[XXXNoahXXX]

Scotty,

In the end, it really doesn't matter. Do your best on the personal statement, but don't go nuts. I wouldn't mine reading it over and offering some suggestions if you like (PM me for e-mail address). You're right in that it doesn't mean much until your on the edge and then it can mean everything, so trying to pin down some value is kind of a lost cause. As long as it is 100% error free, well written, and gets a point across, it will be good. Unless you have some singular life event that will make the reader go "wow" then it probably won't make or break you.

I think that for most people the "best school you get into is great advice." Everyone can say that they'll take the money and just kick ass at a lower-ranked school, but you're going to be going to school with a lot of people with that same mindset. I'm in top 10% of my class, on law review, and I'm going on a lot of the same interviews as people in the bottom 1/4 at Harvard, middle of the class at Columbia, etc. Sometimes I am happy that I made the best of my situation and did well, other times it sucks that I did basically as good as possible at my school and someone who basically failed at a top school has the same opportunities. Plus, your school name will follow you throughout your career.


Even if you limit yourself to warm weather schools there are plenty that are good options for you, and given the strength of your GPA (now that I see the average) should do well. If you really think you're going to get a 4.0 this year, and going to a top school is big for you, then maybe take a year off, retake the LSAT, and reapply with that 3.75 and 170 or whatever it ends up being.

If you want to limit yourself to warm weather, still plenty of awesome options.

Stanford, all the UC schools, USC, Texas, UNC, Emory, etc.


I forget, where did you want to practice again?