Berkeley c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013 cycle) Forum

[elblufer]

I think "In Review" is okay; what's not okay, seemingly, is going "Complete" with a new date but no notice about faculty review...

Of course this is all a big, fun guessing game to some extent, but my motto is when in doubt, assume the worst!

Anyone else sitting at under review from october/november without getting faculty review or complete?

Me. 11/21, no update today.

[wert3813]

This is the point at which I go back through all the prior years' graphs on LSN, looking for people with similar numbers who got rejected trying to see what got them dinged. Then I remind myself that no one's going to be like, "Additional Information: I'm a douche."

I laughed.

[haider]

Apparently, about 1/8 of people who are under faculty review will get in. Also, in order to be waitlisted, you first have to go under faculty review.

From the TLS interview section:

TLS: What does the admissions process consist of, and how is an application rated?

Dean Tom: “Well, all the files are read, previewed initially by me or by one of my staff. I have 4 other people who help me with the application process initially. However, I read the bulk of them. I read about two-thirds of the applicant pool, while the other 4 read the other one-third.”

TLS: Wow, busy man.

Dean Tom: “Yeah. But it’s structured this way because I know what I’m looking for. And, if my staff finds an applicant whom they want to admit, they have to bring the file to me for a final review. Concurrent to this review process we also identify about 1400 to 1600 other applications that are very competitive, and these we send to our faculty admissions committee, comprised of 6 faculty and 12 students. Students serve in an advising capacity on the committee. I admit roughly 550 people through what I call the administrative review process, and the admissions committee (the faculty committee) admits about another 200 or so. So, we end up admitting about 700 to 750 people. The admissions committee also structures a waiting list, and then everyone else is denied, either administratively or by the Committee.

Good info. Thanks. So if I've got this right:

According to their website (http://www.law.berkeley.edu/47.htm#Q1), they have about 6,000 to 8,000 total applicants, of which they admit about 700 to 750 total. This means a total acceptance rate of about 8%-12%.

Under faculty review, there are 1600 in the pool, of which about 200 are admitted. This is a 12.5% acceptance rate. So your statistical chances of being accepted via faculty review is equal to (maybe slightly higher) than you chances of being accepted through either admissions process (because my total acceptance rate includes administrative + faculty review).

It'd be interesting to see stats of how many are placed on the wait list, and then accepted from the wait list. Assuming this happens at all (which it must) this would increase the likelihood of acceptance statistics of faculty review. Although then you'd have to wait even longer.

[mmbt123]

So let's say about 936-1092 people go to faculty review this year (taking 78% of the 1200-1400 number I saw floating around given that law apps are down by 22%ish).

If they divide the pile amongst the SIX professors, that's roughly 156-182 files PER PROFESSOR. No way are these profs looking at all these files. I bet they get these "advising capacity" only students to sift through and filter out a certain percentage. In the department I worked for (at a top 10 school), the professors could barely get through the 50 or so phd candidates the admissions front office narrowed it down to...

This makes me unhappy. I feel like students tend to be harder on students closer to them in age, etc. etc. and who knows that random criteria is being used to filter out ppl before they get to the profs?! Too bad, I really like you Berkeley!

[wert3813]

So let's say about 936-1092 people go to faculty review this year (taking 78% of the 1200-1400 number I saw floating around given that law apps are down by 22%ish).

If they divide the pile amongst the SIX professors, that's roughly 156-182 files PER PROFESSOR. No way are these profs looking at all these files. I bet they get these "advising capacity" only students to sift through and filter out a certain percentage. In the department I worked for (at a top 10 school), the professors could barely get through the 50 or so phd candidates the admissions front office narrowed it down to...

This makes me unhappy. I feel like students tend to be harder on students closer to them in age, etc. etc. and who knows that random criteria is being used to filter out ppl before they get to the profs?! Too bad, I really like you Berkeley!

Some schools don't allow students to look at apps for legal reasons they only serve on adcomm for decisions (application fee change, process stuff). However, for Berkeley didn't we waive the right to have students not look at our apps.

Also, IMO Berkeley is clearly the most holistic. Even more so than Harvard.

[shntn]

However, for Berkeley didn't we waive the right to have students not look at our apps.

Exactly. You could easily opt out of this (and probably their whole admissions process by making their lives harder) right in your app.

[Jaqen]

I just found a Waitlist/Faculty Review Support Group thread from last year.

down the rabbit hole I go

[WhatOurBodiesAreFor]

FR! FR! Just happy to be here honestly

[grapefruits]

Apparently, about 1/8 of people who are under faculty review will get in. Also, in order to be waitlisted, you first have to go under faculty review.

From the TLS interview section:

TLS: What does the admissions process consist of, and how is an application rated?

Dean Tom: “Well, all the files are read, previewed initially by me or by one of my staff. I have 4 other people who help me with the application process initially. However, I read the bulk of them. I read about two-thirds of the applicant pool, while the other 4 read the other one-third.”

TLS: Wow, busy man.

Dean Tom: “Yeah. But it’s structured this way because I know what I’m looking for. And, if my staff finds an applicant whom they want to admit, they have to bring the file to me for a final review. Concurrent to this review process we also identify about 1400 to 1600 other applications that are very competitive, and these we send to our faculty admissions committee, comprised of 6 faculty and 12 students. Students serve in an advising capacity on the committee. I admit roughly 550 people through what I call the administrative review process, and the admissions committee (the faculty committee) admits about another 200 or so. So, we end up admitting about 700 to 750 people. The admissions committee also structures a waiting list, and then everyone else is denied, either administratively or by the Committee.

Good info. Thanks. So if I've got this right:

According to their website (http://www.law.berkeley.edu/47.htm#Q1), they have about 6,000 to 8,000 total applicants, of which they admit about 700 to 750 total. This means a total acceptance rate of about 8%-12%.

Under faculty review, there are 1600 in the pool, of which about 200 are admitted. This is a 12.5% acceptance rate. So your statistical chances of being accepted via faculty review is equal to (maybe slightly higher) than you chances of being accepted through either admissions process (because my total acceptance rate includes administrative + faculty review).

It'd be interesting to see stats of how many are placed on the wait list, and then accepted from the wait list. Assuming this happens at all (which it must) this would increase the likelihood of acceptance statistics of faculty review. Although then you'd have to wait even longer.

The problem is that you're competing against a vastly superior applicant pool; all of the auto-dings and other rejects are out of the picture.

[Lexie_M_89]

Apparently, about 1/8 of people who are under faculty review will get in. Also, in order to be waitlisted, you first have to go under faculty review.

From the TLS interview section:

TLS: What does the admissions process consist of, and how is an application rated?

Dean Tom: “Well, all the files are read, previewed initially by me or by one of my staff. I have 4 other people who help me with the application process initially. However, I read the bulk of them. I read about two-thirds of the applicant pool, while the other 4 read the other one-third.”

TLS: Wow, busy man.

Dean Tom: “Yeah. But it’s structured this way because I know what I’m looking for. And, if my staff finds an applicant whom they want to admit, they have to bring the file to me for a final review. Concurrent to this review process we also identify about 1400 to 1600 other applications that are very competitive, and these we send to our faculty admissions committee, comprised of 6 faculty and 12 students. Students serve in an advising capacity on the committee. I admit roughly 550 people through what I call the administrative review process, and the admissions committee (the faculty committee) admits about another 200 or so. So, we end up admitting about 700 to 750 people. The admissions committee also structures a waiting list, and then everyone else is denied, either administratively or by the Committee.

Good info. Thanks. So if I've got this right:

According to their website (http://www.law.berkeley.edu/47.htm#Q1), they have about 6,000 to 8,000 total applicants, of which they admit about 700 to 750 total. This means a total acceptance rate of about 8%-12%.

Under faculty review, there are 1600 in the pool, of which about 200 are admitted. This is a 12.5% acceptance rate. So your statistical chances of being accepted via faculty review is equal to (maybe slightly higher) than you chances of being accepted through either admissions process (because my total acceptance rate includes administrative + faculty review).

It'd be interesting to see stats of how many are placed on the wait list, and then accepted from the wait list. Assuming this happens at all (which it must) this would increase the likelihood of acceptance statistics of faculty review. Although then you'd have to wait even longer.

The problem is that you're competing against a vastly superior applicant pool; all of the auto-dings and other rejects are out of the picture.

+1

[cslouisck]

So is there any consensus about what still being under review (neither 'complete' nor FR) means? Went UR 12/6. Ding? Or is there still hope for being admitted through the regular review process?

[grapefruits]

So is there any consensus about what still being under review (neither 'complete' nor FR) means? Went UR 12/6. Ding? Or is there still hope for being admitted through the regular review process?

My unqualified opinion is that you should expect either to go UFR or get dinged.

[WhatOurBodiesAreFor]

Apparently, about 1/8 of people who are under faculty review will get in. Also, in order to be waitlisted, you first have to go under faculty review.

From the TLS interview section:

TLS: What does the admissions process consist of, and how is an application rated?

Dean Tom: “Well, all the files are read, previewed initially by me or by one of my staff. I have 4 other people who help me with the application process initially. However, I read the bulk of them. I read about two-thirds of the applicant pool, while the other 4 read the other one-third.”

TLS: Wow, busy man.

Dean Tom: “Yeah. But it’s structured this way because I know what I’m looking for. And, if my staff finds an applicant whom they want to admit, they have to bring the file to me for a final review. Concurrent to this review process we also identify about 1400 to 1600 other applications that are very competitive, and these we send to our faculty admissions committee, comprised of 6 faculty and 12 students. Students serve in an advising capacity on the committee. I admit roughly 550 people through what I call the administrative review process, and the admissions committee (the faculty committee) admits about another 200 or so. So, we end up admitting about 700 to 750 people. The admissions committee also structures a waiting list, and then everyone else is denied, either administratively or by the Committee.

Good info. Thanks. So if I've got this right:

According to their website (http://www.law.berkeley.edu/47.htm#Q1), they have about 6,000 to 8,000 total applicants, of which they admit about 700 to 750 total. This means a total acceptance rate of about 8%-12%.

Under faculty review, there are 1600 in the pool, of which about 200 are admitted. This is a 12.5% acceptance rate. So your statistical chances of being accepted via faculty review is equal to (maybe slightly higher) than you chances of being accepted through either admissions process (because my total acceptance rate includes administrative + faculty review).

It'd be interesting to see stats of how many are placed on the wait list, and then accepted from the wait list. Assuming this happens at all (which it must) this would increase the likelihood of acceptance statistics of faculty review. Although then you'd have to wait even longer.

The problem is that you're competing against a vastly superior applicant pool; all of the auto-dings and other rejects are out of the picture.

Yes but the 12.5% doesn't include WLs does it? There's also a lot of applicants who are FR who are already set on T-6. Just saying, our chances don't seem quite so terrible.

[sean21]

Has anyone gotten an email about FR yet? Im on vacation and instead of spending the morning on the beach I read last year's forum from around this time. This is what I got:

Email should be coming soon with a date they will make decisions on the first round of faculty review by. Last year it was Feb 17, although some decisions came a bit earlier. That included acceptances, WL and a bloodbath of denials.

Right after that a second wave of status checker changes came and an email for faculty review round two. The decision date noted was March 9. Most in the second round applied later, going complete sometime in December or later. Same percentage was admitted in both FR rounds.

[ggnore]

Has anyone gotten an email about FR yet? Im on vacation and instead of spending the morning on the beach I read last year's forum from around this time. This is what I got:

Email should be coming soon with a date they will make decisions on the first round of faculty review by. Last year it was Feb 17, although some decisions came a bit earlier. That included acceptances, WL and a bloodbath of denials.

Right after that a second wave of status checker changes came and an email for faculty review round two. The decision date noted was March 9. Most in the second round applied later, going complete sometime in December or later. Same percentage was admitted in both FR rounds.

Do you know the number of weeks for when applicants were notified of FR during round 1 and round 2 in relation to the Feb 17th date?

[sean21]

Has anyone gotten an email about FR yet? Im on vacation and instead of spending the morning on the beach I read last year's forum from around this time. This is what I got:

Email should be coming soon with a date they will make decisions on the first round of faculty review by. Last year it was Feb 17, although some decisions came a bit earlier. That included acceptances, WL and a bloodbath of denials.

Right after that a second wave of status checker changes came and an email for faculty review round two. The decision date noted was March 9. Most in the second round applied later, going complete sometime in December or later. Same percentage was admitted in both FR rounds.

Do you know the number of weeks for when applicants were notified of FR during round 1 and round 2 in relation to the Feb 17th date?

Not sure I fully understand the question but the first round of FR was notified on January 26 and it seems like they were applicants who went complete from oct to late nov. second round of FR was notified I believe around feb 18 with most being applicants who went complete from dec. to late jan.

[amsong]

I am under faculty review after all!

[VeeD101]

I am under faculty review after all!

Did your status change today?

[goden]

Looks like I missed the FR boat

[VeeD101]

Not if its still happening today.

[sitwaitwish]

FR status updated 1/24

[amsong]

I am under faculty review after all!

Did your status change today?

Yes -- I changed to "Your file is complete" yesterday evening, and then it changed again today back to under review with a new header.

[JamesDean1955]

FR status updated 1/24

+1. So who is going to start the Berkeley Waitlist/Faculty Review Support Group 2013 thread? Looks like one was done for each previous application cycle.

Also, from reading those threads, it looks like Faculty Review is where applications go to die...

[VeeD101]

I am under faculty review after all!

Did your status change today?

Yes -- I changed to "Your file is complete" yesterday evening, and then it changed again today back to under review with a new header.

Ahh your file originally changed yesterday then. I guess I did miss the FR1 boat...no more false platitudes haha

[gingerbreadsmouse]

FR status updated 1/24

+1. So who is going to start the Berkeley Waitlist/Faculty Review Support Group 2013 thread? Looks like one was done for each previous application cycle.

Also, from reading those threads, it looks like Faculty Review is where applications go to die...

gotta say I'm happier with my application dying slowly and quietly than getting a rejection. Less crying, ya know?