Is Auto-Reject a Myth or Reality? Forum

[dingbat]

Let's test this theory, and get someone to apply with a 135/2.5 to every law school in the country, but add some stellar credentials (not nobel prize, but maybe a title like Vice President). We'll see what happens.

I don't think someone like that belongs in law school and wouldn't be surprised if they got rejected everywhere despite their great soft(s). The bottom line is that law school is a poor match for this person's talents. Just because you fail the LSAT doesn't mean you aren't an intelligent and valuable contributor - it just means that you should probably go contribute your intelligence and value in a different field/program.

No shit someone like that doesn't belong in law school.

auto-reject does exist (except if, say, Barack Obama personally calls the dean of Harvard, or something like that), the problem is we don't know where it lies

[pedestrian]

I'm almost certain I was auto-rejected from a school this past week. I never went 'Under review' as others who were accepted were. I spent a good amount of time on this application and even wrote a Why this school as it was one of my top choices. I would feel much better knowing they had read my application entirely as I believe an LSAT score isn't completely indicative of how one will perform in law school. My GPA was also well above median - is it worth the time to email them?

Probably not, as the odds of acceptance at this point are miniscule to nil.

Some schools do allow you to petition for a re-evaluation at the end of the cycle (off the top of my head, I know Georgetown does and Berkeley does not). If the school is one of these you could follow their procedure and write a groveling letter with updates on your recent accomplishments and specific reasons why that school is a perfect fit for you. I would not include anything that sounds like criticism of either their process or the LSAT.

I just know people with the same score as me getting into places because they pulled the URM card.

I wouldn't mention that either. This is a much larger discussion that probably doesn't belong here, but I suspect that many people unfairly single out URM as a factor. Plenty of people also get boosts from legacy connections, extensive work experience, military service, etc. I don't know what your softs are, but it is often the case that what people think of as "strong softs" are actually mediocre compared to what is offered by candidates who also have high numbers.

[fallingup]

Let's test this theory, and get someone to apply with a 135/2.5 to every law school in the country, but add some stellar credentials (not nobel prize, but maybe a title like Vice President). We'll see what happens.

I don't think someone like that belongs in law school and wouldn't be surprised if they got rejected everywhere despite their great soft(s). The bottom line is that law school is a poor match for this person's talents. Just because you fail the LSAT doesn't mean you aren't an intelligent and valuable contributor - it just means that you should probably go contribute your intelligence and value in a different field/program.

No shit someone like that doesn't belong in law school.

auto-reject does exist (except if, say, Barack Obama personally calls the dean of Harvard, or something like that), the problem is we don't know where it lies

Gotcha. That'd be a cool experiment!