U Penn 2010 Forum

[thalassocrat]

Just got the e-mail that I'm WL. I actually kind of forgot that I even applied to Penn. Definitely going to withdraw. If my spot was high on the list (which it probably wasn't), good luck to whoever gets it.

Oh good, I'm not the only one who forgot. Though I'd remembered more often lately. Still, I'm not really upset about this. Now I have more energy to focus on Berk. Hopefully someone from TLS will get my spot on the list and then be admitted.

[CardinalRules]

I'll give the status checker until the end of the week, then; if there's no change, I'll call them back next week to see what they want.

Thanks for all of your responses!

[NancyBotwin]

OMG! I thought for sure I was just going to be straight rejected... but just got a wait list offer! I'll take it! (I mean, obviously there's nothing to take, but hell, it's better than out!)

How did you find out? when did you apply? and all that good stuff

Like was said, email and status checker (email first, for me). I applied 11/2 I think, complete 11/6, and my last update was UCR 12/8. I don't even think I'm at median for LSAT, and WAY below 25th for GPA, so this was a surprise.

[cylusr]

What does the Waitlist e-mail look like? I just got an e-mail that said they want my Fall grades. Is that the same as the waitlist e-mail?

"On behalf of the Admissions Committee, I want to thank you for your application to the university of pennsylvania law school. Your accomplishments to date are impressive and your evident commitment to our institution is not easily matched."
"As of this date, your file has been reviewed by at least two members of the Committee, and we are very impressed with your credentials."

is this good or bad?

[texasgirl22]

i got that email too in dec. i was ED though....just sent my transcript in today and we'll see if it was a good or bad sign...

[summerschooled]

What does the Waitlist e-mail look like? I just got an e-mail that said they want my Fall grades. Is that the same as the waitlist e-mail?

"On behalf of the Admissions Committee, I want to thank you for your application to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Your accomplishments to date are impressive and your evident commitment to our institution is not easily matched."
"As of this date, your file has been reviewed by at least two members of the Committee, and we are very impressed with your credentials."

is this good or bad?

I got that email about a month ago and sent in my grades a week ago. I have no idea when I should expect to hear from them, though.

[Hattori Hanzo]

What does the Waitlist e-mail look like? I just got an e-mail that said they want my Fall grades. Is that the same as the waitlist e-mail?

"On behalf of the Admissions Committee, I want to thank you for your application to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Your accomplishments to date are impressive and your evident commitment to our institution is not easily matched."
"As of this date, your file has been reviewed by at least two members of the Committee, and we are very impressed with your credentials."

is this good or bad?

Depends on your grades! I think it means you're on the borderline and a little push by good fall grades can send you IN.

[thalassocrat]

What does the Waitlist e-mail look like? I just got an e-mail that said they want my Fall grades. Is that the same as the waitlist e-mail?

"On behalf of the Admissions Committee, I want to thank you for your application to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Your accomplishments to date are impressive and your evident commitment to our institution is not easily matched."
"As of this date, your file has been reviewed by at least two members of the Committee, and we are very impressed with your credentials."

is this good or bad?

It means they want your fall grades. It could be good or bad; I don't think anyone who's gotten a grade request has heard back yet. I'm not sure about that. The waitlist email starts off like this:

"Thank you for your interest in the university of pennsylvania law school. The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application and would like to offer you a position on our wait list."

They make it very obvious.

[NancyBotwin]

What does the Waitlist e-mail look like?

It says:

Thank you for your interest in the university of pennsylvania law school. The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application and would like to offer you a position on our wait list.

The Admissions Committee carefully considers the qualifications and merits of each applicant. Though your application is impressive, we are not in a position to offer you a seat in our entering class at this time. We anticipate reviewing as many as 6,200 applications for our incoming class of approximately 250 students. A hallmark of Penn Law is its small, intimate community and it is important that we maintain this environment; thus, we are exercising caution in the number of admission offers we extend at this time.

We will not begin the review of wait listed candidates until mid-May. It may well be that we will make admission offers to wait listed candidates over the course of the summer; however, we cannot predict the number of positions that may become available. We appreciate that a position on the wait list puts you in a difficult situation and that you will want to know more about your probability for admissions. Be assured that we will contact you as soon as we are in a position to make a final decision.

Please consider our invitation to stay on the wait list. You should notify us of your interest by replying directly to this message. We request that you respond no later than 02/03/2010. If we do not hear from you by that date, we will conclude that you no longer wish to be considered.

You are welcome to submit additional materials, such as an updated resume, an additional two page essay on a topic of your choice, or one additional letter of recommendation. This additional letter of recommendation must be submitted through LSAC if you have not yet submitted the maximum of four letters to us through LSAC. You may submit the other materials, including a fifth letter of recommendation, by email to contactadmissions@law.upenn.edu (preferred method) or by fax to (215) 898-9606. If you are currently in undergraduate or graduate school, please submit to LSAC an updated transcript with your most recent grades as soon as it is available. Please do not send updated transcripts directly to our office.

Thank you for your patience during this time and best of luck with the remainder of the admissions season.

[cylusr]

sdfa know?

[Jericwithers]

Is this the same email you got cylusr, or is yours more specific asking for grades and mine is more 'your held'? My email mentions grades, but I dont know if this is a suggestion or a requirement?

Dear XXX,

Thank you for your application to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The Admissions Committee has completed its preliminary review of your application and has decided to hold your file for further review.

The admissions process at Penn Law is a deliberative process. Every file is read by numerous members of the Admissions Committee. As of this date, your file has been reviewed by at least two members of the Committee and we are impressed with your credentials. We are continuing our review of your file however, and thus have not yet rendered a decision.

Please feel free to submit additional supporting documents, such as one additional letter of recommendation, an updated resume, or an additional two page essay on the topic of your choice. This additional letter of recommendation must be submitted through LSAC if you have not yet submitted the maximum of four letters to us through LSAC. You may submit the other materials, including a fifth letter of recommendation, by email to contactadmissions@law.upenn.edu (preferred method) or by fax to (215) 898-9606. If you are currently in undergraduate or graduate school, please submit to LSAC an updated transcript with your most recent grades as soon as it is available. Please do not send updated transcripts directly to our office. Upon receipt of your transcript, LSAC will automatically send us an updated report.

Our goal is to have all decisions made by the end of April, although most applicants will hear much sooner. Please know that the time it has taken to review your file in no way indicates the final decision. Again, the review process at Penn involves multiple members of the Admissions Committee reviewing each of our 6,200 applications; you can be assured your application materials are receiving a thorough review.

Thank you for your patience during this time and best wishes in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Renee C. Post
Associate Dean

[cylusr]

What does the Waitlist e-mail look like? I just got an e-mail that said they want my Fall grades. Is that the same as the waitlist e-mail?

"On behalf of the Admissions Committee, I want to thank you for your application to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Your accomplishments to date are impressive and your evident commitment to our institution is not easily matched."
"As of this date, your file has been reviewed by at least two members of the Committee, and we are very impressed with your credentials."

is this good or bad?

It means they want your fall grades. It could be good or bad; I don't think anyone who's gotten a grade request has heard back yet. I'm not sure about that. The waitlist email starts off like this:

"Thank you for your interest in the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application and would like to offer you a position on our wait list."

They make it very obvious.

so this "grade request is better than waitlist?"

[ccs224]

Denied via status checker. Fuck that.

[thorntll]

Denied via status checker. Fuck that.

Ouch. That's a shitty way to tell you.

[CardinalRules]

Denied via status checker. Fuck that.

Ouch. That's a shitty way to tell you.

I'd rather have it via status checker than in a letter that tells you how wonderful you are but somehow not wonderful enough for them.

[Emma.]

Held via email.

[NancyBotwin]

Anyone know how deep into the WL Penn usually goes?

[ccs224]

Denied via status checker. Fuck that.

Ouch. That's a shitty way to tell you.

I'd rather have it via status checker than in a letter that tells you how wonderful you are but somehow not wonderful enough for them.

No, I'd rather the letter. It'd the difference between a "Dear John" and a text message.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Held via email. Still no decisions from NMVPB and submitted in october.

[jh60405]

Waitlist 171 3.65. Thought I had a good shot. Don't know if its that my undergrad caught some disrespect, its a tougher admissions cycle, or I overrated my chances coming into this. Oh well . . .

[CardinalRules]

No, I'd rather the letter. It'd the difference between a "Dear John" and a text message.

I'd prefer the text message / IM too, to be honest.

[Flanker1067]

Waitlist 171 3.65. Thought I had a good shot. Don't know if its that my undergrad caught some disrespect, its a tougher admissions cycle, or I overrated my chances coming into this. Oh well . . .

Damn. All I can say is that I hope you messed something up bad, or have no softs at all. Otherwise, I'm not going either (171, 3.5)

[calicocat]

No, I'd rather the letter. It'd the difference between a "Dear John" and a text message.

I'd prefer the text message / IM too, to be honest.

Good thing you'll never have to experience either

[js87]

Waitlist 171 3.65. Thought I had a good shot. Don't know if its that my undergrad caught some disrespect, its a tougher admissions cycle, or I overrated my chances coming into this. Oh well . . .

Damn. All I can say is that I hope you messed something up bad, or have no softs at all. Otherwise, I'm not going either (171, 3.5)

WL'd with a 171 and 3.75, but with a retake from a 161. I had decent softs, including founding a non-profit and community volunteering. Also from a poorly ranked undergrad, though. I wonder if it played a role. Very bummed out, Penn was one of my top realistic choices.

[rockchalk86]

UCR twice. 12/1 and 12/15 but nothing yet... hmmmmmm. Good sign? bad sign?