KerryLivgren (2022-2023)

2 Years Interesting WE
4.0 over last 3 years of College

Also: I Suck at Logic Games

So, I thought I might as well add a bit of a recap.

Yes, I applied to a zillion schools - of this I am aware. It's overcompensation for under-applying to UG (and not getting into my targets) as well as distrusting the predictive power of the LSAT for my cycle.

So far, with the exception of a waitlist at Illinois, the cycle has gone swimmingly.

Requirements for scholarships offered:

Hofstra: Top 40% (WD)
Stetson: Top 40%
Chapman: Top 33% (WD)
San Diego: Top 33% (WD)
St. John's: Top 50% (WD)
Mercer: Good Standing (WD)
St. Louis: 2.0 (WD)
Wash. and Lee: 3.0 (around top 75%)
William and Mary: 3.0 (Around top 65%)
Syracuse: 3.0, Keep 28k per at 2.8 (WD)
Michigan State: 3.0 for money, 3.5 for King Program
Emory: No Requirement (except no failing out I guess)
Santa Clara: Won a Dean's Fellow after getting an interview by sheer squeaky wheeling. Good Standing Requirement. Their inital 11k per year offer had a top 33% req. Go figure.
Quinnipiac: Top 50% (WD)
Denver: 3.0 (top 50-60%) (WD)
Drake U.: Top 33% (WD)
Pacific: Top 33% (WD)
Indiana-Bloomington: Good Standing!!
Case Western: 3.15 (Top 45%), retain 1/2 at 2.8 (top 70%?)
BU: Auto-Renewal
Vermont: 2.5 GPA (Top 80% or so I think)
Albany: Don't know. Received call congratulating me and giving 25k, immediately tried to bargain, was offered 30k, pressed hard, then withdrew. Total time: 3 minutes.
Cardozo: Top 40% (actually 3.30). Rumors of section stacking are also around, though apparently denied by admins. Greenwich VIllage might be a nice place to go, but the COL reduces the scholarship de facto.
Wake Forest: Top 2/3

I'm very interested in going into public sector and public interest jobs, so schools that place well in those arenas are being considered above and beyond their rank. However, I'm very excited about the two W&'s with their nice schollies and beautiful campuses.

Withdrew from San Diego because the requirement was too steep for a non-full ride. Am waiting on more information on possible fellowships/scholarships from a few of the other schools that have offered me partial rides with steep requirements.

ROAD TRIPS:

2/25-26: I just attended the Mercer Woodruff weekend. The school was quite pretty, Macon was surprisingly neat, and I was impressed with the other students in the scholarship pool. They do place really well in public interest, gov't and federal clerkships, but it's very regional (87% stay in Georgia) and I don't know if I want to live and work in an area so much more conservative than I am. Do I change the world from an unexpected place (from within) or pursue greater systemic and social change from a school like W&M or W&L or even BU (depending on the scholarship)? Yes, I realize this is an assertion of radical and possibly crippling ambition, but that's why I'm going to law school.

2/26-27: Visited Stetson - campus is beautiful, and faculty cares, but wasn't as impressed by the intellectual rigor of the students as I was at Mercer.

2/29: Brief visit to Emory. Bland outside and fairly bland inside. Sat in on a boring class (but, who cares...). Main concern is higher debt accumulation at Emory and heavy, heavy private practice focus.

3/11-14: Chapman Law visit. The weather was perfect, I was upgraded to a Mustang Convertible from an Economy at the rental station, the campus and law school building is beautiful, the professors of amazing quality, and I'm pretty sure I won't be going there despite that. The top 33% DOES worry me, despite assurances, plus Chapman is uber-regional, has way too suspicious an "academic" placement rate, and is going to be competing with UCI's new school going forward. I just feel like I'd be limiting my options there.

3/19: Michigan State visit. They are trying very hard to move up, but their placement in 2009 was not good. They touted 98 percent employed, but 44% was split between business&industry, and "academic" placement (all 25k salaries....RAs??). They have a beautiful mock trial room, nice classrooms, a solid library, and a good spot on campus, but I'm just not sold on what I'll be able to do with an MSU law degree AFTER school. Plus, for whatever reason, even with a top 50% requirement only 75% of full scholarship recipients retain their rides. The plus side is that COL is low.

3/20: Case Western visit. Downside was no student panel. I liked their program fair, which was (to me) as good as a faculty panel if not better. Tonya Phillips in financial aid is....the best financial aid person ever. Who knew that a financial aid person would be the highlight of an ASD? Loved University Circle and the law school's location. Cleveland was surprisingly impressive, and I think I could see myself living and maybe even working there. Very nice law library, otherwise solid facilities. Career Services answered all of my overly pointed questions during lunch, and I came away feeling that Case's transparency has been superior to other schools in employment reporting and salary reporting. Plus, even with the economy bottoming out, they placed 50% of their class outside Ohio (compared with about 65% in 2007). That's a surprisingly small drop in regional reach, which confirms my belief that Case is the most portable T2 with the widest alumni network. Also have a strong PI/PD focus.

3/26-27: William and Mary visit. Loved the school. The faculty is quite good from all indications, and the atmosphere the student body creates seems to be very friendly and laid-back. Talked with numerous students outside of the event, and they made me legitimately excited to have the chance to go there. Williamsburg seems like a near perfect place to study, and even the bars are laid back (I hate bars generally, but the "delis" are nice as well as small). I also thought the law school building was very nice and well landscaped. I'd say W and M is in the number 1 spot tentatively.

3/31: Solo visit to BU delayed indefinitely by flooding over the train tracks

4/2-3: ASW at Washington and Lee. Loved the setting and the town. Great hospitality and beautiful campus. However, they have 0 (literally 0%) PI employment for 2009. Additionally, I don't think I like the idea of their 3L program (I'd prefer more electives and philosophical foundation). Still, the scholarship is very enticing, the housing dirt-cheap, and the hiking in the area is unparalleled.

4/5: Wake Forest solo visit. The campus was beautiful. All of the flowering bushes and trees had just bloomed, it was sunny and 85 degrees, and there was a light breeze. I liked the feel of the school and the attitude of the students I met. I think they moved ahead of Washington and Lee. Also went up to the top of Pilot Mountain, which offers a grand 360-degree view of the western piedmont. Housing in W-S is as cheap as Lexington VA, but with more culture and art.

4/9: Finally made it to BU after one cancelled flight and one delayed flight. Then, once there, it was oppressively cloudy and pouring rain. The "tower of terror" looks like a Soviet prison that hasn't been remodeled since the fall of the USSR. The professors were top-notch and the other students seemed very dedicated, but I just did not get a good enough "vibe" from the school to fork out 130k over the next three years.

4/10ish: Indiana-Bloomington solo visit. Still parsing through my experience at IUB, but most likely going to settle on William and Mary,

Well, barring an acceptance from Cornell, will be going to William and Mary in the Fall. I'm actually really comfortable in my decision, as I loved everything about the school from the facilities to the administrators to the location. Plus, their very detailed and transparent 2009 employment stats were just outstanding compared to every other school I looked at (save maybe BU).

That being said....PLEASE LET ME IN, CORNELL! I LOVE YOU!