Do the way schools handle admissions affect your decision? Forum

[Gail]

It helps when you have other options. Whether it be other law schools or a job.

Schools move slow. They are ruled rather bureaucratically.

[lobolawyer]

I can understand it having an impact psychologically, but try not to let it do so. If X school is the best school for you, you shouldn't turn it down out of spite or something just because admissions was slow with your app. I know this is a stressful time for 0Ls, but try to keep a cool head and analyze things rationally. You'll likely never deal with admissions again.

Also, you don't know how you stack up against the applicant pool this year. You're likely in the middle of the pack with people with similar numbers. Personally, I wouldn't let this affect my decision. Many admissions offices are notoriously slow and extremely busy. I'd rather a school seriously consider my entire application than speed through the process just to render decisions.

[lobolawyer]

I think it is perfectly fine to judge schools based on their admissions offices. One school I was interested in at the beginning of the cycle seems in complete chaos because they have been moving students to under review many times only after a student has called and harassed them.

A school's admissions office, to me, is at least somewhat on a reflection on the school as a whole. If the admissions office is like this, I am left wondering, how are they going to help me get a job?

I think applicants need to be patient in waiting for decisions, but if a school says 8-12 weeks, and an applicant has been waiting 3-4+ months (as some on here have) I think an e-mail explaining the rationale for the long wait is good etiquette.

A school's admissions office = / = its career services office in any way shape or form. Different people, processes, qualifications for working in either place, and they deal with different size pools.

[sunynp]

I can understand it having an impact psychologically, but try not to let it do so. If X school is the best school for you, you shouldn't turn it down out of spite or something just because admissions was slow with your app. I know this is a stressful time for 0Ls, but try to keep a cool head and analyze things rationally. You'll likely never deal with admissions again.

Also, you don't know how you stack up against the applicant pool this year. You're likely in the middle of the pack with people with similar numbers. Personally, I wouldn't let this affect my decision. Many admissions offices are notoriously slow and extremely busy. I'd rather a school seriously consider my entire application than speed through the process just to render decisions.

At the same time, don't let extremely nice people in admissions convince you that the school is right for you.

[dixiecupdrinking]

The last time you interact with admissions people will be, maybe, at 1L orientation. Silly to let it play even the smallest role in your decision.