Law School Discussion

I just realized that Duke has a JD MA Psychology program that I would be really interested in if i was accepted.

However the website says:
We recommend you submit your application and supporting material no later than January 1, 2005.

Do you think this is a strict deadline even though it isn't phrased as such?

~Justin

I wanted to start a thread that would prompt a discussion about Merit Based Scholarships. I have a few questions about them.

1) Which schools of the top 100 give them?
2) In what amounts?
3) Has anyone gotten any offers yet?

I hope this post can become a central place where people post their merit scholarship offers for the 2004-2005 application cycle.

I just got a full tuition scholarship from Hofstra which caught me by suprise. I wasn't even aware law schools gave full free rides. I wonder primarily how common this is, and also what other schools do it that anyone knows of.

Thanks,
Justin

I've been trying to compile a list of schools that allow applicants to check their status on-line. Here is the list so far:

GULC: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/statusCheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=statusCheck.Home

Fordham: https://law.fordham.edu/ihtml/adm-statchek.ihtml

Cornell: http://support.law.cornell.edu/admissions/status/

Baylor: http://law.baylor.edu/AdmissionFormValidate/validation.htm

Northwestern: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/form/adm_checkstatus_entry.cfm

Ohio State: https://newman.uts.ohio-state.edu/admissions/appstat/Adm_AppStatus.cfm

Georgia State: https://www.gosolar.gsu.edu/pls/bprod/admstat.GetSSN

University of Georgia: https://www.law.uga.edu/cgi-bin/cars/adm/status.cgi

Loyola: https://secure.lls.edu:8443/cmnagent/plsql/lls_www_status.input_form_start

Southwestern: http://www.swlaw.edu/online/applstat.html

UC Hastings: https://advisor.uchastings.edu/datatel/openweb/ap/apmenu.html

Anyone find any others? I'll add them as they come in.

When I originally submitted my application to Fordham, I included a letter asking for the admissions committee to please not act on my application until my December LSAT scores arrived.

I got a rejection letter before the December scores even came out.

I recieved a 166 on my December LSAT which i think makes me substantially more competitive at Fordham.

Do I have an options to be reconsidered?

Thanks for any help.

Why are multiple LSAT policies so hard to come by? You would think admissions committees would have no problem stating frankly what their multiple LSAT policy is (they all must have one) nearly all seem to give a cryptic response where sometimes the higher score is considered and sometimes it isn't.

I feel aside from the schools that either strictly average or strictly take the higher score there is simply an incentive to lie. Unfortunately, I’m to ethical to exploit this (and its a shame I’m competing with others where this isn't the case) but seriously who couldn't make up a convincing story for the admissions committees that average scores (unless a convincing addendum is provided) to consider the higher score instead. My pet from childhood died and I was distraught, I had food poisoning during the exam, I misbubbled, I had the flu but stuck it out ... etc. etc. I've never once heard of an admissions committee asking for verifiable proof of any of the addendum claims. I think a request to attach a doctor’s note etc. would be perfectly in line, and should be the only situation in which substantial weight is actually placed on a higher score for those Universities that invite excuses.

I truly feel, in the end if someone is capable of scoring a 170 even if they scored a 162 in the past then that person has what it takes to sit down and perform at the 170 level who cares what the reason was for the 162. Those who say it could have been a fluke I feel are misguided, how could a 170 ever be a fluke? Schools should say "if you take the LSAT twice we will take the higher score" this will discourage frivolously taking the LSAT a dozen times just to get a higher score but also accounts for normal variation, anxiety, assignment of experimental section, etc. which may affect everyone differently. What really gets me now, is the fact that someone willing to lie can substantially influence their admissions chances against someone who isn't, even with the same scores.

~Justin