Warning

Info

What are "softs" and how are they classified?

LSAT score and GPA are "hard" data. Softs refer to everything in your application that isn't "hard" data.

Softs are inherently unquantifiable. That's why they're called softs.

The tiers below are very rough guidelines for putting a number on something that really can't be quantified. Don't take the tiers too seriously when comparing yourself to other applicants on LSData. Holistically valuing softs is the admissions committee's job.

The soft tier system is copied from an old reddit post by /u/whistleridge.

@adcoms - is this information out of date? Email us at admissions@lsd.law and tell us how we can improve!

Soft tiers

Please do not consider under represented minority (URM) status when classifying your soft tier.

Tier 1 (extremely rare)

  • High decorations for valor (Congressional Medal of Honor, DSC/Navy Cross, Silver Star)
  • Rhodes Scholarship
  • Started multimillion-dollar company/innovative service that is household name
  • C-level executive in publicly traded/Fortune 500 company
  • Professional athlete/college athlete who was a lock for professional except for injury
  • Widely published author/heavily cited academic
  • Prior high expertise in field (surgeon who invented technique, etc.)

Tier 2 (rare)

  • Decorated military service (Purple Heart, Bronze Star)
  • Fulbright/other prestigious scholarship
  • NCAA athlete in standout position, e.g. household basketball name, led water polo team to 3 titles, etc.
  • Overcome extraordinary physical/mental handicap (ALS, blind & deaf, etc.)
  • High level (director, etc.) position in prior employment
  • Prior demonstrations of high expertise (patents, etc.)

Tier 3 (uncommon)

  • Commissioned military service
  • Prestigious undergraduate scholarships and/or research awards
  • NCAA athlete
  • Overcame extraordinary adversity (childhood poverty, physical/mental handicap, etc.)
  • Published academic
  • Peace Corps/Americorps/other public service
  • Prior employment in legal field or otherwise pertinent area (engineer for IP, etc.)
  • Disadvantaged status: LGBTQ+, first in family to attend college, single working parent, etc.

Tier 4 (common)

  • Any military service
  • Legal internships
  • Congressional internships
  • President/officer of clubs/frat/etc.
  • School newspaper/yearbook/etc.
  • Honors societies

General

General chat about the legal profession.
main_chatroom
👍 Chat vibe: 0 👎
Help us make LSD better!
Tell us what's important to you
WhatDoIHaveToLose
23:51
My bad I meant metro, was typing two different thoughts
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:51
ooo gotcha.
MetroHero
23:52
when i say this cycle has been crazy
MetroHero
23:52
a lot of personal development for sure
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:52
@SquidwardsHouse: do you have ny guess on when the next A wave will be?
MetroHero
23:52
some YP maybe but a lot of it is def culture and the fact that im kjd
MetroHero
23:52
but I was able to send a loci with some pretty significant updates
MetroHero
23:53
hoping it can get me off a waitlist or two. I only sent LOCI to HYS.
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:53
I deadass don't think HLS read the LOCI for this wave
WhatDoIHaveToLose
23:53
Got two friends at UPenn and they love it, hope you get off the waitlist you want by either way you’re solid !
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:53
I sent mine on May 1st. Kinda curious how they were able to read it so fast.
MetroHero
23:54
@WhatDoIHaveToLose: yeah I visited and I really loved Penn. If I get into HLS it will be a tough decision. Made some friends at Penn. If I get into YLS though, will be a nobrainer for me.
WhatDoIHaveToLose
23:55
@GreenJumbledScorpion: did they get back to you with a decision and that’s why ur thinking it was fast??
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:55
they gave me a HLS II quick
SquidwardsHouse
23:56
Can’t imagine it takes them that long to read what, maybe 200 LOCIs?
WhatDoIHaveToLose
23:57
@MetroHero: same wave as you - that $$ from Penn is nice and idk if hls name makes up for the money you’d potentially miss out from them, Yale on the other hand would make up for any $$ lacking
SquidwardsHouse
23:57
HLS’s waitlist isn’t THAT big considering the class size. They reject a whole lot more than they waitlist, which isn't the case at a lot of other T14s
SquidwardsHouse
23:58
I’d just caution that Yale isn’t the silver bullet that people treat it as.
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:58
had not thought of it that way.
WhatDoIHaveToLose
23:58
@GreenJumbledScorpion: take up squidward for interview recs lol you wanna be fully prepared and aware of what can go down
GreenJumbledScorpion
23:58
IK, I am just seeing when I will have time.
WhatDoIHaveToLose
0:02
When’s the interview ? Do they give u a few days or a week ?
SquidwardsHouse
0:04
For Yale, I worry that people blindly sometimes take it because it’s always been #1 and “no one turns down Yale” without thinking more deeply about whether it’s the right environment for them, or whether the unicorn things it gives you better odds at are even still attainable for any given member of the class. A lot of students were fairly happy, but there was a handful that felt jipped/sold a bag of goods
WhatDoIHaveToLose
0:07
When I toured it was an “aha” moment where I realized it’s not the vibe for me. It felt like it was arbitrarily put in a random spot and the biggest thing that stuck out to me was when people asked the tour guide how students generally felt the answer was “it’s YLS, we’re all just grateful”
SquidwardsHouse
0:08
And mind you, at Admitted Students events they are generally trying to put you in contact with the people that ENJOY Yale.
WhatDoIHaveToLose
0:08
Granted I’d still really consider it if I was fortunate with my stats to get in but I would really take in the factors I felt when touring and thinking if I’d really enjoy the next 3 years there
SquidwardsHouse
0:09
Yeah, the vibe wasn’t for me. Too small and reminded me almost of a high school environent
WhatDoIHaveToLose
0:10
LOL for real, one of the hallways really felt like a high school with lockers. Exterior was beautiful though
menherachan
2:23
i just sent another loci to gulc
menherachan
2:24
i think i sent my first loci too early. it was at the end of jan
LSD+ is ad-free, with DMs, discounts, case briefs & more.