Page 1 of 2

Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:24 am
by engineer
--LinkRemoved-- wrote: Transfer students are likewise eligible to apply to the Review through the Writing Competition. The Competition must be taken at the same time as rising Columbia 2Ls. Transfer students, however, are considered for membership only on the basis of their Writing Competition scores, and therefore are eligible only for the slots reserved for the Competition’s 10 highest scores. Please note that any offer of membership is contingent upon a transfer student’s admittance to Columbia Law School. While it is the Review’s policy to notify the law school’s admissions office when a transfer applicant is invited to join the Review, this invitation does not guarantee a transfer applicant’s admittance to the law school.
Can we read between the lines and reasonably conclude that if the law review is willing to accept you, there's a damn likely chance you'll be admitted?

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:00 am
by 270910
engineer wrote:
--LinkRemoved-- wrote: Transfer students are likewise eligible to apply to the Review through the Writing Competition. The Competition must be taken at the same time as rising Columbia 2Ls. Transfer students, however, are considered for membership only on the basis of their Writing Competition scores, and therefore are eligible only for the slots reserved for the Competition’s 10 highest scores. Please note that any offer of membership is contingent upon a transfer student’s admittance to Columbia Law School. While it is the Review’s policy to notify the law school’s admissions office when a transfer applicant is invited to join the Review, this invitation does not guarantee a transfer applicant’s admittance to the law school.
Can we read between the lines and reasonably conclude that if the law review is willing to accept you, there's a damn likely chance you'll be admitted?
Uh, no. I'm sure it helps if your grades are already within the transfer range. Harvard does the same thing.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:45 am
by engineer
disco_barred wrote:Uh, no. I'm sure it helps if your grades are already within the transfer range. Harvard does the same thing.
I'm sure someone with straight C's wouldn't have a chance, but does it offer any wiggle room with regard to one's GPA?

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:49 am
by 270910
engineer wrote:
disco_barred wrote:Uh, no. I'm sure it helps if your grades are already within the transfer range. Harvard does the same thing.
I'm sure someone with straight C's wouldn't have a chance, but does it offer any wiggle room with regard to one's GPA?
I've spent a lot of time in the yahoogroups transferapps database, and have literally never seen somebody outperform what their GPA suggested. So while it's possible somebody 'wrote on' to LR at Columbia or Harvard and snagged a seat they otherwise would not have gotten, I've never seen any data suggesting that it has.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:35 pm
by ZXCVBNM
i despise these hypo threads....

if i'm elected the president of the united states will it make it more likely that i can get into columbia law?

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:12 pm
by chevrondeference
I have always thought the schools would probably let you in automatically if you wrote on to the law review. I've never heard of a transfer making the law review though. You would essentially have to out-write all but a few of the top students. Plus you would probably have to do the writing competition at a time that doesn't work as well for you (those schools usually time it so it occurs when their students have a break)..

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:46 pm
by A'nold
chevrondeference wrote:I have always thought the schools would probably let you in automatically if you wrote on to the law review. I've never heard of a transfer making the law review though. You would essentially have to out-write all but a few of the top students. Plus you would probably have to do the writing competition at a time that doesn't work as well for you (those schools usually time it so it occurs when their students have a break)..
LOL I love your username. :)

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:16 pm
by engineer
ZXCVBNM wrote:i despise these hypo threads....

if i'm elected the president of the united states will it make it more likely that i can get into columbia law?
How is this a hypo thread? Yeah the odds are stacked against transfers wanting to write onto law review, but they give you a topic and a week. If you lock yourself in a windowless room for that time, subsisting only on the essentials (bread, water, westlaw), you'd probably stand a chance. I'll let you know how it turns out :D

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:16 pm
by kings84_wr
chevrondeference wrote:I have always thought the schools would probably let you in automatically if you wrote on to the law review. I've never heard of a transfer making the law review though. You would essentially have to out-write all but a few of the top students. Plus you would probably have to do the writing competition at a time that doesn't work as well for you (those schools usually time it so it occurs when their students have a break)..
I think its difficult at schools like HLS and CLS where htey make the transfers write on before they even know if they are admitted. I know there are several transfers in the last few years to write on at Stanford, and their competition is after admission.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 4:47 pm
by A'nold
I'd do this if I thought that it'd guarantee a t3 student in the top 4% and 1st in their section to be admitted. :wink:

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:38 pm
by ZXCVBNM
engineer wrote:
ZXCVBNM wrote:i despise these hypo threads....

if i'm elected the president of the united states will it make it more likely that i can get into columbia law?
How is this a hypo thread? Yeah the odds are stacked against transfers wanting to write onto law review, but they give you a topic and a week. If you lock yourself in a windowless room for that time, subsisting only on the essentials (bread, water, westlaw), you'd probably stand a chance. I'll let you know how it turns out :D
How is this not a HYPO thread...or better yet a POINTLESS thread?!

First you need to do well enough again next semester to be in the CLS ballpark. Second, you have to write well enough to to be picked for law review...probably a long shot. Finallly, and this is the pointless part, how does knowing the answer to this effect what you're going to do at all?! Are you only going to participate in the writing comp if it gives you a better shot at getting in to CLS?! Weird.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:41 pm
by A'nold
I honestly have never heard of something like this but if it is true.....wouldn't it be in a transfer applicant's best interest to submit to every school he/she is applying to? I mean, if you were borderline or out and hit LR, there's your in (although it does seem unlikely).

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:14 am
by ZXCVBNM
no, b/c these writing comps are very intense...take 5 days solid usually. columbia's for ex is during my finals.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:16 am
by A'nold
ZXCVBNM wrote:no, b/c these writing comps are very intense...take 5 days solid usually. columbia's for ex is during my finals.
Ah. So these are not the same thing as "writing on" as a transfer then? This is the writing competition at the school for the school's students, not a later competition for transfers? I thought they were both the same and that transfers and current non-grade on students competed together for the spots.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:19 am
by ZXCVBNM
depends on the school. obviously once you've already transferred and the comp is in the fall you would want to apply/compete

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:36 am
by apper123
Disclaimer: the following is just conjecture on my part, but I think it makes sense.

I feel like to say writing on would get you admittance 100 % would be false... but to say it doesn't impact admissions can't be true either. Why else would they tell them?

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:40 am
by A'nold
I honestly don't think I could beat out students trying to write on for their own school's LR unless I had the time.....I'll have to look at the different school timeframes.

Hey, maybe someone should post them. :wink:

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:25 am
by kings84_wr
A'nold wrote:I honestly don't think I could beat out students trying to write on for their own school's LR unless I had the time.....I'll have to look at the different school timeframes.

Hey, maybe someone should post them. :wink:
Just off the top of my head the ones I remember, Chicago's is in June, Harvard's is in May, GULC's deadline I think is late june maybe even early july. Stanford and Boalt are both after admission.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:27 pm
by TransferGuy33
ZXCVBNM wrote:i despise these hypo threads....

if i'm elected the president of the united states will it make it more likely that i can get into columbia law?
Just to back this up... Columbia's LR write on is at the same time as most schools regular writing competition. So basically, you can choose to do YOUR school's write on competition OR Columbia's (Don't even try to argue that you might be talented enough to write onto Columbia's LR in HALF the time as everyone else, especially because I'm pretty sure they're under no obligation to accept ANY transfers). If you do Columbia's, then fail to get on (VERY high probability), then you may not get the journal you want at your school (unless your school uses some auto-journal formula), and then you're really in trouble.

So, yes, if the law review takes you, there's a good chance you'll get in I'm sure, but with several caveats...

1) If your grades are terrible, then that will probably outweigh your writing skills
2) By participating in the competition, you may forego your chances of getting on a journal at your current school, and still not get into Columbia
3) If your grades aren't good enough to transfer, then you're probably not a good enough writer to write on to Columbia's Law Review.

My 2 cents

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:04 pm
by A'nold
TransferGuy33 wrote:
ZXCVBNM wrote:i despise these hypo threads....

if i'm elected the president of the united states will it make it more likely that i can get into columbia law?
Just to back this up... Columbia's LR write on is at the same time as most schools regular writing competition. So basically, you can choose to do YOUR school's write on competition OR Columbia's (Don't even try to argue that you might be talented enough to write onto Columbia's LR in HALF the time as everyone else, especially because I'm pretty sure they're under no obligation to accept ANY transfers). If you do Columbia's, then fail to get on (VERY high probability), then you may not get the journal you want at your school (unless your school uses some auto-journal formula), and then you're really in trouble.

So, yes, if the law review takes you, there's a good chance you'll get in I'm sure, but with several caveats...

1) If your grades are terrible, then that will probably outweigh your writing skills
2) By participating in the competition, you may forego your chances of getting on a journal at your current school, and still not get into Columbia
3) If your grades aren't good enough to transfer, then you're probably not a good enough writer to write on to Columbia's Law Review.

My 2 cents
Say you are like top 3% at a t2 or like #1 at a t3 and you would usually be denied at Columbia but it is not auto-reject territory. You are obviously excelling academically, so write on = acceptance then? Just trying to write out a hypo post for ZXCVBNM. :wink:

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:10 pm
by ZXCVBNM
A'nold nice try but that doesn't come close to these inane hypos. I mean there are so many assumptions to this thread. First you need to not be quite qualified for columbia but you their LR accepts you. I mean, shouldn't we be more worried about getting good grades, do the comp, and seeing what happens.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:19 pm
by A'nold
ZXCVBNM wrote:A'nold nice try but that doesn't come close to these inane hypos. I mean there are so many assumptions to this thread. First you need to not be quite qualified for columbia but you their LR accepts you. I mean, shouldn't we be more worried about getting good grades, do the comp, and seeing what happens.
Yes.
So, these writing competitions have topics that everyone writes on and anybody across the country at an ABA approved law school has a chance of writing onto the LR even though they are not yet students? This is weird. Does this apply to all schools or just Columbia? How are the decisions even made? Could like a Cooley student write on to the Harvard Law Review or something?

For example, I will not be applying to the University of Chicago b/c they rarely (if at all) accept t3 students. But maybe I should try writing onto their law review, lol? I'm basically just joking but I wonder if this would help marginal candidates, like when I apply to Michigan.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:28 pm
by kings84_wr
A'nold wrote:
ZXCVBNM wrote:A'nold nice try but that doesn't come close to these inane hypos. I mean there are so many assumptions to this thread. First you need to not be quite qualified for columbia but you their LR accepts you. I mean, shouldn't we be more worried about getting good grades, do the comp, and seeing what happens.
Yes.
So, these writing competitions have topics that everyone writes on and anybody across the country at an ABA approved law school has a chance of writing onto the LR even though they are not yet students? This is weird. Does this apply to all schools or just Columbia? How are the decisions even made? Could like a Cooley student write on to the Harvard Law Review or something?

For example, I will not be applying to the University of Chicago b/c they rarely (if at all) accept t3 students. But maybe I should try writing onto their law review, lol? I'm basically just joking but I wonder if this would help marginal candidates, like when I apply to Michigan.
Some schools require admission before (Like the CA schools) but for HLS and others Anyone can apply that is a 1l.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:40 pm
by A'nold
kings84_wr wrote:
A'nold wrote:
ZXCVBNM wrote:A'nold nice try but that doesn't come close to these inane hypos. I mean there are so many assumptions to this thread. First you need to not be quite qualified for columbia but you their LR accepts you. I mean, shouldn't we be more worried about getting good grades, do the comp, and seeing what happens.
Yes.
So, these writing competitions have topics that everyone writes on and anybody across the country at an ABA approved law school has a chance of writing onto the LR even though they are not yet students? This is weird. Does this apply to all schools or just Columbia? How are the decisions even made? Could like a Cooley student write on to the Harvard Law Review or something?

For example, I will not be applying to the University of Chicago b/c they rarely (if at all) accept t3 students. But maybe I should try writing onto their law review, lol? I'm basically just joking but I wonder if this would help marginal candidates, like when I apply to Michigan.
Some schools require admission before (Like the CA schools) but for HLS and others Anyone can apply that is a 1l.
I actually might try this with Michigan or GULC, depending.

Re: Columbia Law Review's write-on competition

Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:11 am
by A'nold
Bump this crap. 8) I think I might actually try writing on to one reach school just for the heck of it. Anyone know if this same thing applies to Berkeley?