Illinois Class of 2014 (With Dean Pless) Forum

[Pless]

Glad you like the USB. If you come to the Open House you get a water bottle.

[Aggiegrad2011]

Dean Pless,

If my file has not yet been reviewed (It's still in complete) would it be in my best interest to visit the school and, if possible, sit in on a class? I understand that visits are a common convention to show law schools that have wait-listed you that you're unequivocally interested in their school (by investing your time and money to fully investigate their school, an extra step and such) but does it shine favorably for a student who has yet to undergo review?

Thanks in advance. I echo Ken's sentiments... if only all law school admissions deans were so forthcoming and open as you, this entire experience would be 1000000x better and more relaxing (dare I say it...)

I really want a water bottle!

[ht2988]

Ahhhh today is the day - does anyone have a rough idea as to what time decisions will be released to those of us in the queue for 1/7? I have to TA all morning and I won't be able to concentrate... Thinking about just assigning a bunch of readings and setting the kids loose, so that I can glue my face to the computer screen.

[jaydizzle]

Ahhhh today is the day - does anyone have a rough idea as to what time decisions will be released to those of us in the queue for 1/7? I have to TA all morning and I won't be able to concentrate... Thinking about just assigning a bunch of readings and setting the kids loose, so that I can glue my face to the computer screen.

Usually it is after 10 am sometime. Last time it was around 10:30. I am extremely nervous, but I think I know my outcome. I love this school, but it is a total reach for me. Well, it's more like a hail mary.

[Pless]

Decisions coming out in a few minutes. 116 Admits, 59 offers to the Wait List, 338 Denys.

The next batch of files will be moved into review today with those decisions coming out on January 14th. All files complete through 12/31/10 will be going into review.

Good luck everyone! I will be online this morning to answer any questions.
Paul

[krad]

Next Friday for me! Good luck to those hearing back today!!

[jaydizzle]

Rejected. Oh well, I had to give it a shot. My LSAT was just too low. At least the email was pleasant and did not come on Christmas Eve as I had the pleasure of receiving with some schools.

[thelaststraw05]

+1

Next Friday for me! Good luck to those hearing back today!!

[SLCGuy]

Dean Pless,

First of all, thank you for all of the great work that you do on this board. I have been reading this board for quite some time and have gained much valuable insight from your posts. Attending Illinois would be a dream. I plan on having my application submitted within the next 2 weeks. However, I do have a question that I hope you will be able to answer.

While I hold an MA, my diploma was earned 5 years after I initially enrolled. The vast majority of my coursework was completed in 2 years, and my masters thesis was completed 3 years after I enrolled, but I unfortunately allowed two "incompletes" to remain on my record for quite some time before completing the coursework. There were, of course, extenuating circumstances that led to my not being able to concentrate on academic work at the time.

I plan on submitting an addendum regarding this turn of events explaining the extenuating circumstances, however I am wondering if you would be able to offer any guidance regarding how much this will hurt my prospects at your school or any other, for that matter. I realize that 5 years is a long time to complete a MA program, and my fear is that this is basically a deal breaker. I understand that there are so many factors that go into an admissions decision and that it is probably difficult to make any judgment based upon limited information, but any and all help with this matter will be very greatly appreciated.

[Pless]

Dean Pless,

First of all, thank you for all of the great work that you do on this board. I have been reading this board for quite some time and have gained much valuable insight from your posts. Attending Illinois would be a dream. I plan on having my application submitted within the next 2 weeks. However, I do have a question that I hope you will be able to answer.

While I hold an MA, my diploma was earned 5 years after I initially enrolled. The vast majority of my coursework was completed in 2 years, and my masters thesis was completed 3 years after I enrolled, but I unfortunately allowed two "incompletes" to remain on my record for quite some time before completing the coursework. There were, of course, extenuating circumstances that led to my not being able to concentrate on academic work at the time.

I plan on submitting an addendum regarding this turn of events explaining the extenuating circumstances, however I am wondering if you would be able to offer any guidance regarding how much this will hurt my prospects at your school or any other, for that matter. I realize that 5 years is a long time to complete a MA program, and my fear is that this is basically a deal breaker. I understand that there are so many factors that go into an admissions decision and that it is probably difficult to make any judgment based upon limited information, but any and all help with this matter will be very greatly appreciated.

I don't think it is a dealbreaker at all, it will depend on the circumstances. I think an addendum is appropriate and that it should clearly and concisely state what was going on with your life at that time. Then move on. Your personal statement should be about you and why you are a good candidate for the school you are applying to and it should focus on your strengths.

[SLCGuy]

Dean Pless,

First of all, thank you for all of the great work that you do on this board. I have been reading this board for quite some time and have gained much valuable insight from your posts. Attending Illinois would be a dream. I plan on having my application submitted within the next 2 weeks. However, I do have a question that I hope you will be able to answer.

While I hold an MA, my diploma was earned 5 years after I initially enrolled. The vast majority of my coursework was completed in 2 years, and my masters thesis was completed 3 years after I enrolled, but I unfortunately allowed two "incompletes" to remain on my record for quite some time before completing the coursework. There were, of course, extenuating circumstances that led to my not being able to concentrate on academic work at the time.

I plan on submitting an addendum regarding this turn of events explaining the extenuating circumstances, however I am wondering if you would be able to offer any guidance regarding how much this will hurt my prospects at your school or any other, for that matter. I realize that 5 years is a long time to complete a MA program, and my fear is that this is basically a deal breaker. I understand that there are so many factors that go into an admissions decision and that it is probably difficult to make any judgment based upon limited information, but any and all help with this matter will be very greatly appreciated.

I don't think it is a dealbreaker at all, it will depend on the circumstances. I think an addendum is appropriate and that it should clearly and concisely state what was going on with your life at that time. Then move on. Your personal statement should be about you and why you are a good candidate for the school you are applying to and it should focus on your strengths.

Thank you very much for the great advice and for the very quick reply. Both are greatly appreciated.

[Gotti]

Dean Pless,

How many waitlist offers do you extend each cycle and how many people choose to be waitlisted (approximately)? I know you said you only took 4 people off the waitlist 2 years ago and 65 last year, so I was just wondering what my chances were since I was indeed waitlisted. Thanks.

[Pless]

Dean Pless,

How many waitlist offers do you extend each cycle and how many people choose to be waitlisted (approximately)? I know you said you only took 4 people off the waitlist 2 years ago and 65 last year, so I was just wondering what my chances were since I was indeed waitlisted. Thanks.

Actually it was 6 last year and 60 the year before that. This year I think there will be more wait list activity and it will be earlier in the cycle. Because of our goals for this class we are waitlisting people this year that would have been admitted in past years (this happens at every school which is why it always surprises me when people on this board quote numbers from last year. Schools are trying to "improve" every year.) I realize that and I have almost daily conversations with my staff about how hard that is to do. But we are being ambitious and I think that is what you really want a school to be. But, you wanted numbers, not me rambling, so:

I would say we will make between 30 and 100 WL offers and the earliest they could come is March, heavier in April, another medium batch in May and then sprinkled in after that. I will give regular updates to those people that opt on to our list (and on TLS when I get asked).

[Gotti]

Dean Pless,

How many waitlist offers do you extend each cycle and how many people choose to be waitlisted (approximately)? I know you said you only took 4 people off the waitlist 2 years ago and 65 last year, so I was just wondering what my chances were since I was indeed waitlisted. Thanks.

Actually it was 6 last year and 60 the year before that. This year I think there will be more wait list activity and it will be earlier in the cycle. Because of our goals for this class we are waitlisting people this year that would have been admitted in past years (this happens at every school which is why it always surprises me when people on this board quote numbers from last year. Schools are trying to "improve" every year.) I realize that and I have almost daily conversations with my staff about how hard that is to do. But we are being ambitious and I think that is what you really want a school to be. But, you wanted numbers, not me rambling, so:

I would say we will make between 30 and 100 WL offers and the earliest they could come is March, heavier in April, another medium batch in May and then sprinkled in after that. I will give regular updates to those people that opt on to our list (and on TLS when I get asked).

Thanks for the response. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but it's the strength of the waitlisted applicant's application that gets them off the waitlist, right? Additionally, I'm planning to send a LOCI--is there historically a large percentage of waitlisted applicants who do this? I know it's "standard" to send a LOCI, but I was just curious as to the actual number of people who send one.

[daydreamer]

Rejected. Surprised and disappointed.

Can I apply again next year? Would it require a new personal statement and LORs?

Also, if I had the same/similar numbers, is it likely that the result will be in the same?

[ht2988]

Ding! On to the next one

[Pless]

Thanks for the response. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but it's the strength of the waitlisted applicant's application that gets them off the waitlist, right? Additionally, I'm planning to send a LOCI--is there historically a large percentage of waitlisted applicants who do this? I know it's "standard" to send a LOCI, but I was just curious as to the actual number of people who send one.

It is the strength of the application, but the level of interest they show in Illinois is important too. Who gets in off the WL really is about what the deposited class is looking like. Sometimes it is GPA, sometimes LSAT, sometimes a wide variety of soft factors. I would say about half of the people on the WL send in LOCI's, traditionally.

[Pless]

Rejected. Surprised and disappointed.

Can I apply again next year? Would it require a new personal statement and LORs?

Also, if I had the same/similar numbers, is it likely that the result will be in the same?

Sorry. Yes, you can apply next year. New PS, don't need new LORs. We admit people that were denied in the previous year all of the time. Same numbers don't necessarily mean the same answer. Each year our goals change a bit, the competition around you changes a bit and the timing of your application can change, which can play a huge role.

[weejonbu]

Rejected. Surprised and disappointed.

Can I apply again next year? Would it require a new personal statement and LORs?

Also, if I had the same/similar numbers, is it likely that the result will be in the same?

Sorry. Yes, you can apply next year. New PS, don't need new LORs. We admit people that were denied in the previous year all of the time. Same numbers don't necessarily mean the same answer. Each year our goals change a bit, the competition around you changes a bit and the timing of your application can change, which can play a huge role.

So would you say that, while the LOCI is certainly a good idea, it may have no ultimate bearing on a candidate's prospects off getting of the waitlist?

[Pless]

So would you say that, while the LOCI is certainly a good idea, it may have no ultimate bearing on a candidate's prospects off getting of the waitlist?

No, I would say that it can help and it can't hurt.

[Aggiegrad2011]

So would you say that, while the LOCI is certainly a good idea, it may have no ultimate bearing on a candidate's prospects off getting of the waitlist?

No, I would say that it can help and it can't hurt.

Did you miss my post, or is it too nebulous of a question to answer?

Perhaps I can rephrase:

Would a student visiting, before his or her file was on your desk, assist you in your decision of admit, deny, or WL at all?

[Hannibal]

Rejected. Oh well, I had to give it a shot. My LSAT was just too low. At least the email was pleasant and did not come on Christmas Eve as I had the pleasure of receiving with some schools.

Sorry dude.

[Pless]

Did you miss my post, or is it too nebulous of a question to answer?

Perhaps I can rephrase:

Would a student visiting, before his or her file was on your desk, assist you in your decision of admit, deny, or WL at all?

Sorry, just didn't catch it. We love people to visit, but it wouldn't be an interview. I am happy to meet with you, answer your questions, give you a tour of the school and have you sit in on a class. You shouldn't come thinking that you can talk your way in. Many more people have talked their way out.

[jaydizzle]

Rejected. Oh well, I had to give it a shot. My LSAT was just too low. At least the email was pleasant and did not come on Christmas Eve as I had the pleasure of receiving with some schools.

Sorry dude.

Totally expected. At least Illinois is professional thankfully. I'm hoping for some good news one of these days.

[Aggiegrad2011]

Did you miss my post, or is it too nebulous of a question to answer?

Perhaps I can rephrase:

Would a student visiting, before his or her file was on your desk, assist you in your decision of admit, deny, or WL at all?

Sorry, just didn't catch it. We love people to visit, but it wouldn't be an interview. I am happy to meet with you, answer your questions, give you a tour of the school and have you sit in on a class. You shouldn't come thinking that you can talk your way in. Many more people have talked their way out.

I totally understand that, I was just wondering what the general sentiment is about visits. Naturally, sub-standard scores won't be compensated with by personality and such and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise.

For someone interested in a brief meeting for questions, a tour and a class visit as well, should they e-mail the general admissions office for a time/date?

Thanks so much!