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I sent an app. to Cornell as a Hail Mary pass. They sent me a fee waiver so I thought "what the hell?" My GPA is toward the high end of their range, but my LSAT is below their 25th percentile. I have other features that make me an attractive candidate to normal schools.

Still expected Cornell to take one look at my app... ... chuckle a bit, and send off a rejection letter, though. That's not what they've done.

First they contacted me and said I sent an academic LOR and an employment one (I go to a HUGE, impersonal university so academic LORs are hard to come by), and asked if I could send them another academic.

Okay... I happened to have procured a second academic letter after applying, so I sent it off to them.

Few weeks later (this would be a few weeks ago now), they asked me for my fall transcripts (I'd applied before the semester was over). My transcripts from last fall were pretty impressive too, so I paid the $15.00 to have my school send those off.

What gives? Is this type of thorough behavior just "normal"? Do schools like Cornell ask EVERYONE for their Fall transcripts if they applied early? Or are they actually giving me a serious look? Kind of annoyed because they've actually managed to slightly get my hopes up, I'm sure, only to dash them against the cold, bitter, jagged rocks of my Tier 2 apps.

GPA in the upper range and sub-25 LSAT isn't exactly a "Hail Mary." I think those are all positive signs.

Sound promising to me. Perhaps you are a better applicant that you think. Good luck!

In my uniformed and largely speculative opinion, it seems like a good thing.

First, Cornell asks for two academic LORs from everyone, so that was probably more of a "we can't consider your file complete without it" then a sign of their interest or lack thereof, so I wouldn't read too much into that.

If you're a reverse splitter, then presumably the reason they didn't throw your application in the 'reject' pile is your GPA. Asking for your fall grades is probably to make sure they were still up to their standards. If they were as good or better than your previous GPA, and your previous GPA was enough to get them interested, it's probably a good sign.

That's just me rambling, though, don't put too much stock in it.