Penn State 2011 Applicants Forum

[yepyep]

I wish all schools were as quick as PSU ... do they have a reputation for this? I applied last Monday and had a decision by Friday.

In review since 11/30

[c0anna10]

I wish all schools were as quick as PSU ... do they have a reputation for this? I applied last Monday and had a decision by Friday.

In review since 11/30

I would recommend emailing the admissions office, on a previous post Dean Shively said to email over to him if you were in review over three weeks and he could check on your particular case. Good Luck! I am also hoping to hear soon!

[DocHawkeye]

I wish all schools were as quick as PSU ... do they have a reputation for this? I applied last Monday and had a decision by Friday.

In review since 11/30

I would recommend emailing the admissions office, on a previous post Dean Shively said to email over to him if you were in review over three weeks and he could check on your particular case. Good Luck! I am also hoping to hear soon!

I was in review for about 10 weeks. Then I got in. With a scholarship.

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

anybody know how good they are at taking people off the waitlist?

The waitlist activity varies from year to year. Last year we made tons of offers to waitlist candidates. The key times for waitlist activity are just after big deposit deadlines. At those times we have a very clear idea of who has decided to accept outstanding offers. We begin looking very closely at waitlisted candidates as soon as we complete our regular review cycle in mid to late March. Depending on how many offers are accepted with our April 1 deposit deadline (and our June 2nd deposit deadline) we could immediately go out with a round of offers to waitlisted candidates. We typically send WL applicants an email letting them know we are going to consider their application for a spot and giving them 24-48 hours to send in any supporting documents they'd like at that point, like updated transcripts, a LOCI, updated resume, etc. If an applicant doesn't respond we assume they aren't interested and move to the next applicant.

Of course, we continue to visit the waitlist up until orientation. Last year we admitted some waitlisted candidates on the first day of orientation. This won't work for everyone and we do try to make offers as early as possible, but for those students it was worth the hassle of a quick transition. In some cases we aren't sure how the numbers will shake out until we see who shows up. This can be a great opportunity for the applicant that is prepared to jump on it.

Once you have all of your decisions, if we rise to the top of the schools you are interested in, it can be really helpful to know that you really want to be here. In this circumstance a letter of continued interest, LOCI, can be helpful. However, there are few things so annoying as receiving a LOCI only to call and talk to the applicant and have them waffle on what they really want. I have removed people from waitlist consideration in the past for doing this.

I am sure you'll do great whatever the outcome with Penn State Law, but if you'd like to discuss your specific case, please feel free to contact me.

Jay Shively
Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Penn State Law

[Justathought]

Once again Dean Shively comes through with amazing information.

His only flaw is failing to accept me as of yet.

[sgp_lycee]

I was accepted a couple of weeks ago and finally got my admit packet. 15k/yr with 2.8 stip. I don't know much about PSU, can anyone enlighten me? I've been through TLS forum and the school website but I still feel like I don't know much about the school and I won't be able to visit before decisions. Anyone have an idea about how well PSU places? I chose to attend Carlisle, is placement different than UP? I'm not that interested in big law.

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

I was accepted a couple of weeks ago and finally got my admit packet. 15k/yr with 2.8 stip. I don't know much about PSU, can anyone enlighten me? I've been through TLS forum and the school website but I still feel like I don't know much about the school and I won't be able to visit before decisions. Anyone have an idea about how well PSU places? I chose to attend Carlisle, is placement different than UP? I'm not that interested in big law.

Congratulations on your admission! I am happy to put you in touch with current students at both locations who can talk to you about their experiences.

Placement varies a great deal depending on where you want to be and what kind of work you want to do. Most of our students go to the major legal markets in the northeast, including Philly, DC, New York, etc. Still some do choose to stay in central PA and Pittsburgh. We also place folks all over the country and the world by utilizizng our unmatched alumni network. Nittany Lions are a tight group! That being said we can provide you more specific information if you have a particular area of interest or city where you want to work.


I am also willing to talk to you one on one about the two campuses.

Jay Shively
Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Penn State Law
(814) 867-0398 direct
rjs48@psu.edu

[noleknight16]

Waitlisted today via e-mail

[StillHerexxx]

Waitlist as well. Bummed out, not sure if I am going to withdraw or not. Scholarship money is a must and I stand no chance of money coming off the waitlist.

[jsimp]

Waitlisted today via e-mail

+1

[kartal]

Dean Shively,

Can the April 1st deposit due date of Penn State Law be extended given that most of the schools have the April 15th due date? This would make the decision making process a little bit easier for those who have Penn State in their final four or two list.

[jayman6]

Dean Shively,

Can the April 1st deposit due date of Penn State Law be extended given that most of the schools have the April 15th due date? This would make the decision making process a little bit easier for those who have Penn State in their final four or two list.

I also wish it wasn't $500. I realize they want to narrow down their classes, but a lot of the top schools I've gotten into won't even make scholarship offers until after the first seat deposit but I'd definitely like to keep Penn State on the table. Not sure if I want to pay $500 though.

[daly4889]

Admissions packet in mail yesterday. 20k/year as long as top half. Seems like a solid deal

[girlonfire]

Admissions packet in mail yesterday. 20k/year as long as top half. Seems like a solid deal

+1

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

Dean Shively,

Can the April 1st deposit due date of Penn State Law be extended given that most of the schools have the April 15th due date? This would make the decision making process a little bit easier for those who have Penn State in their final four or two list.

Unfortunately, we don't generally extend our deadline. There are too many folks waiting on the waitlist who'd be more than happy to take the spot to do so. We do everything we can to provide you with the information necessary to make the right choice for you. If other schools are not as accommodating, I'd suggest you pressure them to provide you the information you require.

We will subsidize a visit to campus. We will put you in touch with current students, faculty and administrators. We're hosting an admitted student open house at both locations. I am happy to put you in touch with our Career Services office and even alumni, if you have a specific city or practice area you're interested in. You are welcome to visit campus almost anytime to sit in on a class and take a tour. Plus we've gotten your decision out to you with ample time to make a decision before April 1. I am not sure what more we can do to facilitate your decision. Obviously, I can't impact what other schools are doing and can't justify changing our process for other schools with different priorities.

April 1 is the generally accepted date for deposits agreed upon under the LSAC Statement of Good Admission Practices. I haven't surveyed the other schools but I doubt that "most" have an April 15 deadline. We'd like for you to make an informed decision about school but have to balance that with the institutional goal of filling our seats.

If you'd like to discuss your specific situation, I invite you to call or email me directly at (814) 867-0398 or rjs48@psu.edu respectively.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

Dean Shively,

Can the April 1st deposit due date of Penn State Law be extended given that most of the schools have the April 15th due date? This would make the decision making process a little bit easier for those who have Penn State in their final four or two list.

I also wish it wasn't $500. I realize they want to narrow down their classes, but a lot of the top schools I've gotten into won't even make scholarship offers until after the first seat deposit but I'd definitely like to keep Penn State on the table. Not sure if I want to pay $500 though.

Unfortunately, we have to set our deposit levels to ensure that those depositing are truly interested in the seat. Even with significant deposits many schools experience "melt" over the summer months. I hate that it potentially impacts you guys so negatively but it doesn't make sense for us to accommodate slower schools. The good news is that the deposits apply directly to your first semester's tuition.

Why not ask the other schools to increase your scholarship to account for our deposit since they're taking so long to get their offers out? Many schools, including us, do everything we can (close data analysis and projections) to provide you with all of the information up front. It's a risk on our part in terms of whether we'll spend more than budgeted for scholarships, but we think it's worth it to provide you with a complete picture early in your decision process. We actually considered holding off on scholarship awards until nearly all of the decisions were made but thought it would make the process better for our applicants to provide the information earlier.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law

[jayman6]

Dean Shively,

Can the April 1st deposit due date of Penn State Law be extended given that most of the schools have the April 15th due date? This would make the decision making process a little bit easier for those who have Penn State in their final four or two list.

I also wish it wasn't $500. I realize they want to narrow down their classes, but a lot of the top schools I've gotten into won't even make scholarship offers until after the first seat deposit but I'd definitely like to keep Penn State on the table. Not sure if I want to pay $500 though.

Unfortunately, we have to set our deposit levels to ensure that those depositing are truly interested in the seat. Even with significant deposits many schools experience "melt" over the summer months. I hate that it potentially impacts you guys so negatively but it doesn't make sense for us to accommodate slower schools. The good news is that the deposits apply directly to your first semester's tuition.

Why not ask the other schools to increase your scholarship to account for our deposit since they're taking so long to get their offers out? Many schools, including us, do everything we can (close data analysis and projections) to provide you with all of the information up front. It's a risk on our part in terms of whether we'll spend more than budgeted for scholarships, but we think it's worth it to provide you with a complete picture early in your decision process. We actually considered holding off on scholarship awards until nearly all of the decisions were made but thought it would make the process better for our applicants to provide the information earlier.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law

You actually do make a really good point. I'd much rather know up front where I stand and have to pay a higher seat deposit. I never thought of it from your perspective. Thanks for your reply.

[kkklick]

In with 20K per year for 60K total. Fairly generous, makes my decision all that more difficult.

[Kainmacbeth]

In today via e-mail. Scholarship info is stated to come in the mail. Woohoo!

[ItsMyTimeBoston]

In today via e-mail. Scholarship info is stated to come in the mail. Woohoo!

+1 - email at 10:52 A.M.

[c0anna10]

Waitlisted this morning... I'm hoping with a LOCI that can change! I have only been to Penn State once to visit my sister so I was hoping to be accepted soon so I can schedule a visit from San Diego.

[Patriot29]

Also waitlisted this morning via email. Really disappointed.

[LSATclincher]

Waitlisted today. I'm certainly not mad since I wasn't attending here due to price compared to other local schools like Pitt and Temple. However, I was surprised. I've realized the law school admissions process is a total crap shoot from school-to-school. I was accepted to Temple, preferred waitlist at Marlyland, and accepted to Widener with no scholarship money.

An acceptance to Penn would cap off a totally bizarre cycle...

[solarae]

Dean Shively,

Can the April 1st deposit due date of Penn State Law be extended given that most of the schools have the April 15th due date? This would make the decision making process a little bit easier for those who have Penn State in their final four or two list.

I also wish it wasn't $500. I realize they want to narrow down their classes, but a lot of the top schools I've gotten into won't even make scholarship offers until after the first seat deposit but I'd definitely like to keep Penn State on the table. Not sure if I want to pay $500 though.

$500 isn't that bad to me considering one of my schools is $1000.

[solarae]

In review since 2/7, complete 1/10. Waiting patiently!