u/Competitive-Step-162

I used a supervisor from a SWEP job as my academic reference, thinking that since this job was at a research center at Queen's University, it counts as an academic reference. Furthermore, since the actual supervisor was on maternity leave, I had to go with a different person who mostly helped me with repetitive work rather than research projects. People in a recent thread told me that this wasn't right and it could get my application flagged.

Is this the reason why all the schools are rejecting me despite my 171 LSAT and 3.77 GPA? Do I need an actual professor as my academic reference? What do I do if I didn't work too directly with most professors (e.g., not doing a thesis)?

My GPA as calculated by OLSAS is 3.77. So good, but slightly below the medians for some schools like McGill.

My Personal Stataments were trash and may have been what got me rejected. Here's vowing I'll put actual effort into it next year.

But what about my LSAT score? Can a 175+ score help me be more competitive? What do you think?

I applied to Osgoode, uOttawa, and uWindsor. I got rejected from Osgoode, waitlisted for uOttawa, and haven't heard from Windsor yet. But even if I do get accepted, I might not go if my scores are good enough for something bigger.

My GPA is 3.92 on a 4.3 scale at Queen's Psychology and my LSAT is 171. I think I might have gotten a higher LSAT if I'd taken it in person instead of online, since my high score is 180, but I only want to retake it if it's worth the money. I admit my 3rd year at Queen's was kinda bad due to mental health issues, but even then I never got a grade lower than B. And I redeemed myself in 4th year, and not just with entry courses as at least 70% of them were upper-level. Though I admit I never did a thesis but I'm not sure if that affects law school too much.

But here's where things aren't as good. I submitted my applications two hours before the deadline. Furthermore, my personal statements discussed complex issues and cited my experiences in jobs and extracurriculars but not in a very "personal" way, it was to the point where they almost seemed AI-coded. And I didn't use AI but it was generic enough that I got brief paranoia about getting flagged for AI use. And I didn't give my references any specific instructions at all, because I hadn't done any research in this area.

I recognize this is all on me. I didn't know that personal statements had much of an effect or that application dates had any effects at all but I've heard they did.

So my question is this: is it safe to assume that it was the soft elements that did me in? Or could it be something else like lack of experience or grades? And is it worth re-applying to bigger schools with my 171 LSAT and 3.92 GPA, or should I just go along with it and accept an offer to a smaller school like Windsor?

I'm interested in the concept, but I know there are grounds for "voluntourism" or exploitation.

I know that my degree (psychology) isn't too helpful on its own apart from being "a" degree. I entered into it thinking I wanted to do research psychology but eventually realized I didn't and wasn't proactive enough about trying to change it to something I *might* want to do. That's on me. But I feel like people with degrees like that are easy to exploit.

I also think I want to enter into law school for Fall 2027. My LSAT was 171 and my GPA was 3.92 on a 4.3 scale at Queen's University, so I think I'm reasonably competitive for Canadian law schools and the reason I got rejected this year was because of generic personal statements and/or reference letters, and/or submitting at the last minute. Again, that's all on me, but I think it's a fixable problem and I might get in for Fall 2027.

So I don't want to do anything that lasts longer than a year, but I know short term positions or internships can be sketchy. I mean, r/TEFL has a few words to say about TEFL "internships" and "guaranteed placements" and since it's not useful for the school to have a teacher who only works for 6 months, this also seems like grounds for exploitation. I think it could be the same with volunteering abroad and there are definitely some orgs like Planet Aid that I've heard some sketchy things about.

I don't want to avoid taking risks and regret it later, but I also don't want to be impulsive and exploited. Is it better to just save up with my full-time job where I make slightly above minimum wage, and to try looking for abroad work when I have actual skills for it (like lawyer / law student)? Or is it possible (and optimal) to try to parse out a good opportunity like that now? What are people's thoughts on this?

What the title says. I applied to a few law schools in Ontario with a 171 LSAT and I think a 3.65 GPA (on 4.0 scale) but got either rejected or waitlisted. I have some ideas as to why (personal statement not personal enough, didn't give specific instructions to my referees, maybe not enough experience) but not fully sure, though some of them will eventually offer me feedback.

I majored in psychology but didn't take enough opportunities in uni due to mental health issues. I acknowledge that that, along with any flaws on my application, are on me and I can try to improve in the future, but in the meantime I still have another gap year to fill.

Is there anything I should think about besides the full-time cashier job I'm working right now where I make slightly above minimum wage? I thought about teaching English because it could be good for professional development, but I feel a bit lost there as I know most of the contracts might be too long and r/TEFL is constantly cracking down on the idea of shorter "internships" because they all involve paying for a job.

What's the best way to get out of this rut?

Some people will back down simply due to a lack of responsivity, but others don't do this so easily.

Like for example if someone wants to just "forgive and forget" a boundary violation but you can't do that because to you, the violation was basically just waiting to happen and it's a part of their character rather than just a one-time thing.

Or if you've very clearly outgrown a friend but they seem to think nothing has changed.

What is the best way to handle this when you can't just give them the slip?

I tried replacing Hollow Knight and *The Escapists* with Go (Weiqi, Baduk, The Game of Stones), thinking that if it’s a board game that is sometimes even viewed as meditative, it would be better. But I still feel extremely guilty and almost shaky / out of whack when I play it on my computer these days. Do online Go/Chess servers or websites like BGA also need to be removed? Are they too “on demand” ish compared to playing the real thing in person?

What is everyone’s stance on this? Should I quit these servers too, or should I instead try to reduce the guilt?

My Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05 is stuck on tablet mode such that it won’t take input from the keyboard or touchpad. I suspect this has something to do with the hinge sensors (it’s a 360deg model) but I don’t know how to fix it. Has anyone else ever had this problem?