9/3/12 - Well, classes have begun and I am now a Seminole. Not regretting my decision so far. Last week I received word from Washington & Lee that I had been removed from their wait-list after not expressing any interest. I really should have taken myself out of consideration there in May, but I wanted to see what would happen. I got a distinct feeling that had I shown any real interest after getting wait-listed, W&L would have come through with an admit, especially given their holistic approach.
Well, it looks like the law school numbers game is done for me. I am considering keeping a journal of my law school experiences both as a therapeutic outlet and as a resource for future students. If I do decide to do so I will post a link here, but if not, it's been fun LawSchoolNumbers!
5/22/12 - Wtihdrew from LSU. Withdrew from UF after some serious soul-searching. I'm confident I made the best decision for myself by choosing to submit my seat deposit and other documents to FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY.
Took a tour and was very impressed. I will see my future fellow 'Noles in the fall!
5/1/12 - A few days ago I received an out-of-state scholarship from LSU via email awarding me approximately $10K a year as a sort of OOS-equalizer.
Also, alerted via snail mail of my acceptance at the UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. I'd say it's down to FSU and UF people!
4/19/12 - Withdrew from Michigan State and Ole Miss.
Also waiting for a scholarship offer from LSU and a decision from UF, which was issued today (apparently via snail mail).
4/11/12 - Accepted to Louisiana State University via email, with status checker changed to "decision rendered."
All-in-all it looks like I'm going to be a Seminole! It's not official yet but it's closest to home and makes the most sense. Stay tuned!
4/2/12 - Accepted to Ole Miss via snail mail.
3/31/12 - Withdrew from Texas Tech and Stetson.
3/25/12 - Offered special scholarship to Stetson.
3/21/12 - Withdrew from Samford, Case Western Reserve, and South Texas College of Law.
3/20/12 - Accepted to South Texas College of Law. Also received an emailed offer from Samford for a $15,000 scholarship.
3/19/12 - Accepted to Case Western via status checker "decision rendered" followed by acceptance email.
Also withdrew from Arkansas - Little Rock. Slowly winnowing them down.
3/18/12 - Withdrew from Mississippi College and the "U" today. In the case of the latter, the University of Miami's cost-of-living and tuitition alone are just too rich for my blood.
3/14/12 - Great day today. Accepted to Michigan State with 50% scholarship via snail mail. Also, accepted to FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY via phone call. I'm estatic about this one, as it makes the most sense personally and professionaly.
3/9/12 - Withdrew from Loyola - New Orleans and Florida International University.
2/28/12 - Offered $11,000 per year at Loyola - New Orleans via email.
2/27/12 - Withdrew from Faulkner (Jones School of Law).
2/23/12 - For posterity interested in such things, I will be attending a scholarship interview day at SAMFORD's Cumberland School of Law. I will find out what monies I have been awarded, if any, in late March. Stay tuned.
2/21/12 - Status changed to HOLD at FSU via status checker. To reflect this I listed this as "Waitlisted." I'm willing to go the distance to get into this school if possible. I'm just encouraged it wasn't a rejection. I can go on hoping at this point.
2/9/12 - VERY fast turnaround at Loyola - New Orleans. Accepted today via status checker, "with scholarship consideration." With a good scholarship this could be a very promising financial safety option.
2/7/12 - Withdrew from FAMU Law.
2/6/12 - Sent in a last minute application to Loyola University - New Orleans in the hopes that I will be accepted and receive significant scholarship money.
I am trying to pare down my number of choices now to my "top" choices and then also the schools which are the most financially realistic (factoring in the stipulations).
2/2/12 - Received a 75% tuition scholarship from the Jones School of Law (a.k.a. Faulkner Law). The Montgomery location is attractive to me, but I'm not confident that Faulkner has the reach to make attending worthwhile. 3.0 stipulation also worries me.
Also, withdrew from the University of Akron.
1/31/12 - Received a $1000 scholarship from Texas Tech. This is great, as it qualifies me for in-state tuition, making Tech vastly more affordable and definitely increasing my interest!
1/26/12 - BIG day today. Lots of movement, most of it good news for me. First off, I was accepted off of the Waitlist to Texas Tech! This was a very fast turnaround. I was waitlisted only a couple of weeks ago. Very happy about this one.
Soon after received an email from Florida A&M that I had been accepted. I visited this school on a recent trip to Disney, but it was really just a safety that looks like it is no longer necessary.
Finally, I received a packet from the U today. Accepted at Miami after initially being put on hold! Without some serious scholarship money it's not a great option for me, but it will still impress folks here in Florida.
1/23/12 - Got the dreaded File Reviewed - No Decision Reached at the University of Florida. Expecting a rejection to come down the pipeline sooner or later. Also got an email to set up my PAWS account with LSU. Here's to hoping I will see good news there eventually.
1/21/12 - I guess the letter beat the package. I received a very handsome acceptance packet from Samford including a branded portfolio and acceptance letter. Also included was an invitation to apply for scholarship consideration by scheduling an interview. I believe I will be following up on this offer, as, with a generous scholarship and fair stipulations Samford could very easily become a contender.
1/20/12 - Received letter from Samford today. Not really any information other than some instructions on how to set up an account with the school.
Also, Status Checker received for LSU. Really hopeful for this one.
1/19/12 - More updates today. Waitlisted at Washington & Lee via status checker and email, which is a surprise. I expected an outright rejection.
Also received a letter from FIU Law today informing me that my application has been put on hold to be reviewed at a later date. Apparently they sent this letter to quite a few people this week. Needless to say I'm a little disappointed, mainly due to the possible implications this has for my chances at higher ranked schools.
1/13/12 - Accepted at Samford today via status checker with snail mail on the way.
1/10/12 - Waitlisted at Texas Tech via status checker. Kind of bummed, but I'm not sure if they took my improved LSAT into account. Still better than a rejection.
1/9/12 - Received 12 Fee Waivers today via email. I don't think I'll use any of them, which makes me realize how near-to-done I am in the application process, but it still feels good to garner some interest now that my score is higher.
Also, withdrew from Oklahoma City today.
1/7/12 - Received merit scholarship to UALR with reasonable stipulations. Also mailing off my first withdrawal of the cycle to NYLS. Just not a competitive offer given how expensive the school is.
1/4/12 - NEW LSAT Scores. Very happy to report that the December retake brought me up to a 161. Hopefully this will open some doors for me and give me some more options.
Unfortunately, LawSchoolPredictor still shows me getting denied by FSU and UF, two of my top choices. Hopefully, however, this will help me with Ole Miss, Texas Tech, and FIU, among others.
12/27/11 - Offered 12,000 dollar merit scholarship to NYLS with pretty steep stipulations. Not really enough off of sticker there anyway.
12/20/11 - Offered admission to New York Law with more information coming in the mail.
12/19/11 - Received out-of-state waiver from UALR, but no mention of any additional money. Still, very affordable tuition for in-state residents.
12/14/11 - Status Checker for University of Arkansas - Little Rock changed to accepted. Nice to have another option to consider. Not too sure about this one though. Wait to see if any money comes my way. OOS waiver at the least would be necessary to consider it.
12/12/11 - Rejection Letter from Baylor today. Not surprising, since I didn't ask them to consider my (as-yet-unknown) December 2011 LSAT score, and I knew they wouldn't let me in with my current numbers.
The feeling of disappointment was somewhat tempered by receiving a generous scholarship offer with fair stipulations from Mississippi College today, a school I am seriously considering.
12/3/11 - Took the December LSAT today. Hoping for an improvement over the 156 I got last year. My goal is a 160. A 158 would be ok. Anything over 160 would make me ecstatic. I had a much more detailed and serious study regimen this time around, using a combination of the LR Powerscore Bible and actual LSAT Preptests whereas the first time I studied on my lunch breaks using a Kaplan book. So, a completely different approach this time and I felt pretty good about this testing, but with the LSAT, can you really say with certainty until the results are in your hand?
12/1/11 - Ok, first update on here since my profile went visible. I've been very pleased by the response so far. First acceptance was Oklahoma City University, followed quickly by Akron, Mississippi College, and Faulkner (Jones School of Law). All of these were via status checker.
Most excitingly, I've been accepted to STETSON, a respectable school in my own state. Stay tuned to see if any money comes my way. Doubtful, but this and Miss College are top choices right now as I wait for my December LSAT.
on Stetson and Akron, I may see you at one of them in August!