Law School Tricks

[Kwertee]

This numbers game crap is very disconcerting.  If I am using USNWR to judge schools on their academic quality and reputation, am I best off just looking at the reputation scores.  Do those even hold any weight?

[St. Shaun]

I was sent a fee waiver at Columbia, and I probably would have been rejected.
I didn't feel like playing there game.

[ZildjianKX]

I'm trying to write a story about getting admitted to law school and am looking for war stories concerning all the cruel ways that schools manipulate their admissions figures.  Has anyone had first-hand experience with any of the following?

1.  You were encouraged to apply to a law school that summarily rejected you?
2.  You were rejected or "wait-listed" at a school that you surely should have been admitted to?
3.  You were encouraged to leave your law school and transfer to a higher Tier-ed school?
4.  You noticed a huge influx of transfer or full-time students come second year?
5.  You were hired to work at the law school come graduation?

Any other peculiar practices?  I'm quite new to this.  Feel free to post your comments here or send me email.  Thanks.

you may also want to consider schools that will not consider GPA relative to major. You would think an electrical engineer with a 3.49 from a highly ranked school would look better than communications with a 3.5 at a community college. Many schools openyl state that they will not take major into account, so in the above example, the latter would fare better.

I assume schools do this because their major concern is USNWR rankings. Because of USNWR, a school which takes the former candidate thinking that personal challenged themself as an undergrad over the latter, it will hurt the school in the rankings.

You're absolutely right, engineers get almost zero consideration in the numbers game.  It's really crap.  You work harder and then you have a harder time of getting in.

[St. Shaun]

You're absolutely right, engineers get almost zero consideration in the numbers game.  It's really crap.  You work harder and then you have a harder time of getting in.

Yeah, but you guys make the big bucks.  Don't forget that.

[GO_PTO]

You're absolutely right, engineers get almost zero consideration in the numbers game.  It's really crap.  You work harder and then you have a harder time of getting in.

Yeah, but you guys make the big bucks.  Don't forget that.

In law? We make the big bucks IF we make it into law school

[lawschoolgames]

I'm looking to write a story about the trials and tribulations of applying to law school.  The good and the bad.  The schools you got into and the ones that rejected or waitlisted you.  Especially the challenges: Someone, for example, who got a fee waiver and then was cruely rejected.  I just want to understand what it takes to play the law school game.  Thanks in advance.  Alex (email me at lawschoolgames@yahoo.com)

[St. Shaun]

In law? We make the big bucks IF we make it into law school

Yeah..., good point.

[Aaron12900]

I was offered a fee wavier AND told that I would likely qualify for a scholarship from William and Mary... and then they WL me, after I sent them my updated GPA including last terms 3.92... make of it what you will (I favor conspiracy theories myself)

[Amanda H.]

This numbers game darn is very disconcerting.  If I am using USNWR to judge schools on their academic quality and reputation, am I best off just looking at the reputation scores.  Do those even hold any weight?

Perhaps. 

Note that some schools consistently get higher rep ratings than schools ranked above them -- e.g., Chicago and Michigan both usually get higher rep ratings than NYU, and UVA is usally rated comparably to NYU.

[wrmusgro]

I was offered a fee wavier AND told that I would likely qualify for a scholarship from William and Mary... and then they WL me, after I sent them my updated GPA including last terms 3.92... make of it what you will (I favor conspiracy theories myself)

I was sent fee waivers by severl schools. (none of which I applied to) The one that made me laugh the hardest was William and Mary. I felt like calling them up and asking them if they were high when they sent me the fee waiver. I mean I have a 152 average LSAT and my GPA is a 3.11!!!!!!!! Ha!