RoundTwoHopeful (2017-2018)

- Update (1/10/19): For those trying to get into Berkeley Law - which many of you contact me about - I came across an absolute MUST-read reddit thread that basically reveals their process and has answers to all those burning questions most applicants have. Scroll down to the bottom of these comments on the right-hand column for the link.
- 7/23/18 I've been getting a lot of message inquires about Berkeley. Yes, I'm happy to answer your questions. After that, I will only check in once a week to field any messages.

Applicants for future cycles. Feel free to reach out to me. I'm happy to answer questions and be of assistance, especially if it is prior to August 15th of 2018. Shoot me any questions you have about this process and I will answer them to the best of my ability, or provide you with resources that can give you solid info, or data, about your question.

At the bottom of this column, I've copied and pasted profile links to other users who have provided a lot of detail and useful information that I think others would likely benefit from visiting, including users that posted about their scholarship reconsideration efforts (which is wildly not discussed, and incredibly helpful!) (NOTE: section 4(a) below has detailed negotiation strategy info).

I've included, to the right, a plethora of detailed info about how things unfolded at each school I applied to, any tips that I learned as it went, scholarship negotiation information, info about schools I visited, etc. Cheers to this LSN community that has been so very helpful and provided so much data to folks like me with all sorts of questions. I hope this helps those in the future.

I also recommend folks utilize the forum at www.lawschool.life. There's a lot of great info there and a good online community. I also highly recommend that you do NOT have the same user name for both this site and at lawschool.life. Admissions officers DO read law school forums and very likely cruise this site as well (but probably a lot less here). So if you make it easy for them to find you here because you have the same user name in both places, you very well can be putting yourself in harms way and can create adverse outcomes for yourself (because they can see all the schools you've applied to, where you've been accepted, and the scholarships you received). As such, they could perhaps make admissions and scholarship decisions based on the info you have made too easy to find. Be smart.

~ MY BACKGROUND & APP INFO ~

My LSDAS GPA is deceptive. Since re-entry to college, I have been a 4.0 student all four years (150+ units). Without my failed classes from over 15 years ago, my cumulative GPA is above a 4.0 by LSAC standards. My "degree GPA" was my GPA at a 4-yr university after transferring from community college. I wrote a GPA addendum about all of this.

I have strong softs, strong PS (public interest oriented), & fantastic recommenders. The only shat part of my app is the LSAT.

Overcame a life-changing accident, went back to college to reinvent myself = unique story. I wrote about this to a degree in my diversity statement.

Softs:

- First person in the history of my CC to finish a 2 yr honors program, in one year.
- Several degrees
- Extensive volunteer and community service.
- Caseworker at a legal clinic
- Internship at the D.A.'s office
- Conducting original research for senior thesis.
- tons of work experience in many different fields and capacities.
- Won several academic awards along the way.
- Graduated 1 of 113 within one of my majors (formal award).

Wrote "Why X" statements for: Michigan, Columbia, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UVA, San Diego, UCLA, Stanford, W&L, George Mason, and Duke.

Wrote optional statements for: Michigan, Notre Dame, Berkeley, WUSTL, UCLA, Duke, Stanford, UPenn, and OSU.

Diversity Statements: every application. (Very unique story, rich background).

Letters of continuing interest: Arizona State, Colorado (but withdrew later), Minnesota.

GENERAL NOTES & ADVICE:
(1) Apply broadly! It only takes one school to admit you that you really would like to attend to make all those rejections and waitlists irrelevant. You never know the outcome, so cast a wide net.

(2) Apply early. Especially if you're below the LSAT and GPA medians of a given law school, OR if you are someone like me that could benefit substantially from admissions officers taking the time to see through some of the blemishes is in one's record to see that you really are a very good law school candidate. General rule is apply prior to Thanksgiving. A little earlier is even better. By December, you are pushing into being late despite application deadlines being usually in March. If you are a heavy splitter, the same holds true.

(3) You want your application to form a mosaic. What this means is that you have many parts of an application, pieces if you will, and you want all those pieces to form an impression and understanding of who you are, what your strengths are, what you will add to a law school environment, and what kind of diversity you bring to the table in the classroom as well as the law school as a whole. It took me a little while to understand that, but it became clear to me this time around.

(4) Negotiate scholarships. Some schools flat out will refuse, but the vast majority are willing to change their offer under certain circumstances. The unequivocal motto is: always try and negotiate, or as it really should be referred to when you speak with law schools, you want them to reconsider your scholarship/financial aid package. Understand you may very well be told "no" more than once. Don't give up. Try again, tactfully. ALWAYS do this respectfully, professionally, courteously, concisely, and devoid of any sort of demand or entitlement. If you do that, you're doing a large part of the scholarship reconsideration request process correctly, and you will not offend anyone in admissions. Too many do not follow these tenets, and they are shut down not only on that request, but any future requests, be it for scholarships, deadline extensions, deferment, etc. Don't do that. Be professional, ALWAYS! Happy to help folks with this process when that time of the year rolls around for this coming cycle.
(4)(a) SCHOLARSHIP NEGOTIATION AND STRATEGY: there are two main kinds of scholarship leverage: (1) higher ranked schools and schools ranked within 5 to 10 spots BELOW the school you're targeting for negotiations. And the one that most people don't realize can be good leverage, (2) geographical proximity law schools. First, some thoughts on leverage type 1. Obviously a higher ranked school will leverage a lower ranked school. But few realize that lower ranked schools can leverage a higher ranked school, IF the lower ranked school(s) are within 5 to 10 rankings of your target negotiation school. Secondly on this point, the farther your lower ranked school is from the higher ranked school, the larger the scholarship needs to be from the lower ranked school to leverage the higher ranked school. An example: my full-ride at Arizona Univ. (ranked 40th this year) was sufficient leverage against Indiana Univ. of Bloomington (Maurer), who was ranked 3oth at the time. However, when I tried to leverage Iowa with scholarships from Arizona Univ., I was unsuccessful. The gap was just too big. I made a second attempt at leveraging Iowa with my offer from UC Irvine. Iowa again refused. Why? A lack of geographical proximity, I presume, which brings me to my next point: rankings isn't the only consideration. Geographical proximity and the markets that law schools compete (or don't) with each other matters too. This brings me to type II leveraging: geographical proximity. As illustrated above, two schools closely ranked (like Iowa v. UC Irvine) may not be compelling to either school as leverage. Schools that compete for the same applicants, in the same area, ccan be extremely effective leverage despite being worlds apart in terms of ranking. For example, I used my full-ride from Indiana Univ. of Indianapolis (McKinney) (ranked 88th at the time) to successfully get Indiana Univ. of Bloomington (Maurer) (ranked 33rd at the time) to increase their scholarship by $27,000. An official at one of those schools candidly told me they both are competing for many of the same candidates, and are of course competing within the same geographical market (for applicants and for their students getting jobs). I read of this kind of leverage before I applied, thus, as an affirmative strategy for future scholarship negotiations, I applied to a ton of lower ranked schools within the same geographical region as schools that I was both likely to get into, and truly going to consider attending. For example, I applied to Case Western Reserve to have leverage against Ohio State. I applied to McKinney to have leverage against Maurer. I applied to Cardozo for leverage against NY schools. I applied to Northeastern for leverage against Boston Univ. and Boston College. I applied to Loyola and San Diego to have leverage against USC, UC Irvine and UCLA in the event I got into any of those schools. You get the picture. This killed two birds with one stone: I had plenty of safety schools to attend if I wanted to on essentially (or actual) full-rides, while also having leverage for higher ranked schools. Get fee waivers! If you're not offered one via email, email a given school, articulate your reason for needing one, and you'll likely get one. Thus, for $35, I was able to 'buy' leverage in geographical regions all over the nation. No matter what higher ranked school (talking about the top 20, which was my goal) I got into, I would have at least a regional school to leverage against them. Ideally you accepted to a higher ranked school and can leverage a lower ranked school that way. But for folks with numbers like mine, that isn't likely. Hence this geographical proximity strategy is very effective and a great way to leverage yourself into paying much less for the school you really want to attend, without having a more classic leverage: a higher ranked school w/ a scholarship, or a school ranked just a couple spots lower with a large scholarship. Be smart and you can reduce your debt significantly.

(5) Write Why X Law School statements. Just do it. It helps. Especially as admissions to top law schools becomes more competitive and due to the increase in applicants and LSAT scores. Why you want to go to a law school is important, and matters. Showing this interest separates you from the litany of applicants that don't write them. I believe it made a difference in the scholarships I received as well, for I consistently received larger scholarships than people with my numbers, or often even people with better numbers. Spend the time to write Why X Law School statements, and make them 1 page or less. Lastly, do not make them generic. Research each school, and tailor your Why X Law School statements for each school. Don't half-ass this, it's better to not turn anything than it is to rush out a poorly written statement.

(6) Be in contact with law schools throughout the process. Visit if you can. Schools track that kind of thing. Contact the heads of programs at law schools that you're interested in, and talk to them. Talk with current students. Go to "Admit Day/Weekend(s)" to schools you are seriously interested in. All this stuff can be fodder for a letter asking for an increase in scholarship and you will have substantive proof that you've been engaged and genuinely interested in attending their law school. I believe this can - and did for me - make a difference in my scholarships, and reconsideration requests. If you do some of the things above prior to submitting your application, you can write about those efforts in your Why X Law School statements. Does all this take time? Yes, but it can have some serious benefits.

(7) Deadline extensions. I've found that deadline extensions are pretty common (my smallest one has been 7 days and my largest over 30 days), and so far not one school has declined my inquiry to this effect. If you're uncertain about your decisions and need more time to sort out details, get yourself some extra time. Email admissions and the Assistant Deans, jointly, stating why you need a deadline extension and you'll probably get it.

(8) Never forget that you're an ambassador for your college institution. How you conduct yourself in your interactions, emails, interviews, phone calls, visits to the school, etc, all have consequences for not only you, but your classmates and future applicants from your school. Always be: professional, polite, considerate, humble, genuine, honest, thankful and appreciative, UN-ENTITLED, have a positive attitude, and show awareness that you know if you're asking for something from a law school, you're asking for their most precious commodity in addition to your request (whatever it is)... their time. These basic tenets seem to be shockingly absent and undervalued in this whole process on the applicant side of things. Conversely, it is highly valued on the law school side of things. It naturally follows that you can separate yourself and stand out by embracing the advice here. You'll find that your success rate, the help you receive from people within law schools, and positive outcomes will be greatly increased following these tenets. I have plenty of stories I could share to attest to this....

(9) This cycle has been tough on everyone. Most people with the same numbers would have faired much better in any one of the past three cycles compared to this one.

(10) The LSAT is king & law schools really only care about your highest score. A good LSAT will overcome a lower GPA. A good GPA will not overcome a low LSAT as much as a good LSAT over a lower GPA. Period. I see people spend all kinds of time building their 'softs' and then get a low GPA or low LSAT. Don't do that. Spend the time - as long as it takes - to do your best on the LSAT. If you don't perform up to your capabilities, re-take the LSAT.

(11) Don't be afraid to wait a cycle, or re-apply if your options are not that great. DO NOT think you have to go to law school in any given year and decide to go to a law school that has poor employment outcomes (review https://www.lstreports.com/ and review law school's 509 reports). You go to law school for two main reasons: to pass the bar and most importantly, to get a job as a lawyer. A school that performs poorly in these metrics should be considered with extreme caution, especially if you are going to pay to go to such a law school. If you applied late in the cycle, or didn't do as well as you know you can on the LSAT, re-apply the following cycle and fix those issues. It is completely worth it in just about every scenario. Be brave enough to not take a bad situation, or to accept a bad outcome when you know you can do better. I wouldn't be going to Berkeley Law if I didn't follow my own advice. It was a hard decision last year to withdraw from a pretty decent option, and try again to get an outcome I was happy with and that I knew I could obtain.

OTHER USEFUL USER PROFILES:
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/phoenixright
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/schwatyl
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/doughtyc
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/Colgarian
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/farawaygirl

I applied late last cycle (mid to late January), and with a lower LSAT score and a slightly lower LSAC GPA. It was a disaster. Brushed myself off, re-took the LSAT, re-wrote much of my application materials, and took a swing at Round 2 of trying to land my goals.

Because I'm a bit of a wildcard, I'm playing the law of averages with a wide array of schools.

~ May the LSAT curve forever be in your favor ~

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Timeline/School Info

ALABAMA:
- UR 1/12
- 2/15 "decision made" on status checker - the decision is stated at the very top of the status check in super small font. Received snail mail rejection about 5 days later.

ARIZONA STATE:
- waitlisted via email. Filled out their waitlist online form and sent a LOCI the following day to the admissions office and the Dean.
- 5/15 received email rejecting me off of the waitlist. I didn't send an LOCI except for the 1st one I sent when I was initially waitlist in Nov.

ARIZONA UNIVERSITY:
- found out accepted through their status checker, and received an email from Dean Cluck later that day congratulating me.
- 2/1 acceptance packet arrived in the mail, and there was no scholarship information inside it... which I thought meant I was going to receive nothing. However...
- 2/11 full out-of-state tuition scholarship awarded via email from Dean Cluck. In speaking to others here, this appears to be very common that you don't hear about scholarships until quite a bit after you are admitted, and I didn't talk to anyone that had their scholarship come with the acceptance packet. Just hang tight after you have been admitted, know this is part of their process at AU.
- extremely nice admissions staff, very helpful. Dean Cluck is extremely nice and personable as well. I've found her to be one of the most dedicated Deans I've dealt with; truly a gem. I'm trying to visit the school as they are a strong contender to attend!
- $250 travel stipend/reimbrusement for those out of state to go visit.

BAYLOR:
- there was some sort of mix up... crazy long time to process my app. I called the admissions office and it was clear that somehow I fell through the cracks. They proceeded my app that day and by the afternoon they had admitted me and invited me to a dinner in California. Very nice. To note, Dean Branson was SUPER nice and clearly dedicated to serving their applicants. Kudos.
- They sent the scholarship info via mail with their acceptance packet.

BERKELEY:
- wrote Why Berkeley, wrote statements for two named scholarships too (swinging for the fences, and a total longshot). Personal statement was PI focused.
- Under review 1/11 (received email stating such, status checker said under review on 1/10).
- accepted 1/22 via email.
- Scholarship offer via email on 3/8. And the Berkeley love continues, I've been so blessed by Berkeley to have been admitted in the first place, but then given even one cent of a scholarship is icing on a big beautiful cake. GO BEARS! Just need to figure out if I can handle the debt here...
- 3/23 Submitted reconsideration request via email to the "matching@" email address.
- 3/23 submitted a deadline extension from the April 1st deadline that is stipulated in the scholarship email I received (to either accept it or forfeit the scholarship (you retain your acceptance, just not the scholarship)).
- 3/26 Was given a deadline extension that was very fair (until April 15th whereas the original deadline was April 1st).
- 3/30. Reconsideration request denied (disappointing but I (a) did not have 'peer' school offers to compete with Berkeley Law, and (b) I am flat out privileged to have not only been accepted but to be offered any $ in the first place. Super tough decision if I can swallow the debt...
- 4/12. Committed to Berkeley Law and withdrew all my other acceptances per conditions of my scholarship (you can remain on waitlists). Super happy to be attending Berkeley Law!

BOSTON COLLEGE:
- 1/26 notified I was 'under review' via email.
- waitlisted via email. Filled out their online waitlist form to remain on the waitlist.
- 4/27 rejected off the waitlist via email. I never sent an LOCI and was lazy and never withdrew... Berkeley Law is a lock for nearly a month now.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY:
- a total joke. They said they would hold my file for my Dec. LSAT... 4 days after my LSAT posted they rejected me, and two of those days were a weekend. Note to applicants, don't send in your file early to BU, they pulled some shady stuff with me. Waste of my $.

CARDOZO:
- Accepted via email. Received a massive scholarship via email a day or two later; they came out swinging w/ big $. While I didn't try to negotiate with them, I know someone who did. It seems clear they are willing to, but if you offer up scholarship awards that are conditional (meaning GPA stipulations or class rank stipulations), you will get shot down. They will higlight that they offer unconditional scholarship, and they are extremely generous. If I really was interested in NY, they would have had my attention. Withdrew to free up the seat and $ for others as soon as I knew I wasn't headed to the east coast.
- I withdrew and they hit me with another 15k (initially offered $150K) in an email the same day... trying to make things difficult for me, in the most blessed way. Cardozo really does give good offers!

CASE WESTERN RESERVE:
- sent scholarship info with the acceptance via email. You will know that you are nearing a decision for your status checker will say "phase 1" and then "phase 2". I spoke w/ admissions and they said they release decisions in batches, usually on Tuesdays (for some reason not given).

CHICAGO:
- UR1
- UR2 3/22 (date change on status checker)
- UR3 3/26 no interview request, so now I'm just waiting for that rejection email, lol.
- Rejected via email, as predicted. To note for future applicants, some people were waitlisted that went UR3 without an interview, so it isn't an automatic rejection.

COLORADO (OF BOULDER):
- waitlisted via email. Sent a LOCI the following day to admissions and the Dean.

CINNCINATI:
- after I submitted my app in January, admissions emailed me b/c I was registered for the Feb. LSAT. They stated - and sought to make sure I was aware - that they do not take reconsideration of a later LSAT score after one submits their application and has a decision make in terms of scholarship purposes. Thus, applicants are well-advised to wait until you will not take any further LSATs. Similarly, the tactic of taking a later LSAT - after you submit your application - for scholarship purposes is not possible here. Submit when, and only when, you know you will be done taking the LSAT.
- Admitted via email
- Scholarship came in the mailed acceptance packet about 7 days after admitted.

COLUMBIA:
- rejected via email. They do have a status checker, but I didn't find it useful for anything informative about where I was at in the process. Just sit and wait.

DUKE:
- rejected via email.

EMORY:
- no status checker given by Emory. Waited for nearly 5 months to receive a waitlist (regular waitlist, not priority waitlist) via email.

GEORGE MASON:
- 1/22 app went complete
- I never received a status checker if there is one.
- 2/19 notified waitlisted via email. I emailed admissions requesting to be placed on the waitlist, per their instructions in my decision notification should one want to remain on the list (otherwise they will automatically remove you at some point).

GEORGETOWN:
- Status checker said "complete" the day after they received it and it never changed between the time that I got my status checker to the moment that I got my email rejection.
- broke my heart! I was prefer waitlisted here last year, and outright rejected this year (via snail mail)! I really liked the programs in environmental law that they offered and would have very seriously considered attending there, oh well!
- Wrote a very strong 'Why Georgetown Law' statement in lieu of their "optional" statements (Btw, didn't do their optional statement last year either).

GEORGE WASHINGTON:
- they must have hated me for some reason; super quick reject (via email). I doubled checked to make sure I didn't send the wrong "why X law school" statement to them, or something like that. Nope. App was clean and all good... they just hated me, lol.

HARVARD:
- rejected via their webpage that you are given to login into. No email, no snail mail.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY (BLOOMINGTON)/(MAURER):
- 12/16 under review
- Accepted via email w/ scholarship info.
- Note: some of the nicest people at IU admissions (and the students as well). Dean Canada called to congratulate in a very sincere way a few days after acceptance.
- Visited the school in Feb (24th) for Admitted Students Day; it was great. A very strong consider for attending.
- Scholarship Reconsideration: they're very willing to reconsider scholarships, they did for me twice. Here's how it went:
(1) Intial scholarship 62.5k based on my Sept. LSAT. (2) Sent a request to reconsider based in higher LSAT from Dec. in early January and never received a response. (3) After 4 wks went by sent another email requesting reconsideration based on higher LSAT, increased gpa (due to fall grades posting to lsac), and sent them my full ride offer from IU McKinney. 10 days later Maurer increased offer from 62.5k to 97.5k. (4) Third wk of March sent another reconsideration request based on other offers I received. I sent them offers from Arizona, McKinney (since they gave me another $1,800 stipend after original offer), Wisonsin, UC Irivine, and Berkeley Law. Muarer very graciously and generously replied in 3 days and increased my offer from 97.5k to 127.5k. I will note that I attended Admitted Students Day (which was great) and was in steady communication with several students there. I was very seriously considering attending and nearly did otherwise I never would've asked for these reconsiderations. Everyone at Maurer was fantastic and Maurer is clearly a good place to attend law school in my opinion.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY (MCKINNEY):
- 1/10 under review (status checker)
- Accepted via email with scholarship info (full-tuition for out-of-state) w/ offer to interview for the "Kennedy Scholar" award, which is a 18k stipend. I flew out to interview for the award, visited the school, toured Indianapolis. Didn't win the stipend award, but they offered an additional 1.8k stipend, which was great - very thankful!
- SUPER NICE, VERY HELPFUL PEOPLE in a very genuine way (some of the nicest I've dealt with out of all the schools I applied to; major kudos). For a non-top-tier school, they have a lot to offer and a very strong job network in Indianapolis, which is where they are located. Because their offer is so strong, McKinney is a strong consider for me due to being an adult student and the outcomes here in Indianapolis would bring about my goals.
- Reconsideration efforts: I tried to have the gpa stipulation changed to "good standing", as that stipulation was a significant hinderance to me accepting there. They ultimately did not change it. They did, however, very generously give me a deadline extension of 30 days to continue considering their offer. They were truly great at McKinney all the way around. Great people and staff!

IOWA:
- Under review 1/2 (status checker)
- Accepted via email.
- 2/3 acceptance packet arrived via mail.
- They say in the email (stating you were accepted) that IF you are receiving financial aid you should get notice within 3 wks. 4 1/2 wks went by and I sent in a "reconsideration request" w/ other offers and explained why I need aid to attend. They responded 2 weeks later saying "aid was exhausted" and placed me on a "scholarship waitlist" (totally bizarre).
- 3/30 sent a request to extend my deadline (didn't specify a date, I let them determine that). Within hours I got an email back stating April 6th was my new deadline.
- 4/5 contacted the Dean inquiring if there was any further scholarship reconsideration possible, given I would not be attending without a scholarship and that my deadline was a day away. Dean extended my deadline, again, to April 15th and said he would be in contact by that time about a possible scholarship.
4/13 Withdrew for I needed to make a decision about Berkeley by the 15th.

IRVINE:
- accepted via email (with a strange title "You're going to want to read this!". Offered scholarship in acceptance packet that arrive about 10 to 12 days later in the mail.
- Note: I corresponded with UCI Law staff a few times trying to get some details ironed out with the hold for my December LSAT, and they were absolutely great. I received a couple of emails from admissions staff at 1am... very dedicated, kind group working there. Major kudos. A+ for communications.
- 3/20 Sent in a scholarship reconsideration request.
- 3/22 Email response to my request saying that they will review reconsideration requests "mid-April" (no actual date provided).
- 3/30 I "held" my scholarship via the online form they request one fills out if they don't want to forfeit their scholarship.
- Note on scholarship: "holding" your scholarship doesn't preclude one from being able to send in a reconsideration request and receive an increase at a later time. I clarified this with admissions on the phone before "holding" my scholarship on the 30th.
- 4/3 email notifying me I wasn't selected for any of the fellowships I applied for on my application.
- 4/12 withdrew
- 4/19 received notification that UCI was not going to increase my scholarship amount in light of my reconsideration request. (This was a little odd seeing that I withdrew already). I sent in my request on approx. 3/30. For future applicants, UCI sent an email in response to my reconsideration request (that was automated it appeared) that UCI doesn't start looking at reconsideration requests until 4/15.

LEWIS AND CLARK:
- 1/3 interviewed w/ alumni, who was very nice. If you want info about the questions asked, send me a message. It was a very relaxed interview.
- 1/4 the date changed on my status checker, but still said "complete" (basically UR1).
- 1/18 date changed on my status checker, but still said "complete" (basically UR2).
- 1/27 scholarship info came in the mail w/ acceptance packet.
- 4/1 withdrew, HOWEVER, on 4/4 the Dean personally emailed me asking if an increase in scholarship would get me to reconsider attending and asked to speak on the phone. We played phone tag for a couple of days, and I let it go at that point, for I knew I was heading to Berkeley Law. I'm rather sure I could have gotten my scholarship increased to 100k.
- To note, they DO have a scholarship reconsideration process that you should follow. There is a link on their website that asks you to fill out a form and submit your request. You should follow their instructions (not that I didn't, just sayin' because most people don't know about this who applied here).
- Here is the link to the reconsideration form: https://law.lclark.edu/offices/admissions/tuition_and_financial_aid/reconsideration/

OHIO (MORITZ COLLEGE OF LAW):
- Under review on 1/4 (their status checker)
- Accepted via email, no scholarship information was included. It seems to be very standard that 2 to 4 weeks - with most people it was 3 weeks - to receive scholarship info if you're receiving one.
- Applied for their Mortiz Scholarship in Law (full-tuition) and was notified on 2/22 I was not a finalist (even though their website said by 2/15 would be notified if a finalist).
- 2/26 Scholarship via email.
- Note: myself and other applicants wondered if you applied for the Moritz Scholarship in Law, that you would not hear back on a regular scholarship award until a determination was made about the full-tuition scholarship. In speaking with others, this isn't the case. You certainly can be awarded a scholarship prior to finding out if you are a finalist for the Moritz Scholarship in Law - several people attested to this that I spoke with.
- Note regarding scholarship negotiation: I learned that if you are going to try to negotiate, you really should only do so with one, perhaps two schools (at the very most), and you should send your reconsideration letter to both admissions and Dean States, in the same email. You better make it compelling that you are genuinely torn between Ohio and another option and make your case well why a little more money is going to make the difference (don't expect any large jumps, I was told the chance of that happening is infinitely small). Be modest, be sincere, follow my advice, as I received it from a source that knew what they were talking about. Had I not received better offers already, I would have tried to negotiate. Also, a note on timing, I was told that early March is definitely the best time; not later, not sooner.
- To note, call financial aid and get info about what is required to get in-state residency; they're super helpful. Sounds like quite the handful and a bit risky in terms of that if you mess up (which could happen with a little forgetfulness and a lapse in diligence about your finances and travel) you will lose your residency track, which will cost you $15k in additional tuition by not getting in-state tuition. As such, their scholarships are decent from what I've seen ASSUMING you get in-state residency, which is definitely a contingency to consider carefully. Know what you are getting into here if you are out-of-state. It is doable, but just be informed.

MARYLAND:

MIAMI:
- Crazy fast turnaround (usually 1 or 2 days) from the time submit app to getting a decision. Dean calls to congratulate you as well (usually same day as acceptance).
- Scholarship info came with the email, and Dean reiterates your scholarship info. Nice man.
- Note: I inquired about a travel stipend seeing that I live super far away, and they stated that they do not give travel stipends out.
- Sent a scholarship reconsideration request on 1/26. Received email on 1/30 (or so) saying they do not negotiate scholarships.
- Note: I've read several times on people's LSN profiles that they received unsolicited scholarship increases between the months of January and March. This didn't happen for a ton of people, but it did for enough people that I note it here for others.

MICHIGAN:
- 1/25 app shown as complete on status checker (which at Michigan also means your file has been submitted for review and the status checker never changes until you get a decision)
- Note: Michigan's status checker is updated daily.
- you broke my heart Michigan! Rejected via the status checker. Wrote 'Why Michigan' as one of the two option essays, and wrote the other optional essays on my GPA background.

MINNESOTA:
- waitlisted via email. Staying on the waitlist just to see what happens, and when, as to give future applicants info.
- 6/19 received letter via snail mail that I was being "released" (cough, rejected) from the waitlist.

NORTHEASTERN:
- was emailed when file went complete, and no further updates (email or otherwise) until my acceptance.
- accepted via email. Scholarship info came at that time. Underwhelmed by their offer and submitted a scholarship reconsideration request, to which about 3 days later they denied saying that don't negotiate. However, when I received my 'official' award package info, they threw in another 9k in aid magically.

NOTRE DAME:
- was pretty bummed about ND. I tailored my entire app and wrote the 'Why NDLS' and the "Different Kind of Lawyer" statement.
- rejected via email. To note, their status checker dates will change at least twice before you get a decision. Although some people reported having no date changes, others stated dates changed 3 times. Also, if you ever see seat deposit info on your status checker, you're in! Although, some people were accepted that never saw seat deposit info on their status checker too. FYI.

NYU:
- 1/8 under review (status checker)
- Note: interestingly this year my status checker never changed dates (which signifies that your are under review 2). I went straight from UR1 to receiving my rejection. Last year, there was a second date change after the initial date of being under review on the status checker.
- your admissions decision comes via email.
- Note: last year, in small red font at the top - when my status checker said "decision rendered" - it says decision has been sent. Within 3 hours I had my email rejecting me.

PENN:
- 1/8 app "processed and received"
- 2/6 under review via status checker
- 2/19 under review 2 (status checker changed dates).
- Rejection came via email.
- Note: you are very foolish to not write a "Why Penn" statement (which is one of the options for the "optional" statements that you should 100% not treat as optional. Do them, and make sure one of them is a "Why Penn" as I have come to learn from others over the last two cycles.

SAN DIEGO:
- 1/9 app went 'complete' and 'in review'
- scholarship came with acceptance email, and acceptance packet came in the mail about 10 days later.

SANTA CLARA:
- super quick turnaround on my app, accepted via email, letter stating the same arrived the following week with scholarship info. 105k is pretty much the most they offer, so that was nice. Problem is they are crazy expensive despite even that scholarship, which took them out of the running.

STANFORD:
- completed and in review on 2/6
- 4/9 DLS (decision letter sent) on status checker. You can call their office and be informed of your decision before it comes via snail mail --> rejected.

TEXAS:
- completed on 1/22 and silence since. From what I can tell is that their status checker doesn't provide any useful information about where you are in the process.
- Had a terrible time trying to get their status check site to work. Had to email them several times to get my password reset and finally working. Staff was very helpful and kind, but status checker is not good. Had the same problem last year when I applied to Texas.

UCLA:
- completed on 1/16. To note, there is no additional info given on the status checker, not really sure why they have one. Says they will not communicate your decision on the status checker.

WUSTL:
- on status checker many of the boxes (like PS, letters of rec) were not checked off for nearly 3 weeks.
- 1/26 all the boxes were checked and my application was 'complete'.
- Status checker never said it was under review.
- went from completed to receiving rejection email. Kind of surprised I wasn't at least waitlisted. Wrote a 'Why WUSTL' as well. To be honest, their graphs show they are pretty much 100% LSAT/numerics driven, and the exceptions are people that apply early decision. Bottom line, unless you help their numbers (be it LSAT, SUPER high GPA, or retention ratio for admits, your chances are very small and possibly so small it is not worth applying there for).

UC DAVIS:
- super fast acceptance, via email.
- I did put a paragraph at the end of my personal statement that functioned as a "Why King Hall" statement since they don't allow more than 3 1/2 pages total for all the statements combined.
- scholarship info via email (they send you an official letter in the mail as well, but you will get an email first). They also state that you will not see scholarship offers until March, and you should definitely believe that, as that was the case (by researching) for the last several years. Be patient, it will come.
- Note for future cycle applicants: the first day that anyone received scholarships was 2/28.
- Another note: the people at UC Davis are VERY good people. They are a small staff, but extremely nice and genuine and Davis is known for having one of the best law school environments.

UC HASTINGS:
- 1/2 Under review (via status checker)
- rejected via email. This was the biggest shock of my cycle; nothing explains this other than they were convinced I wouldn't attend and I gave them no reason to think that. I even applied for the LEOP program.
- Note: Hastings waits until at least mid-Janurary to release any decisions, and they don't really get moving until the first week of February. Scholarship info comes with the acceptance, which will come via email.

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON:
- received a 'held for further review' email after the 4 wk period was up (which they state they will give you a decision within that timeframe).
- waitlisted via email about 10 to 14 days later. They specifically tell you NOT to send anything additional in, they don't want it.

USC:
- An important note for applicants that want to take a later LSAT: they WILL NOT process your application under any circumstance if you have a pending LSAT or if you are scheduled to take a later LSAT. I tried, in vein, to have them process my application after my Dec. LSAT while I decided to re-take in Feb, and they absolutely refused.
- no communication about my app even since taking the Feb. LSAT. Seems as if I flushed $ down the drain applying there given my LSAT registrations. Don't do that!
- 4/23 B/c I've received zero communications from them since my Feb. LSAT posted, I called them to "see if I was missing any documents" or "have done something that has created a hold on my file". They kindly looked up my file and told me I was in review, and that I should have a decision within a month.

UVA:
- 1/8 was "in review" on status checker (which was one day after they received my application (this happens for all applicants... it doesn't mean that they loved you and expedited your app to review)).
- waitlisted via email. Honestly, I'm pleased to have even be waitlisted given my numbers. For future applicants, I believe I was waitlisted because I had been in contact with UVA for over a year (really wanted to attend there) and I wrote a very, very strong 'Why UVA' letter with my application.
- Note: most applicants had date changes on their status checker as their app moved to another round of review. That didn't happen to me. I went straight from the 1/8 date to receiving my waitlist notification via email.
- 4/23 received email 'releasing' me from the waitlist. Not a surprise given I didn't send in a LOCI... ultimately was already happy with my decision to attend Berkeley Law.

VANDERBILT:
- interviewed on 9/28
- Note: my interviewer was really nice, helpful and informative. Questions were straight forward; they are really trying to get to know you, why you want to go to Vanderbilt, why law school, etc. Just relax and enjoy the experience.
- Note: Vanderbilt will hold your file from moving to review if you have an LSAT score you want considered (which I did); just email them if you ask them to hold it.
- 1/4 complete on the status checker.
- Note: "complete" on your status checker is all you will ever see in terms of any updates on the progress of your file. In other words, it will not say "under review" so don't freak out.
- 4/24 withdrew w/out a decision; just don't care anymore about attending there. Also, Vanderbilt definitely wins the "Sloth Award" for law school admissions. If you sort Vanderbilt applicants by their LSAT scores, you will see - every year - they skim the best candidates and COMPLETELY ignore lower numbered candidates, meaning, if you are a non-URM and at about a 163 or less, you are probably better off not applying, for you will waste your money... they won't give you a decision until May and as you can imagine, it will not be favorable seeing that their class is filled already. TOTAL WASTE OF $.

WASHINGTON AND LEE:
- was intially placed 'on hold' in February (3rd I think). I sent a hybrid LOCI/Why W&L immediately addressing 'issues' that I was predicting created my hold.
- waitlisted via email
- 4/20 received an "waitlist update" email stating that the deposit deadline had past and they rejected "those who were not most competitive", and that I remained among the group that had a "reasonable chance of being admitted" off the waitlist. In sum, for future applicants on the waitlist, there is a round of thinning the waitlist group that happens and you're well advised to send a letter of continuing interest BEFORE the deposit deadline if you don't want to be cut. Conversely, I didn't send a letter of continuing interest in except the letter I sent immediately proceeding my "hold" notification... so, I guess they liked me enough not to give me the auto boot for not sending in any correspondence since the deposit deadline.
- 6/11 Denied off the waitlist via email. I just didn't withdrawal to see what would happen, and to give info for future applicants. The email just referred me to their status portal where it listed their decision.

WISCONSIN
- emailed admissions and asked them to hold my application for my Dec LSAT score, hence the very long gap between submissions and going complete.
- 1/4 Under review (on status checker)
- Note: over two months went by and I figured something had to be awry, as most hear back in two months or less. I called and spoke to admissions asking if there was anything on my end that might have created a 'hold' on my application (I knew this wasn't the case, but I didn't want to say, "Hey, why is this taking so long, people with my numbers that went complete have heard back long ago"). Admissions said that everything was fine, and that I should hear back sometime soon. Later that VERY same day, I was admitted via email. This is conjecture, but... I believe I was accepted well before that and I fell through the cracks on being notified. The timing was too serendipitous to be mere chance.... Moral of the story, if in your GOOD judgement (not b/c you are impatient!) But, if you notice your timeline is anomalous, find a RESPECTFUL way to reach out and frame it as you are wondering if it is your fault somehow that there is a hold on your app....).
- Day after being admitted received email with scholarship notification (although earlier in the cycle many people waited over a week to hear about scholarship information).
- Scholarship is to be kept confidential, but I will say this: it was very generous and competitive and it was one of the highest % of tuition scholarships I've received from schools around the same ranking.
- Note: if you need more time, in an email that I received on 3/22 there was information about simply filling out a form that had an option titled "uncertain" that you could submit that would hold both your scholarship and your acceptance until May 1st. Naturally, that was the option I choose since I wasn't ready to make a decision on April 1st.

AWESOME REDDIT THREAD FROM PREVIOUS BERKELEY LAW ADMISSIONS READER:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/adycoa/i_was_on_berkeley_laws_admissions_committee_ama/