lawschool0809 (2022-2023)

- #'s to the left are 2009 USNWR rankings.
- Scholarship amounts are 3-yr totals.

Took the June 07 LSAT, and was very unhappy with my score (practicing consistently in the low 170's). But the thought of retaking makes me want to jump off a cliff, and since I'm not desperate to get into a T14, I decided to apply and see what happens.
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3/24/08 TULANE visit:
*Liked the school, not a big fan of Nola.
The building, classrooms, and library were all nice. The students, including the tour guide, seem smart and friendly. The atmosphere was not as uber-intense as I feared it could be, though I've heard Tulane is more relaxed than some (side note: the tour guide said he was admitted to BU, went to visit the campus, and hated it because the students looked like "their heads might spin off"). My tour guide also mentioned Tulane's extensive alumni networks all over the US, which was good to hear. I'm not sold on New Orleans, it's about as oppposite from the PNW as you could imagine. I don't like how I called a taxi 3 times and it never showed up. Or how on a tour of a plantation the guide told us 3 times how long it would take to drive back into town, but all 3 times he had very different time estimates- there's a big difference between 40 minutes and 1.5 hours!

3/26/08 WAKE FOREST visit:
*Small class size and some small, random perks are great, but the student body might not be up my alley.
I'm a big fan of the liberal arts thing, as well as the small class size. There were some random, small perks (such as every student gets a study cube in the library) that were also nice. The director of admissions was great to talk to, and the student who gave me a tour was also really nice and down-to-earth. However, when walking around the law building and general campus, I'm not sure I like the impression I get from the students I saw (I'll leave specifics out, as I don't want to offend anyone, but feel free to ask me if you're wondering).

3/27/08 AMERICAN visit:
*Favorite city by far, least impressive campus/facilities.
The metro system, the area of DC that American is in, and nearby apartments are all great. I could be really happy living in this part of DC for law school, and perhaps beyond. I think I'd fit in pretty well with the students I saw in the law school. AU also has some great clinics (they're ranked #2 in clinics, though from what I gather on LSD, speciality rankings don't matter that much). However, I'm wary of the larger class size, and they also seem to be lacking in the smaller, random perks that Tulane and Wake offered. Obviously those small things wouldn't be deal breakers, but they would be at least minor factors to consider. I'm also ever-conscious of the fact that AU plays 3rd fiddle to GULC and GW.

Cleaned up-

12/13/07: IN at AMERICAN (priority mail large envelope).
12/23/07: IN at SEATTLE (large envelope, regular mail). $12,000/yr Presidential Scholarship offer included, contingent on staying in the top 25%.
1/21/08: OUT at BC (snail mail).
1/25/08: IN at WAKE (Large envelope, regular mail).
2/4/08: WL at GW (snail mail).
2/27/08: Tulane status checker changed to "undergoing review".
2/28/08: Email from Tulane confirming that my app is under review.
3/11/08: Duke status checker changed to decision. Rejection, I'm sure...
3/12/08: IN at TULANE w/ a scholarship (email & status checker).
3/14/08: OUT at DUKE (snail mail).
3/15/08: Tote bag with $25,000/yr Dean's Scholarship at Tulane, contingent on maintaining a 3.0 GPA.
3/24/08: OUT at UIUC (status checker).
3/26/08: WL at UW (snail mail).
3/29/08: WL at EMORY (snail mail).
3/31/08: OUT at USC (snail mail). ~ CYCLE OVER ~

Final thoughts: it appears the only significant factor besides LSAT and GPA is URM status. I could have predicted every single one of my outcomes based on my numbers. It would have been nice to get into at least one semi-reach-but-still-kinda-target school, like BC or UW. UW is the only decision I am truly upet about, and I thought I had at least a fighting chance at BC, rather than being one of the first people rejected. I also should have more thoroughly researched the schools before applying- I probably wouldn't have picked Duke and USC as my super-reaches, would have thrown in a few more target schools, and maybe not applied to UIUC and Wake. But, all-in-all, Im grateful I got into some solid schools, and Im excited to start school in the fall!
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4/4/08: Deposited at AU and Tulane.

4/14/08: Officially withdrew from SU, Wake, GW WL, and UW WL. I'll stay on the Emory WL as long as I can.

4/21/08: Leaning heavily toward AU, but still feel like I shouldn't let go of Tulane...

6/2/08: Withdrew from Tulane. Almost certain I'll be in DC in August unless Emory wants me.