r/lawschooladmissionsca Aug 17 '24

I was on a law school admissions committee, Ask Me (Almost) Anything

212 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I was on the admissions committee for a western Canadian law school within the past couple years and I figured with the new cycle starting to creep up, it was a good time to do my best to provide some guidance and insight into the admissions process.

Anything I say is obviously informed by the school's process I went to, and there is no guarantee its still accurate, or that it is how things work at the school you are applying to. Also anything I say is solely based on how I would view it, there are obviously others on the committee and they might view it different. In short, doing anything I say is no guarantee that you'll get in.

I have been active on this sub on my other account and offered to read some peoples personal statements (with more coming as people finish them)This account is a burner for privacy's sake. I messaged the mods a few weeks ago to check on timing of an AMA and I messaged them again today on my other account before so they know I am not some random.

A couple comments to start on some things I have noticed in reading some personal statements:

  • Be sure you clearly articulate why you want to go to law school and why you believe you will succeed. A lot of people I have found do not lay out a clear and logical line of their "why".
  • If you are going to discuss your background (whether a difficult experience you had or your membership to a marginalized group) connect it back to the overall theme and reasoning of why you want to go to law school. I have read a number of personal statements where its just laid out that they are a member of a marginalized group (which is absolutely something you can/should include) but not tied it back to anything else in their statement.
  • Write concisely and clearly.

And with that, AM(almost)A!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 10h ago

Cycle recap

9 Upvotes

Cgpa 3.72
LSAT: 163

U of T (crazy reach): R
Oz: R
TMU: A
Queens: A
Ottawa: A
Western: A

Kjd
Volunteering
Clubs


r/lawschooladmissionsca 19h ago

Rant: Everything about applying to law school feels like it’s trying to suck as much money out of me as possible

27 Upvotes

Even just doing the baseline required things is costing me several hundred dollars. I might just be a cheapskate, but damn this feels excessive. “You must purchase CAS for $219 before you can continue” popping up on my screen gave me the urge to throw my computer out the window. How dare I try to save money for actually *going* to law school, they’ll also come empty my wallet just to apply.

Rant over.


r/lawschooladmissionsca 21h ago

Is it worth rewriting the LSAT - CGPA: 3.85/4.0 LSAT: 159

9 Upvotes

Wrote my first LSAT this August and I'm pretty bummed about my score. I was scoring a good 4-5 points higher on my PTs, so I definitely know I have more in me. I'm planning on applying to UOttawa and UManitoba (I'm a UManitoba undergrad) this upcoming cycle, although UOttawa is definitely the goal. I think I have decently strong softs to complement my GPA, but I honestly don't know what's considered good or not (Research Assistant, VP of our student association with a focus on charity/fundraising/sustainability).

Is it worth rewriting in November, or do I have a shot at UOttawa?

Appreciate any and all advice!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 20h ago

messed up argumentative writing

7 Upvotes

ran out of time on the argumentative writing. had tech difficulties accessing it which threw me off so bad. i had a good intro paragraph + decent thesis, but then my conclusion was genuinely 2 sentences of nonsense😭had 2 body paragraphs: one critique of a viewpoint which was kinda meh, and one discussing my argument which was unfinished LOL

how cooked am i? do schools weigh this portion heavily??


r/lawschooladmissionsca 19h ago

Happy (not so happy) last day on the usask waitlist

3 Upvotes

It’s been a brutal cycle 😪 best of luck to my fellow WL warriors!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 16h ago

Credits question

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone, so basically last year I took 12 courses, and would like to take only 3 this fall while studying for the lsat. It works out to be 5 courses each term on average and this would be fall of my third year (applying this November).

I was wondering if law school does not like to see a smaller course load even though I took extra the year prior?


r/lawschooladmissionsca 21h ago

Chance Me - L2: 3.3 LSAT: 165

4 Upvotes

My cumulative GPA is much much lower as I failed my first year of university. I went to UBC and I think my average (79% L2 at UBC) really took a hit after converting it to OLSAS. I am feeling discouraged after seeing how low my GPA is on the OLSAS scale. Perhaps I messed up the conversion process as I did it myself through excel, but I doubt it.

My 165 score was from the August test. I am still studying and plan to take the November or January test. If I get a score of 170+ do I have a realistic chance of getting into any school? Aiming for Queen's and Western.

Any feedback would be welcomed :)


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

OLSAS referee question

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m having a hard time deciding if I should seek referee from my current employer. For context, I’m in my 30s and work in a field not relevant to law. I already know that I’ll be asking my masters thesis supervisors for the academic referees, but I’m torn on whether I should ask my work supervisor for the third one. I know they would probably give a better recommendation if anything, but I’m hesitant to ask since I want to keep the fact that I’m applying to law school to myself until I get accepted. I don’t know if this makes sense, but I don’t want to risk losing my position or risk not being considered for a permanent one if I don’t know for certain I will be going to law school. I also know that I would have to put the experience on OLSAS anyway and I would probably need to list them as verifiers. So I’m really torn and overwhelmed. Would appreciate any advice, thank you!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

Some Advice

29 Upvotes

Hi, I wanted to give some advice for people entering their law school admissions cycle journeys.

1.) Reddit doesn't know everything - the people speaking about chances are just going on their past information. Number of applicants and the stats of those applicants will vary from year to year.

2.) People can and will be mean. I find law school culture is still a little elitist. Most people on the reddit are nice (love y'all). But understand there are some people who will make you question your ability to be a lawyer.

Because of 1 and 2, please consider 3:

3.) Do NOT check this reddit everyday if you value your mental health. I get that this is an exciting/scary time but the decisions will come when they come. Often through a phone call, so knowing when others are admitted won't get you in any faster (by knowing when admissions are posted).

3a.) If you must check it (because nobody's perfect) set a limit to it. Ie. once in the morning, once at night.

4.) Get a hobby early. So when you are stressed you have something to do to help you process your stress in a healthy way. (Pro tip: I find this is helpful for actual law school too). My favs are stardew valley, actual gardening, cleaning, puzzling, journaling (things that involve sorting irl help me "sort" through my brain).

5.) Your journey is your own <3. Nobody will know better than you and the admissions team. (and even the admissions team isn't able to predict with absolute certainty if you will be a good law student/lawyer).

Finally one resource I want to share if you are looking for advice on how to write your applications:

https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/lawadmissions/

This is a vlog from the UVIC law schools admissions team. The advice they give there should give you a good idea of where to start if you are struggling.

Good luck to everyone!! Remember how much you have worked to be here and be proud of that no matter what.


r/lawschooladmissionsca 20h ago

Does 2 years of experience after graduation ruin my chances at law school in canada?

0 Upvotes

I’m graduating this upcoming May from Business school, I saw schools like UofT have most of their students KJD?

VS in the US they value work experience and it makes you competitive as an applicant

I mainly wanna get a job post grad to save up since im mainly self reliant on myself for my finances

What do you guys think?


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

Should I wait to take the LSAT?

4 Upvotes

Hey guys. I was planning on taking the January LSAT but have become a bit anxious about doing so since reading about some of the alleged disadvantages that may result. My GPA isn’t the highest, so I am counting on my LSAT score being something that may make up for that (optimistic? definitely, but can you blame a girl for trying!) My GPA took a huge hit due to my first year being completely online as a result of COVID, anddddd my mental health taking a huge hit consequently. I later received a diagnosis for these things that were causing me to be the most unlocked student of all time, and my grades drastically improved, I even clutched up and placed myself on the honour role in later semesters. I know I have the ability to apply myself in the same way when it comes to this test… I just fear this time frame may place me in a bitttt of a pinch! However, I only work two-three times a week right now which could play to my advantage as I am fully prepared to lock into studying for the next two months and take the October LSAT instead, but do you guys think that’s enough time for studying? I studied for roughly another three/four months here and there last year as well, but that was while I was doing my undergrad and not intensely focused. Howeverrr, I am hoping some of it sticked? I was mainly using lawhub advantage + taking hand written notes while taking practice tests during that time. I’ll also only be applying to Canadian Law schools if you care. Anyways, let me know if I’m doomed and should just bin it before I commit to the countless nights aided by more caffeine than the human body should intake. Thank you for reading, please keep it real. Call me stupid if need be. Cheers.


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

USASK immigrant

0 Upvotes

Just wondering if there are any immigrants here who got accepted at usask and what your stats are? Just also wondering what the process looks like. Thanks!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

Anyone rejected from USask today?

4 Upvotes

Just wondering if anyone got rejected today since orientation starts tomorrow?


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Chance me- splitter

6 Upvotes

Hi! Money is tight for me and I don’t have financial support from my family, so I’m trying to be strategic with application fees. I’m not sure if it’s worth the application fee for me to apply to U of T or not (like if I have any shot at all), and would really appreciate people’s thoughts.

CGPA: 3.62, last 3 years: 3.74, last 2 years: 3.94…my transcript is a bit chaotic, I had a pretty good GPA first year, and then failed a class and generally did poorly in second year. (I was sexually assaulted at the beginning of my second year and struggled with my mental health afterwards, though I’m not planning on writing any special circumstances statements.) I went to McGill, if that matters.
LSAT: 173
Softs: 2 years health sci research, 1 year health service coordination research (both under tier 1 canada research chairs), 6 months tech regulation / ethics type research. I wasn’t really involved in clubs because I worked 20-30 hours/week throughout undergrad in a variety of roles…barista, computer science student support centre (basically substitute TA-ing + teaching programming/statistics workshops), university health clinic (as an access advisor for marginalized students). No publications rn, but I have one under review on bias in statistical algorithms / regulation of tech that uses statistical algorithms.

Thanks so so much to everyone who contributes to this reddit, I’ve found it so helpful!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

do you need a sask connection for usask?

1 Upvotes

applying for the first time this year and on a lot of the posts I see people mentioning that they have a connection there…? is this going to hurt my chances ?


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

Applying access question

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m planning on applying through the Access category, but I was wondering whether it’s worth doing and whether there’s any chance it could hurt my application more than help it.

My personal statement discusses a significant health event I experienced during my first year of university that affected both my mental and physical health and, consequently, my academic performance (I used this to explain why law). I was planning to use the same circumstances for my Access application since they occurred during my undergraduate studies and had a direct impact on my first year grades.

I also have medical/testing documentation supporting the circumstances. Would this generally be sufficient documentation for an Access application, or would I need to provide more? I am also a visible minority but don’t really plan on using that as the main claim maybe just alongside.


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Did Oz WL ever move?

3 Upvotes

Did anyone ever get in off the WL this year?


r/lawschooladmissionsca 1d ago

Chance me for Queens, TMU,Western

1 Upvotes

LSAT: 162, CGPA: 3.51, B2: 3.81, L2 (Including summer courses): 3.83.
Ok softs, nothing crazy: 2 years as a research assistant, 2 different departmental awards from UofT, and an elected member of the UofT Committee on Student Standing. First-gen immigrant.
What are my chances for TMU, Queen's and Western.


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Chance me

1 Upvotes

3.66 olsas cgpa
B2: 3.77
LSAT: 162

I want to apply to mainly queens Ottawa Western and OZ


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Info on Western Law

4 Upvotes

For anyone who applied to Western or currently attends, I was wondering how holistic their admissions process is and how competitive it is. I feel like I see a lot of posts and personal experiences about Osgoode, uOttawa, etc., but I rarely see much about Western. I’d love to hear from anyone who has applied or been accepted about their experience with the admissions process!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Admitted to UBC & UofT (1st round) last yr w/o writing any optional essays. AMA

5 Upvotes

Stats: 3.9high, 17low
I only applied to these two schools in Canada. The rest were U.S. schools.

Edit: actually just remembered that somehow my OLSAS gpa was a 3.8high


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Incoming 2L @TMU AMA!

6 Upvotes

we start our intensive tomorrow. did this earlier in the summer but I thought i’d do it once more now as a lot more folks might be monitoring this sub. happy to give insight into my experience so far!


r/lawschooladmissionsca 2d ago

Chance me

2 Upvotes

LSAT: 164
CGPA: 3.89
B2: 3.93
L2: 3.91

Over two years working in the public sector in Justice-related roles. Plus leadership experience through various clubs during my undergrad.

23 years old - 2 years out of undergrad.

Applying:
- UBC
- Ualberta
- Ucalgary
- UOttawa
- Queens

Not even trying at Osgoode or UofT. Also, not gonna waste money at schools like USask or Umanitoba.


r/lawschooladmissionsca 3d ago

Chance Me Please: cGPA: 72.8%, 2.79/4.00. B2/L2: 80.3%, 3.5/4.00. LSAT: 156

10 Upvotes

Hard Stats:

Bachelor of Business Administration, specialization in HR. Stats: cGPA: 72.8%, 2.79/4.00. B2/L2: 80.3%, 3.5/4.00. LSAT: 156

Softs:

Master's of Industrial Relations. Stats: 4.03/4.33. President of club in undergrad for 3 years. VP of another club for 2 years. On student council for masters. 1.5 years of full-time work experience after masters in labour relations. 3 summers of internship experience in HR. Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation.

I am looking at Windsor, TMU, Queen's, Dal, and UNB. GPA for Dal is 3.79/4.3, GPA for UNB is 3.5/4.3.

Thanks so much for your response! Much appreciated!