Top Law Schools

Hi. Long story short I am very very surprised that I got denied from one of the schools I applied to transfer to. I fit their numbers perfectly and got pretty good grades my 1L year. I admit my second semester grades were significantly better however, as first semester I received a call that my mother got into a car accident and was paralyzed 2 hours before my first law school final exam. I wrote an addendum and I think it would be really shitty if that was held against me... Anyway I also have an amazingly competitive law clerk position this summer.

I'm seriously bewildered at the fact that I was denied. I thought about writing a letter to appeal the decision, but honestly, the school is not that far and I'm thinking about going in there and asking to speak to an admissions counselor. I don't want to drag this out by email. I went to visit earlier in the summer and spoke to an admissions counselor (which adds to my bewilderment, the counselor I spoke with stated she was impressed with my credentials) and they seemed very open to speaking with students. I'm just really shocked by this decision and want to understand what happened.

What do you think? Should I write a letter or go in? I already wrote up everything I want to say so I can do either.

Oh yeah, they're also continuing to review applications so looks like they still have spots to offer (adding to my bewilderment).

Can't hurt. They already said no. Worst that can happen is that they say no again.

Please realize that just because you meet paper criteria, you still might not be what they are looking for...they may have unstated criteria, or transfer criteria is different than regular criteria. Also, in the real world, when people tell you no, you should respect that. You might not have been the right fit or whatnot. Take a shot at talking your way in and then move on. There are other great schools that will want you!

Write an email first, ask to make an appointment. Be extra polite. If they tell you to come in and give you reasons for your rejection, accept it gracefully.

You can't appeal a rejection Just because you think that you were competitive doesn't mean that the school owed you an acceptance or anything. There are also generally many more competitive applicants than there are spots. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but transfer decisions are primarily based on grades, and regardless of the circumstances and addendum, them basing their decision on your numbers isn't holding that against you.

chuckbass wrote:You can't appeal a rejection Just because you think that you were competitive doesn't mean that the school owed you an acceptance or anything. There are also generally many more competitive applicants than there are spots. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but transfer decisions are primarily based on grades, and regardless of the circumstances and addendum, them basing their decision on your numbers isn't holding that against you.

This might be different because it's about transferring but you certainly can appeal a rejection. I was rejected from all of the top ten this previous cycle but after I took the June LSAT and crushed it, I asked to appeal the decision. 7 out of the top 10 law schools in the past month reversed my denial into acceptances with money. Again I don't know if it is different with transferring but you can certainly ask. I did with regular decisions and it worked beautifully.

fredfred wrote:

chuckbass wrote:You can't appeal a rejection Just because you think that you were competitive doesn't mean that the school owed you an acceptance or anything. There are also generally many more competitive applicants than there are spots. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but transfer decisions are primarily based on grades, and regardless of the circumstances and addendum, them basing their decision on your numbers isn't holding that against you.

This might be different because it's about transferring but you certainly can appeal a rejection. I was rejected from all of the top ten this previous cycle but after I took the June LSAT and crushed it, I asked to appeal the decision. 7 out of the top 10 law schools in the past month reversed my denial into acceptances with money. Again I don't know if it is different with transferring but you can certainly ask. I did. It worked.

That's completely different but ok.

chuckbass wrote:

fredfred wrote:

chuckbass wrote:You can't appeal a rejection Just because you think that you were competitive doesn't mean that the school owed you an acceptance or anything. There are also generally many more competitive applicants than there are spots. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but transfer decisions are primarily based on grades, and regardless of the circumstances and addendum, them basing their decision on your numbers isn't holding that against you.

This might be different because it's about transferring but you certainly can appeal a rejection. I was rejected from all of the top ten this previous cycle but after I took the June LSAT and crushed it, I asked to appeal the decision. 7 out of the top 10 law schools in the past month reversed my denial into acceptances with money. Again I don't know if it is different with transferring but you can certainly ask. I did. It worked.

That's completely different but ok.

Agree. That is a completely different scenario.

When you say "I fit their numbers perfectly and got pretty good grades 1L year," by "numbers" do you mean UGPA and LSAT? Because if so, that doesn't matter for transferring. UGPA and LSAT are important only as predictors of law school success. Once you've gone to law school and have grades, they can see whether you're successful in law school. You also haven't said anything about the relative rankings of your current school and the one to which you applied, and where you're ranked at your current school, so it's honestly not clear whether you're as competitive as you thought you were.

Of course you can ask to speak to someone about it; they may or may not be willing to, and I suspect not, but you can try. I might suggest phoning rather than showing up there in person, because it avoids the drawn-out part of email but allows for a quick retreat if things go badly. If your thought is that by showing up you force them to answer in a way that calling or emailing won't, well, I'm not sure that's going to help you.

In any case, if you do this, do not lead with being surprised/shocked/bewildered. That just sounds entitled. Talk about being very disappointed and you're still interested in the school and is there anything further you can do? (They'll probably say no, though.)

If this is really so you can get the "real" reason and point out to them how wrong they were to reject you, I wouldn't bother trying.

chuckbass wrote:You can't appeal a rejection Just because you think that you were competitive doesn't mean that the school owed you an acceptance or anything. There are also generally many more competitive applicants than there are spots. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but transfer decisions are primarily based on grades, and regardless of the circumstances and addendum, them basing their decision on your numbers isn't holding that against you.

I wish they were. #salty

It would be interesting to know your class rank, current law school or its approximate US News ranking & the name of your target school.
Additionally, if you have secured a really competitive clerkship through your current law school, then your current law school might be better for you than the transfer target.

Curious about which numbers you are referring to when you wrote that you "fit their numbers perfectly" ? Also, since you already met with admissions in person, then it may not be worthwhile to revisit in person.

CanadianWolf wrote:It would be interesting to know your class rank, current law school or its approximate US News ranking & the name of your target school.
Additionally, if you have secured a really competitive clerkship through your current law school, then your current law school might be better for you than the transfer target.

OP had a judicial internship this summer, not a clerkship. OP overstating the importance of this leads me to think that OP has been overestimating his/her competitiveness in general.

OP's initial post referred to an amazingly competitive law clerk position. An internship with a judge is, as noted in the post above, an entirely different matter.

CanadianWolf wrote:OP's initial post referred to an amazingly competitive law clerk position. An internship with a judge is, as noted in the post above, an entirely different matter.

Yes, but if you read the post, it's a job that OP is/was working THIS summer. So, regardless of the terms used, it's an internship, not a clerkship.

ETA: unless OP is referring to a 1L SA but it doesn't sound like it.

OP, I am about 95% sure that I know you in real life.

This transfer cycle was rough on all of us, including those of us who actually were qualified in terms of grades, accomplishments, etc. If you did well enough to entertain transferring, and had a legit shot at some of the better schools, you should be well-positioned at your current school and should feel a little less desperate than you're coming off in this thread. I am more than likely staying at my current school, and while it was disappointing at first, I got over it and I am embracing the reality that I'll have to work slightly harder this year to stand out. It's not the end of the world. Don't degrade yourself and the hard work you put in to essentially beg another admissions office to take you.

lawman84 wrote:

chuckbass wrote:You can't appeal a rejection Just because you think that you were competitive doesn't mean that the school owed you an acceptance or anything. There are also generally many more competitive applicants than there are spots. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but transfer decisions are primarily based on grades, and regardless of the circumstances and addendum, them basing their decision on your numbers isn't holding that against you.

I wish they were. #salty

Well they are, so your wish is granted.

This is all hyper case specific, but overall I don't know why we wouldn't default be on the side of attempting to increase transparency and a sense of responsibility among admissions offices which we all generally understand as scheming blackboxes with little respect for the lives of applicants and which can get away with endless ridiculousness -- some due I'm sure to legitimate constraints on there end, but mostly due to profound and callous apathy -- under the guise of excessive demand and limited supply. Saying that someone "seems desperate" is ridiculous and merely a manifestation of the aura of authority that these institutions have garnered for themselves. They are all just playing games with us, yet the stakes of those games are severe for every individual applicant. I can't imagine why we wouldn't err on the side of the applicant who I think rightly can demand for some kind of legitimate explanation (one which I think we all secretly know is ultimately unavailable, unless you've actually bought into the whole scheme). Sure it's true that this particular OP MAY to some extent be delusional, overestimating his chances etc, but I'd rather give him/her the benefit of the doubt, and regardless, much of these kinds of delusions are a consequence of the whole game that these institutions are playing with us anyway.

I say go gettum.

Is OP also the OP from this thread?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=252351

They said they were below median here

Clemenceau wrote:Is OP also the OP from this thread?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=252351

They said they were below median here

Hmm I don't think so. There are a lot of angry transfers this cycle.

Two different people.

Asumming OP is who I think it is, there are some unique reasons that I can't get into without outing him or the school for him to want to transfer so desperately.

Still interested in grades, school rank/target school rank, and "amazingly competitive law clerk position"

Well I admit that there is no amazing 1L position anywhere, but give OP a break because he's clearly stuck someplace he has good reasons for not wanting to be.

callmekimba wrote:Well I admit that there is no amazing 1L position anywhere, but give OP a break because he's clearly stuck someplace he has good reasons for not wanting to be.

I'm not trying to be tough on OP. My point was that based on the info given, there's a good chance that OP thinks that he/she is more competitive than he/she really is or was. If this is the case, then I don't think storming the admissions office is a grand idea.