UNLV 2010 waiting room..... Forum

[alisyn313]

I spoke with Neely about be reviewed for full time because I was accepted to the part time program last week. If I don't get full time, I will withdraw and I hope someone here gets my seat! Good luck to everyone and I should know something by tomorrow, as he told me they review apps on weds.

[eldrid26]

I just got waitlisted today- anyone know how many people get waitlisted? I realize they don't rank them, but is there any other way of knowing what your chances r? 154/3.74

[waiting4unlv]

Hey Phanta....where did you get the 160+ waitlisted people from? Is there really that many and why? That's more than the total of seats they even have altogether. Crazy!

[Vegas_Rebel]

Hey Phanta....where did you get the 160+ waitlisted people from? Is there really that many and why? That's more than the total of seats they even have altogether. Crazy!

I think he meant that it is surprising to see UNLV waitlist people with 160+ LSAT scores.

[waiting4unlv]

ah..Gottcha, thanks Rebel!!

I wonder how many they did waitlist?

[PhantaManta]

To elaborate:

This cycle, a whopping SIX applicants on lawschoolnumbers.com have already been waitlisted with a >3.0 GPA and a >=160 LSAT.

In the previous 3 cycles COMBINED, only two applicants on lawschoolnumbers with such stats had been waitlisted (and they both were later accepted).

[ellebee]

I'm waitlisted. 160+, but out of state

I have a very low gpa so it was somewhat expected.

[Norwood]

ah..Gottcha, thanks Rebel!!

I wonder how many they did waitlist?

Don't know if there is usually a set amount that schools aim to waitlist each cycle, however, I have heard that a majority of schools usually end up pulling anywhere from 15 - 30 students off of a waitlist. This does depend on the school though. these numbers came from schools such as Cal, Duke, UVA, etc. so UNLV may be > 30.

[ellebee]

Does anyone have any idea how many people are on the wait list?

[Norwood]

It'll probably vary year by year depending on the quality and quantity of applicants. I don't think adcomms aim to waitlist a certain amount of people. If you're borderline then you'll be waitlisted.

[Norwood]

Got my admittance package today in the mail.

No scholarship offer was mentioned in mine. Is scholarship info usually mentioned in the packet or does it come separately? Oh well, not too bummed since resident tuition is still EXTREMELY cheaper than any of my other options even with the scholarship offers included.

[alisyn313]

They allowed me to switch my part time acceptance to full time and Neely informed me that I was eligible for in-state tuition because I went to CSN when I was living in Las Vegas. I have so many things to think about over the weekend, while trying to complete all of my finals. I need help !!



Very excited though. I miss Vegas and now I have to decide between UNLV and Northeastern!

[tvchefsd]

I was waitlisted as well on Thursday, 2.24/163

Are we likely to see a large number of people come off the waitlist after the May 3rd deposit date?

[PhantaManta]

What may 3rd deposit date? O.o I sent one in for april 1st, is this a second one?!

[Tully Mars]

Anybody attend the admitted students day this weekend? Details?

The Admitted Students Day (ASD) started with Nathan Neely, Director of Admissions, giving a little welcome speech in the Thomas and Mack Moot Court building. I would say there were about 80 people present. He then turned it over to Dean White who spoke for 10-15 minutes. Dean White touched base on a little bit of everything the school has to offer but the overall theme was why students should attend UNLV BSL.

After Dean White spoke, a 5 person panel took over. There were 2 professors, 2 current students and a young woman who graduated from UNLV BSL 3 or 4 years ago. The 2 professors talked about why there chose UNLV BSL, the Lawyering Process Program, the U.S. News rankings, and just the overall atmosphere of the school. One issue that was discussed quite thoroughly (even the Dean interjected the panel discussion to address the topic) was that the part-time program is nearly identical to the full-time program. Obviously, the one major distinction is the 3 years of full-time versus 4 years for the part-time. However, professors teach both day and evening courses and teach them as similar as possible (one of the professors said his assignments for the part-time program are typically due on the weekends instead of during the week due to timing issues for the part-time students). This was great to hear as I will be attending the part-time evening program. Oh, and the Dean said the current Editor-in-Chief of the Law Journal is a part-time law student. I feel the point the Dean and professors were making is that the quality of the students and program of the part-time program is on par with the full-time program.

The 2 currents students then discussed why they chose UNLV BSL, the various clinic and externship opportunities they've had as 2L and 3Ls, and the community of the school. They really focused on the size and connections in the legal community of Las Vegas (throughout Nevada, really) and the quality of their writing program. While I know the panel's intended to make UNLV BSL sound good, they really talked up the respect the school receives from the local legal community and how there are plenty of opportunities for those seeking them.

The young woman who graduated from UNLV BSL 3 or 4 years ago works for one of the larger (I think the largest) law firms in Nevada. She talked about how well the school prepared her for practicing law in Nevada and how her writing skills are leaps and bounds above so many others. She attributed this to the rigorous, yet rewarding, program at UNLV BSL.

This entire session lasted about an hour. After that, many people made there way over to the central law school building where there were various student organizations set up and refreshments upstairs.

At around 12:15 p.m. or so, Nathan Neely presented a segment on financial aid. I thought it was pretty worthless (for me, at least). I felt like I didn't get a lot out of the day, but I was able to meet some classmates for the fall.

I hope this helps for those of you who were interested.

[bleedcubbieblue]

Any recent activity?

[PhantaManta]

Any recent activity?

It was 82 degrees in NY a couple weeks ago, and I checked Las Vegas, and it was like, 68!!!! I was surprised .

(sorry, that's all I got)

[Vegas_Rebel]

Any recent activity?

It was 82 degrees in NY a couple weeks ago, and I checked Las Vegas, and it was like, 68!!!! I was surprised .

(sorry, that's all I got)

Don't worry, it's back to mid-80's/90.

I've heard a couple of my classmates got rejected ( ) but nothing else.

[PhantaManta]

I'm taking this shit way off topic because it seems this cycle is hitting an information lull, but I find this interesting enough to share but not interesting enough to make a thread:

One of my professors, who is really fucking smart (T7 JD, Harvard PHD, prestigious British college, big law... etc) was talking about law school admissions to our undergraduate class and he had NO IDEA what he was talking about! He was saying things like "If you are from New York, you shouldn't apply to Brooklyn Law School, cuz, everyone that does is from NY and that lowers your chances because they want... instead you should apply to University of Texas at Austin and stuff" (he was apparently assuming that these schools are nearly equivalent???) Then he was all like "I could tell you about schools you guys have never even heard of... LIKE UC HASTINGS!" im like whuuuuuu? Ok, he is old, and probably it has been a while since he applied to law school and shit has changed... but jeez.... He also said that if you were from Montana applying to a school in NY, that your geographic diversity must "be worth like... 20 points!!!"

In all seriousness, it puts into perspective how relatively informed people on TLS are than even other people in this industry (or on its fringes). My school pre law advisor didn't know about lawschoolnumbers

[jrjd28]

On a similar note, I've been talking to a lot of different people about what I should do since I'm waitlisted at my top preferences (UNLV, Penn State) but accepted at a T4 ( ). One advisor claims that it's the bar passage rate that's most important in decision-making, but I've been told by others that it's ranking and by others that it's grades in LS. What gives? At some point, I have to make a decision. Moreover, bar passage rates seem to vary depending on which source I use.

Relatively informed is a good way to put it. That said, TLS has been much more helpful than my original advisor.

[Vegas_Rebel]

On a similar note, I've been talking to a lot of different people about what I should do since I'm waitlisted at my top preferences (UNLV, Penn State) but accepted at a T4 ( ). One advisor claims that it's the bar passage rate that's most important in decision-making, but I've been told by others that it's ranking and by others that it's grades in LS. What gives? At some point, I have to make a decision. Moreover, bar passage rates seem to vary depending on which source I use.

Relatively informed is a good way to put it. That said, TLS has been much more helpful than my original advisor.

I'm as clueless as the next guy, but I'd think bar passage rates aren't that important. Much of the bar is local black letter law, and in the best schools (T14) my understanding is that that's rarely taught. That makes some sense: Why would Columbia teach NV black letter law, for instance? Instead, bar info seems to come from barbri courses (and other, similar offerings) after law school. To that extent, I don't see how bar passage rates for a school are relevant.

I've heard that ranking is important from several lawyers, and I'm inclined to believe that it is for initial hiring if you're angling for a super-competitive biglaw job. Of course, ITE, everything is super-competitive. That said, the law firm where my mentor works has a Columbia grad and a Gonzaga grad as partners, so that difference seems to even out over time.

Grades, I think, are probably the most important for initial hiring, but that's true of any school you go to. As such, it doesn't have much of a part to play in your school selection. Top 10% anywhere is better than bottom 10% anywhere I'd think.

All that isn't very helpful, but it's some thoughts.

[PhantaManta]

On a similar note, I've been talking to a lot of different people about what I should do since I'm waitlisted at my top preferences (UNLV, Penn State) but accepted at a T4 ( ). One advisor claims that it's the bar passage rate that's most important in decision-making, but I've been told by others that it's ranking and by others that it's grades in LS. What gives? At some point, I have to make a decision. Moreover, bar passage rates seem to vary depending on which source I use.

Relatively informed is a good way to put it. That said, TLS has been much more helpful than my original advisor.

Well that is a very complicated question and it doesn't really have any one answer.

I'll say this: Job prospects for making a ton of money are bad, even out of UNLV and Penn State --- most people, right now, will not get big law coming out of these schools.

Because of this, you generally do not want to incur immense amounts of debt attending any of those schools. But, if you do, there is government income based repayment program which caps your loan repayments at 10% of your annual income (on non-private loans). This program exists now, but some people worry the government could take it away (although I have no idea how credible that worry is).

Deciding where (or if) to attend should take into account:
1. How much you can earn with your current degree
2. How happy a job you could get now would make you
3. How much is the total cost of attendance
4. Is the school in the state or region in which you want to work
5. What kind of legal job do you think you would be interested in attaining

I think, in order to make a good decision, you have to assume that you will make about $50,000 starting salary at one of these schools. You have to compare that to what you could be making now if you just got a job with your current degree.

Then you have to calculate that type of salary against potential loans you will be taking. Unless you have large scholarships, on that salary your loan payments will usually be more than 10% of your annual salary, which will put you in some financial difficulty if you do not take advantage of the IBR.

I think, ultimately, the MOST important things you need to figure out is which state you want to start a career in, and would you be happy with a non-big law job.

Good luck!

[jrjd28]

I really appreciate the advice, Phanta and Rebel.

I think I'm probably fortunate in that I'm uninterested in a Big Law job. I would much prefer to work in public interest, and if all goes well, I should be able to do that. I also have a lot of mobility right now and could see myself on either coast. And barring a stroke of great luck (or great connections), a law degree would almost certainly start me at a higher salary than my current degree.

The more I learn, the more I'm beginning to think that a fourth tier school would suffice to get the job done for my personal goals. It's easy to get caught up in the Name Brand School rush.

Still, UNLV is my ideal school. Best of luck to everyone else waiting it out on The List.

[TaliaT]

Just a small update....I emailed Nathan Neely in regard to the Summer Reading List. I believe there is one provided to the admitted students. I asked that those that have been waitlisted have access to this list as well in the event that we are admitted later rather than sooner. He stated "We will certainly take that under advisement!" Hopefully we can obtain this list as well as like others, I would like to be on the same page as those being admitted. (Im trying to stay positive about being admitted eventually)

Of course then again maybe someone that is admitted would be nice enough to share it with us instead of us going through all the hoopla.

[Vegas_Rebel]

Just a small update....I emailed Nathan Neely in regard to the Summer Reading List. I believe there is one provided to the admitted students. I asked that those that have been waitlisted have access to this list as well in the event that we are admitted later rather than sooner. He stated "We will certainly take that under advisement!" Hopefully we can obtain this list as well as like others, I would like to be on the same page as those being admitted. (Im trying to stay positive about being admitted eventually)

Of course then again maybe someone that is admitted would be nice enough to share it with us instead of us going through all the hoopla.

I've been admitted since January and haven't gotten any information yet. I spoke to Nathan last week (or emailed him) and he said there would be some info forthcoming.

He also mentioned that the application stack is shrinking quickly, so stay tuned. I have a (completely inferred and unofficial) feeling that decisions should be on their way soon for those wait-listed.