Held at Columbia 2011 Forum

[BeachedBrit]

This thread is for all those that have been held at Columbia. What are you guys doing, withdrawing or trying to ride it out? Personally I'm planning to deposit elsewhere but try to ride it out. Also getting 2 more LOR's, updating my transcript and updating my resume for new positions and honors. Hopefully it'll get me somewhere.

Also it seems like a LOT of people with a very scattered group of numbers were held (174/3.5 here.)

[c_dubya_s]

This thread is for all those that have been held at Columbia. What are you guys doing, withdrawing or trying to ride it out? Personally I'm planning to deposit elsewhere but try to ride it out. Also getting 2 more LOR's, updating my transcript and updating my resume for new positions and honors. Hopefully it'll get me somewhere.

Also it seems like a LOT of people with a very scattered group of numbers were held (174/3.5 here.)

Yay for a new held thread. I'm gonna LOCI it up and hope for the best (already updated my transcript, and submitted 4 LORs with my app).

FYI--I was going to submit an updated resume, but the Columbia admissions office told me to just include the information in my LOCI when I called.

[Weirdlog]

Joining. I'm not sure if I'm going to write a LOCI, but I'm leaning towards not doing one.

If something at HYS works out, then I'll probably withdraw, because it really doesn't look like CLS is going to be throwing any money at me at this point.

[thelaststraw05]

I already had a trip planned to NYC in early March. I'm going to go up a day early and visit the school. I will probably hand deliver a LOCI at that point.

Hopefully that will make it clear how much I want to go?

One of the things that is a positive about being held is that we will hear by April 22... before I have to give money to anyone else.

[Excellence = a Habit]

I already had a trip planned to NYC in early March. I'm going to go up a day early and visit the school. I will probably hand deliver a LOCI at that point.

Hopefully that will make it clear how much I want to go?

One of the things that is a positive about being held is that we will hear by April 22... before I have to give money to anyone else.

True, except that the most likely April reply is waitlist. Not very helpful. (Edit: Unless it's different this year!! Now I find myself hoping that the Rubensteins and the trickle-down scholarship money at Chicago will lure people away from CLS.)

I am torn. I think I will write a LOCI to CLS (along with NYU and Chi), but will then completely put the question out of my mind and focus on deciding between Mich, Penn and Cornell. And then re-evaluate when I inevitably get waitlisted in April. (Or dinged, which would be easier I guess.)

Besides a LOCI reiterating my interest, I don't have that much to add. I'm out of undergrad, so my transript/extracurriculars haven't changed. I'm at the same job I was at before. I could add an LOR from my boss, but I've only been there for about 4 months and I've heard that an LOR from someone who hasn't known you for way longer than that is sort of useless.

Beached Brit, it sounds like if anyone has a chance to get in off of the hold, it's you, with your numbers and additional info.

[hotthaichick]

I'm also planning on writing an LOCI to Columbia. They already requested my fall grades so they have my most updated transcript. I'm not feeling very positive about my chances with Columbia but it'll be good to have an LOCI written since I'm sure I'll need to send one to Chicago too in the next couple of weeks (unless they reject me).

I am so tired of waiting...

[birdlaw117]

Checking in... Also gonna write a LOCI, hopefully I can get a good start on it this weekend.

[OrdinarilySkilled]

What up - also held. Not goin to write anything, if they dont want me then so be it. I do have another lor that I might as well send - it's on lsac, can I just assign it to be sent? Should I email to let them know it's coming?

[c_dubya_s]

What up - also held. Not goin to write anything, if they dont want me then so be it. I do have another lor that I might as well send - it's on lsac, can I just assign it to be sent? Should I email to let them know it's coming?

You don't need to let them know it's coming, but probably not a bad idea. At very least, it shows you have a level of interest. And not nearly as time consuming as a LOCI.

[BeachedBrit]

If it's at all possible (if you can get the recommender to do it) I would send them the new LOR directly as well as sending to/from LSAC. From looking back through past held threads the successful ones seem to be those that had as much direct contact as possible. I'm also looking at the fact that they ask for transcript updates directly rather via LSAC.

[AriB]

i was also held with a 169/4.02. my gpa did not change this semester which was also my last. should i send in new transcripts? What do you think my chances are at getting in? oh and i just got waitlist from upenn does that mean my chances are worse?

[gatorgirl4life]

working on my LOCI right now. good luck, everyone!

[crossingforHYS]

got my loci in, they were quick to update my file.

[1001ArabiaNights]

I was WL'ed by Columbia when I was applying to UG and now am held. Back then, I was accepted to some comparable schools and so did not write a LOCI; I'm in the same situation now an am debating whether or not to write one.

Does anyone else find being held is slightly off-putting?

I mean, absent a significant "hotness gap," wouldn't you rather date the girl who shows an immediate interest in you then the one who keeps you on the "friend burner" while she waits to see if the quarterback will ask her out by Valentine's Day?

I swear I'm not trying to encourage other T6 ot T10 admits to forgo writing a LOCI in order to improve my own chances. In fact, my feelings are likely the unintended byproduct of an evolutionary habit to maximize reproductive potential, while a sober cost-benefit analysis would tell me that spending an hour drafting a letter is well-worth preserving my chances at attending CLS.

But then again, I'm also psychologically predisposed to overvalue options...

PS: Does being held mean that there is zero chance for $?

[thelaststraw05]

So I was looking at the letter again. The last line says:

We look forward to being in touch with you as soon as the Committee has rendered a decision.

Thoughts?

Does anyone think that this means that we could be hearing in March? Do they tend to whittle down the hold list as the weeks pass or do we all get decisions at about the same time?

LOCI sent.

[thelaststraw05]

Does anyone else find being held is slightly off-putting?

I mean, absent a significant "hotness gap," wouldn't you rather date the girl who shows an immediate interest in you then the one who keeps you on the "friend burner" while she waits to see if the quarterback will ask her out by Valentine's Day?

I am more than willing to be CLS's second best.

[Confused7]

So I was looking at the letter again. The last line says:

We look forward to being in touch with you as soon as the Committee has rendered a decision.

Thoughts?

Does anyone think that this means that we could be hearing in March? Do they tend to whittle down the hold list as the weeks pass or do we all get decisions at about the same time?

LOCI sent.

When I called them to ask, they said that they could not guarantee a decision before April 22nd. I think if you hear earlier, it might be a good sign. Those waiting until the end of April (likely me included) might just get waitlisted. =/

[ellewoods2]

If anyone has e-mailed over a LOCI, did they e-mail you back to acknowledge they received it? If so, about how long did that take?

[thelaststraw05]

If anyone has e-mailed over a LOCI, did they e-mail you back to acknowledge they received it? If so, about how long did that take?

Yes - they emailed me back within about ten minutes and said:

Thank you for your interest in Columbia Law School. We will add this update to your file.

[4102011]

Hey guys <3

I am happy that the answer to the question, "wtf are they doing with my app??" was not paper airplanes.

[Dany]

I sent a new LOR, but no LOCI. I have nothing to say to you, CLS. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Hold ftl.

[4102011]

I won't be sending anything, in case people are curious. TOO LAZY, esp since a hold makes me think absolutely no scholly stuff.

ETA: 4000th post! So here's one of my fav lolcats to commemorate the occasion. I'll dedicate this one to CLS:

[thelaststraw05]

Columbia was the highest ranked school I even applied to. I got a fee waiver and just assumed I wouldn't get in - not a bad assumption with a 171/3.5.

So I'm actually ridiculously excited to be held and will do what I can to pursue them.

[BeachedBrit]

Anyone willing to PM me their LOCI and/or swap LOCI's? Just trying to get a feel for what other people are saying.

[sgtgrumbles]

Hey, just checking in. Held a week or two ago. I don't plan on writing a LOCI.

Can anyone answer this honestly, rather than in a self-interested, "one less person in the held group" way? If I don't anticipate attending CLS without scholarship money, which is rather unlikely since I've been held for obviously non-YP reasons, is there any sense in waiting out a possible acceptance? Would a CLS acceptance be useful for negotiating scholarship money from MVPB? Would it be any better than a U Chicago or NYU acceptance for doing so?