Michigan (AKA Hogwarts) c/o 2016 Applicants Thread 2012-2013 Forum

[Anonimo]

In via status checker!!

Congrats.. you should receive some money soon.. are you definitely attending? you are probably in at a t7

[wannabelawstudent]

In via status checker!!

Congrats!

[dolfan17]

In via status checker!!

Congrats.. you should receive some money soon.. are you definitely attending? you are probably in at a t7

Thanks everyone. I'm not set on any particular school right now, I'm still waiting to hear back from a few schools. I like Michigan a lot but I'm a little concerned about job prospects relative to some of their peers

[fallingup]

I got the mass email from Dean Zearfoss asking some fall admits to consider summer start instead of fall. Does starting in the summer improve financial aid prospects at all? I want to negotiate a scholarship with Michigan and I'm wondering if agreeing to a summer start would increase or and decrease my chances of getting money - I really want to attend Michigan, but if you don't get more aid for summer, I'd rather keep working at my job through the summer, save more money, and start in the fall.

[UMich11]

Anyone know how lenient UMich is with deferring for a year, especially if you get in off the waitlist. I'm working and when i told my boss i was considering grad school i told him i would give them 6 month lead time to find a replacement - hence i applied ED. Well now that i am WL, if i get in giving that 6 mnths will be difficult - especially if i get in for Summer.

Any one know if they would be willing to allow me to defer for a year? Plus, if i defer i can guarantee paying for school w/o debt through what i'll make vs having to take on debt throughout LS. Think this will be taken into consideration if i ask for it?

thanks.

[gnuwheels]

Michigan 1L (fall starter) here, and I would just like to suggest that if any of you are able to switch to summer start, you should. There are very few downsides and a lot of upsides.

The only downsides I can think of are:

1) having to leave your current job early and giving up on some extra funds (or in the alternative going straight through from undergrad and just being burned out)

2) being slightly removed and separate from the rest of the 1L class (although the summer starters who make an effort seem to be pretty well integrated)

3) (maybe the most significant) having three semesters of law school in a row (but the summer semester is much lighter and the spring semester you have the option of taking a light load if you need it. Although I have heard that summer starters are very underrepresented on law review because many are just too burned out to do the write-on at the end of the spring semester)

In the grand scheme of things, I think the pros far outweigh these minor cons. I wish I had done it in retrospect.

[curious66]

I got the mass email from Dean Zearfoss asking some fall admits to consider summer start instead of fall. Does starting in the summer improve financial aid prospects at all? I want to negotiate a scholarship with Michigan and I'm wondering if agreeing to a summer start would increase or and decrease my chances of getting money - I really want to attend Michigan, but if you don't get more aid for summer, I'd rather keep working at my job through the summer, save more money, and start in the fall.

Can't hurt to ask . Just be sure that you are ok with summer start if you have the conversation.

[WokeUpInACar]

Michigan 1L (fall starter) here, and I would just like to suggest that if any of you are able to switch to summer start, you should. There are very few downsides and a lot of upsides.

The only downsides I can think of are:

1) having to leave your current job early and giving up on some extra funds (or in the alternative going straight through from undergrad and just being burned out)

2) being slightly removed and separate from the rest of the 1L class (although the summer starters who make an effort seem to be pretty well integrated)

3) (maybe the most significant) having three semesters of law school in a row (but the summer semester is much lighter and the spring semester you have the option of taking a light load if you need it. Although I have heard that summer starters are very underrepresented on law review because many are just too burned out to do the write-on at the end of the spring semester)

In the grand scheme of things, I think the pros far outweigh these minor cons. I wish I had done it in retrospect.

Could you elaborate on the upsides?

[fallingup]

Yeah, #1 is the major downside for me...I would be giving up 3 months of income plus the yearly company bonus paid out in August...it's really hard to give that up.

[VeeD101]

Yeah, #1 is the major downside for me...I would be giving up 3 months of income plus the yearly company bonus paid out in August...it's really hard to give that up.

When did you get this email? I am wondering why I didn't get it, IIRC we have similar numbers

[gnuwheels]

Michigan 1L (fall starter) here, and I would just like to suggest that if any of you are able to switch to summer start, you should. There are very few downsides and a lot of upsides.

The only downsides I can think of are:

1) having to leave your current job early and giving up on some extra funds (or in the alternative going straight through from undergrad and just being burned out)

2) being slightly removed and separate from the rest of the 1L class (although the summer starters who make an effort seem to be pretty well integrated)

3) (maybe the most significant) having three semesters of law school in a row (but the summer semester is much lighter and the spring semester you have the option of taking a light load if you need it. Although I have heard that summer starters are very underrepresented on law review because many are just too burned out to do the write-on at the end of the spring semester)

In the grand scheme of things, I think the pros far outweigh these minor cons. I wish I had done it in retrospect.

Could you elaborate on the upsides?

The three most significant upsides are 1. A light semester to start out, 2. (if you're doing OCI) an extra semester to pad/correct your GPA and 3. flexibility from graduating early.

Re: #1 - the summer starters take two instead of three doctrinal classes in the summer. I can't even imagine having one less class overall, it would make things way more pleasant. Plus there are no student orgs yet cause the year hasn't started so I'd assume there is lots of downtime to just relax and more than enough time to allocate to studying. When you consider that summer starters get a light load in the summer and have flexibility to make their own schedule for the most part in the spring, they really only have 1 actual "real" 1L semester, in the fall.

Re: #2 - Summer starters get to take electives in their spring semester and some classes are not graded on curves like the 1L classes. I have some friends who are summer starters who are taking pretty much all seminars or small classes where they're way more likely to get a decent grade and it could help them adjust their GPA up before OCI. I know it sounds very gunner-ish but when OCI is not even close a sure bet, this certainly is a very useful asset for these students if they didn't do as well as hoped or are trying to be as competitive as possible. I would also add (which is a little less gunnerish) you can just use the electives to tailor your classes to a specific interest before OCI. If you wanna do transactional work, for example, you can take EO and a transactional-related seminar and if you do really well in those it could help you stand out from the rest of the 1Ls who don't have that option.

Re: #3 - Summer starters graduate early and have options to early a) start working early or b) use that extra time to study for the bar, travel, relax, do extra things. I spoke to a 3L summer starter who graduated in December and is studying for the bar at a very leisurely pace in addition to spending a lot of time travelling, all before his start date a firm in September.

[fallingup]

Yeah, #1 is the major downside for me...I would be giving up 3 months of income plus the yearly company bonus paid out in August...it's really hard to give that up.

When did you get this email? I am wondering why I didn't get it, IIRC we have similar numbers

Did you indicate on your app that you would be willing to be considered for summer start?

[VeeD101]

Yeah, #1 is the major downside for me...I would be giving up 3 months of income plus the yearly company bonus paid out in August...it's really hard to give that up.

When did you get this email? I am wondering why I didn't get it, IIRC we have similar numbers

Did you indicate on your app that you would be willing to be considered for summer start?

Ahhh, no I didn't. Thanks!

[KanyeShrug]

I got the mass email from Dean Zearfoss asking some fall admits to consider summer start instead of fall. Does starting in the summer improve financial aid prospects at all? I want to negotiate a scholarship with Michigan and I'm wondering if agreeing to a summer start would increase or and decrease my chances of getting money - I really want to attend Michigan, but if you don't get more aid for summer, I'd rather keep working at my job through the summer, save more money, and start in the fall.

Hmmm... I'm gonna go ahead and think this is a good sign for waitlisters that checked the "I'd be down for summer start even though I wasn't before" box. If you got this email, do us WLers a solid and just stick with the fall start. I'll have cookies waiting for you guys in August.

[dproduct]

I got the mass email from Dean Zearfoss asking some fall admits to consider summer start instead of fall. Does starting in the summer improve financial aid prospects at all? I want to negotiate a scholarship with Michigan and I'm wondering if agreeing to a summer start would increase or and decrease my chances of getting money - I really want to attend Michigan, but if you don't get more aid for summer, I'd rather keep working at my job through the summer, save more money, and start in the fall.

Hmmm... I'm gonna go ahead and think this is a good sign for waitlisters that checked the "I'd be down for summer start even though I wasn't before" box. If you got this email, do us WLers a solid and just stick with the fall start. I'll have cookies waiting for you guys in August.

Literally the same thing I thought.

[JEB]

Don't get too excited, guys. The same thing came out today to Summer Start admits who might want to change to fall.

[dproduct]

Don't get too excited, guys. The same thing came out today to Summer Start admits who might want to change to fall.

YES. YES. LEAVE SUMMER STARTERS.

[Rdubs]

Anyone know how lenient UMich is with deferring for a year, especially if you get in off the waitlist. I'm working and when i told my boss i was considering grad school i told him i would give them 6 month lead time to find a replacement - hence i applied ED. Well now that i am WL, if i get in giving that 6 mnths will be difficult - especially if i get in for Summer.

Any one know if they would be willing to allow me to defer for a year? Plus, if i defer i can guarantee paying for school w/o debt through what i'll make vs having to take on debt throughout LS. Think this will be taken into consideration if i ask for it?

thanks.

It wouldn't hurt to send them an email explaining the situation / give them a call to ask. It shows that you are legitimately interested in attending and gives them a bit of heads up on your situation. The admissions office is awesome and definitely willing to work with you. If you say something like "If I get in off the waitlist, I'm coming to Michigan, but I may need to defer a year because I gave my boss my word that I would provide 6 months notice before leaving my job and getting in later than in the next few weeks means that won't be possible before the start date" and you mean it, I think that would reflect positively on you as an applicant. The worst thing that would happen is that they send you an email telling you that they are considering your application, and you are in the same boat you are in now.

[UMich11]

Anyone know how lenient UMich is with deferring for a year, especially if you get in off the waitlist. I'm working and when i told my boss i was considering grad school i told him i would give them 6 month lead time to find a replacement - hence i applied ED. Well now that i am WL, if i get in giving that 6 mnths will be difficult - especially if i get in for Summer.

Any one know if they would be willing to allow me to defer for a year? Plus, if i defer i can guarantee paying for school w/o debt through what i'll make vs having to take on debt throughout LS. Think this will be taken into consideration if i ask for it?

thanks.

It wouldn't hurt to send them an email explaining the situation / give them a call to ask. It shows that you are legitimately interested in attending and gives them a bit of heads up on your situation. The admissions office is awesome and definitely willing to work with you. If you say something like "If I get in off the waitlist, I'm coming to Michigan, but I may need to defer a year because I gave my boss my word that I would provide 6 months notice before leaving my job and getting in later than in the next few weeks means that won't be possible before the start date" and you mean it, I think that would reflect positively on you as an applicant. The worst thing that would happen is that they send you an email telling you that they are considering your application, and you are in the same boat you are in now.

Thanks for the advice.

[Big Dog]

personally, I think that is poor advice, (and illogical)

When colleges go to the WL, they are under time constraints, (and facing yield issues). The LAST thing that they want to do is to call someone and offer them a spot only to be told, 'thanks, but not this year'. It just wastes their (valuable) time. Thus, IMO, warning them up-front that you will are likely defer to work for another year just puts the app in bottom of the pile; it is human nature to call someone that wants to attend TODAY, not next year.

Just my $0.02.

[wert3813]

personally, I think that is poor advice, (and illogical)

When colleges go to the WL, they are under time constraints, (and facing yield issues). The LAST thing that they want to do is to call someone and offer them a spot only to be told, 'thanks, but not this year'. It just wastes their (valuable) time. Thus, IMO, warning them up-front that you will are likely defer to work for another year just puts the app in bottom of the pile; it is human nature to call someone that wants to attend TODAY, not next year.

Just my $0.02.

TCR is tough shit for your boss. You did your best. Now you have a better opportunity and you are taking it. 6 months is a long time for notice, it is a great market for him to find a replacement. People leave jobs all the time to better their lives. People don't get that upset by it.

[WokeUpInACar]

personally, I think that is poor advice, (and illogical)

When colleges go to the WL, they are under time constraints, (and facing yield issues). The LAST thing that they want to do is to call someone and offer them a spot only to be told, 'thanks, but not this year'. It just wastes their (valuable) time. Thus, IMO, warning them up-front that you will are likely defer to work for another year just puts the app in bottom of the pile; it is human nature to call someone that wants to attend TODAY, not next year.

Just my $0.02.

TCR is tough shit for your boss. You did your best. Now you have a better opportunity and you are taking it. 6 months is a long time for notice, it is a great market for him to find a replacement. People leave jobs all the time to better their lives. People don't get that upset by it.

Yep

[curious66]

personally, I think that is poor advice, (and illogical)

When colleges go to the WL, they are under time constraints, (and facing yield issues). The LAST thing that they want to do is to call someone and offer them a spot only to be told, 'thanks, but not this year'. It just wastes their (valuable) time. Thus, IMO, warning them up-front that you will are likely defer to work for another year just puts the app in bottom of the pile; it is human nature to call someone that wants to attend TODAY, not next year.

Just my $0.02.

I was thinking the same thing. I would not proactively call, I think they would then have less incentive to accept you in the first place. What you could do is lobby the ad comms to try and get you off the WL sooner and show your level of interest in attending. If you are close to your boss, go ahead and explain this situation there too, so if you do get accepted, you can go!

[curious66]

personally, I think that is poor advice, (and illogical)

When colleges go to the WL, they are under time constraints, (and facing yield issues). The LAST thing that they want to do is to call someone and offer them a spot only to be told, 'thanks, but not this year'. It just wastes their (valuable) time. Thus, IMO, warning them up-front that you will are likely defer to work for another year just puts the app in bottom of the pile; it is human nature to call someone that wants to attend TODAY, not next year.

Just my $0.02.

TCR is tough shit for your boss. You did your best. Now you have a better opportunity and you are taking it. 6 months is a long time for notice, it is a great market for him to find a replacement. People leave jobs all the time to better their lives. People don't get that upset by it.

+1. 6 months is a long lead time. Most people do not give longer than 2 weeks to a month !!

[UMich11]

personally, I think that is poor advice, (and illogical)

When colleges go to the WL, they are under time constraints, (and facing yield issues). The LAST thing that they want to do is to call someone and offer them a spot only to be told, 'thanks, but not this year'. It just wastes their (valuable) time. Thus, IMO, warning them up-front that you will are likely defer to work for another year just puts the app in bottom of the pile; it is human nature to call someone that wants to attend TODAY, not next year.

Just my $0.02.

TCR is tough shit for your boss. You did your best. Now you have a better opportunity and you are taking it. 6 months is a long time for notice, it is a great market for him to find a replacement. People leave jobs all the time to better their lives. People don't get that upset by it.

+1. 6 months is a long lead time. Most people do not give longer than 2 weeks to a month !!

True, but he did offer the option of returning after LS to work for him again with the pay reflecting having a JD commenting comp would be comparable to BigLaw. But regardless, i'm looking to leave on the best terms. Even with that, if i work for another year i can pay cash for LS, vs loans. that seems like a no-brainer for me.