Could you chance me? Fairly unique case.

liberamens
Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:59:12 +0000

Hi all,

For a long time I was thinking about going to graduate school, however I recently realized my talents and interests would be best served by a JD. I’ve always wanted to go to Stanford or Berkeley, but I know choosing the legal path has made that a lot less possible. It would be wonderful to get into Yale or Harvard, but those are major stretches. Realistically I’m looking at UCLA or UT, both of which are schools I’ve always loved.

Education
Majored in Government and Political Communications
University of Texas at Austin (First year at UTSA)
3.88 cumulative on +/- without option for A+ (not sure if that matters)
Senior Fellow in Communications
Honors Thesis in Communications
Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Chance
Also, not sure if I should include this on my personal addendum but the biggest reasons my GPA took a hit are 1) my freshman year I developed a degenerative physical disability and had to learn how to do well in college without full use of my hands, and 2) my junior year I learned my disability was likely fatal and had a lot of trouble dealing with that. It was later refuted that summer, and now I’ve got things under control. All things considered, I think pulling a 3.8 both of those years is rather impressive.

On that note, schools will already know I have a disability because LSAC will indicate that I got accommodations on the LSAT. Is it a good idea to disclose on my application or leave it thick in the air?

Extracurriculars
2 years Student Government (member)
2 years Liberal Arts Council (member)
1 year assisting graduate student with research project

Professional
Intern in Governor Perry’s Office
Intern at an alt-weekly newspaper
(Hoping to get a few more in here, it’s been difficult to get impressive internships because I have to work full-time to pay my school/medical bills).

LSAT
Haven’t taken it yet, but let’s assume I score between a 165-175

I know this isn’t the most impressive application, but do you guys think I have a shot?

Thanks for your expertise!