going for them. If you find that your softs aren't amazing after all, that's fine. Lots of people get in with 'meh' resumes. Just be aware that they are almost certainly not enough to outweigh your LSAT score. It's definitely worth a rewrite to improve your chances.

[lawsandteas]

thank you for the responses! I will be taking the November LSAT. fingers crossed.

[amac6666]

On 10/11/2023 at 3:16 PM, Naj said:

Not holistic enough for you to be thinking that your softs and LoRs will compensate for a mediocre LSAT score. 

I got into Western today with a 154 and much lower GPA.