The_Last_Thylacine

In law school, most classes have one, cumulative final exam that counts for 100% of your grade (usually timed essay). I knew I couldn't be bogged down writing applications and taking the GRE during the later half of the semester with the impending doom of exams and journal deadlines. I would be too distracted. That's the only reason I applied so early. How's the sample coming along?

My most expensive application fee has been $105 for UCSD, followed by $90 for USC.

These are some great, reasonable choices! I spent around $900 on application-related costs, so I can only imagine how daunting those costs can be to you. Of course, it'll all be worth it when you're accepted though! Looking forward to seeing your success.

To where are you planning on applying, goldenstardust11?

Hello, everyone! I found this website today, and I really couldn't be happier right now! I've been reading all the posts from the 2016 application season and it's all very encouraging to me. I really don't know what to expect from this application season because I have such an atypical background. I try to talk to my friends and family about all the stress I feel, so I'm elated to know that there is a community for people experiencing the same thing. My favorite philosopher is an epistemological philosopher who graduated from USC in 1978. I want to go to USC very badly because it was his alma mater and because of the department's specialty in the philosophy of law, but I don't necessarily like the cost of living in Los Angeles. As such, my ears are not closed to other departments, and choosing amongst any these incredible programs will be difficult. My research interests are in (1) epistemology, (2) the philosophy of law, and (3) the philosophy of religion. Here's where I applied, along with the corresponding [Philosophical Gourmet Report] ranking: University of Southern California [9]; University of Texas at Austin [19]; University of California San Diego [23]; University of California Riverside [29]; University of Colorado Boulder [32]; University of Virginia [36]; University of South Carolina [not ranked]. Here's the "not so good" about my application: I majored in criminal justice, rather than philosophy, at an obscure undergraduate institution. I had a 3.84 GPA. My GRE score is not awesome (162 V; 153 Q; 5.0 A). Here's the better stuff: I will be awarded the Juris Doctor from a mid-level law school in May; I have two years of experience working as an editor for an academic journal (it's an international law review); I have a published article on the dialectical tensions within the ECtHR's law of discrimination; My writing sample was personally edited and supervised by a brilliant law professor with the highest GPA from the University of Chicago; My letters were graciously written by the dean of my law school, the associate dean, and my favorite professor. I received the highest grade in Jurisprudence in law school; I will only be 23 years old when I am awarded the J.D. and sit for the Virginia State Bar. I am so nervous and apprehensive about the future, but it will be an exercise in patience for sure. I look forward to hearing from you all, in addition to taking joy in your stories and successes!