Sharing my experience in case it’s helpful for anyone applying next cycle! I’m really happy with how things turned out, even though the results were quite different from what I expected.
2025: 3.67, 169
2026: 3.67, 176
After being waitlisted at 5 schools last cycle, I was admitted to just 1 of those same schools this year—even after raising my LSAT. I did get accepted to 2 schools that had previously rejected me. Still, I was pretty surprised to be waitlisted again at 4 others for a second year in a row.
At one school in particular, I stayed on the waitlist in 2025 until the day classes began. The day before, the school told me they were waiting on one final response from another waitlisted student and that I was next in line if a spot opened. I was waitlisted at that same school again this cycle.
| School | Result (2025) | Result (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | R | Did not apply |
| Chicago | R | W |
| Columbia | W | W |
| Cornell | W | A |
| Duke | W | W |
| Georgetown | W | W |
| Harvard | R | R |
| Michigan | R | A |
| Northwestern | R | W |
| NYU | W | W |
| Penn | R | A |
| Stanford | R | Did not apply |
| UVA | R | W |
| Yale | R | R |
Here is a comparison of my applications:
Application info
| App component | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Stats | 3.67*, 169 *Note on my GPA: my LSAC GPA was significantly lower than my UGPA due to some pass/fail credits from another school and a freshman forgiveness policy. Also graduated many years ago (pre-grade inflation). Not sure how much that makes a difference. | 3.67, 176 |
| Submission date | Deadline (Feb) | Late December |
| WE | Probably the strongest part of my application, I have been out of undergrad for awhile and have some unique international experiences, interesting public sector work, master’s from a top school, etc. | New job in legal field. |
| Essays | I believe my PS was strong. I wrote almost every supplemental essay. The only essays I skipped were the Why X essays for some schools. Interestingly, at schools where I wrote a “Why X,” I was waitlisted; where I didn’t, I was rejected. | Did every possible supplemental essay. The only piece I reused was my diversity statement (with some revisions); everything else was fully rewritten. I liked my essays from last year, but several deans advised me that reusing them can come across as lazy, so I started fresh. |
| Networking | None | I attended every possible webinar, office hour, etc. Visited several schools. Talked directly with the Deans of multiple schools at the LSAC forum. |
My advice for applicants:
- Don’t get your hopes set on any one school—this process really is the wild west. Staying open-minded helps.
- Go to as many networking events as you can. Dress professionally and come prepared with thoughtful questions. I think this is so underrated. Example: Met a Dean at an event who told me to email them personally after I have submitted my app. I received an interview pretty soon thereafter and was ultimately accepted.
- Talk to current students. It really helps with writing the Why X essays and it's a great way of networking and learning more about what you want to study, what type of clinics you want to be involved in, etc.
- If you’re applying late in the cycle, seriously consider waiting a year. It’s not just expensive, but reapplying is genuinely tough. Writing one personal statement is hard enough; writing a second, better one is even harder.
- Be kind to yourself. I think so much of this process is just dumb luck sometimes.
I hope this information is for helpful for anyone applying in the future. Feel free to ask any questions. Best of luck to everyone!