Top Law Schools

In your opinion, why are most people rejected or waitlisted with decent numbers (above or around the median)?
Is this most likely due to late applications? Is taking the Dec Lsat too late if your a splitter?

Ex: LSAT: 171
GPA: 3.54

Waitlisted at Cornell (Assuming he/she is not a sociopath)

Late applications, negatively impacting softs, yield protection, luck. Not in that order.

Hannibal wrote:Late applications, negatively impacting softs, yield protection, luck. Not in that order.

Additionally, being a member of a particular group which the school already has enough of, and by adding you (at or slightly above the medians) the school would suffer a hit in diversity make-up. This may include Asians at Berkeley and UCLA, conservative white males at Stanford, and kids who shop at hot topic at NYU.

..

XtraordinaryMachine wrote:In your opinion, why are most people rejected or waitlisted with decent numbers (above or around the median)?
Is this most likely due to late applications? Is taking the Dec Lsat too late if your a splitter?

Ex: LSAT: 171
GPA: 3.54

Waitlisted at Cornell (Assuming he/she is not a sociopath)

I would assume that bad LORs and/or a poorly written PS could explain being dinged at a school where you would expect an admit.

Also, check the applicants other applications and where they were accepted or denied. Is there a pattern of denials from otherwise reasonable shots? I think you can generally see this from LSN if you look closely at a pool of applicants with your general numbers (some with very good cycles, some with poor cycles).

For a late application I think the #1 reason for a WL would just be timing. Even if they decided that late in the cycle they have enough people like you and don't need any more, you very likely could've gotten in earlier before they'd had their fill of applicants like you, if you'd applied back in Sep/Oct.