Chapman Law c/o 2016 Forum

[MASSattack1]

In with $39,000/yr scholarship. The money definitely got my attention.

[e_mac7]

Got waitlisted at this school which was kinda a bummer since I'm from SoCal and would love to stay in -state. Any advice on how to better my prospects? Sent in my third letter of rec, does that make a difference?

[Dmini7]

Got waitlisted at this school which was kinda a bummer since I'm from SoCal and would love to stay in -state. Any advice on how to better my prospects? Sent in my third letter of rec, does that make a difference?

Send a LOCI would be your best best. I would wait until you have something to show improvement with (did you submit your falls emester grades? and would they show an improvement to your overall gpa if you didnt?). Your other option is to wait until your final semester grades come out and update the transcripts then to show you had a steady improvement to overall GPA. Lastly, what was your LSAT? It may be possible to improve your score to convince them you are a valuable asset.

[e_mac7]

Got waitlisted at this school which was kinda a bummer since I'm from SoCal and would love to stay in -state. Any advice on how to better my prospects? Sent in my third letter of rec, does that make a difference?

Send a LOCI would be your best best. I would wait until you have something to show improvement with (did you submit your falls emester grades? and would they show an improvement to your overall gpa if you didnt?). Your other option is to wait until your final semester grades come out and update the transcripts then to show you had a steady improvement to overall GPA. Lastly, what was your LSAT? It may be possible to improve your score to convince them you are a valuable asset.

I graduated in May and have taken the year off to work, currently doing an internship for a jury selection specialist (that's also on my resume) so I have no updated grades to enter. I sent in my 3rd letter of rec which reinforces the fact that I'm trilingual but at this point I'm not sure what else to do, do you think the extra LOR will help in addition to writing a LOCI?

[Dmini7]

Got waitlisted at this school which was kinda a bummer since I'm from SoCal and would love to stay in -state. Any advice on how to better my prospects? Sent in my third letter of rec, does that make a difference?

Send a LOCI would be your best best. I would wait until you have something to show improvement with (did you submit your falls emester grades? and would they show an improvement to your overall gpa if you didnt?). Your other option is to wait until your final semester grades come out and update the transcripts then to show you had a steady improvement to overall GPA. Lastly, what was your LSAT? It may be possible to improve your score to convince them you are a valuable asset.

I graduated in May and have taken the year off to work, currently doing an internship for a jury selection specialist (that's also on my resume) so I have no updated grades to enter. I sent in my 3rd letter of rec which reinforces the fact that I'm trilingual but at this point I'm not sure what else to do, do you think the extra LOR will help in addition to writing a LOCI?

Ehh, the letter cannot hurt, but besides being a cool fact it probably will not boost you. You were waitlisted because you are already qualified, but they are unsure of how there class will turn out. Obviously the best option is attempt to retake the LSAT to boost your score some, but I understand how painful that test is, and I am not sure I would reccomend such an action unless Chapman was your top choice. What other schools have you applied too? Have you been offered an acceptance at any of them? If so mentioning other acceptances in your LOCI and how despite said acceptances Chapman remains your top choice may help you get off the waitlist.

[e_mac7]

Got waitlisted at this school which was kinda a bummer since I'm from SoCal and would love to stay in -state. Any advice on how to better my prospects? Sent in my third letter of rec, does that make a difference?

Send a LOCI would be your best best. I would wait until you have something to show improvement with (did you submit your falls emester grades? and would they show an improvement to your overall gpa if you didnt?). Your other option is to wait until your final semester grades come out and update the transcripts then to show you had a steady improvement to overall GPA. Lastly, what was your LSAT? It may be possible to improve your score to convince them you are a valuable asset.

I graduated in May and have taken the year off to work, currently doing an internship for a jury selection specialist (that's also on my resume) so I have no updated grades to enter. I sent in my 3rd letter of rec which reinforces the fact that I'm trilingual but at this point I'm not sure what else to do, do you think the extra LOR will help in addition to writing a LOCI?

Ehh, the letter cannot hurt, but besides being a cool fact it probably will not boost you. You were waitlisted because you are already qualified, but they are unsure of how there class will turn out. Obviously the best option is attempt to retake the LSAT to boost your score some, but I understand how painful that test is, and I am not sure I would reccomend such an action unless Chapman was your top choice. What other schools have you applied too? Have you been offered an acceptance at any of them? If so mentioning other acceptances in your LOCI and how despite said acceptances Chapman remains your top choice may help you get off the waitlist.

Thanks, that's a really great idea. I have been accepted to a few schools already but none in Cali and that's what I really want. So far no Cali schools have gotten back to me except Chapman. Would it still be effective to mention the other schools even if they're not in California?

[Dmini7]

I forgot to mention, you should try to schedule a visit at the campus since your from socal, or atleast drop by and take the time to learn more about the school. Including that information in a LOCI would probably be your best bet.

What are the out of state schools? Are they either: Higher ranked or somehow in the same competing market. (By higher ranked i mean in 1-100, since chapman is pretty much borderline 100). Since they are not in California, I assume the second part will not hold, but if they are a higher ranked school it may still be effective.

What schools did you apply for in California? and are any of those applications in review? It may be wise to hold off until you hear back from schools in the same market before sending a LOCI, you don't want to seem too desperate by sending multiple letters.

[e_mac7]

Yea, all my California apps are currently in review. Waiting a month or so won't hurt I guess. Thanks for the help!

[cheery_girl]

Complete: 12/15/2012
Decision: 1/10/2012 - Accepted

Went to the open house, it's a LOVELY school. But it's a very expensive school.

[MASSattack1]

Anyone decide to go to Scholar's weekend?

[Dmini7]

I am interested. I probably will go since its during my spring break, and a free flight back home is always nice.

[MASSattack1]

I am interested. I probably will go since its during my spring break, and a free flight back home is always nice.

Yeah I figure there is no harm in being wined and dined for a weekend in Southern CA. Better than being in the awful Boston weather.

[calicali]

I'm actually super excited for this!! I have heard awesome things about this weekend from the admissions staff and the $$ they're giving is always nice. An admissions rep (student, 2L) called me today asking if I have any questions. I asked her about the GPA stip accompanying the scholarship and she replied that the median for 1L is 2.8 (the GPA stip is 3.0) and then the median changes to 3.0 for 2L/3L.. meaning to retain the scholarship, you would only need to stay top 50% for those two years

[MASSattack1]

I'm actually super excited for this!! I have heard awesome things about this weekend from the admissions staff and the $$ they're giving is always nice. An admissions rep (student, 2L) called me today asking if I have any questions. I asked her about the GPA stip accompanying the scholarship and she replied that the median for 1L is 2.8 (the GPA stip is 3.0) and then the median changes to 3.0 for 2L/3L.. meaning to retain the scholarship, you would only need to stay top 50% for those two years

Yeah they are definitely very persistent, last night I received a call from a professor in the discipline I hope to study. They were extremely informative, impressive, and excited about the school.

I have to say, their efforts are flattering.

[e_mac7]

Sent in my LOCI last week. Received no confirmation, waitlist e-mail said to e-mail my LOCI so that's what I did. Would you advise calling to ask if they put it in my file?

[whsy]

For those who received scholarships, did you receive scholarship info in the acceptance letter or did it come later?

[MASSattack1]

For those who received scholarships, did you receive scholarship info in the acceptance letter or did it come later?

Got it in a phone call from the Dean and also in the formal acceptance packet.

[somewhatwayward]

Did anyone else get the e-mail about the scholars weekend? It includes airfare and hotel accommodations.. pretty snazzy. Is anyone planning on going? I was offered close to a full ride and it looks pretty appealing.. Though the median is 2.8, if I am well above admissions standards, is it not a safe bet that I would preform within the top 50%? Free law school sounds pretty spectacular..

Since 2.8 is median and the stip is 3.0, trying to make that stip is like trying to make top quarter or top third. (Note: Chapman has a pretty terrible curve: 10% of the class must get below a C!...even if the whole class did at least a decent job on the exam...yet the professor may, but is not required to, give As). That stat in the materials with the scholarship, that 70 of 107 students entering with scholarships in 2011 have had them reduced or taken away entirely, is pretty damn scary. I agree with you that on the whole if your stats are much better than the entering class (like 6+ points on the LSAT, not 3 points, which is within the margin of error), you are somewhat more likely to perform well in law school, which means, say, that instead of having a 50% chance of being over median, you may have a 65% chance of being over median. But with Chapman's stip, you are aiming for top quarter or so, and maybe you have a 35% chance of getting that instead of the 25% chance of the average student. 35% is not so great. Actually there is no reason to speculate (although my speculation was right on the money) because we have a real figure....you have a 35% chance of keeping the scholarship ((1-(70/107))*100).

It is normal to feel like attaining a 3.0 is no problem, especially for students who have always succeeded academically, but think about the 65% of students that lost their scholarship....do you think any of them thought they would lose it? They probably had offers from higher-ranked schools but figured that this would be a good deal because of the scholarship and relied on keeping it. Lots of them probably had excellent grades in college and similarly felt confident about getting a 3.0. I am not saying don't take their offer, but it is important to go in with your eyes open and, probably, being prepared to drop out if you lose the scholarship. Scholarship with stips are basically bait-and-switch because, due to cognitive biases, most students will stay in school even if they lose the scholarship even if they would not have chosen to attend the school for full price when they were entering school.

[Dmini7]

So, anyone going to scholars weekend and bringing a guest? If so how are you going about the meal selection. I know our guest is responsible for their own food, but do I mention I have a guest and ask how much it would cost for them to get food at the reception dinner? I don't want my fiancée to be sitting their hungry under the assumption she could've just ordered when we arrived, and I also don't want to be judged too much if I just split my meal with her.

[angieess]

I would do a little more research before attending this school.

here is something interesting:
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2 ... an_law.php

[digifly]

Gotta love part to whole fallacies. By that logic, stay away from Harvard: http://www.imperfectparent.com/topics/2 ... rnography/

[billiris321]

I received my acceptance packet. On my letter, underneath the Dean's signature, it says:

Enclosures

cc: Kathleen Clark, Director of Financial Aid

Anybody else have this?

[whsy]

My packet had the same thing.

[billiris321]

I sent a scholarship negotiation email to Chapman a few days ago and I received an email from the Assistant Dean, Karman Hsu asking for a number to call me to discuss my "application and scholarships". Is she going to offer me a scholarship or is this another step in the negotiation process? She knows I have been accepted at several higher ranked schools with scholarships.

[legal-gal]

Is anyone here still on the fence - and even more so after seeing the rankings list that came out today?
I'm in at Loyola and Pepperdine with about 80k, but Chapman is offering full ride and I'm really swaying toward OC. Some think I'm crazy for even considering Chapman - but I absolutely fell in love with the campus.
Any input greatly appreciated!