2011 - 2012 URM Application Cycle Forum

[FryBreadPower]

is it just me or is a URM WL at Penn as sign of getting into better schools?

WL at Penn = WL at Uchi; Held at Harvard/Stanford (soft)/Columbia; in at NYU

[vincanity1]

75K at Chicago. Posting here cuz it probably would have been lower without semi-URM status. Go semi's!

[planeride]

is it just me or is a URM WL at Penn as sign of getting into better schools?

Hey! I resent that!

(Went to Penn UG and had a great Why Penn...I think that's why I dodged the WL)

[boosk]

WL Ding at Penn = WL at Uchi; Held at Harvard/Stanford (soft)/Columbia; in at NYU

whoah... freaky how similar our cycles are going

[PoloGroundMyth]

75K at Chicago. Posting here cuz it probably would have been lower without semi-URM status. Go semi's!

Hi Vincanity, I've been watching your cycle and I think everything about it points to the fact that you have received hardly any benefit as a URM. Your successes in the financial aid area could probably be explained just as easily by your being hispanic as they could be by some strong soft factor(s) in your application. I think the smoking gun is your coming up short at Columbia and Stanford. I guess I just take issue with with your ignoring that a URM has a pretty rigid definition. Yes, you're probably right that being any type of hispanic does give some slight benefit, but I think that that slight benefit is frankly no more powerful than being a white male from Alaska. It's something, but it's weak. I don't think you should categorize yourself as a URM on LSN, as that will surely confuse future applicants.

[vincanity1]

75K at Chicago. Posting here cuz it probably would have been lower without semi-URM status. Go semi's!

Hi Vincanity, I've been watching your cycle and I think everything about it points to the fact that you have received hardly any benefit as a URM. Your successes in the financial aid area could probably be explained just as easily by your being hispanic as they could be by some strong soft factor(s) in your application. I think the smoking gun is your coming up short at Columbia and Stanford. I guess I just take issue with with your ignoring that a URM has a pretty rigid definition. Yes, you're probably right that being any type of hispanic does give some slight benefit, but I think that that slight benefit is frankly no more powerful than being a white male from Alaska. It's something, but it's weak. I don't think you should categorize yourself as a URM on LSN, as that will surely confuse future applicants.

Lol, I understand where you're coming from but I disagree. I've looked through plenty of non-URM hispanic applicants, and it's been pretty clear that there is a recognizable boost. Regardless, I list myself as a URM (with the commentary disclaimer on TLS) because I can't fully appease either side. My listing as non-URM, I would get people looking at my profile upset because they'd think that a Cuban's cycle isn't a good indicator for their white cycle. On the flipside, an African American is going to think I severely underperformed until they take a look and see that I'm just a non-URM hispanic.

Also, I don't think Stanford is a smoking gun for anything. I'm coming out of UG from FL, not interested in IP or anything of the sort, and I didn't send them anything Stanford-specific. As for Columbia, it was a bit of a surprise and I'll concede that one for the sake of.

Either way, I'm honored to be your first post.

[1212]

is it just me or is a URM WL at Penn as sign of getting into better schools?

I hope this is true.

I've heard ("heard"...totally substantiated claim, right?..lol) that Penn is notorious for blatant YP.

It was true for me though! WL at Penn with no Why Penn and in at S, C, C(75k), N (RTK, IILJ finalist). Full disclosure: Held at HLS, and WLed at Mich.

I say take it as a compliment. lol.

[Dani.B]

is it just me or is a URM WL at Penn as sign of getting into better schools?

WL at Penn = WL at Uchi; Held at Harvard/Stanford (soft)/Columbia; in at NYU

Not for everyone:
In at Stanford
In at chi $$
In at nyu (Anbryce invite)
WL penn- withdrew
Held Harvard

I do think there is something to the theory that penn is doing yield protection

[PoloGroundMyth]

75K at Chicago. Posting here cuz it probably would have been lower without semi-URM status. Go semi's!

Hi Vincanity, I've been watching your cycle and I think everything about it points to the fact that you have received hardly any benefit as a URM. Your successes in the financial aid area could probably be explained just as easily by your being hispanic as they could be by some strong soft factor(s) in your application. I think the smoking gun is your coming up short at Columbia and Stanford. I guess I just take issue with with your ignoring that a URM has a pretty rigid definition. Yes, you're probably right that being any type of hispanic does give some slight benefit, but I think that that slight benefit is frankly no more powerful than being a white male from Alaska. It's something, but it's weak. I don't think you should categorize yourself as a URM on LSN, as that will surely confuse future applicants.

Lol, I understand where you're coming from but I disagree. I've looked through plenty of non-URM hispanic applicants, and it's been pretty clear that there is a recognizable boost. Regardless, I list myself as a URM (with the commentary disclaimer on TLS) because I can't fully appease either side. My listing as non-URM, I would get people looking at my profile upset because they'd think that a Cuban's cycle isn't a good indicator for their white cycle. On the flipside, an African American is going to think I severely underperformed until they take a look and see that I'm just a non-URM hispanic.

Also, I don't think Stanford is a smoking gun for anything. I'm coming out of UG from FL, not interested in IP or anything of the sort, and I didn't send them anything Stanford-specific. As for Columbia, it was a bit of a surprise and I'll concede that one for the sake of.

Either way, I'm honored to be your first post.

I'm not saying that you didn't receive any boost, I'm saying that URM isn't a vague category. It's very concrete: Native American, Black, Puerto Rican, Mexican. Now within those groups there are a wide range of people. If you appear to be "white," grew up in middle America, but had one mexican grandparent you could identify as Mexican on your application, and while some people would take issue with this, law school applications are open-ended enough for people to choose to describe themselves however they like. From my understanding on your law school applications you did not select Black, Native American, Puerto Rican, or Mexican, right? So you're not a URM, and not a semi-URM. You are from a group that receives a benefit, but not a URM. LSN is open-ended enough so that you can identify as Cuban, Hispanic, or whatever you like. Look at this applicant: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/LaCumparsita . I'm not trying to troll or anything like that, this just really doesn't make any sense to me. You can self-select into a URM group, but you can't select URM status without first identifying as a member of one of those groups.

[Dani.B]

Who says URM is concrete?

I've been trolling this board since my freshman year of college and I've seen many Cuban Americans get a boost just not as high. I know they received a boost because they got into schools that white applicants with their stats were denied from. Even though they couldn't check any of the boxes, they would write a diversity statement etc speaking on their URM status. I knew a Cuban American applicant personally who got a substantial boost, probably just as much as Mexican or PR because of his minority status and economic disadvantage. I think a case could be made that well off Cubans receive less of a boost than those who are not well off. When it comes to certain minorities things are just more vague.

[boosk]

glad this thread is startin to heat up! its so weak compared to last year's. anyway, there's been some talk of Penn YP but can the same be said for Mich? Poster above got into some great T5 schools (some with $), but WL'd at Mich?

[1212]

is it just me or is a URM WL at Penn as sign of getting into better schools?

WL at Penn = WL at Uchi; Held at Harvard/Stanford (soft)/Columbia; in at NYU

Not for everyone:
In at Stanford
In at chi $$
In at nyu (Anbryce invite)
WL penn- withdrew
Held Harvard

I do think there is something to the theory that penn is doing yield protection

Excuse me, madam? Are we the same person?

[Dani.B]

glad this thread is startin to heat up! its so weak compared to last year's. anyway, there's been some talk of Penn YP but can the same be said for Mich? Poster above got into some great T5 schools (some with $), but WL'd at Mich?

Possibly, they are peer schools. I have yet to hear from mich, WL penn, in Stanford and chi

[Dani.B]

is it just me or is a URM WL at Penn as sign of getting into better schools?

WL at Penn = WL at Uchi; Held at Harvard/Stanford (soft)/Columbia; in at NYU

Not for everyone:
In at Stanford
In at chi $$
In at nyu (Anbryce invite)
WL penn- withdrew
Held Harvard

I do think there is something to the theory that penn is doing yield protection

Excuse me, madam? Are we the same person?

Lol possibly. Guess these schools are predictable.

I always believed I had a better chance at Stanford than Harvard due to my high gpa
no clue why I'm in at stanford but have yet to hear from Columbia since stanford is ranked higher and has a smaller class.

[PoloGroundMyth]

Who says URM is concrete?

I've been trolling this board since my freshman year of college and I've seen many Cuban Americans get a boost just not as high. I know they received a boost because they got into schools that white applicants with their stats were denied from. Even though they couldn't check any of the boxes, they would write a diversity statement etc speaking on their URM status. I knew a Cuban American applicant personally who got a substantial boost, probably just as much as Mexican or PR because of his minority status and economic disadvantage. I think a case could be made that well off Cubans receive less of a boost than those who are not well off. When it comes to certain minorities things are just more vague.

Oh my god. I feel like I'm talking in circles. Many types of people get boosts. People who are Rhodes Scholars, Marshall Scholars, military veterans, people who are the children of billionaires, etc. There are also people from really remote places that get boosts. There are people who ethnically and racially are not "underrepresented" but who come from really rough backgrounds nonetheless who get boosts. Lets just for arguments sake say that Cubans are actually "underrepresented" in law schools in America (I really don't know the numbers off of the top of my head), and do receive a boost of some sort, maybe even a large one. None of this changes the fact that URM in the context of law school admissions is defined as Native Americans, Blacks, Mexican American, and Puerto Ricans. Only these groups. As of March 1st, 2012 this is the definition of URM in the context of law school admissions.

[operagrl71]

I always believed I had a better chance at Stanford than Harvard due to my high gpa
no clue why I'm in at chi but have yet to hear from Columbia since chi is ranked higher and has a smaller class.

^^ Typo yes??

Seems like Penn (and maybe Michigan too?) YP'd a ton of URMs who didn't write "Why" essays and who have plausible HYSCCN numbers. Still waiting on H and S here, but was very pleased with the 45K from Chi! I honestly thought I wasn't going to get anything based on so-so numbers/parents income...Chi is at the top of my list barring $$s from Columbia, an acceptance from Harvard (held), *or some particularly brutal, game-changing Chicago winter weather during ASW weekend, ha - so here's to more waiting.

*Edit

[Dani.B]

I always believed I had a better chance at Stanford than Harvard due to my high gpa
no clue why I'm in at chi but have yet to hear from Columbia since chi is ranked higher and has a smaller class.

^^ Typo yes??

Seems like Penn (and maybe Michigan too?) YP'd a ton of URMs who didn't write "Why" essays and who have plausible HYSCCN numbers. Still waiting on H and S here, but was very pleased with the 45K from Chi! I honestly thought I wasn't going to get anything based on so-so numbers/parents income...Chi is at the top of my list barring $$s from Columbia, an acceptance from Harvard (held), *or some particularly brutal, game-changing Chicago winter weather during ASW weekend, ha - so here's to more waiting.

*Edit

yes, that sentence is all wrong, replace chi with stanford.

[FryBreadPower]

I always believed I had a better chance at Stanford than Harvard due to my high gpa
no clue why I'm in at chi but have yet to hear from Columbia since chi is ranked higher and has a smaller class.

^^ Typo yes??

Seems like Penn (and maybe Michigan too?) YP'd a ton of URMs who didn't write "Why" essays and who have plausible HYSCCN numbers. Still waiting on H and S here, but was very pleased with the 45K from Chi! I honestly thought I wasn't going to get anything based on so-so numbers/parents income...Chi is at the top of my list barring $$s from Columbia, an acceptance from Harvard (held), *or some particularly brutal, game-changing Chicago winter weather during ASW weekend, ha - so here's to more waiting.

*Edit

Except I wrote a Why Penn essay

Maybe it wasn't good/genuine enough...

[vincanity1]

My reference to URM status was solely as it pertained to boosts in admissions. I understand that we are not underrepresented in law schools.

[clarion]

WLs from Penn (which I forfeited yesterday by not responding to their WL invitation by the deadline), Virginia, and Chicago. So far no love from any school ranked higher than 14 (unless you count a hold from H and silence from Columbia and NYU [which I sometimes do ] as love). Also, for the sake of full disclosure, rejected at Mich and Berkeley, neither of which was a surprise considering my mediocre softs. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the idea of GULC as time goes on, but as it was my dream to go to school in NY, I'm both hopeful and terrified at the fact that 3 of the 4 schools I'm waiting to hear from are the top 3 NY schools.

Hopefully the WLs at Penn and Chicago ARE signs of good things coming my way, but if not, I'll happily take my talents up to DC in the fall

[1212]

WLs from Penn (which I forfeited yesterday by not responding to their WL invitation by the deadline), Virginia, and Chicago. So far no love from any school ranked higher than 14 (unless you count a hold from H and silence from Columbia and NYU [which I sometimes do ] as love). Also, for the sake of full disclosure, rejected at Mich and Berkeley, neither of which was a surprise considering my mediocre softs. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the idea of GULC as time goes on, but as it was my dream to go to school in NY, I'm both hopeful and terrified at the fact that 3 of the 4 schools I'm waiting to hear from are the top 3 NY schools.

Hopefully the WLs at Penn and Chicago ARE signs of good things coming my way, but if not, I'll happily take my talents up to DC in the fall

Love to Lebron reference...

DC is a great place to live and I think GULC is way more awesome then these boards give it credit for!

[paulshortys10]

Just got offered 27,000 for 2012-2013 in NEED aid from UC Davis.

Wonder what this says in terms of how much Cornell will be offering me. Also USC/UCLA, although not in either of those 2 yet.

[clarion]

WLs from Penn (which I forfeited yesterday by not responding to their WL invitation by the deadline), Virginia, and Chicago. So far no love from any school ranked higher than 14 (unless you count a hold from H and silence from Columbia and NYU [which I sometimes do ] as love). Also, for the sake of full disclosure, rejected at Mich and Berkeley, neither of which was a surprise considering my mediocre softs. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the idea of GULC as time goes on, but as it was my dream to go to school in NY, I'm both hopeful and terrified at the fact that 3 of the 4 schools I'm waiting to hear from are the top 3 NY schools.

Hopefully the WLs at Penn and Chicago ARE signs of good things coming my way, but if not, I'll happily take my talents up to DC in the fall

Love to Lebron reference...

DC is a great place to live and I think GULC is way more awesome then these boards give it credit for!

Haha thanks. The amount of hate toward GULC really does leave me confused most of the time... And yeah after receiving a 25k/year scholarship offer from them yesterday, it's continuing to climb up my preferred list

[amc987]

Seems like Penn (and maybe Michigan too?) YP'd a ton of URMs who didn't write "Why" essays and who have plausible HYSCCN numbers.

This seems to be true based on my experience. I was accepted at CCN and WL'd at Penn. Didn't write a Why Penn essay, either. Then again, you can't say it's necessarily YP because Penn accepted plenty of URMs who also got into higher-ranked schools and who have higher numbers than I do.

Like a lot of you, I am still waiting on H and S. Hopefully they show the URMs and the held (officially or unofficially) some love very very soon! Good luck to all.

[sharktankdean]

Supposedly this is meant to be URM acceptance week at Stanford. But looking at tls and lsn it does not look like that many people got in this time last yr...