Scholarship awards are over 3 yrs, not per year.
I did write the "Why Penn" essay, but I don't think I wrote the "Why Michigan" essay (can't remember for sure)...
fee waivers from Emory, Illinois and Cardozo
fee waivers from several others -- but not interested
1/12/06 - received 2nd handwritten note in mail from Minnesota, referring to meeting me at law fair and encouraging me to apply; I emailed and asked for fee waiver; they responded quickly and granted waiver; I applied immediately via LSAC; now watch them reject me. Wouldn't that be funny?
1/27/06 - email from Illinois (quick turnaround on that one!); $10K/yr scholarship (not a lot, but might be enough if I can get in-state tuition after the first year); I think this school is better than the rankings reveal...
1/30/06 - email from Wash U (another quick turnaround); recommending me for Chancellor's Fellowship (full tuition+$22K stipend); UPDATE: didn't get the fellowship. Dang. That might drop Wash U off my list. Those poops.
2/1/06 - called Iowa because still no word on application status; they said my file was complete as of "mid-January"; why didn't they tell me?
2/13/06 - email from UVA saying decision has been made; I assume it's bad news, since I didn't get the phone call from Trujillo...bummer. UPDATE: Apparently he doesn't call everyone, so there's still hope!
2/16/06 - Got the letter from UVA, and it was a no. Apparently the advanced degrees and soft factors weren't enough to overcome the undergrad GPA. Dang. The first rejection really maims the confidence, eh? I'm convinced I'm not getting in anywhere else now...
2/17/06 - Acceptance letter from Cardozo (dated 2/10); no mention of money yet. This is for summer (starts in May) - the $$ would have to be significant to support my family in NYC...feels good to be loved again, though!
2/27/06 - Denied by Utah!?! (small envelope); very surprised by this one...yield protection?? Something about me they just didn't like?? Hmmm.... (Actually, I think I know why; I wasn't serious about the yield protection excuse. I think my personal statement dropped a few hints that staying in Utah wasn't my first choice. Guess they didn't like that. Nobody's fault but mine.)
3/2/06 - Rejection letter from Michigan -- dang it!! Another blow to the confidence. At the law fair last fall, EVERYONE told me my 10-yr-old GPA wouldn't matter much, esp with the PhD and a good LSAT. I see now they just wanted my application fee. Oh well. At least my top choices are still out there....
3/3/06 - Rejection from L&C!?! (small envelope); that's two big surprises from what were supposed to be my "safety net" schools! Does the PhD count for nothing? Or maybe my personal statement is really terrible...? Man, this is all so confusing and stressful.
3/6/06 - Okay, I just don't get it. Another rejection, from Emory this time. Clearly, too much weight is being put on my 10-yr-old undergrad GPA, if 2 grad degrees, a host of publications, and a strong LSAT score aren't enough to compensate. My confidence has reached zero. I really thought I had a legit shot at some of those top-15 schools -- apparently, though, I'm lucky to be getting in anywhere.... I'm no longer excited about checking the mailbox.
3/8/06 - email acceptance from Iowa! Soooo nice to be on the positive side of things again! Boy, I really must be a special case, though, to be getting such varied responses from such a disparate bunch of schools....
3/8/06 - Same day, another email acceptance, this time from Minnesota! Actually, the email is from a 2L (says the dean told him to contact me, as part of recruitment) -- good enough for me. Man, I can't tell you how nice it is to feel the love again!!
3/14/06 - Withdrew from Cardozo via email; can't afford to move the fam to NYC unless they give me a lot more money. I'll also be asking Minn for more money. Will try to make W/D decisions regarding other schools very soon, too.
3/24/06 - rejection letter from Duke. Bummer -- but I'm glad to know, finally. The JD/LLM program starts in June, and it was getting late for me to feasibly move the family on such short notice! Top choices are still out there...but I'm also becoming more and more attracted to Minnesota.
3/27/06 - Status page went to decision, so I called Cornell; got placed on "reserve." Suppose that's the same as "deferred," since it's not the same as waitlisted. Better than a rejection -- I'll probably wait it out, since it's the best school I've got a shot at right now....
3/29/06 - Withdrew from Iowa because they're not offering any money....
4/5/06 - Holy cow -- UIUC just upped their $$ offer substantially! This probably pushes them over Minn on my list. Sure wish Penn/Vandy/Texas/Cornell would make their decisions, though...
4/6/06 - Waitlist email from Texas! This late, I was sure I'd get nothing but rejections from here on out. Boy, there's just no joy like the joy of extending the whole waiting game...
4/14/06 - Waitlist email from Vanderbilt. Looking more and more like UIUC, barring a waitlist miracle.... (I think I've decided to take the $$ at UIUC over Minnesota)
4/17/06 - Rejection from Penn -- took long enough! I'm holding my breath, for a little while, over Texas and Cornell. But I'm planning on UIUC class of '09!
4/19/06 - Accepted at Texas off the waitlist!! I haven't actually received the official letter yet, but an inside source emailed me with the news (with permission from the Dean). This is SWEET -- still have to consider the $$ at UIUC, but chances are I'm going to Texas....
4/21/06 - Withdrew from Vandy. Still deciding whether or not to withdraw from Cornell.
5/12/06 - Texas has given me in-state tuition + $1000/yr scholarship. I haven't withdrawn from Cornell yet, because I can't quite bring myself to shut that door completely, but I'm 99.9% committed to attending Texas. (I've even sent in my seat fee.)
6/25/06 - Bought a house in Austin. Came back home and had rejection from Cornell. I had almost forgotten that they were still considering me!
Please Wait...........
Yeah I don't want to stay at Cornell - it's a great school, but 7 years is a lot to spend in Ithaca. At the moment I think Georgetown is at the top of my list, but I'm really waiting to hear from the other schools. Also, if I get any scholarships from Cardozo or Fordham I would very seriously consider those (I would love to be in NYC). I really don't know... I'm very confused...
- LegallyBlonde311Thanks for stopping by my profile! I can warn you up front to not count on any LC money, our numbers are almost identical and I didn\\\'t get any cash offers out of them. I think your awesome LSAT should get you into Illinois, in which case, we could be classmates if you elected to go. You have a nice range of schools, so you should get the best range of options once you hear back. Best of luck!
- tenth8sphereI have visited UVa and I think it is a great place to study law, but I am waiting on any further merit money offers and I plan on visiting Duke in March. my two pending schools are certainly worth considering too, should I be accepted at one or both. right now I am definitely a UVa guy but I am keeping an open mind for as long as I can. thanks again for the congrats, and good luck with your pending applications!
- zona84Hey Lit Doc I had to stop by after seeing your posts at tenth8sphere's profile. I feel your angst with regards to the ancient and crappy GPA draggin you down. Just have faith that time and soft factors (and an awesome LSAT!) will overshadow the past. Letters (good ones!) will be coming your way soon... I'm sure of it!
- CeggonI did not have much of an interest going to school in upstate NY (you may have noticed my state is FL)
- zona84Good luck to you at the upper schools you're aiming for. I wish you the best in soft factors making the difference, but from what I've seen, I wouldn't count on ones like Vanderbilt. Shoot, I'm just pleased to be going to a tier 1 school, much less a top 30. It's a great opportunity after scraping through college with family issues. I know your GPA is old, and you can't wait to get away from it, so I hope you can! Me, I'm just elated at going to a tier 1, knowing my chances to make good money, and be able to move to almost any major city. Whatever you get, I hope it's your dream school, I know I got mine! If you end up at UIUC, drop me a line.
- tenth8spherecongrats on U of I & Wash U! Except UCLA, all the other schools notified me via snail mail. what's your top choice? -wishing you the best for the rest of the app. cycle
- piggylolaW&L emailed me as well.
- piggylolathus far, penn and uva. I think it will depend on finaid. i think y&h are long shots for me. unless columbia picks me, prolly between penn and uva? your soft factors seem awesome and I think you'd have a great chance at all your top choices. good luck. =)
- piggylolaI plan to withdraw from Utah soon, but that is the only school I have ruled out. Money Matters--so I do not want to withdraw until I see what each school is willing to provide.
- bigredrockbearAnd congrats on UIUC and WashU. I'm sure you'll be hearing even more good things soon! I'm leaning toward Chicago, but the $$$ from Northwestern is tempting, so I'm waiting for my Chicago fin aid info first.
- azdezzaOn the acceptances so far, from another 34-year-old parent with crumby undergrad grades. Good luck!
- z39dot50Thanks for the congrats. Emory sent a large package at my permanent address. My parents told me so I haven't actually seen it yet. Congrats on wustl and UIUC
- dominatorI found out re: Duke via snail mail. I got it today, my decision date is the postmark date.
- alecNot sure yet where I want to go since I am still waiting on 7 acceptances. With what I have now, I am definitely leaning towards Duke and will be attending the admitted students day in March. Good luke with your schools it looks like we have some similar choices!
- penngirl06Apparently Trujillo doesnt call everyone... I got a status pdate last nite as well... I'm still hoping to hear from him. I guess we'll see! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
- pinklawI didn't get an email from Trujillo, either, but that might be because I live abroad. I just got a normal letter-size air mail. Sit tight, you should get it soon. Good luck!
- kazunobthanks! i actually got an email from them today. i sent in my app around jan 23 (according to my lsac acct). so i guess less than a month. pretty fast, i'd say.
- jonasquinnMy fingers are crossed for you! Good luck :)
- terpsichorethanks for the congrats. duke's llm/jd program is really really cool. i have absolutely no idea where i'm heading- i think i'll be visiting in the next couple of months before making a decision. good luck with duke- i'll be pulling for you!
- serendipity24I got a package from Emory sent to my current address, just had seat deposit info and not much else. No scholarship offer so I'm hoping that will come soon! Good luck!
- slainte06for the congrats, and to you too as well. i actually withdrew from four over the weekend, but i'm giving a week to put it up (so far i've used date received for everything ...) best of luck on the rest of your cycle
- milkmanThanks for the congrats. I'll withdraw when I am ready to withdraw. truly right now, all are still viable options for one reason or another.
- miles36Thanks. Columbia, probably. However, it's a tough tradeoff as I don't really like the northeast (nor am I sure I can live in NYC for that long) but it's hard to pass up the advantages that Columbia would provide. Good luck to you.
- asdfasdfasdfColumbia's clerkship placement and LRAP are better, but most of all there's a possibility of $$$ there. I couldn't afford a NYC school without serious finaid or a scholarship. I love Austin, plus I have family close by, so that's still a contender. Similarly, GULC and UVa are still possibilities depending upon cost since I like the location, especially the former.
- asdfasdfasdfI think NYU - because I really want to stay in NYC, but I'm not sure quite yet...you?
- laurenrae52Based on my acceptances so far, Cornell is my top choice. I would probably chose Mich/Penn/Chicago/Duke over Cornell if I get into one of those schools. Hopefully I can get into Mich or Penn so that I could withdraw my from Columbia/UVA. I don't want to spend the rest of senior year worrying about law school. Congrats on your acceptances so far and good luck with the rest of your schools. Who knows, maybe we'll both end up at Cornell.
- theschtickGood call, I forgot to do that. Withdrawing from Duke, UT, Cornell, UPenn, and Georgetown. Thanks for the reminder!
- elcidcampeadorI am visiting Columbia on March 1. That is my first choice right now. I was there five years ago and very much liked it. Unless my impressions change this time, I will be attending Columbia this fall. Good luck with your pending applications.
- zona84I'm really interested in Public Interest law, so Berkeley is a real possibility - but leaving NYC is going to be really hard. I'm single, so no worries there, although I live with my boyfriend and he is thinking of moving with me...
- laurenrae52yes, i'm going to start withdrawing. long story as to why i haven't yet... but, yeah, i'll hurry up. i'm really not trying to be a jerk about it. good luck on the rest of the cycle. looks like you've already racked up a couple of nice scholar ship offers! congrats!!
- elcWell, I don't know. Both Duke and Michigan have been generous with their offers. This decision will be difficult.
- assemblethewayssure about what type of law I am most interested in. I hope to figure that out over the summer and during 1L.
- theschtickI can't believe Utah rejected you. Now I'm really nervous.
- karilawI know what you mean about Oregon. My husband is from Tigard, so I've been lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time there. I would love to end up there one day, so maybe any Oregon school would be the best choice anyway. Congrats on all your acceptances and good luck with the rest of your applications!
- karilawI think it's really admirable that you're getting a JD after already establishing a family. I bet it'll make you more focused than most students are initially. Good luck on all your schools and thanks again for answering my question :-)
- applicant7Congrats on your acceptances so far! As for withdrawing, I've already withdraw from GW. Any school with a W next to it on my list I've already withdrawn from. I want to keep Duke around because they've given me some money, which I might try to get a match at some of my other schools. I'll keep withdrawing as fin aid offers/etc. come in. Good luck to you!
- postal007If you got rejected at the U, my ass is grass. I dont know what they were thinking, you sound very qualified, excluding the old gpa.
- utahmanYeah, they weren't too high up on my list anyway. I'm not really sure why I haven't already withdrawn. I definitely won't be pursuing the waitlist.
- azdezzaI will probably be heading to UT Austin. I have some personal reasons for attending, plus it is a great school and a great price. But aside from the personal reasons, I would have seriously considered Duke and Vandy as well.
- tobyiscuteon michigan :( would you mind telling me what the date was on the letter and what date it was postmarked? wondering if my rejection is coming soon as well :(
- goodnewsHello, I was just curious about your experience with the MFA/PhD and what caused you to turn toward law- I'm going in with an English background as well... Thanks and congrats so far!
- ImNobodyThank you! I'm so happy I finally have a choice!
- karilawHey, thanks for the message. As it stands, I've only heard back from Duke and W&L. Regardless of where else I may get accepted, Duke would be one of my top choices. That said, I have no intention of taking out $150k in loans to finance a Duke law degree. Sans any serious scholarship money, I'll wind up one of two places: 1) Wherever they give me the most money or 2) In D.C. as a high school principal in the ghetto, going to one of the D.C. law schools at night. What about you? Leaning toward Illinois? I'm sure you could convince them to give you more money!
- jonnyboy92110Thanks. I'll be withdrawing if I get in to NYU, Mich, Virginia or Chicago, otherwise I'll be sticking it out. Congrats on your acceptances so far.
- chevymsu35I will probably withdraw from Duke next week once I hear about money. I would feel bad withdrawing one day after getting my acceptance.
- someguyMy top choice is Duke...so that's probably where I'll end up. How about you?
- khizzlevufor the comments...i'll probably head off to chicago if stanford doesn't come through and boalt doesn't decide that waitlisting me was a super crappy idea. good luck with the rest of your schools!
- clairelI am interested in international law too. What field did you do your phd in?
- sfnativenevermind, 'litdoc,' i jumpted the gun ;)
- sfnativeI got an oversized letter in the mail today. I'm really excited! Best of luck to you as well-- going to Wash U would be pretty amazing, even if the scholarship stuff didn't go through. Congrats!
- jstarHey thanks for the message! I'm not sure yet... learning to UVA or UCLA (once I hear from UCLA!). Good luck on the rest of your apps!
- floridaisyWhere I'm headed. Don't you wish Vandy would decide already?
- cpacThanks for your message. It's a tough call. I'm probably leaning toward Charlottesville, although I think Michigan may be a more fun place to live. Of course, if Penn comes through, that trumps the others (not expecting that, btw).
- steveoThanks for visiting my page! Barring something crazy going on in Boston when I visit, I'll be there.
- akasonyefor the congrats. You are not doing so bad yourself esp. with all that money schools are throwing your way. I don't know where I will end up, but I am starting to narrow down my list and will send withdrawal letters in a couple of weeks to schools that I know that I am not going to attend (including cardozo, so maybe you'll get me scholarship). I have just started to visit schools so hopefully I'll have my #1 by the end of this month. Good Luck on the rest of your apps.
- shellbellSorry about your rejections.. I'm rooting for you, but I guess schools do care about that 10 year old GPA. It happens, though, you got great options so far!
- lucky7Good question! I don't know! Right now, I'm heavily leaning towards Georgetown, but I'm going to see my waitlists and deferrals out. I have a strong feeling (minus a Boalt admission) that I will be a Hoya though. Who knows, though. Where are you leaning?
- lucky7that l&c thing is weird, what with your 2nd degree. at least illinois and washu are both ranked a lot higher...!
- donqtdon't be discouraged or put off by those rejections. you got into some pretty awesome schools, and with some pretty awesome money. congrats! p.s. what's this about spies??
- lawblahHey litdoc, Still waiting on UVA. Penn is my first choice but the WL will ensure a painful wait. I'm liking Cornell right now...
- mistermoon IOWA!!! I would love to get in there!!! You have some nice acceptances and don't worry about Emory, they reject everyone under 3.0, if you look at lsac, their graph tells you NO possibility!!
- angelicasassyCongrats on Iowa and Minnesota. Some nice choices there. Also on WUSTL. Heck, on Illinois too. Best of luck!
- bajd777My background in Lit is only that I graduated with a degree in it- sorry I didn't make that clearer. I've thought about grabbing a joint degree in English & my JD, but have puttered around too much to actually get my act together. I would think teaching must have been interesting- at any rate, I'm sure you're well prepared to jump into law school now. What did you do your dissertation on?
- ImNobodyOH! And congrats many times over on Iowa and Minnesota- it sounds like yesterday was a great day for you! FYI, when I got my 'official' letter from MN in the mail, it came with a scholarship offer that wasn't mentioned in the initial recruitment as well- it took 10 days or so, but I hope more good news is coming your way!
- ImNobodyI would be delighted to end up at either Minn or Penn- I didn't apply to any real safeties, so I'm really on cloud nine for having options at all. I sent you an e-mail, by the way.
- ImNobodyI am interested in asian countries for comparative law but I also hope to do some work in europe also. I am in england now for grad school. London is a diverse and international city and it would be a great place to base my career, doing both asian and american cross-border transactions and projects. I am not sure where I will end up just yet :)
- sfnativeDang you are the splitter from h*ll.. good luck with even more acceptances!
- Bonkers, Jr.hey lit doc, maybe if we combine our Duke vibes they'll hurry up and send our acceptances... :o) i feel you on the weird rejections tho--I was WL at Boston College, yet given $$ at similarly ranked W&L and W&M... crazy stuff. I was pretty down about my T14 chances bc of rejections at Boalt, Stanford, and especially NYU, but Cornell made me feel a whole lot better. Just wait it out. :o)
- magnumalvi really love Wake and Duke, but man, Cornell is gonna be hard to pass up... Duke seriously needs to hurry up, tho. We only have 1.5 til classes start! crazy!
- magnumalvWe have similar numbers, and got the same shaft from the beloved hometown shool. Interesting. The only thing I can figure is that the U is chasing a higher median GPA these days. Oh well, I'm needing to get out of the SLC anyway. Guess this gives me a good excuse.
- bdoxeyyeah, i mean 2.5 months. my brain was still stuck on "decisions by April 31st)" which was just ridiculous. i actually applied for the JD/MA Lit program, not the JD/LLM. The LLM sounded fascinating, but i just have the necessary experience/background for it. Duke is becoming a more distant possibility, tho, despite how much I love it bc 1) lack of a decision and 2) lack of $$. I can't afford to go for full-tuition. I just can't reasonably do it. :o( And I love Cornell, but if I'm gonna work in the South, the name may actually be a liability.
- magnumalvcall me crazy, but i'm lovin' Wake--right atmosphere, great people, great regional rep, and likely to cost me little to nothing at all to go. thing is, i don't plan on BigLaw... I'm working on developing a legal consulting type of career rather than a straight lawyer, so I don't really need to be T14. I dunno. I've still got an eye out for Vandy and UVA, tho.
- magnumalvboo for duke. go cornell! ;)
- magnumalvdefinitely seems like a bummer since you were interested in their jb/llm program, but congrats on your recent acceptances and hopefully cornell will appreciate your impressive soft factors
- theschtickCornell is my top choice at the moment since I'm not sure where I want to work. If I want to work in DC or NYC, I'm sure Cornell places better in these places than USC. If I realize that California is the only place for me, I'll probably more seriously consider USC. Regardless of geography, the $$ and the weather make USC tempting. I'll spend a lot of time thinking about it during the next couple weeks.
- theschticki've decided to attend uiuc (despite the recent movement by wustl in ranking). hope to see you there next fall.
- paran0idI was waiting to hear from Stanford, and I did, yesterday. I'll be attending Stanford. There's many reasons this is my top choice. Good luck to you!
- mnboyi can't believe cornell deferred you! *mad face* if I got into these schools you certainly deserved to--look @ everything you have to contribute! ok, /rant. still. i just withdrew there, so maybe you'll get my spot. stupid schools.
- magnumalvI read your definition of the term mediocre on someones blog and I thought it was hysterical, so I wanted to thank you. Good luck to you, and I think its absolutely stupid that it appears schools are downplaying the Phd and focusing on the undergraduate GPA. Best of luck to you, and sorry about the grammatical/Sp. errors in this post.
- thorc954Regarding your comment: I've actually decided on Northwestern. I think Cornell has a great program, but I think NU is more laid-back and has more in terms of business options. Plus, I really need an urban environment.
- pandapanicGosh, not that I'm gonna go there, but what the heck is up with Vandy? Has TN spontaneously combusted? Maybe they're just on extended vacation... So is it looking like UIUC for you?
- magnumalvI have withdrawn from one of those schools (Cornell and Vandy).
- coderedmtdewgood luck, withdrew from cornell today
- sfnativecome to minnesota. we'll hang out.
- highway61Hi, just wanted to let you know I did withdraw from there officially a few weeks ago! So there is at least ONE spot available . . . ;)
- talula8828Hi, Thanks for the congrats. I did withdraw from places, and I will withdraw from more soon. I just hadn\\\'t updated the profile.
- bk70Congrats!!!
- lucky7I'm on the Texas waitlist, nonresident. Please share how you managed to get accepted so fast. Thanks!
- UT first choiceI don't know how I got accepted so fast off the waitlist -- I really don't. I have been exchanging emails with a prof at UT for several months, and he said he was going to put in a good word for me. Then last week he said he had been authorized to tell me I had been accepted. But when I slobbered my thanks all over him, he said he really didn't have anything to do with it. So who knows?? Sorry - wish I could be of more help! What I did do: I sent a letter of continuing interest and copies of some of my teaching evaluations, after I was placed on the waitlist - trying to offer additional evidence of my abilities and the contribution I could make.... Maybe that helped.
- LitDocYeehaw! *grin* That's great news, Doc. Congrats!
- magnumalvYou got it ;-) I have withdrawn from Cornell and I wish you all the best in the world. I appreciate the polite way you reminded me to get on with the withdrawing. I hope you get accepted.
- applicant7Wow!!! That is wonderful news :) Congrats.
- terpsichoreGreat news on UT...good luck!
- wbeniteI am insanely jealous of your UT WL acceptance. I'm in-state, and I can only hope I'll get called up to the big leagues. It seems you were accepted off the WL before they even knew completely about their yield. I guess someone on the ad comm just couldn't get you off his/her mind. So, have you been officially notified yet? Was it not in the form of an email?
- SOONERnHoustonI just want to say that as someone in the same age bracket as you with similar numbers (better lsat, slightly higher gpa, no advanced degrees but tons of WE) your acceptance into Texas just rocks my world, since it\\\'s my #1 for when I apply come fall. That 10-year-old gpa is my lurking terror in the closet. Congrats!
- scki'm in a similar situation. i have a 3.0 undergrad GPA, but will be finishing up my PhD just before i apply to law school. I've heard varying stories about how much pull a PhD will actually have and i guess you would be a good person to ask. The PhD will be relevant as i want to study IP law in the scientific sector.
- jlankyhow long was your addendum on UGPA? i know i'm going to have to write one but don't exaclty know how to word that.
- jlankyHi, Thanks for all the details about what you've gone through. I have a question about your L&C application - it *is* weird, like you said. What *did* you write about in your application? (L&C is probably my number 1 choice.) Thanks-
- denkCongrats on being accepted to UT. I'll be taking the Sept LSAT and am planning on applying to UT, SMU, and Texas Wesleyan (kinda need to stay in TX). Any tips for another 'older than average' candidate?
- jer2911txHey there... I just got accepted off the waitlist as well and I was wondering how you received word of your financial aid/scholarship situation. Was the information included with your acceptance letter? I'm not optimistic myself but was just wondering what the timing was like. Congratulations again, that's a fantastic $ offer off the waitlist :)
- terpsichoreDude...you have three kids, a wife, two graduate degrees, and your lifespan is half-way spent. Why are you going to law school?
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