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

[TheGunner]

From Duke Law's website regarding the application process -

The dean's certification is not required to submit your file for evaluation. If you are accepted, certification will be required prior to matriculation.

I interpret that to mean your application will be considered even without it. Only if you are attending will they require it.

[practiceboy02]

Harvard and Columbia want the Dean's Certification from every school you have or will get a degree from, including graduate schools.  Stanford, however, only requires it from your undergraduate school.

I messed this up, so that is why I am posting it.

@#!*, are you sure about Harvard needing it from EVERY school?

I don't think they require it from every school attended, just the ones that granted a degree (including graduate degrees apparently?)

[pandabones]

Harvard and Columbia want the Dean's Certification from every school you have or will get a degree from, including graduate schools.  Stanford, however, only requires it from your undergraduate school.

I messed this up, so that is why I am posting it.

@#!*, are you sure about Harvard needing it from EVERY school?

Yes, it is true.  They sent me an email this week telling me I had to get one for my education school degree, which I will get next year.  I couldn't believe they wanted it, but they do. 

[pandabones]

Harvard and Columbia want the Dean's Certification from every school you have or will get a degree from, including graduate schools.  Stanford, however, only requires it from your undergraduate school.

I messed this up, so that is why I am posting it.

@#!*, are you sure about Harvard needing it from EVERY school?

I don't think they require it from every school attended, just the ones that granted a degree (including graduate degrees apparently?)

I wonder if they count Associates degrees in that, hmm. I know Columbia's instructions said EVERY school even if they didn't give you a degree. That's enough for me to not apply to them.

I think they may count Associates degrees as a "degree program", but I don't think they want the certifications from schools where you may have taken a class (like summer school) but were not working towards a degree at that school.  At least I hope not, since I went to a couple local universities and community colleges during high school to take classes but was not working towards a degree at these schools.

[jujunyc]

Also Penn, my UG, won't do individual ones for each school. Ah, why do they have to be difficult. they were like this w/ internships too.

So they have a generic law school dean credentials form that they have the Director of Academic Advising fill out (in the case of the School of Arts and Sciences, anyway), and they want you to send it to the school's credentials office and have them distribute it to all necessary schools. Obviously, UPenn grads have gotten in all kinds of schools, so I'm not going to worry too much. They write an extra paragraph in the instructions by way of reassuring that all schools will take their generic form.

Not a lot of extra hassle, but still.

[latinlord]

You forgot about Stetson Univerisity in Florida. Also when I did it, I had to go to the office of judicial affairs. There they will look up your record to see if you have any judicials or anything like that. Last year when I did it, I went to my specific dean in my major, that was actually wrong, but he filled it out for me anyway. "Dean of Judicial Affairs" is the best place to go, when they ask if you have been in trouble at the school. If they only ask for grades and graduation requirments met, then you can go to your local "registar".

[potato]

Harvard says that the applicant is supposed to include it her application.  Since it's all electronic now, is it okay if the school sends it on to them, or does it still need to go through me?

Do some schools fax them to the LS? My grad school said to make sure that's okay.  I'm going to call them on Monday and check, bu being paranoid here.

[wunder]

You all made me freak out because I hadn't submitted a cert from the community college I took some general classes from during a summer break.  Here's what Harvard's website says:

The Harvard Law School College Certification is required from each academic institution that has granted or is expected to grant you a degree, and from any institution at which you are currently enrolled in a degree program. You may photocopy the blank form if you need more than one. The form is usually completed on the basis of the school’s records. The College Certification is not a letter of recommendation, so it is not necessary for the person completing the form to know you. The College Certification requests confirmation of the conferral (or expected conferral) of your degree, rank-in-class (if available), and information about possible academic or behavioral disciplinary actions. School officials who have access to academic and disciplinary records may complete certifications. Each institution is different, but usually a Dean of Students or Pre-Law Adviser Office completes this form.

A school official may mail a completed College Certification directly to the J.D. Admissions Office or may return a College Certification to you in a sealed, signed envelope to be mailed, unopened, with your paper application form (if you are using the paper application form).

Receipt of College Certifications
If your College Certification is sent directly to our office and you would like to be notified of our receipt of it, make arrangements with the school official completing your College Certification to enclose a postcard, addressed and with the proper postage attached, with the form. We will be happy to mail any cards we receive at the time the College Certification is opened.

(from http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/ccs.php)

[Ramrod]

I know I'm a little behind in the cycle since a medical condition forced me to reschedule my October test, but I was just assuming that it was a form the deans signed saying your record is clean/not clean and it got sent. 

But I just signed into my undergrad (columbia) and they ask you all the schools you are applying to, a few paragraphs on why you are applying, to include addendums of any academic disparages, to list all organizations, and all awards won. 

Is this normally the case?   Is it possible that this may be more difficult to fill out than a couple applications.

Any other similar Columbia experiences?  Or schools that are similar?

[thescreed]

I know I'm a little behind in the cycle since a medical condition forced me to reschedule my October test, but I was just assuming that it was a form the deans signed saying your record is clean/not clean and it got sent. 

But I just signed into my undergrad (columbia) and they ask you all the schools you are applying to, a few paragraphs on why you are applying, to include addendums of any academic disparages, to list all organizations, and all awards won. 

Is this normally the case?   Is it possible that this may be more difficult to fill out than a couple applications.

Any other similar Columbia experiences?  Or schools that are similar?

You may be confusing two different things. Your undergrad has the form to fill out so they have a master file for you that keeps track of all of your certifications. Then you probably submit the forms from each school you want to attend, and they note it in your file. That's how they do it in my school. Your undergrad form is not a Dean's Certification, think of it more like a request for your school to fill out your Dean's certifications.