Minnesota 2011 Forum

[CanadianWolf]

Sure, if you are paying in state resident rates & plan to stay in the area.

[fakemoney]

Did anyone else attend last weekend's ASW? It really solidified the school in my mind.

What about the school/trip stood out for you?

+1

As someone who wasn't able to attend the March ASW, and may not be able to go in April either, I'd be really interested to hear what impressed you most. I'm an out-of-stater looking at half-tuition who's really on the fence with UMN.

[minnbills]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to apply to the U next fall. I was curious if admissions standards are more/less stringent for in-state applicants... Anyone have an idea about this?

Good luck to everyone! As a Minnesota resident, I'm sure those of you who come here will love it- it's a wonderful state-buy a down jacket though.

[athenian]

Did anyone else attend last weekend's ASW? It really solidified the school in my mind.

What about the school/trip stood out for you?

+1

As someone who wasn't able to attend the March ASW, and may not be able to go in April either, I'd be really interested to hear what impressed you most. I'm an out-of-stater looking at half-tuition who's really on the fence with UMN.

The administration and faculty came across as really approachable. The dean was incredibly friendly and had a great sense of humor. I could tell that he really cared about making the school better and that he was willing to listen to students. Some admitted students peppered him with some really tough questions about jobs, the mandatory laptops, and LRAP during the Q&A session and he was really good about answering them honestly... I don't feel like he provided a lot of "fluff." I also had a long conversation with one of the professors and he seems genuinely interested in me and really wanted me to come to Minnesota. A lot the people that sat in on his class that morning said that he was fantastic in the classroom as well.

The students were great, really welcoming and helpful. I didn't get an uber-competitive vibe out of the place. Everyone seemed generally friendly with one another. The number of people outside of the law school that went to the TORT performance that night kind of showed just how strong a bond the alumni have to the school and the general sense of community at the law school.

I felt that career services was going out of their way to help students find jobs. No one I talked to had bad things to say about career services. The basic message was, they'll do an amazing job of aiding your job search, but you've got to show some initiative on your part. I liked that the career center has off-campus interview weekends in DC, New York, LA, and Chicago. I also like that they're going to expand that to more cities. The chances of landing biglaw jobs in those cities is most likely limited to those with connections or the best grades, but it's good to know that the possibility (however faint) exists. It was cool that Minnesota is really trying to make an effort to place graduates in cities other than Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Speaking of the Twin Cities, I absolutely loved it there. I had never been before and I was blown away with how cool it was. The city was incredibly clean and despite the snow on the ground, the streets and sidewalks were completely clear. The city was made up of a bunch of unique neighborhoods. Dinkytown, close to the school, has some cool restaurants and bars. It feels like a college town. I checked out Uptown as well, it was a bit older and had a lot of young professionals, but there looked to be a high number of restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc. In addition there's a huge lake with running/biking trails. There's the warehouse district which was recently re-done and is apparently super swank now. The theatre district is huge, I'm really excited about that. There's also St. Paul which was totally different from Minneapolis and pretty cool in it's own right.

Cost is also a big factor for me. I got a huge scholarship from IU-B, but with Indiana's terrible biglaw placement, Minnesota is a much better option for me, even if it means paying 20k more. I'm still waiting to hear back from Davis and Emory, but I'm 95% certain I'll be a Gopher this fall.

[typ3]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to apply to the U next fall. I was curious if admissions standards are more/less stringent for in-state applicants... Anyone have an idea about this?

Good luck to everyone! As a Minnesota resident, I'm sure those of you who come here will love it- it's a wonderful state-buy a down jacket though.

I don't know if the state has a reagent requirement to fill a certain percentage of the class from instate kids, but generally the admission standards are about the same.

[minnbills]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to apply to the U next fall. I was curious if admissions standards are more/less stringent for in-state applicants... Anyone have an idea about this?

Good luck to everyone! As a Minnesota resident, I'm sure those of you who come here will love it- it's a wonderful state-buy a down jacket though.

I don't know if the state has a reagent requirement to fill a certain percentage of the class from instate kids, but generally the admission standards are about the same.

Thanks.

Looking over the student profile on the U of M website, I'm puzzled over the 159-167 LSAT stat. It seems hard to believe for some reason, I was curious if the in-state thing might have something to do with it. It does seem (from LSN etc.) that they waitlist a ton of people though, maybe that's a better explanation?

[fakemoney]

Did anyone else attend last weekend's ASW? It really solidified the school in my mind.

What about the school/trip stood out for you?

+1

As someone who wasn't able to attend the March ASW, and may not be able to go in April either, I'd be really interested to hear what impressed you most. I'm an out-of-stater looking at half-tuition who's really on the fence with UMN.

The administration and faculty came across as really approachable. The dean was incredibly friendly and had a great sense of humor. I could tell that he really cared about making the school better and that he was willing to listen to students. Some admitted students peppered him with some really tough questions about jobs, the mandatory laptops, and LRAP during the Q&A session and he was really good about answering them honestly... I don't feel like he provided a lot of "fluff." I also had a long conversation with one of the professors and he seems genuinely interested in me and really wanted me to come to Minnesota. A lot the people that sat in on his class that morning said that he was fantastic in the classroom as well.

The students were great, really welcoming and helpful. I didn't get an uber-competitive vibe out of the place. Everyone seemed generally friendly with one another. The number of people outside of the law school that went to the TORT performance that night kind of showed just how strong a bond the alumni have to the school and the general sense of community at the law school.

I felt that career services was going out of their way to help students find jobs. No one I talked to had bad things to say about career services. The basic message was, they'll do an amazing job of aiding your job search, but you've got to show some initiative on your part. I liked that the career center has off-campus interview weekends in DC, New York, LA, and Chicago. I also like that they're going to expand that to more cities. The chances of landing biglaw jobs in those cities is most likely limited to those with connections or the best grades, but it's good to know that the possibility (however faint) exists. It was cool that Minnesota is really trying to make an effort to place graduates in cities other than Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Speaking of the Twin Cities, I absolutely loved it there. I had never been before and I was blown away with how cool it was. The city was incredibly clean and despite the snow on the ground, the streets and sidewalks were completely clear. The city was made up of a bunch of unique neighborhoods. Dinkytown, close to the school, has some cool restaurants and bars. It feels like a college town. I checked out Uptown as well, it was a bit older and had a lot of young professionals, but there looked to be a high number of restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc. In addition there's a huge lake with running/biking trails. There's the warehouse district which was recently re-done and is apparently super swank now. The theatre district is huge, I'm really excited about that. There's also St. Paul which was totally different from Minneapolis and pretty cool in it's own right.

Cost is also a big factor for me. I got a huge scholarship from IU-B, but with Indiana's terrible biglaw placement, Minnesota is a much better option for me, even if it means paying 20k more. I'm still waiting to hear back from Davis and Emory, but I'm 95% certain I'll be a Gopher this fall.

Thanks a lot for the summary. It kind of confirmed what I thought were some of the school's strengths -- the faculty, the campus vibe, the high QOL in the Twin Cities (minus the winters ). Glad to see too that the school has devoted at least some focus on placing students outside MSP. I've resigned myself to the fact that if I go to UMN, I have to be willing to accept the possibility that I'll wind up anchored to Minnesota for some time. But it's nice to know that maybe there's some possibility of having options.

[HornetGuy]

Looking over the student profile on the U of M website, I'm puzzled over the 159-167 LSAT stat. It seems hard to believe for some reason, I was curious if the in-state thing might have something to do with it. It does seem (from LSN etc.) that they waitlist a ton of people though, maybe that's a better explanation?

I think the big advice I'd give a UMN hopeful is score big on the LSAT, hone your writing skills, spend some time doing volunteer work or community service, and show an upward trend in your GPA. If you check out LSN it looks like, for a few years now, that 167 and up is the mark to shoot for. I had a bad cumulative GPA, decent undergrad GPA (with upward trend) and a 167 and solid writing skills (used to write for a newspaper).

[HornetGuy]

I'm 95% certain I'll be a Gopher this fall.

Thanks for the rundown. Everything I've read dovetails with your take on UMN. I'm heading out for the April ASW - also waiting on Davis and Alabama - but I feel really good about the Twin Cities. If we both wind up there, I'll pay you back with a beer sometime.

[geoduck]

That ASW review makes me even more excited for the April session. I got in a couple weeks ago with a full tuition scholarship... So the odds of me attending have gone up from like 25% to around 75%. Especially with the apartments so cheap compared to my native Seattle. Anyone know much about the Warehouse district?

[saintpaulJ]

I applied in January with a 165 and 3.66 and was waitlisted. I updated my application on Friday with an LOCI and a 176 from the February exam.

Any thoughts on getting scholarship $ at this point in the cycle?

[fakemoney]

I applied in January with a 165 and 3.66 and was waitlisted. I updated my application on Friday with an LOCI and a 176 from the February exam.

Any thoughts on getting scholarship $ at this point in the cycle?

With a 176, if you can, you should apply t-14 next year. 176 should easily put CCN within your reach

[saintpaulJ]

With a 176, if you can, you should apply t-14 next year. 176 should easily put CCN within your reach

I appreciate the suggestion, but want to attend law school in Minnesota.

[fakemoney]

Gotcha.

Anyway, my guess is that it's probably at least somewhat likely they'd extend scholarship money to WL people. Your numbers are awesome, so I'd certainly leave open the possibility.

[FourOnTheFloor]

I applied in January with a 165 and 3.66 and was waitlisted. I updated my application on Friday with an LOCI and a 176 from the February exam.

Any thoughts on getting scholarship $ at this point in the cycle?

I was reading through last year's thread, and I saw that people were admitted off the waitlist with scholarship money as late as August.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... start=1300

[saintpaulJ]

I was reading through last year's thread, and I saw that people were admitted off the waitlist with scholarship money as late as August.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... start=1300

Interesting. Thanks for the link!

[ScrabbleChamp]

Does anyone have any personal, or anectotal, stories of people informing UMN they need to have a decision of the Waitlist by a specific time? I am going to be moving my family across country for school (currently on East Coast and closest school I've been admitted to is Iowa) and NEED to have a decision no later than May 1. I don't want to seem as if I'm being pushy and have them not let me in off the waitlist, but I can't wait past May 1. Any advice?

[chrisbru]

I think the big advice I'd give a UMN hopeful is score big a 167-169 (because they WL almost ALL 170+) on the LSAT, hone your writing skills, spend some time doing volunteer work or community service, and show an upward trend in your GPA. If you check out LSN it looks like, for a few years now, that 167 and up is the mark to shoot for. I had a bad cumulative GPA, decent undergrad GPA (with upward trend) and a 167 and solid writing skills (used to write for a newspaper).

FTFY.

[MST3K]

Has anyone who has been admitted to UMN been able to successfully negotiate for more scholarship money? I'm thinking about drafting a letter. Any advice appreciated.

[tropicalpeach]

I sent an email Monday and received an email back late Monday afternoon. They were really nice and personal in the reply email, but it was still a no.

[athenian]

I think the big advice I'd give a UMN hopeful is score big a 167-169 (because they WL almost ALL 170+) on the LSAT, hone your writing skills, spend some time doing volunteer work or community service, and show an upward trend in your GPA. If you check out LSN it looks like, for a few years now, that 167 and up is the mark to shoot for. I had a bad cumulative GPA, decent undergrad GPA (with upward trend) and a 167 and solid writing skills (used to write for a newspaper).

FTFY.

Dude. We get it. You're upset that Minnesota waitlisted you. Please go lurk somewhere else.

[typ3]

I sent an email Monday and received an email back late Monday afternoon. They were really nice and personal in the reply email, but it was still a no.

Your GPA kills any leverage you think you have.

[saintpaulJ]

In off the waitlist via voicemail today. Packet is in the mail.

[athenian]

In off the waitlist via voicemail today. Packet is in the mail.

Wow. That was quick.

Congratulations.

[saintpaulJ]

Wow. That was quick.

Congratulations.

Thanks!