Strangest Rejections / Headscratchers?!

[etmerian]

As far as I can tell, I'm the only person in this thread who mentioned they were a URM so I guess you all must be referring to me.  For the record, I am not whining about not getting in because I am a URM.  I got WL and rejected from schools I felt were targets with my LSAT even WITHOUT any sort of URM boost.  Emory is notorious for liking minority candidates, so I thought that would give me a leg-up as well.  I am perfectly secure with my "mediocre" LSAT score (I don't think a 166 is mediocre) and I recognized in my post that it was likely my GPA that did me in and for that I made no apologies.  I know exactly why my GPA is so low, addressed it in my personal statement, and moved on.  Nowhere did I insinuate it was because of "racism", which is just a ridiculous notion.  Furthermore I am 100% happy with the school I am attending and 100% confident that I'll do well there.  Direct your anger towards its veritable source - you seem to have an inferiority complex to deal with.

[dashrashi]

And by the way, for the d**khead whining about URMs, I know that I've never felt by threatened by anyone, I've done fine, and I'm a white male. So if you're worried about AA -- you must actually be a pretty weak insecure candidate, especially with all that white privilege you don't even realize is being showered on you.

Yeah, I remember all those 10 point  boosts I got on my GRE scores and LSAT apps because I was white.

Oh wait. No, I didn't get any of that. Damn. Maybe if my skin tone were 3 shades darker, then I'd mysteriously be "disadvantaged" and deserving of racist policies to help me get into school?

Anyway, again, not about that: it's about the URMs (some in this thread) who did mediocre (due to "racism" I guess?) and then expect to get into the T14 in spite of their accomplishments, not because of them. A cold dose of reality.

Maybe you should've just done better on all those standardized tests you took instead of whining about it now. God, show some personal responsibility, would you? Or were you just too stupid to actually do well?

[Lobstah!]

And by the way, for the d**khead whining about URMs, I know that I've never felt by threatened by anyone, I've done fine, and I'm a white male. So if you're worried about AA -- you must actually be a pretty weak insecure candidate, especially with all that white privilege you don't even realize is being showered on you.

Yeah, I remember all those 10 point  boosts I got on my GRE scores and LSAT apps because I was white.

Oh wait. No, I didn't get any of that. Damn. Maybe if my skin tone were 3 shades darker, then I'd mysteriously be "disadvantaged" and deserving of racist policies to help me get into school?

Anyway, again, not about that: it's about the URMs (some in this thread) who did mediocre (due to "racism" I guess?) and then expect to get into the T14 in spite of their accomplishments, not because of them. A cold dose of reality.

You're kind of a male private part, huh?

[Oldguy48]

I probably should just skate on out of here and keep my opinion to myself but I find some of this spouting particularly small minded and not a little disappointing.  I am in somewhat unique situation in that I am applying to law school as an older (part time) student at the same time as my oldest daughter is applying to college as an undergraduate.   I am (we are) white middle/upper middle class.  I have spent a good amount of time talking to my daughter who is terrific student about realizing that she is going to be competing against lots of really talented other students some of whom are of different cultural and racial backgrounds and not only are the colleges going to be trying to create a diverse student body which would be to her benefit because in the world she is going to live and work in it would be great disservice for her not to be exposed to as many different and varied peoples as is possible, but also because I hope it will continue to shape her perception of the world as place in which it is natural for all different kinds people to co-exist and function homogenously. 

I have also tried to prepare her for the fact that there will be people of color who will be given an advantage in the admissions process.  In short, that schools will be accepting students with lesser grades and scores than she and while it might be tempting to be angry and see this as unfair, it is important to understand that it exactly the opposite; It is her chance (albeit not volitional) to help redress a situation that had been firmly entrenched in the American Psyche from it's inception (1617?) until (arguably) 1968.  Perhaps it is because I remember life in the 1960s (although just a child) I realize that the disadvantages and biases that existed for so long cannot begin to be reversed or mediated in just one generation, or two or maybe even 5 and in some areas of the deep south 10 or more.  Although we all would like to see the sun rise and set on our own desires and expectations I believe (and I would never assume that anyone else should have to believe what I believe) that we have a moral obligation to look at the world as being more than that-- it should be a collective, a continuum.  While it is easy to say "It wasn't me who was a bigot," or "I never owned slaves, my great-grandparents never owned slaves, why should I have to be punished?" or even more insidiously "He grew up in a middle class neighborhood, His family has more money than me, why should he get in over me with worse grades?"  realize that until 1954 in the Sweatt V. Painter case (thats only 54 years a long time I suppose if you're 21 but for those of you talk to your grandparents about what life was like in the 40's and 50's) blacks could be and were routinely excluded from "white" law schools (even if their scores were higher). 

I have told my daughter that we are able walk down the street and no one sees us and identifies us by our SAT or LSAT scores; We carry that inside and can choose or not to show or disclose it and thus can avoid being judged or categorized fairly or unfairly at our discretion.  With hope, someday the same may be true of race, but until that day comes what we can do to help move toward that end is to allow with grace and dignity someone whose color has been made for centuries an ignominious badge,  to stand in front of us, higher or lower scores not withstanding.

I will try to take what acceptances I get and be grateful.  I hope many of you can do the same.

[etmerian]

I should probably also mention that I really grappled with whether or not to claim URM status on my application because I didn't want to feel like I had been accepted just because of that.  On my UG application I decided NOT to claim URM status and I got into a fabulous school.  This time around I decided that if other people were taking advantage of it there was no reason that I shouldn't.  There are some aspects of this whole debate that I really don't agree with, but the principle is at heart a good one.  My issue is with people who just assume that because you're a URM you're mediocre and taking advantage of the system.  Or worse, accusing me of whining because I didn't get in somewhere and am a URM - as though URMs just assume that we can float through life while others work hard.  Shame on you.

[vap]

Something is up with American

If memory serves me when I was waitlisted last year, they requested that I provide them with a a letter to update them on my interest in AU.  I didn't submit the letter and was eventually rejected.  I'm guessing that if your waitlist was puzzling and you submit this letter, then you should be accepted.

But who wants to go to American without the PIPS scholarship anyway?

[JSB622]

This whole "trying to tell my daughter AA might effect her" or being so vehemantly against the idea that you have benefited from some white privilege as a mask to the fact that the *only* think that matters for this thing are two numbers based on innate intelligence and work ethic, means that you mathlete must either be dumb or lazy or both and looking to pin it on affirmative action.

Further, it's easy to cry about AA, but how come no one ever talks about development cases or legacies? Or losing your spot to the kid who got 176?

There's a lot of reasons you didn't get into school, and a URM didn't take your spot, you didn't get a spot, because you weren't good enough.

[Oldguy48]

This whole "trying to tell my daughter AA might effect her" or being so vehemantly against the idea that you have benefited from some white privilege as a mask to the fact that the *only* think that matters for this thing are two numbers based on innate intelligence and work ethic, means that you mathlete must either be dumb or lazy or both and looking to pin it on affirmative action.

I'll give the benefit of the doubt that you skimmed my post and are not just completely obtuse.  Sometimes it's better to think before speaking/writing, it allows people to think better of you.

[Lobstah!]

This whole "trying to tell my daughter AA might effect her" or being so vehemantly against the idea that you have benefited from some white privilege as a mask to the fact that the *only* think that matters for this thing are two numbers based on innate intelligence and work ethic, means that you mathlete must either be dumb or lazy or both and looking to pin it on affirmative action.

I'll give the benefit of the doubt that you skimmed my post and are not just completely obtuse.  Sometimes it's better to think before speaking/writing, it allows people to think better of you.

Oooh subtle burn!!! lol

[eastend]

I probably should just skate on out of here and keep my opinion to myself but I find some of this spouting particularly small minded and not a little disappointing.  I am in somewhat unique situation in that I am applying to law school as an older (part time) student at the same time as my oldest daughter is applying to college as an undergraduate.   I am (we are) white middle/upper middle class.  I have spent a good amount of time talking to my daughter who is terrific student about realizing that she is going to be competing against lots of really talented other students some of whom are of different cultural and racial backgrounds and not only are the colleges going to be trying to create a diverse student body which would be to her benefit because in the world she is going to live and work in it would be great disservice for her not to be exposed to as many different and varied peoples as is possible, but also because I hope it will continue to shape her perception of the world as place in which it is natural for all different kinds people to co-exist and function homogenously. 

I have also tried to prepare her for the fact that there will be people of color who will be given an advantage in the admissions process.  In short, that schools will be accepting students with lesser grades and scores than she and while it might be tempting to be angry and see this as unfair, it is important to understand that it exactly the opposite; It is her chance (albeit not volitional) to help redress a situation that had been firmly entrenched in the American Psyche from it's inception (1617?) until (arguably) 1968.  Perhaps it is because I remember life in the 1960s (although just a child) I realize that the disadvantages and biases that existed for so long cannot begin to be reversed or mediated in just one generation, or two or maybe even 5 and in some areas of the deep south 10 or more.  Although we all would like to see the sun rise and set on our own desires and expectations I believe (and I would never assume that anyone else should have to believe what I believe) that we have a moral obligation to look at the world as being more than that-- it should be a collective, a continuum.  While it is easy to say "It wasn't me who was a bigot," or "I never owned slaves, my great-grandparents never owned slaves, why should I have to be punished?" or even more insidiously "He grew up in a middle class neighborhood, His family has more money than me, why should he get in over me with worse grades?"  realize that until 1954 in the Sweatt V. Painter case (thats only 54 years a long time I suppose if you're 21 but for those of you talk to your grandparents about what life was like in the 40's and 50's) blacks could be and were routinely excluded from "white" law schools (even if their scores were higher). 

I have told my daughter that we are able walk down the street and no one sees us and identifies us by our SAT or LSAT scores; We carry that inside and can choose or not to show or disclose it and thus can avoid being judged or categorized fairly or unfairly at our discretion.  With hope, someday the same may be true of race, but until that day comes what we can do to help move toward that end is to allow with grace and dignity someone whose color has been made for centuries an ignominious badge,  to stand in front of us, higher or lower scores not withstanding.

I will try to take what acceptances I get and be grateful.  I hope many of you can do the same.

You have missed your vocation.  Why are you bothering with law school?  You should be writing for Harlequin.