Sorry that it took me a long time to get back to this first batch of questions - if it's any consolation, I was working past midnight last night! I'll try to answer any other questions two or three times a week depending on how busy I am. If I didn't answer something you asked, I'm still working on it.
Question:
I know that applying early makes a difference at most law schools. Yet, Emory didn’t really start giving out acceptances until recently. For those who applied in January, are they in a considerable disadvantage in comparison to those who applied earlier in the cycle? In addition, for those who went complete in early January, by when should we expect a decision to be rendered on our files?
Answer:
If you have applied already, you are not at any disadvantage, assuming that we have all your materials (meaning LSAC has received your LORs and transcripts and you are not planning to take a future LSAT). Obviously people who applied earlier have a better chance of getting a decision sooner because their applications are already in the pipeline.
This answer won’t make you happy, but it is tough to predict when you should expect a decision. Our admission committee reviews each file several times because it takes a while to give each application a thorough reading. While we are reading as quickly as we can, we are also taking the time to make sure that every file gets a good look. Every application is important. I know you’d rather hear that it will be next week, but rest assured that if it takes longer, it’s because we are reading every file carefully.
Question:
Since the actual details of the admissions process remain a mystery to most people here, I was hoping that you could discuss the application process from the moment an application is submitted to when Emory finally renders a decision.
Answer:
Great question, because it gives me a chance to tell you about something that’s pretty neat: this year is the first year that we are using a paperless system. We expect most or all admission offices will be paperless in the next few years, but we are one of the first. With it being the first year, we are taking extra time to make sure that nothing gets lost along the way, so that does take extra time as well. However, the good news is that we are weeks ahead of where we were at this time last year.
Essentially it works like this: when you submit your application, we immediately request your LSAC report which contains your LSAT score report, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Once we have it, we check to make sure that we have everything that we are supposed to have, and then your application it marked as being “complete”, and we send you an email to that effect. (One change we implemented last week is that we are moving applications to “complete” status much quicker than we have in the past—previously we did this in big batches when we were ready to start looking at more applications. Now it will happen roughly daily.) Once your application is complete, it gets assigned to a reviewer. We read every part of every application that we receive. Once reviewed, it goes to the dean of admission, who makes the final decision, taking into account all of the other reviewers’ notes.
Question:
I have been curious why Emory does not offer an early decision application option and if they might consider doing so in the future.
Answer:
Great question. I am not sure why we don’t, but it is something that we recently discussed in a meeting to consider for the future. That is not to say that we will implement one, but it’s one of the things that we’re thinking about. What do you folks think?
Question:
Emory has been, at least according to anecdotal data, been quite generous with merit-based scholarships. Are applicants who have applied in January at a disadvantage as far as merit-based financial aid is concerned?
Answer:
If you have already applied, then you’re not at any disadvantage for consideration for a merit-based scholarship. If you have not yet applied, you can probably look at the calendar and figure out that I would probably have to give you a different answer sometime in the not-too-distant future. So if you are considering applying, I wouldn’t put it off much longer!
Question:
Does Emory give merit-based fee waivers? Are they generally unsolicited or solicited?
Answer:
We grant fee waivers to alumni of Teach for America. Any other merit based fee waivers are communicated directly to potential applicants.
Question:
When does Emory start extending scholarship offers? Thanks.
Answer:
We anticipate sending scholarship offers out in mid-February. Those who applied for our prestigious Woodruff Fellowship will be notified in March of their status.
Question:
In terms of transferring to Emory, what exactly do you look for in terms of a strong application? Class rank cut-offs? Current school rank? Does it hold any weight to have graduated from Emory as an undergraduate or to have letters of recommendation from current Emory professors?
Answer:
You need to be in the top half of your class to be considered. More information about transfer applications is available in the Admission FAQ posted on our website. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have an Emory undergraduate connection—I wouldn’t say it makes a huge difference, but with all our admission decisions the bottom line is that we want to be sure that everyone we admit is going to be able to do the work here successfully. Obviously we’re very familiar with the caliber of students who graduate from Emory, and if you did well as an undergraduate here then that gives us more confidence that you will be able to succeed on the east side of Clifton Road, too.
Question:
What would you tell prospective students about Emory as compared to its competitor schools that they may not hear from the standard pitch/website blurb? Both similarly ranked, national schools and SE competitors (Vandy, Georgia, Alabama, Tulane, etc?)
Answer:
To be honest, I’m not familiar enough with those other schools to be able to say what we have and they don’t. I know we have an outstanding faculty and a student body who did amazing things before coming to law school, do amazing things while they are here, and go on to do amazing things after they graduate.
However, I would say that the one thing that is unique to Emory compared to any other law school in this part of the country is that our students have access to remarkable opportunities while in law school because we are located in Atlanta, which is basically the capital of the South. Coca-Cola is here. Delta Air Lines is here. AT&T has a huge presence here. The 11th Circuit is here, not to mention all the state and federal government agencies that have a presence here (the IRS, the SEC, the EPA, just to name a few). Professor Jan Pratt is in charge of our field placement program. Every semester, Emory students have the opportunity to get real hands-on experience doing real work at dozens of different places. It really is a tremendous advantage to have all of those opportunities just minutes away, and the school does a great job helping the students get the most out of them, especially because we have such a strong alumni presence at these places.
I haven’t even mentioned TI:GER, which is a joint program that we participate in with Georgia Tech that gets law students real hands-on experience with a high-tech start-up opportunity. If you have an interest in IP or in working with entrepreneurs, that’s a program that I don’t think any other law school in the country offers.
The students who take advantage of these programs–and many do–graduate with more than just a degree from one of the top law schools in the country, they graduate with real-work experience so they are ready to hit the ground running when they begin working as attorneys.
Really, that just scratches the surface. I would encourage you to look around our website and feel free to ask about any of the programs we have. If I don’t know, I’ll try to find out.
