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Well I just submitted my application to Illinois. I made it through LSAC's reminders to proofread and certified that I did indeed proofread my application....

About two minutes after I paid the LSAC fee I realized that on my diversity statement I hadn't changed the school's name!!!

That's right I said "attending the University of Minnesota...." when I meant to say ILLINOIS.....

gggaaahahhh. I am such an idiot, I seriously can't believe I did that. If I were on an admissions committee and I read that I would automatically reject! I can't even get the school right, REALLY?!?!?

sooo is there anything I can do or should I just accept the reality that I won't be at Illinois next fall?

That's my worst nightmare. That's why I double checked it, submitted it, and then never looked back. Also, never ever ever will I reread my resume or PS until after I already am in law school. If I were to do either of those things and find an error (especially one of your magnitude), I'd have a stroke.

But I do feel like the mature/best thing to do would be to email them with an updated personal statement. Simply say that it was a mistake and ask them to update your file. It's not a secret that you are applying to more than one school. Better to fix it than to ignore it. (Hmmmm, i guess this contradicts my "ignorance is bliss" approach that I mentioned in my first paragraph. Oh well. Hypocrisy is fun.)

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 8&t=145987
and
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=136464

One of the posters had a good suggestion, I think. Simply email them with a vague explanation. "I would like to update my PS." It's possible that they'll do it in a brainless manner. Similarly, it's possible that the email will be read by some intern or student who doesnt give a shit and just updates your file. Perhaps switch it around a bit so it doesnt look identical if youre paranoid. In other words, I wouldnt advertise the reasoning for the update.

I did this for my uc davis application when i wrote ucla instead of uc davis....i was rejected and i definately learned from that day on to double check ur apps. Take a breather....illinois is most likely not going to accept u because of this...either wait a year to reapply or apply to more schools around the country.

Good luck! I kno ur pain :/

Illinois, right? Their DS grading rubric really isn't as selective as they've been reporting it to be. You could probably get away with calling them something a lot worse than Minnesota and still get in. As long as your LSAT is > 167 at least (by which they mean > 164).

That's why I never add those one-liners with the law schools name in my statements. It sounds so canned anyways. The law schools know it is too, they're not dumb. They know you change those couple words with each app, which totally devalues saying it at all.

Never do this unless you've spent time researching the schools and can speak to the schools strengths and why those strengths are right/important for you.

I think Illinois is going down in flames after its inability to accurately present LSAT and GPA data. Consider your mistake an act from God. What would he trying to tell you?

Well after a night of convincing myself the end of the world is near. I've crafted a simple email explaining the mistake and sending them an updated personal statement. I've also accepted the fact that Illinois, for some reason may not want me...something about attention to detail?

Thanks for all the quick responses everyone, it's helped to calm me down immensely!

I think Illinois will be glad to take anyone at this point. Don't worry about it.

Send the school an email with a corrected personal statement that says:

Dear [Admissions Dean],

My name is [Thoughtless Sender], and I am an applicant to Illinois Law School for the class of 2015. I have attached an updated copy of my diversity statement that better reflects my qualities as an applicant. If possible, please use this statement instead of the one I submitted. Also, I would like to reiterate my interest in Illinois law, especially [whatever thing you like about illinois]. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing your response.




The sheer volume of applications that they process means that they likely haven't even looked at yours. On top of that, most schools use an online review system that looks at your GPA and LSAT, and then a queue of rec letters and personal statements. Most likely, they wont even notice. There's a chance they'll take a look at the difference between the two statements, but the fact that you submitted a correction bodes better than letting it stay as is. Good luck.