Best/Worst Law Fair Reps of 2009? Forum

[chadwick218]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else hate the kids that show up in three piece suits with resumes and notepads acting like theyre gonna impress the rep so much that he's gonna run back to the school and say "I met the most prepared student at the fair, we better let him in"

I ran across a couple of these ... they would just drill the reps with questions. I sorta followed a couple just to hear what crazy things they would say.

[Tree]

Best: Umich, U San Diego, Loyola LA, Chicago-Kent

Worst: Emory, Pepperdine, U Detroit Mercy

[gatorlion]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else hate the kids that show up in three piece suits with resumes and notepads acting like theyre gonna impress the rep so much that he's gonna run back to the school and say "I met the most prepared student at the fair, we better let him in"

I ran across a couple of these ... they would just drill the reps with questions. I sorta followed a couple just to hear what crazy things they would say.

Ha, no one on the west coast came even close to that! People out here barely knew anything, asked simple questions to which the answers can be found on the school websites, and mostly dressed in their surfer attire/pajamas!

[lawschool5523]

anyone every attend a law fair and notice the law reps on their cell phones? unprofessional?

Florida dude looked borderline upset that I interrupted his texting. All but threw a brochure at me.

same thing happened to me! left his post for 20-30 minutes, and came back snacking on candy. when i asked questions, all he did was give me a brochure.

[chadwick218]

same thing happened to me! left his post for 20-30 minutes, and came back snacking on candy. when i asked questions, all he did was give me a brochure.

I had the same experience with the Vandy guy. Granted, the Fair was on 2-14 and the admissions deadline may have been on either 2-15 or 3-1 and I was asking questions regarding the current cycle. He gave me the impression that I stood no chance of being admitted ... guess what, I got in after applying on 2-15!

[rookhawk]

-

[twert]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else hate the kids that show up in three piece suits with resumes and notepads acting like theyre gonna impress the rep so much that he's gonna run back to the school and say "I met the most prepared student at the fair, we better let him in"

I was that kid 15 years ago and I would absolutely give him/her a bump up the list of potential candidates. You wear a che guevarra t-shirt and some old sneakers and you kinda get what is coming to you at any type of interview...law school forums no exception.

Here's the dirty little secret most of you will dismiss (if any take it to heart, perhaps it will gain you mileage): If you're not an aristocrat and you show up at any old school pedigree'd university interview/conversation (e.g. Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Penn, Vandy, Chicago) they are going to ask themselves this question. What justification does this trailer trash have to defy the class they were born into and enter our hallowed halls? I was born just such trailer trash so you better believe I was well groomed in a three piece suit when I met with anyone that could propel my life forward from age 17 on. If you want to get into these schools you better appear like you're ready to learn the secret handshake. People judge you on your appearance.

agree completely

[lawschool5523]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else hate the kids that show up in three piece suits with resumes and notepads acting like theyre gonna impress the rep so much that he's gonna run back to the school and say "I met the most prepared student at the fair, we better let him in"

I was that kid 15 years ago and I would absolutely give him/her a bump up the list of potential candidates. You wear a che guevarra t-shirt and some old sneakers and you kinda get what is coming to you at any type of interview...law school forums no exception.

Here's the dirty little secret most of you will dismiss (if any take it to heart, perhaps it will gain you mileage): If you're not an aristocrat and you show up at any old school pedigree'd university interview/conversation (e.g. Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Penn, Vandy, Chicago) they are going to ask themselves this question. What justification does this trailer trash have to defy the class they were born into and enter our hallowed halls? I was born just such trailer trash so you better believe I was well groomed in a three piece suit when I met with anyone that could propel my life forward from age 17 on. If you want to get into these schools you better appear like you're ready to learn the secret handshake. People judge you on your appearance.

agree completely

agreed as well. i went to a forum with 2 other people. i was dressed up and well presented, and each school i went to accepted my resume from me, and often talk to me about it. the other 2 people i was with brought resumes but were not well presented. the ad comm told them to keep their resumes...

[FeuerFrei]

.

[rookhawk]

-1

[Tangerine Gleam]

Thank goodness that, in reality, there are some wardrobe choices somewhere between "3-piece suit" and "Che Guevara t-shirt".

[jeeptiger09]

anyone every attend a law fair and notice the law reps on their cell phones? unprofessional?

Florida dude looked borderline upset that I interrupted his texting. All but threw a brochure at me.

same thing happened to me! left his post for 20-30 minutes, and came back snacking on candy. when i asked questions, all he did was give me a brochure.

I also walked up and he happened to be texting. He blew me off with a brochure, and the only productive thing I saw him do all day was to try and grab the crowd's attention as he walked up to the LSU table with a big "Go Gators" sign (LSU vs. Florida that day).

[AliceB]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else hate the kids that show up in three piece suits with resumes and notepads acting like theyre gonna impress the rep so much that he's gonna run back to the school and say "I met the most prepared student at the fair, we better let him in"

I was that kid 15 years ago and I would absolutely give him/her a bump up the list of potential candidates. You wear a che guevarra t-shirt and some old sneakers and you kinda get what is coming to you at any type of interview...law school forums no exception.

Here's the dirty little secret most of you will dismiss (if any take it to heart, perhaps it will gain you mileage): If you're not an aristocrat and you show up at any old school pedigree'd university interview/conversation (e.g. Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Penn, Vandy, Chicago) they are going to ask themselves this question. What justification does this trailer trash have to defy the class they were born into and enter our hallowed halls? I was born just such trailer trash so you better believe I was well groomed in a three piece suit when I met with anyone that could propel my life forward from age 17 on. If you want to get into these schools you better appear like you're ready to learn the secret handshake. People judge you on your appearance.

agree completely

Then how do you explain my experience? Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I look professional and get judged negatively because of it.

[chadwick218]

For those still in the process of applying, I went to the Houston Fair this weekend last year and scored 10+ fee waivers!

[2010law]

NY forum

best - W&M and U. Tenn (knoxville)
worst - fla, nc
--------
FYI- I had a conversation with a rep at the fair that went like this:
a 3 piece suit / resume guy left the table and a guy standing nearby made a comment. the rep said that if you dress casual it won't hurt you, but if you dress nice / professional it might help you. he explained that it is not uncommon for reps to make little notations about some of the people they meet and if they like you, it might leave them with a positive impression = fee waivers, follow up emails ...
I'm not saying it's true.... just what the rep said.

[miamiman]

miami lsac

Best:

Iowa - super transparent and nice
Minnesota

Worst

Uva - dean trujilo blew off my questions
Usc
Gw

[FunkyJD]

Houston LSAC

Above median:

Pittsburgh*, Illinois*, Indiana,* Villanova* (* high pass- particularly awesome, patient, and helpful)
Penn, North Carolina

[Unemployed]

Bad idea.

[FunkyJD]

What's a bad idea?

[Unemployed]

This whole thread.

[FunkyJD]

This whole thread.

Would you care to elaborate? Or shall we be left to wonder?

This thread can provide helpful feedback to schools who may need to improve the quality of their interactions with students -- or, to schools who should "keep it up." If I were a goal-driven recruiter, I might like to know how my efforts were coming across.

If you're worried about adcomms hating your comments, and outing, and rejecting you as a consequence, I guess one can always find reasons to be paranoid. You may as well scrub all of your posts from TLS -- for who knows what will anger the person behind the curtain?

Terrible way to go through life, though -- always worrying about what someone thinks whenever you have something perfectly reasonable to say. Is that how you roll?

[lawlife2010]

Best: UVA and RIchmond.
Worst: U.Conn and Quinnipiac by far. Maybe it's a CT thing, but the lady at U.COnn acted like it was such a hassle to help us, told us she could not leave her office and to just look around. When we came back to ask a question she had left the office.

[HBK]

I went to the Austin fair.

Best: St. Louis U, Baylor, Illinois, Drexel, American

Some of the bigger name school reps seemed put off to be there. The smaller school reps were happy talk your ear off.

[NU_Jet55]

UVA grad school fair
Worst - Stanford (person wasn't there when I stopped by and I was there on my lunch hour so I was in a hurry), Tulane
Best - UT (very friendly enthusiastic girl who was also really pretty fwiw)

Yessss I totally agree on the ut comment-the girl was gorgeous and definitely convinced me to apply there.

Besides that, best=oklahoma, maryland
worst=smu, GW

went to the mink law fair btw

[LSAT! Nooooooooo!]

I attended the University of Texas and the University of Texas San Antonio law fairs.

Best: University of Richmond, SMU, Tulsa.

All of them were outstanding and kept up personal dialogues with me via email. The representative from Richmond even called me personally to admit me very, very early in the process. All of these schools' reps also remembered me by name and flagged me down when I saw them at the second law fair a few days later.

I'll also say that Baylor, Maryland, Houston, North Carolina and Arizona State were kind and patient.

Went to the same law fair. I agree with your takes and I would add that Colorado was awesome and Golden Gate and Regent were great as well.

Doooosh award goes to Notre Dame and Florida.
Guy from Florida actually said (in a ganster voice),
"Florida only wants the best son, only the best. It's Florida..."