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From what I've read on this forum, NU essentially has a 2-year WE "requirement" for admission. I was wondering if they will admit anyone who has not fulfilled that requirement.

My situation: By the time I enter law school (straight out of UG), I will have worked for the same organization for 1.5 years. I will be a co-author on at least two research publications. In addition, I have filled an employment role vacated by someone with a Master's degree, so my work actually contributes to the organization in a meaningful way. One of my LORs is from the #2 person in the organization, and he told me he really flushed out my work experience.

In essence, does NU make exceptions to their WE "requirement" for people straight out of UG?

98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

im_blue wrote:98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

They do admit people straight out of UG, but I know that many of those have special ins (e.g. being NU undergrads).

Arbiter213 wrote:

im_blue wrote:98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

They do hire people straight out of UG, but I know that many of those have special ins (e.g. being NU undergrads).

How much do they pay?

atresia wrote:From what I've read on this forum, NU essentially has a 2-year WE "requirement" for admission. I was wondering if they will admit anyone who has not fulfilled that requirement.

My situation: By the time I enter law school (straight out of UG), I will have worked for the same organization for 1.5 years. I will be a co-author on at least two research publications. In addition, I have filled an employment role vacated by someone with a Master's degree, so my work actually contributes to the organization in a meaningful way. One of my LORs is from the #2 person in the organization, and he told me he really flushed out my work experience.

In essence, does NU make exceptions to their WE "requirement" for people straight out of UG?

It seems like your experience is fine for NU. They just don't like straight-through applicants.

See:
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/profile/

You could fall into the 14% of students who don't have 2+ years. Also I think there is a yield bias for students with 2+ years of WE, so they may have admitted more than is apparent.

Edit: Saw you were referring to WE during UG, basically no one counts that as WE.

Your numbers will both have to be over their 75% I bet to get around the WE expectation. If you have those kind of numbers, you could probably go to Chicago.

So the consensus is that, unless I have relatively outstanding numbers, it's not worth applying?

atresia wrote:So the consensus is that, unless I have relatively outstanding numbers, it's not worth applying?

Another things to consider, when it's time for OCI, you will be at a disadvantage being one of the few without WE or advanced degrees.

Yeah you'll need high numbers to get in without WE, and even then many such applicants have been offered scholarships if they defer for a year to get WE. Without WE, it'll also be difficult to compete with your classmates for jobs.

Well, I guess I'm going to cross NU off my list unless I get a fee waiver. Thanks for the input!

They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

r6_philly wrote:They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

I don't think I can schedule an interview before I submit. I don't have a car or enough money to buy a plane ticket to NU. Depending on my LSAT score from October, I may try to take a Greyhound there or something, but that seems unlikely. I'm concerned about the disadvantage I would have in OCI, as others have mentioned.

The few people that I know that went to NU straight from undergrad had very strong undergraduate track records and LSAT scores exceeding the 75th percentile. They were also admitted to the likes of CCN. They elected to come to NU in large part because of ties to Chicago and significant scholarship money.

atresia wrote:

r6_philly wrote:They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

I don't think I can schedule an interview before I submit. I don't have a car or enough money to buy a plane ticket to NU. Depending on my LSAT score from October, I may try to take a Greyhound there or something, but that seems unlikely. I'm concerned about the disadvantage I would have in OCI, as others have mentioned.

I don't know where you are but they do off-campus interviews. They were making the rounds 3 weeks ago, I actually interviewed with the Ass. Dean of Admissions a few blocks from my job. Request for an interview online and see if they still have openings near you.

atresia wrote:

r6_philly wrote:They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

I don't think I can schedule an interview before I submit. I don't have a car or enough money to buy a plane ticket to NU. Depending on my LSAT score from October, I may try to take a Greyhound there or something, but that seems unlikely. I'm concerned about the disadvantage I would have in OCI, as others have mentioned.

I've got bad news for you...the same firms that interview at NU interview at all the other law schools, and their opinions on WE don't vary once they step off NU's campus.

MrKappus wrote:

atresia wrote:

r6_philly wrote:They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

I don't think I can schedule an interview before I submit. I don't have a car or enough money to buy a plane ticket to NU. Depending on my LSAT score from October, I may try to take a Greyhound there or something, but that seems unlikely. I'm concerned about the disadvantage I would have in OCI, as others have mentioned.

I've got bad news for you...the same firms that interview at NU interview at all the other law schools, and their opinions on WE don't vary once they step off NU's campus.

But you would look worse by comparison among your peers at NU.

r6_philly wrote:

MrKappus wrote:

atresia wrote:

r6_philly wrote:They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

I don't think I can schedule an interview before I submit. I don't have a car or enough money to buy a plane ticket to NU. Depending on my LSAT score from October, I may try to take a Greyhound there or something, but that seems unlikely. I'm concerned about the disadvantage I would have in OCI, as others have mentioned.

I've got bad news for you...the same firms that interview at NU interview at all the other law schools, and their opinions on WE don't vary once they step off NU's campus.

But you would look worse by comparison among your peers at NU.

Haha yeeeess...the significant disadvantage of having no WE would be even more significant at NU. Not sure that'd make me feel better if I were a [edit: non-NU-bound] 0L.

MrKappus wrote:I've got bad news for you...the same firms that interview at NU interview at all the other law schools, and their opinions on WE don't vary once they step off NU's campus.

Oh, I realize that, which is why I'll have almost two years of WE before entering LS. Granted, only about 6 months will be full-time, but I have really good references, will have research to show, and I can talk extensively about my responsibilities.

im_blue wrote:98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

Here's something to consider. NUs application asks how many years of WE the applicant has and doesn't have a place to put zero. The lowest you can put is 1 year and it tells you to round. I would say this potentially skews the stats.

r6_philly wrote:

MrKappus wrote:

atresia wrote:

r6_philly wrote:They do value their interviews. So you can schedule for an interview before submitting an app and do 2 things. 1. see how they feel about you not having WE but strong numbers. 2. ask for a fee waiver.

I don't think I can schedule an interview before I submit. I don't have a car or enough money to buy a plane ticket to NU. Depending on my LSAT score from October, I may try to take a Greyhound there or something, but that seems unlikely. I'm concerned about the disadvantage I would have in OCI, as others have mentioned.

I've got bad news for you...the same firms that interview at NU interview at all the other law schools, and their opinions on WE don't vary once they step off NU's campus.

But you would look worse by comparison among your peers at NU.

This has been my impression. I have decent amount of WE (Admissions Assistant at a Community College), but since it is nothing like IB I feel that I would at a disadvantage at OCI.

Tiva wrote: This has been my impression. I have decent amount of WE (Admissions Assistant at a Community College), but since it is nothing like IB I feel that I would at a disadvantage at OCI.

I wouldn't worry about it, you will be fine. Work is work. If you can deal with people in a work place and still be productive, you will be fine. Besides you can't change it so just have to make the best out of it.

Besides, thumbs up for anyone who worked at a CC. It's public interest too, so play it up that way, no difference than any other educational nonprofit.

So the impression I'm getting is that working during UG isn't sufficient (in most cases) to pass the WE threshold at NU; is that right? If so, I think that's kind of ridiculous.

atresia wrote:So the impression I'm getting is that working during UG isn't sufficient (in most cases) to pass the WE threshold at NU; is that right? If so, I think that's kind of ridiculous.

CastleRock wrote:

im_blue wrote:98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

Here's something to consider. NUs application asks how many years of WE the applicant has and doesn't have a place to put zero. The lowest you can put is 1 year and it tells you to round. I would say this potentially skews the stats.

CastleRock wrote:

im_blue wrote:98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

Here's something to consider. NUs application asks how many years of WE the applicant has and doesn't have a place to put zero. The lowest you can put is 1 year and it tells you to round. I would say this potentially skews the stats.

I'm looking at the NU app and the choices are 0, 1, 2, ..., 30.

im_blue wrote:

CastleRock wrote:

im_blue wrote:98% of the NU class has 1+ years of full-time post-graduate WE, so that's about 5-6 people who don't.

Here's something to consider. NUs application asks how many years of WE the applicant has and doesn't have a place to put zero. The lowest you can put is 1 year and it tells you to round. I would say this potentially skews the stats.

I'm looking at the NU app and the choices are 0, 1, 2, ..., 30.

Meh, I swear it didn't when they opened the application up initially. Fair enough.