Dean's Certificate FAQ -- PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING A NEW THREAD

[StudentUVA]

Word of warning about columbia. They require a dean's certificate from every school you ever attended (not just where you got your degree).

[coffeelovin25]

Word of warning about columbia. They require a dean's certificate from every school you ever attended (not just where you got your degree).

bunnies, seriously? how annoying!

[andyroberts]

Apparently Columbia's adcomm, in their cocaine-induced frenzy, is highly paranoid about the truthfulness of your...well, and LSAC's...well, and the degree granting institution's....answers.  Nice.  Mind if I triple my work?  Thanks.

[El_Pesado]

Not sure if anyone's said this already, but the University of Southern California requires an explanatory statement from a dean or academic official from your undergrad institution if you were ever sanctioned by the school for whatever reason (academic, etc.). If you were never disciplined, then don't worry.

Also, there's no Dean's Certificate form. You just got to get your Dean or whoever to write something and mail it directly to the law school. This is in addition to your own addendum.

[SamWaterston]

If you are a double major at an institution that crosses between two colleges within the institution, do you then also have to get certifications from both deans?

[enkidu]

FYI: Washington & Lee requires a Deans Cert to go complete.

[jimfoolery]

Will Columbia begin to review your file without a Dean's Cert?  It seems like, of all the materials you need to go complete there, this would be the thing they'd give you some benefit of the doubt on.  I ask because I attended an enormous public school, and I don't live in the state anymore, so I basically have to mail my request to strangers in the bowels of some Orwellian Dean of Students dept. and hope for the best.  I have no way of knowing if they've processed my request or even if they understand what it means, and frankly I have very little faith that it'll get there before the deadline.  If it doesn't, am I just SOL?

[flyaway]

Will Columbia begin to review your file without a Dean's Cert?  It seems like, of all the materials you need to go complete there, this would be the thing they'd give you some benefit of the doubt on.  I ask because I attended an enormous public school, and I don't live in the state anymore, so I basically have to mail my request to strangers in the bowels of some Orwellian Dean of Students dept. and hope for the best.  I have no way of knowing if they've processed my request or even if they understand what it means, and frankly I have very little faith that it'll get there before the deadline.  If it doesn't, am I just SOL?

As long as your application is in before the deadline, you're ok, but they will not review your file without a dean's cert, unfortunately.  I attended three schools, one of which is overseas, and Columbia emailed me recently letting me know that they haven't received one of the dean's certs (from a school, which I only attended for a semester!) and that they needed it asap.  So there, the answer to your question.

I just got an email yesterday too.  One of my dean's cert guys must not have sent in the form I sent him?  Or I forgot to write his school on there?  Or something.  Because they got a den's cert that didn't say what school it was from.  And then I'm also still missing one dean's cert because my degree school is taking FOREVER.  I'm going to call them tomorrow if they still haven't sent it (I can see in their online system when they've processed my other requests).

[oudidntno]

FYI: Washington & Lee requires a Deans Cert to go complete.

Yeah, I wasn't too thrilled about that.  Put me a couple of weeks behind on going complete and my LSDAS report (in the notes section) told them the exact same info. they were needing.

[bamf]

Not sure if anyone's said this already, but the University of Southern California requires an explanatory statement from a dean or academic official from your undergrad institution if you were ever sanctioned by the school for whatever reason (academic, etc.). If you were never disciplined, then don't worry.

wow.  I feel.  so dumb.
USC is not at all a top choice but I completely missed this.  I attached my own addendum  but never sent any letter from a dean ... It was a very minor thing at a school that I only attended for a semester and when I tried to contact them about it they had no record of the incident happening.  I just said yes to cover my own a$$ in the future.  Well, looks like I should expect a ding from USC.