HappyThoughts (2013-2014)

Very noticeable upward trend in GPA (4.0+ every semester after freshman year, but sub 3.4 freshman year due to circumstances described in addendum). GPA (3.91 after first semester senior year) anticipated to change a bit as cycle progresses due to senior year grades.

3 Rec Letters (with 2 others waiting in case of held/waitlist/etc): 2 academic, 1 semi-academic and semi-extracurricular based (faculty sponsor for student organization, but also my senior thesis advisor).

Softs - probably above average for someone applying straight from UG, but nothing outrageous. A couple of fellowships, DC internships, and various campus leadership. Some other unique/nichey/more specific attributes, but will post after cycle is over so I don't self-identify.

Wrote DS.

2 pp double-spaced PS. Not personalized (except Berkeley, see below)

Why essays:
Penn - Yes
Berkeley - very personalized PS (so not a separate "Why Berkeley," but parts of my PS would serve that purpose)
Michigan - No
UVA - No
Duke - No

Numbers may be fudged slightly. Will post info in much more detail pending completion of cycle :)

Good luck to everyone! PM for specific questions!

Merit-based fee waivers from everywhere except Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Chicago, Berkeley.

9/25 - Submitted to Duke via PT
9/25 - Duke status checker email and app confirmation received
9/26 - Complete at Duke
9/27 - Under Review at Duke

10/4 - Submitted to Georgetown

10/5 - Submitted to Cornell

10/6 - Submitted to NYU
10/6 - In at Duke via Priority Track! :D

10/7 - Submitted to UMich
10/7 - Submitted to Columbia

10/8 - Submitted to UChicago
10/8 - Submitted to UCLA
10/8 - Submitted to UVA

10/9 - Submitted to USC

10/10 - Submitted to Stanford
10/10 - Submitted to Berkeley

10/12 - Submitted to UT Austin

10/13 - Submitted to Northwestern

10/16 - Submitted to UPenn

10/24 - In at Georgetown via snail mail - really small letter, so don't worry if you get a tiny little envelope :) Went through 3 status check updates before decision came in the mail

11/4 - UR at Berkeley (status changed)

11/17 - Submitted to Harvard

11/21 - In at UMich via Status Checker!

11/26 - In at Cornell via email! :)
11/26 - In at Berkeley via phone call!! YAY! :D

12/11 - In at UT via phone call

12/13 - Rothman Invite for USC
12/13 - Interview invite at UChicago!

1/6 - Skype interview for UChicago

1/7 - Dean's Presidential Scholarship and Nonresident Exemption at UT-Austin! $123k.

1/10 - Got a random email from UCLA telling me I was complete? I'm a little perplexed by this since I submitted (and should have been complete) in October. UCLA doesn't have a status checker, so not too sure what's going on here...

1/10 - Updated transcript with Fall semester senior year grades received by LSAC!

1/21 - WL at UChicago :/

1/24 - WL at Penn :(

2/6 - Held at Northwestern

2/21 - $150k merit scholly at USC
2/21 - Held at Columbia

3/13 - not law, but accepted to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Masters in Public Policy (MPP) program. Will now be pursuing a joint JD/MPP, but still waiting to decide on which law school!

3/14 - JS1 invite!!?!
3/19 - JS1 interview

3/19 - WL at UVA

3/31 - Rejected at Yale

4/1 - JS2. Oh my god. Accepted at Harvard Law in the joint 4-year JD/MPP with the Harvard Kennedy School. I actually asked Jessica Soban if she was prank-calling me :P

4/15 - WL at NYU. I also think that something may have gone wrong with my app there - I think they were under the impression that I was retaking the LSAT in December for quite a while even though I wasn't :/ Therefore, I don't actually think I was processed until much later than the actual complete date of my app

4/25 - Reserve at Columbia

4/28 - went DLS at Stanford. Called in and it's a waitlist; I've never been so happy to get a WL. SLS has been my top choice through and through and I'll be waiting this one out :)

7/1 - IN off the waitlist at Stanford!!! So unbelievably excited and..never thought I'd be in this position. Withdrawing from HLS. Looks like I'll be headed to Palo Alto in the fall :D