Point of ASW? Forum

[Smumps]

Did some searches for this topic, didn't find any. Fairly basic question - is there a point to attending ASW outside of helping you pick a LS? I'm pretty sure I know where I'm attending barring any further developments, and even after a travel subsidy, $300 is a lot to shell out.

Maybe sitting down with financial aid face to face helps your chances? (assuming not).

[ilovesf]

Did some searches for this topic, didn't find any. Fairly basic question - is there a point to attending ASW outside of helping you pick a LS? I'm pretty sure I know where I'm attending barring any further developments, and even after a travel subsidy, $300 is a lot to shell out.

Maybe sitting down with financial aid face to face helps your chances? (assuming not).

Not really, they're only good for deciding what school to attend. Maybe if you're torn about living on campus/off campus or something and want to see what it's like for yourself. Otherwise they aren't very helpful.

[buckilaw]

Even if you have your mind made up it's still very benefiical to go to ASW to get a feel for the school. If nothing else you can get a head start on setting up =your housing situation.

[handsonthewheel]

It's for them to say "OMG LOOK HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

Go to the right school for you, there is no reason to go. If you need to hash out housing, make the trip when you have apartments lined-up to visit and flights are the cheapest. You'll get more than enough of the school when you do orientation and then start classes.

This is, unless there are two schools that you literally can't choose between other than what the hallways look like.

I may sound cynical, but let's be real, this is a professional school and they want to use whatever they can to anchor an accepted applicant to come, and no better way than to have them come see the school and show them where they would be doing the entire law school thing. No school has any real "culture" that is so distinct once you get to the top schools, because there isn't self-selection there, like at some smaller schools that only the locals go to. People that get in go to the top schools. To think the student body is going to be much different between top schools is largely a fiction and ignores the fact that you'll assort by friendships you'll make and that is something you'll do anywhere.

[shoeshine]

ASW means nothing

[TaipeiMort]

It's for them to say "OMG LOOK HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

Go to the right school for you, there is no reason to go. If you need to hash out housing, make the trip when you have apartments lined-up to visit and flights are the cheapest. You'll get more than enough of the school when you do orientation and then start classes.

This is, unless there are two schools that you literally can't choose between other than what the hallways look like.

I may sound cynical, but let's be real, this is a professional school and they want to use whatever they can to anchor an accepted applicant to come, and no better way than to have them come see the school and show them where they would be doing the entire law school thing. No school has any real "culture" that is so distinct once you get to the top schools, because there isn't self-selection there, like at some smaller schools that only the locals go to. People that get in go to the top schools. To think the student body is going to be much different between top schools is largely a fiction and ignores the fact that you'll assort by friendships you'll make and that is something you'll do anywhere.

I totally disagree. Top schools do have distinct cultures. Admission Deans still look for fit and student bodies are not homogeneous. There are people that are a lot happier at NYU than Stanford. I am shocked at how different Northwestern and Chicago are. There are plenty of people that turn Yale down for Harvard. I decided to attend my school after a visit.
ASW should be a time to reconfirm your leanings. It is also a great time to have fun and argue face to face for more scholarship money, as well as ask real questions from current students and faculty.

[handsonthewheel]

It's for them to say "OMG LOOK HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

Go to the right school for you, there is no reason to go. If you need to hash out housing, make the trip when you have apartments lined-up to visit and flights are the cheapest. You'll get more than enough of the school when you do orientation and then start classes.

This is, unless there are two schools that you literally can't choose between other than what the hallways look like.

I may sound cynical, but let's be real, this is a professional school and they want to use whatever they can to anchor an accepted applicant to come, and no better way than to have them come see the school and show them where they would be doing the entire law school thing. No school has any real "culture" that is so distinct once you get to the top schools, because there isn't self-selection there, like at some smaller schools that only the locals go to. People that get in go to the top schools. To think the student body is going to be much different between top schools is largely a fiction and ignores the fact that you'll assort by friendships you'll make and that is something you'll do anywhere.

I totally disagree. Top schools do have distinct cultures. Admission Deans still look for fit and student bodies are not homogeneous. There are people that are a lot happier at NYU than Stanford. I am shocked at how different Northwestern and Chicago are. There are plenty of people that turn Yale down for Harvard. I decided to attend my school after a visit.
ASW should be a time to reconfirm your leanings. It is also a great time to have fun and argue face to face for more scholarship money, as well as ask real questions from current students and faculty.

I dunno, I've attended two schools, being that I transferred, and I can tell you that from what I've seen that's not true. To think you can tell what being a student there is like without actually being a student is naive. Your experience will be largely defined by who is in your 1L class, and more specifically the section, and that you won't know until after ASW. Beyond that, the idea that admissions looks to the qualitative factors is dismissed by the process of actually looking at the numbers game that gets you in or rejects you. LSAT and GPA define the class at the top, not fuzzy feelings.

I don't mean to dismiss the differences that people see in schools or feel about them. However, to believe that you'll see anything beyond the personal, such as "I feel happy in these halls" or in the part of town, is putting too much stock in what isn't really there.

At most schools there are over 1,000 students. Unless you are a blank slate, you are going to form similar relationships regardless of where you are, and that is more defining of your experience than most other factors. What questions, without having attended a law school before, do you really know to ask? I mean, you can ask about student life and everything, but that's individual (how one deals with law school) and the location (urban versus more suburban/rural).

I'm not saying to never go, I'm just saying that it's a selling activity the school does and unless you have some burning desire to go, don't waste the money.

This is law school, a huge investment that is meant to move you toward a career. This isn't deciding between summer camps. Decide by the right financial issues, geography and job prospects. Beyond that, if there is still a substantial question, then may it's worth the money. Outside of that special circumstance, use the money for savings (to have a bit more leeway with finances once you're on loans) or for some fun before you start school.

[handsonthewheel]

It's for them to say "OMG LOOK HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

Go to the right school for you, there is no reason to go. If you need to hash out housing, make the trip when you have apartments lined-up to visit and flights are the cheapest. You'll get more than enough of the school when you do orientation and then start classes.

This is, unless there are two schools that you literally can't choose between other than what the hallways look like.

I may sound cynical, but let's be real, this is a professional school and they want to use whatever they can to anchor an accepted applicant to come, and no better way than to have them come see the school and show them where they would be doing the entire law school thing. No school has any real "culture" that is so distinct once you get to the top schools, because there isn't self-selection there, like at some smaller schools that only the locals go to. People that get in go to the top schools. To think the student body is going to be much different between top schools is largely a fiction and ignores the fact that you'll assort by friendships you'll make and that is something you'll do anywhere.

I totally disagree. Top schools do have distinct cultures. Admission Deans still look for fit and student bodies are not homogeneous. There are people that are a lot happier at NYU than Stanford. I am shocked at how different Northwestern and Chicago are. There are plenty of people that turn Yale down for Harvard. I decided to attend my school after a visit.
ASW should be a time to reconfirm your leanings. It is also a great time to have fun and argue face to face for more scholarship money, as well as ask real questions from current students and faculty.

Also, if about a minute of post-stalking you is accurate, you're at University of Chicago. Deciding between there and Northwestern should have gone like this: jobs -> financial -> etc. Chicago wins. Don't like the neighborhood? Commute. You don't know the 1L body before you go and you can't know what your 1L experience at the other school would have been like, so it's simply an assumption.

I'm not saying it's never worth going. I am saying that it's a marketing move by schools, for the most part. Just don't put more stock in something like this when it's a decision of what professional school to attend. Look at the OP's profile for the schools, given the good opportunities there, it behooves them to choose the best school for their career, not the one with the warm fuzzies.

[Kabuo]

Also, if about a minute of post-stalking you is accurate, you're at University of Chicago. Deciding between there and Northwestern should have gone like this: jobs -> financial -> etc. Chicago wins. Don't like the neighborhood? Commute. You don't know the 1L body before you go and you can't know what your 1L experience at the other school would have been like, so it's simply an assumption.

I'm not saying it's never worth going. I am saying that it's a marketing move by schools, for the most part. Just don't put more stock in something like this when it's a decision of what professional school to attend. Look at the OP's profile for the schools, given the good opportunities there, it behooves them to choose the best school for their career, not the one with the warm fuzzies.

There were so many better things you could have done with this.

[keg411]

Personally, I thought the initial ASD's were worth it, because it really helped me clarify my decision, but my travel costs were pretty minimal for the most part.

Conversely, when I transferred, I look back and think I might have made a different decision if I actually visited the two schools I was deciding between (though I don't know if that would have actually been the best decision for me career-wise, so maybe it's better that I didn't visit).

[Bronck]

I say go for it only if you receive a travel subsidy that covers most or all of the cost.

Your chief concerns when picking a school should be: placement power and scholarship money (also, location if you're searching outside of the top schools).

I can't imagine ASW swaying me one way or another at all. I'm going because a) schools are covering most of the cost b) it's NYC so a very cheap little vacation there c) free food and booze d) meet up with some friends.

[DonnaDraper]

Like others have said, go if you get travel stipend or to sort out housing. If you have to pay $$, can't do anything else productive, and already have a very strong leaning it does not matter. I would try to get apt appointments lined up so that you can be pretty much set with that and so you can get a taste of the location on the off-chance that you hate it. I am going to ASW because it would cost me $0 and it would be nice to learn more about the school plus meet potential future classmates. However, it is by no means necessary for making a decision (and this is coming from someone who EDed...soo yea, there will be no decision-making for me). Just come to Penn already

[yngblkgifted]

If you've only applied to one school, this is by far the best school (only school that's worth attending) to go to, or for personal reasons you can't move anywhere else geographically, then I understand not going to ASW.

However, if it's possible you can go to another school, or you have to make a choice, I would go. It's not just about "hey look how great we are," it's also about you getting a feel for the place around others that will potentially be your new classmates. For me, this was invaluable and helped me pick a school that wasn't full of pretentious douches. But to each his/her own. To be fair. the social environment of the school and student body was extremely important to me. It may not be as important to you.

[chasgoose]

If you have a clear best option based on money/ranking to the point where you don't really care where the school is and what the atmosphere is, then you probably don't need to go to the ASW. It is helpful, however when choosing between schools that seem very similar on paper (you would be surprised how different CLS/NYU appear during their ASW's for example) or helpful if you have a few top choices (or even one that seems a little bit better) that you have never visited just to make sure that you can enjoy the surrounding area and the school atmosphere. I have a friend who chose Michigan without visiting because it was the best school he got into even though he had other T14 opportunities with money. He hates Ann Arbor and is contemplating transferring down and paying sticker at schools he had scholarships from because he wants to get out of there so much.

[FlanAl]

Not all schools totally roll out the red carpet on ASW. Some don't even have any free booze. One school that I thought I would end up going to misspelled my name and my ug's name on my nametag. It was a school with a ton of students and I felt like it would be pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle. SInce they couldn't even spell stuff right on the name tag when they were trying to wine and dine me I could imagine them totally forgetting about me once they got my money.

I also went to one for my local t2 which I was definitely thinking of going to but the whole presentation was about how they were just as good as t1 schools. you really felt like they had a chip on their shoulder.

SO you should probably go to a few asw's to get a feel for other schools if the one you are set on going to turns out to not be what you expected when you go to their asw.

[Smumps]

Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate it. Probably will just go if only to check out housing and get into a fight with financial aid. I really doubt the culture will sway me one way or the other. I just want to get a job.