Gunner Applicants 2012-13 Cycle (aka applying day apps open) Forum

[calidancer2]

Where is everyone? Let's celebrate being past the LSAT (well, some of us) and onto the apps...and more waiting


What has everyone done so far? I am racking my brain trying to think of two professors to write LORs, and also trying to think of a topic for a PS. Zero diversity to speak of, so this makes it a little difficult.

Get in here!

Edit: if we want to post our stats that could be fun too.

I'll start: 3.7/174. Planning on starting a LSN account soon.

[banjo]

I'm going to start by writing a Why Penn essay. Looking at LSN I will probably get waitlisted anyway, which is really frustrating given that I'd consider Penn over a certain CCN at equal cost. I'm also going to write a Why Chicago essay, since my GPA is now well below their median (but above the 25th).

[honeycomb]

I'm planning on doing this assuming that my June LSAT goes well.

So how sure are we that all of the essays will be the same? Anybody know if there has been any major variation between cycles in the past? I'm assuming not but I don't want to write additional essays just to find out day of that they're not the same.

[honeycomb]

What has everyone done so far? I am racking my brain trying to think of two professors to write LORs, and also trying to think of a topic for a PS. Zero diversity to speak of, so this makes it a little difficult.

What I have done: asked three professors for LOR (still waiting to hear from one which is why I have asked three), gotten my Dean's Certification for Stanford completed (along with the optional LOR from the dean), and written about 8 drafts of my PS every single one of which I hate. I think the PS is going to be more frustrating for me than the LSAT...

[bernaldiaz]

Yo! Definitely plan in getting apps in day one. I have my LSAT behind me, paid for CAS, and had my transcript sent to the lsac. They just emailed me this morning with my academic summary report. I asked both professors who are writing my LORs. I've been racking my brain about PS but I got nothing! I've done nothing either particularly impressive or memorable, do I'm sort if worried about coming up with something. Can someone give me the skinny on the dean certs? Would love to get going on that.

[lovejopd]

Should I ask Dean of my school to send a certificate to LSAC or directly to schools that require it? I have no idea which school requires it by the way...
Plz walk me through the process of getting Dean's Certificate~!

[honeycomb]

Should I ask Dean of my school to send a certificate to LSAC or directly to schools that require it? I have no idea which school requires it by the way...
Plz walk me through the process of getting Dean's Certificate~!

Can someone give me the skinny on the dean certs? Would love to get going on that.

I just downloaded the one from Stanford because according to this website (which I've heard is a bit outdated but works nonetheless) --LinkRemoved-- S is the only T14 that requires it.

I called Stanford and they told me that the Dean's Cert would be the same so it was safe to go ahead and get that one filled out. The form, which can be found here http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/deg ... _formb.pdf has an address at the bottom and the Dean of Students Office will take care of sending it directly to that address.

If you are doing the Dean's Cert for Stanford they told me on the phone that I should indicate on the form that I'm an applicant for the Fall of 2013 since I'm submitting it earlier than normal (the Dean at my school was really eager to get it in before the mad dash of applicants come fall).

The only other school I see in the top 30 requiring a Dean's Cert is U Washington, haven't checked that out but I'm sure it's on their website.

[lovejopd]

Should I ask Dean of my school to send a certificate to LSAC or directly to schools that require it? I have no idea which school requires it by the way...
Plz walk me through the process of getting Dean's Certificate~!

Can someone give me the skinny on the dean certs? Would love to get going on that.

I just downloaded the one from Stanford because according to this website (which I've heard is a bit outdated but works nonetheless) --LinkRemoved-- S is the only T14 that requires it.

I called Stanford and they told me that the Dean's Cert would be the same so it was safe to go ahead and get that one filled out. The form, which can be found here http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/deg ... _formb.pdf has an address at the bottom and the Dean of Students Office will take care of sending it directly to that address.

If you are doing the Dean's Cert for Stanford they told me on the phone that I should indicate on the form that I'm an applicant for the Fall of 2013 since I'm submitting it earlier than normal (the Dean at my school was really eager to get it in before the mad dash of applicants come fall).

The only other school I see in the top 30 requiring a Dean's Cert is U Washington, haven't checked that out but I'm sure it's on their website.

Awesome thx!
So those who want to apply both Stanford and U Washington(Unlikely though) should ask Dean to send directly to EACH law school, correct?

[honeycomb]

Should I ask Dean of my school to send a certificate to LSAC or directly to schools that require it? I have no idea which school requires it by the way...
Plz walk me through the process of getting Dean's Certificate~!

Can someone give me the skinny on the dean certs? Would love to get going on that.

I just downloaded the one from Stanford because according to this website (which I've heard is a bit outdated but works nonetheless) --LinkRemoved-- S is the only T14 that requires it.

I called Stanford and they told me that the Dean's Cert would be the same so it was safe to go ahead and get that one filled out. The form, which can be found here http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/deg ... _formb.pdf has an address at the bottom and the Dean of Students Office will take care of sending it directly to that address.

If you are doing the Dean's Cert for Stanford they told me on the phone that I should indicate on the form that I'm an applicant for the Fall of 2013 since I'm submitting it earlier than normal (the Dean at my school was really eager to get it in before the mad dash of applicants come fall).

The only other school I see in the top 30 requiring a Dean's Cert is U Washington, haven't checked that out but I'm sure it's on their website.

Awesome thx!
So those who want to apply both Stanford and U Washington(Unlikely though) should ask Dean to send directly to EACH law school, correct?

As far as I can tell, yes.

[calidancer2]

I'm going to start by writing a Why Penn essay. Looking at LSN I will probably get waitlisted anyway, which is really frustrating given that I'd consider Penn over a certain CCN at equal cost. I'm also going to write a Why Chicago essay, since my GPA is now well below their median (but above the 25th).

Love your tar. Did your GPA drop after sending it into LSAC? I'm worried mine will plummet. My school didn't give out A+s.

Why do you like Penn so much? Just curious, don't know much about it.

[calidancer2]

What has everyone done so far? I am racking my brain trying to think of two professors to write LORs, and also trying to think of a topic for a PS. Zero diversity to speak of, so this makes it a little difficult.

What I have done: asked three professors for LOR (still waiting to hear from one which is why I have asked three), gotten my Dean's Certification for Stanford completed (along with the optional LOR from the dean), and written about 8 drafts of my PS every single one of which I hate. I think the PS is going to be more frustrating for me than the LSAT...

How do we do the Dean's cert? And LOR from the dean....o u fancy huh?

I emailed one professor. I'm a year out of UG and feel like none remember me already, and I also feel the whole process of asking for an LOR is really awkward. I'll email 2 tomorrow though and hope for the best

I wrote one draft of a PS today, and half of one on a different topic. Freaking hard.

[calidancer2]

Should I ask Dean of my school to send a certificate to LSAC or directly to schools that require it? I have no idea which school requires it by the way...
Plz walk me through the process of getting Dean's Certificate~!

Can someone give me the skinny on the dean certs? Would love to get going on that.

I just downloaded the one from Stanford because according to this website (which I've heard is a bit outdated but works nonetheless) --LinkRemoved-- S is the only T14 that requires it.

I called Stanford and they told me that the Dean's Cert would be the same so it was safe to go ahead and get that one filled out. The form, which can be found here http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/deg ... _formb.pdf has an address at the bottom and the Dean of Students Office will take care of sending it directly to that address.

If you are doing the Dean's Cert for Stanford they told me on the phone that I should indicate on the form that I'm an applicant for the Fall of 2013 since I'm submitting it earlier than normal (the Dean at my school was really eager to get it in before the mad dash of applicants come fall).

The only other school I see in the top 30 requiring a Dean's Cert is U Washington, haven't checked that out but I'm sure it's on their website.

Last question, I promise- if we double majored within two UG schools in our university, do we need two different Dean Certs? I may have to call Stanford tomorrow and ask. Ah, it would be such a dream to go there...wish I didn't f*** up my UG GPA so badly.

[banjo]

I'm going to start by writing a Why Penn essay. Looking at LSN I will probably get waitlisted anyway, which is really frustrating given that I'd consider Penn over a certain CCN at equal cost. I'm also going to write a Why Chicago essay, since my GPA is now well below their median (but above the 25th).

Love your tar. Did your GPA drop after sending it into LSAC? I'm worried mine will plummet. My school didn't give out A+s.

Why do you like Penn so much? Just curious, don't know much about it.

Thanks! I've actually been out of undergrad for a couple years. When I was in college, I remember Chicago's GPA median being much lower. In fact, the TLS profile still advertises those outdated stats and LSN confirms as much. In recent years, it's risen to 3.87. Maybe it's because of the Rubenstein scholarships?

Penn's placement has been fantastic in recent years. ITE, I feel like not getting screwed is more of a priority than getting a V10, so the fact that so few of Penn's grads end up underemployed (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=181723) is heartening. Penn's also been very solid in terms of NLJ250+Clerkships in recent years. I'm also kind of itching to get away from NYC for a few years. I'd love to experience Philly, Chicago, or Morningside Heights.

[soccer88]

anyone know when it's no longer too early to start soliciting fee waivers?

[ijmiddleton]

*

[Skunky Bumps]

Tagging this thread.

[honeycomb]

Should I ask Dean of my school to send a certificate to LSAC or directly to schools that require it? I have no idea which school requires it by the way...
Plz walk me through the process of getting Dean's Certificate~!

Can someone give me the skinny on the dean certs? Would love to get going on that.

I just downloaded the one from Stanford because according to this website (which I've heard is a bit outdated but works nonetheless) --LinkRemoved-- S is the only T14 that requires it.

I called Stanford and they told me that the Dean's Cert would be the same so it was safe to go ahead and get that one filled out. The form, which can be found here http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/deg ... _formb.pdf has an address at the bottom and the Dean of Students Office will take care of sending it directly to that address.

If you are doing the Dean's Cert for Stanford they told me on the phone that I should indicate on the form that I'm an applicant for the Fall of 2013 since I'm submitting it earlier than normal (the Dean at my school was really eager to get it in before the mad dash of applicants come fall).

The only other school I see in the top 30 requiring a Dean's Cert is U Washington, haven't checked that out but I'm sure it's on their website.

Last question, I promise- if we double majored within two UG schools in our university, do we need two different Dean Certs? I may have to call Stanford tomorrow and ask. Ah, it would be such a dream to go there...wish I didn't f*** up my UG GPA so badly.

For my UG we have a Dean of Students who handles all disciplinary action and basically is the Dean of all of the Deans. I think your question is referring to the deans of the different colleges (Arts and Sciences, business, etc) but as far as I know we only need the Dean Cert from the Dean of Students. We should probably get clarification on this

When I talked to my Dean of Students about it he seemed like it was a normal thing for him to do and did it within one day so I assume it was correct...

And I know, Stanford would be an absolute DREAM. Just still trying to figure out what's going to make me stand out.

[shifty_eyed]

I have approached my recommenders and they have agreed, but I haven't given them the forms yet. I talked to my professor a LONG time ago about a LOR, so I'm going to have to see if he is still willing. I'm SUPER nervous about that one, but I hope my work LORs will make up for it.

I am taking the June LSAT. It will be my second retake, but third time's the charm, eh?

I have a general idea of what my PS is going to focus on, but I haven't started writing it yet.

My transcript was sent in over a year ago, so I don't have anything to do there, right?

I've been spending a lot of time idly speculating about whether I want to ED anywhere, but I don't know if I'm willing to attend anywhere at sticker.

I don't think I have anything to write a diversity statement about. I'll write all the Why Xs? that I possibly can though once I get my June LSAT score.

[moonman157]

Tag. Best of luck to us all, hopefully we'll get a boost from applying so early

[bernaldiaz]

I have approached my recommenders and they have agreed, but I haven't given them the forms yet. I talked to my professor a LONG time ago about a LOR, so I'm going to have to see if he is still willing. I'm SUPER nervous about that one, but I hope my work LORs will make up for it.

I am taking the June LSAT. It will be my second retake, but third time's the charm, eh?

I have a general idea of what my PS is going to focus on, but I haven't started writing it yet.

My transcript was sent in over a year ago, so I don't have anything to do there, right?

I've been spending a lot of time idly speculating about whether I want to ED anywhere, but I don't know if I'm willing to attend anywhere at sticker.

I don't think I have anything to write a diversity statement about. I'll write all the Why Xs? that I possibly can though once I get my June LSAT score.

Are recommendation forms on the LSAC website?

Also, to revert back to discussion of dean's certs, what dean do they want to fill that out (for Stanford)? The dean I deal with at school is an assistant dean for the College of Arts and Letters. Does it seem like this level of dean will suffice? I don't know the head deans at all.

[honeycomb]

I have approached my recommenders and they have agreed, but I haven't given them the forms yet. I talked to my professor a LONG time ago about a LOR, so I'm going to have to see if he is still willing. I'm SUPER nervous about that one, but I hope my work LORs will make up for it.

I am taking the June LSAT. It will be my second retake, but third time's the charm, eh?

I have a general idea of what my PS is going to focus on, but I haven't started writing it yet.

My transcript was sent in over a year ago, so I don't have anything to do there, right?

I've been spending a lot of time idly speculating about whether I want to ED anywhere, but I don't know if I'm willing to attend anywhere at sticker.

I don't think I have anything to write a diversity statement about. I'll write all the Why Xs? that I possibly can though once I get my June LSAT score.

Are recommendation forms on the LSAC website?

Also, to revert back to discussion of dean's certs, what dean do they want to fill that out (for Stanford)? The dean I deal with at school is an assistant dean for the College of Arts and Letters. Does it seem like this level of dean will suffice? I don't know the head deans at all.

Yes they're on the LSAC website.

This is what Stanford says about the Dean Cert

Statement of Undergraduate Dean. The form must be given to the current dean of students (or a comparable administrative official with access to the school's official records) at the college from which you received your baccalaureate degree. The official should send the completed form directly to the law school. Foreign-educated applicants need not complete the form.

[shifty_eyed]

.... And I just realized that my transcript on LSAC doesn't contain my final semester grades. Annoying. I had forgotten when I sent in my transcript.

[Young Hemingway]

I’m planning to apply right away. Trying to get everything in order is, well, trying.

I have strong numbers as is, but I’m going to somewhat strategically retake the LSAT in October. I imagine that the timing will work out perfectly, so that once that score is released I’ll be able to contact any schools that have waitlisted/ignored me and (hopefully) create some movement in the right direction.

[bernaldiaz]

I’m planning to apply right away. Trying to get everything in order is, well, trying.

I have strong numbers as is, but I’m going to somewhat strategically retake the LSAT in October. I imagine that the timing will work out perfectly, so that once that score is released I’ll be able to contact any schools that have waitlisted/ignored me and (hopefully) create some movement in the right direction.

What score are you thinking about retaking?

Also, what're wveryone's numbers/ target schools?

[Young Hemingway]

Retaking a 170.

I know I can do better.