"16. why have you chosen to apply to Cornell Law School Forum

[flcath]

I'm pretty sure that quesiton can only hurt you and not help since they give you all of 2.5 lines to answer it.

2.5 lines is plenty for the truth. "Because I may not get in to Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, NYU, Berkeley, Penn, Michigan, Duke, Virginia, or Northwestern, and I don't know if I want Georgetown."

But they will love this answer! It fits perfectly with the school's new motto, tutus locus of altissimus quattuordecim.

Edit: Thank you Cupidity

[hoopsguy6]

I'm pretty sure that quesiton can only hurt you and not help since they give you all of 2.5 lines to answer it.

2.5 lines is plenty for the truth. "Because I may not get in to Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, NYU, Berkeley, Penn, Michigan, Duke, Virginia, or Northwestern, and I don't know if I want Georgetown."

Lol

[daesonesb]

I know. That's why I'm still up, and still thinking about this shit.
I really can't BS lately for the life of me. It's killing me too, because these applications feel ridiculously forced.

I've had the same problem with my PS too. Same problem with my PS for my Undergrad.

Thing is, I'm not a bad writer by any stretch. I'm just bad at writing about why Law School is important to me.


EDIT:

I think I've got a better one...

[flcath]

I know. That's why I'm still up, and still thinking about this shit.
I really can't BS lately for the life of me. It's killing me too, because these applications feel ridiculously forced.

I've had the same problem with my PS too. Same problem with my PS for my Undergrad.

Thing is, I'm not a bad writer by any stretch. I'm just bad at writing about why Law School is important to me.

I didn't wanna seem like a dick--I'm sure you're a smart guy--but I actually laughed aloud literally at how awful that answer was.

I know what you're talking about, though. PS's are really fucking awkward. If they want to see my writing, give me a topic to write on (or use that LSAT passage no one has looked at yet); if you want to know about my character or whatever, look at my LoRs. Don't ask me to write a glowing endorsement of myself.

Edit: "saddened to lose my East coast roots"... ? ... yeah dude, you definitely *shouldn't* try to write a Why Cornell? essay.

[Cupidity]

Just so I can correct this before it catches on "of" was a typo.

"tutus locus altissimus quattuordecim" is the correct latin motto:
safe place of the highest fourteen

[Cupidity]

Cornell's connection with the past and strong sense of tradition makes it unlike the other law schools I am applying to, most of which are fairly new West Coast schools. I'd be saddened to lose my East Coast roots, and that makes Cornell a top choice for me.

And I'm spent.

Yeah, Georgetown doesn't have tradition. None of the other T-14 are in the north East, deffinitely none in the T-30, they are all in California.

[daesonesb]

I think the problem is that I don't really want to go to Cornell.

[Cupidity]

I think the problem is that I don't really want to go to Cornell.

Then don't apply, you and I are close in numbers. Cornell is my dream school, you are 1 LSAT point higher than me and .1 lower on the GPA, there is a realistic possibility that you might take my damn spot.

[MURPH]

I wrote "I chose Cornell because of its small size, family friendly, small town
location and, of course, because of its academic reputation."

Who cares. They don't really read this crap. The whole application process is just one big chance to screw up (like I did on my Yale application). The selection process is 95% numbers and don't use the F-word in you PS. If you can do that then you are in. All the deans talk about wanting to built a truly diverse class but they are fooling themselves. How can you tell anything about people from this application process. When I was in the Army I was in charge of hiring civilian employees, I read all their applications checked their references and interviewed them. At the end of the day the chances of me weeding out the screwballs was about 50-50. I'll bet anything that the biggest jerk in your class next year has a beautiful application with a PS that would bring tears to your eyes.

[flcath]

I think the problem is that I don't really want to go to Cornell.

Well no fuckin' shit, it's in Ithaca, New York.

Edit: you should mention their incredible COA clerkship numbers

[flcath]

I wrote "I chose Cornell because of its small size, family friendly, small town
location and, of course, because of its academic reputation."

Who cares. They don't really read this crap. The whole application process is just one big chance to screw up (like I did on my Yale application). The selection process is 95% numbers and don't use the F-word in you PS. If you can do that then you are in. All the deans talk about wanting to built a truly diverse class but they are fooling themselves. How can you tell anything about people from this application process. When I was in the Army I was in charge of hiring civilian employees, I read all their applications checked their references and interviewed them. At the end of the day the chances of me weeding out the screwballs was about 50-50. I'll bet anything that the biggest jerk in your class next year has a beautiful application with a PS that would bring tears to your eyes.

This seems to imply that you used the F-word in your Yale 250, which--while I doubt that's the case--would earn you a beer.

[Cupidity]

I wrote "I chose Cornell because of its small size, family friendly, small town
location and, of course, because of its academic reputation."

Who cares. They don't really read this crap. The whole application process is just one big chance to screw up (like I did on my Yale application). The selection process is 95% numbers and don't use the F-word in you PS. If you can do that then you are in. All the deans talk about wanting to built a truly diverse class but they are fooling themselves. How can you tell anything about people from this application process. When I was in the Army I was in charge of hiring civilian employees, I read all their applications checked their references and interviewed them. At the end of the day the chances of me weeding out the screwballs was about 50-50. I'll bet anything that the biggest jerk in your class next year has a beautiful application with a PS that would bring tears to your eyes.

This seems to imply that you used the F-word in your Yale 250, which--while I doubt that's the case--would earn you a PBR.

Fixed

[daesonesb]

The only thing I can think of is that Cornell has a good law review, and that I could use my experience working with the school paper towards that.

Oh, and I have a friend who used the N word in his personal statement out of highschool. He got into Berkeley.

[Cupidity]

The only thing I can think of is that Cornell has a good law review, and that I could use my experience working with the school paper towards that.

Oh, and I have a friend who used the N word in his personal statement out of highschool. He got into Berkeley.

Only at Berkeley would that be alright.

wait TCR is:

If he is black its ok.

[galahad85]

The only thing I can think of is that Cornell has a good law review, and that I could use my experience working with the school paper towards that.

That might be even worse than your previous reason...

Maybe you should just find some talking points from Cornell's viewbook/website and regurgitate them in your own words.

[flcath]

Oh, and I have a friend who used the N word in his personal statement out of highschool. He got into Berkeley.

Context matters a lot with that one. And who (i.e., what color) the person using it is. "When I was 12, an older man at the convenience store called me and my friends..." puts you in a way different place than "I would like to earn a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, so that I might one day develop sterility treatments to use on all the..."

Of course the school in the story was Berkeley. Any PS that doesn't mention drug use/government subversion/membership in some fringe organization would be risky there.

[daesonesb]

Cornell stands out to me based on the strength of its Law Review, specifically the Cornell International Law Journal. I plan to use my knowledge of economics, as well as my journalism skills, to make valuable contributions concerning topics like international trade and environmental policy.

EDIT: That's got to be better than the one about my East Coast Roots.

And the context of the PS was that my friend is from the south, and (if I remember right) he was quoting his granddad using the word. The paper was, as you might guess, about why he wanted to make a break for the West Coast.

[flcath]

The only thing I can think of is that Cornell has a good law review, and that I could use my experience working with the school paper towards that.

That might be even worse than your previous reason...

Maybe you should just find some talking points from Cornell's viewbook/website and regurgitate them in your own words.

I dunno about that. The first one was strikingly bad for something so unimportant. I agree that you'd be better off just copying and pasting something off of the website at this point; your heart's just not in this one.

[daesonesb]

that was off the website.

[Hattori Hanzo]

Mine doesn't even take a line: "Because you sent me a fee waiver".

[TTH]

I talked about how I want to pursue union-side L&E and Cornell's joint JD/MILR program offers such a great opportunity. Cornell has a really well regarded labor studies institute, so mine was actually somewhat genuine.

[flcath]

Mine doesn't even take a line: "Because you sent me a fee waiver".

"Because I have to apply to get the... wait, is this not the school that gives you the free t-shirt?!"

[Unitas]

Just put "Campus waterfalls."

Worst fee waiver ever.... So not a good reason to apply.

[randyn]

Here's my three line plea:

From the Gothic and Victorian appeal of Cornell's architecture, to the large rare books collection in the law library, Cornell has a strong connection with the past. This, combined with the free-thinking culture of Ithaca, would make for an excellent law school experience.

ditto

[twopoodles]

Whatever you write...I hope it doesn't actually include the word "simmilar."