Law School Forum Event? Forum

[downbeat14]

Hey Everyone,

I'm somewhat new here, so I hope this is the right place to post this.

I'm going to the DC Law School Forum event this weekend (I have a SO in DC, so I'm using the forum partially as a reason to spend a week with this person).

Anyhow, did anyone go to one of these events? Did you find it remotely helpful? Did you get any application questions answered? Did you actually have enough time to have a meaningful conversation with an important adcomm person?

[SPerez]

Any law school admissions person will highly recommend these LSAC events, even if your undergrad might have one of its own. The majority of schools will be there (this year's attendees linked here), plus LSAC has workshops on the application process, financial aid, the life of a practicing lawyer, and for diverse applicants. They are all panel-style with panelists usually being more senior Adcoms from various schools (although they won't be talking about their specific schools during the sessions).

As much as some people feel like they can get all the information they need online these days, there's still no substitute for talking to someone in person. If you're interested in the more popular schools, e.g. T14, DC area schools, then prepare to be there for at least half a day. Those tables always have crowds.

People manning the tables will usually be paid staff from the law schools, even if that may not be the admissions dean. Don't think this means the person there is not "important" and therefore not worth talking to, though. If not full-time staff, it will almost always be a recent graduate or current student from that school, and there is a wealth of information you can learn from them. Also, they definitely report back to their offices on people that make strong impressions...both negative AND positive.

I also encourage students to take the opportunity to explore schools that may not be on their lists initially. Insider tip: Those smaller, lesser known, far away schools usually have way less traffic. Except for the Houston Forum, I'm always one of those schools. Standing around talking to no one is BORING. We are usually dying to talk to students and don't really mind (at least I don't) if a student isn't totally serious about applying to my school. You could get some great advice from senior adcoms by stopping by a few of those empty tables.

My biggest piece of advice would be to do some research ahead of time. One of the first inductees into the "AdCom Pet Peeve Hall of Fame" would be applicants who walk up to tables and ask things like "What are your medians?" (or worse "mediums"). The whole point of attending one of these is to get information you can't get from the website.

Many schools give fee waivers at these events, either on the spot or emailed later, but not all schools do this. Nothing wrong with politely asking something like "How would I go about getting an application fee waiver?" after you've asked your other questions.

Hope you have a great time in D.C.!

Dean Perez

[downbeat14]

Any law school admissions person will highly recommend these LSAC events, even if your undergrad might have one of its own. The majority of schools will be there (this year's attendees linked here), plus LSAC has workshops on the application process, financial aid, the life of a practicing lawyer, and for diverse applicants. They are all panel-style with panelists usually being more senior Adcoms from various schools (although they won't be talking about their specific schools during the sessions).

As much as some people feel like they can get all the information they need online these days, there's still no substitute for talking to someone in person. If you're interested in the more popular schools, e.g. T14, DC area schools, then prepare to be there for at least half a day. Those tables always have crowds.

People manning the tables will usually be paid staff from the law schools, even if that may not be the admissions dean. Don't think this means the person there is not "important" and therefore not worth talking to, though. If not full-time staff, it will almost always be a recent graduate or current student from that school, and there is a wealth of information you can learn from them. Also, they definitely report back to their offices on people that make strong impressions...both negative AND positive.

I also encourage students to take the opportunity to explore schools that may not be on their lists initially. Insider tip: Those smaller, lesser known, far away schools usually have way less traffic. Except for the Houston Forum, I'm always one of those schools. Standing around talking to no one is BORING. We are usually dying to talk to students and don't really mind (at least I don't) if a student isn't totally serious about applying to my school. You could get some great advice from senior adcoms by stopping by a few of those empty tables.

My biggest piece of advice would be to do some research ahead of time. One of the first inductees into the "AdCom Pet Peeve Hall of Fame" would be applicants who walk up to tables and ask things like "What are your medians?" (or worse "mediums"). The whole point of attending one of these is to get information you can't get from the website.

Many schools give fee waivers at these events, either on the spot or emailed later, but not all schools do this. Nothing wrong with politely asking something like "How would I go about getting an application fee waiver?" after you've asked your other questions.

Hope you have a great time in D.C.!

Dean Perez

Thanks for your reply Dean Perez, good advice here. I certainly didn't mean to imply that anyone is unimportant, but you have to agree that getting advice/interacting with a dean versus a staff versus a student is quite a different matter in terms of questions you might ask. It is really good to know that some of the staff/students report back if they have positive interactions. I wouldn't necessarily have assumed that. Looking forward to DC!

[SPerez]

Any law school admissions person will highly recommend these LSAC events, even if your undergrad might have one of its own. The majority of schools will be there (this year's attendees linked here), plus LSAC has workshops on the application process, financial aid, the life of a practicing lawyer, and for diverse applicants. They are all panel-style with panelists usually being more senior Adcoms from various schools (although they won't be talking about their specific schools during the sessions).

As much as some people feel like they can get all the information they need online these days, there's still no substitute for talking to someone in person. If you're interested in the more popular schools, e.g. T14, DC area schools, then prepare to be there for at least half a day. Those tables always have crowds.

People manning the tables will usually be paid staff from the law schools, even if that may not be the admissions dean. Don't think this means the person there is not "important" and therefore not worth talking to, though. If not full-time staff, it will almost always be a recent graduate or current student from that school, and there is a wealth of information you can learn from them. Also, they definitely report back to their offices on people that make strong impressions...both negative AND positive.

I also encourage students to take the opportunity to explore schools that may not be on their lists initially. Insider tip: Those smaller, lesser known, far away schools usually have way less traffic. Except for the Houston Forum, I'm always one of those schools. Standing around talking to no one is BORING. We are usually dying to talk to students and don't really mind (at least I don't) if a student isn't totally serious about applying to my school. You could get some great advice from senior adcoms by stopping by a few of those empty tables.

My biggest piece of advice would be to do some research ahead of time. One of the first inductees into the "AdCom Pet Peeve Hall of Fame" would be applicants who walk up to tables and ask things like "What are your medians?" (or worse "mediums"). The whole point of attending one of these is to get information you can't get from the website.

Many schools give fee waivers at these events, either on the spot or emailed later, but not all schools do this. Nothing wrong with politely asking something like "How would I go about getting an application fee waiver?" after you've asked your other questions.

Hope you have a great time in D.C.!

Dean Perez

Thanks for your reply Dean Perez, good advice here. I certainly didn't mean to imply that anyone is unimportant, but you have to agree that getting advice/interacting with a dean versus a staff versus a student is quite a different matter in terms of questions you might ask. It is really good to know that some of the staff/students report back if they have positive interactions. I wouldn't necessarily have assumed that. Looking forward to DC!

You're welcome! And no worries. I usually answer questions with others who will read the answers in mind, rather than just the OP. Students/recent grads can't answer the same sorts of questions deans can with respect to getting in, etc., that's for sure, but they can answer different types of questions that might actually be even more helpful in finding out about a school's "fit" and culture. It's the extreme exception that you get stuck with, like, a local alum or a faculty member that just wanted a free trip to D.C. who end up being mostly unhelpful. Honestly, once in a while students that are chosen can sometimes be duds, too. I remember being near a T14's table and they sent a student who showed up super late and basically just handed out viewbooks.

Dean Perez

[furrrman]

I went to the one in LA, and outside of getting some fee waivers it was a complete waste of time. The panel I went to on financial aid seemed geared towards the type of person who had never considered the costs of law school and didn't know what kinds of loans would be required (literally, the best advice this guy had was to try to cut spending in LS as much as possible - thanks). The school reps were generally nice, but didn't seem to have any specialized level of knowledge that extended beyond what you find in the school's viewbook/website. Honestly, you aren't going to learn anything there you won't be able to find (in more depth and detail) on TLS or other online resources.

[Yea All Right]

While the information at the forum is basically available online, you could use the event as a networking opportunity to meet the dean of admissions or other important people. Those relationships can help you get in when they're on the fence about accepting you initially or from the waitlist.

[lhanvt13]

Any law school admissions person will highly recommend these LSAC events, even if your undergrad might have one of its own. The majority of schools will be there (this year's attendees linked here), plus LSAC has workshops on the application process, financial aid, the life of a practicing lawyer, and for diverse applicants. They are all panel-style with panelists usually being more senior Adcoms from various schools (although they won't be talking about their specific schools during the sessions).

As much as some people feel like they can get all the information they need online these days, there's still no substitute for talking to someone in person. If you're interested in the more popular schools, e.g. T14, DC area schools, then prepare to be there for at least half a day. Those tables always have crowds.

People manning the tables will usually be paid staff from the law schools, even if that may not be the admissions dean. Don't think this means the person there is not "important" and therefore not worth talking to, though. If not full-time staff, it will almost always be a recent graduate or current student from that school, and there is a wealth of information you can learn from them. Also, they definitely report back to their offices on people that make strong impressions...both negative AND positive.

I also encourage students to take the opportunity to explore schools that may not be on their lists initially. Insider tip: Those smaller, lesser known, far away schools usually have way less traffic. Except for the Houston Forum, I'm always one of those schools. Standing around talking to no one is BORING. We are usually dying to talk to students and don't really mind (at least I don't) if a student isn't totally serious about applying to my school. You could get some great advice from senior adcoms by stopping by a few of those empty tables.

My biggest piece of advice would be to do some research ahead of time. One of the first inductees into the "AdCom Pet Peeve Hall of Fame" would be applicants who walk up to tables and ask things like "What are your medians?" (or worse "mediums"). The whole point of attending one of these is to get information you can't get from the website.

Many schools give fee waivers at these events, either on the spot or emailed later, but not all schools do this. Nothing wrong with politely asking something like "How would I go about getting an application fee waiver?" after you've asked your other questions.

Hope you have a great time in D.C.!

Dean Perez

+1 great advice.
Treat these events as networking events.