International Applicants 2014-15 Forum

[leila_g83]

Checking in!!!!!

I have an UG with GPA 3.4 ( Top 10%), Graduate Degree with GPA 3.43 (Top 5% in class) from Foreign University.
Permanent Resident for 3 years.
Haven't sent my Transcripts for evaluation yet, in the process. hoping for a great evaluation.
Registering LSAT for first time in September.
Just started everything!

how does LSAC evaluate when you have two degrees? do they consider both or they just consider the UG or the most recent one?
And I haven't applied anywhere yet, just started the process, does it make a difference when the transcripts are sent for evaluation or the earlier the better?

thanks OP for this great thread, getting lots of great info from it.

If you're taking the test in September 2015...you're not applying this cycle.

yes I guess your right. my bad. sorry

[Veronica2015]

Tried to contribute to the google doc but failed, as I haven't been accepted to any T14 yet ha-ha. Hope when the dec score is out, I could join the elite group!

BTW, I think a compilation of international students' LSN pages will be much more helpful than google doc. These will shed light on how long the process is likely to go for us; how much scholarship is likely available with similar numbers, etc. Will try to create one myself and post here later!

[Veronica2015]

Forget to say [Happy New Year!] Wish everyone have a great cycle ahead!

[musedreverie]

Tried to contribute to the google doc but failed, as I haven't been accepted to any T14 yet ha-ha. Hope when the dec score is out, I could join the elite group!

BTW, I think a compilation of international students' LSN pages will be much more helpful than google doc. These will shed light on how long the process is likely to go for us; how much scholarship is likely available with similar numbers, etc. Will try to create one myself and post here later!

If you could find a way to do that, then by all means that would be very, very helpful.

But mylsn doesn't let you filter International students--also, lawschoolnumbers doesn't have the LSAC evaluation as part of their grade specifications unfortunately, just the LSATs, GPAs and LSDAS GPAs, so it might take up a lot of your time

[musedreverie]

Checking in!!!!!

I have an UG with GPA 3.4 ( Top 10%), Graduate Degree with GPA 3.43 (Top 5% in class) from Foreign University.
Permanent Resident for 3 years.
Haven't sent my Transcripts for evaluation yet, in the process. hoping for a great evaluation.
Registering LSAT for first time in September.
Just started everything!

how does LSAC evaluate when you have two degrees? do they consider both or they just consider the UG or the most recent one?
And I haven't applied anywhere yet, just started the process, does it make a difference when the transcripts are sent for evaluation or the earlier the better?

thanks OP for this great thread, getting lots of great info from it.

They don't care about graduate degrees, it's only your UG grades that count towards the LSAC evaluation. And I think you should ask your student services centre (or whichever department that sends out your transcript) to make sure they send along some indication of where a 3.4 stands in your class, as it may looks relatively weak if judged objectively.

And your transcripts can be sent whenever, but I suppose you could send them early for a peace of mind. And I would suggest you get LOR and Personal statement ready before your Sept LSATs. I did, and I applied as soon as the grades were out. The earlier in the process you get everything done, the better

[Veronica2015]

Tried to contribute to the google doc but failed, as I haven't been accepted to any T14 yet ha-ha. Hope when the dec score is out, I could join the elite group!

BTW, I think a compilation of international students' LSN pages will be much more helpful than google doc. These will shed light on how long the process is likely to go for us; how much scholarship is likely available with similar numbers, etc. Will try to create one myself and post here later!

If you could find a way to do that, then by all means that would be very, very helpful.

But mylsn doesn't let you filter International students--also, lawschoolnumbers doesn't have the LSAC evaluation as part of their grade specifications unfortunately, just the LSATs, GPAs and LSDAS GPAs, so it might take up a lot of your time

Can we do this on a self-report basis? I will know some accounts, but not sure if it is good to post the LSN links of others.

[Robb]

Tried to contribute to the google doc but failed, as I haven't been accepted to any T14 yet ha-ha. Hope when the dec score is out, I could join the elite group!

BTW, I think a compilation of international students' LSN pages will be much more helpful than google doc. These will shed light on how long the process is likely to go for us; how much scholarship is likely available with similar numbers, etc. Will try to create one myself and post here later!

If you could find a way to do that, then by all means that would be very, very helpful.

But mylsn doesn't let you filter International students--also, lawschoolnumbers doesn't have the LSAC evaluation as part of their grade specifications unfortunately, just the LSATs, GPAs and LSDAS GPAs, so it might take up a lot of your time

you should be able to limit it to international students on the graphs: http://mylsn.info/r/pre-law/admissions/graph/

not a ton of data though

[jawsjawsjaws]

T14 ranked by the percentage of non-resident aliens in total student body

01. Cornell University (13.58%)
02. Columbia University (8.64%)
03. Harvard University (8.04%)
04. Duke University (6.65%)
05. Northwestern University (6.29%)
06. New York University (6.21%)
07. University of Chicago (5.72%)
08. Yale University (5.27%)
09. University of California Berkeley (5.01%)
10. Georgetown (4.09%)
11. University of Michigan (3.70%)
12. University of Pennsylvania (3.31%)
13. Stanford University (2.44%)
14. University of Virginia (0.19%)

LOL at UVA. No wonder I didn't hear back from them for 4 months

[ikethegremlin]

If it helps anybody, my lsn page is here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/thegremlin

However, though I'm international, I did my undergrad in the states and so I don't think it's all that helpful for those without an american GPA.

Also yeah, lol at UVA. Funny thing is I really liked their school, and am very much willing to be tempted by scholarships (thank you Michigan for the Darrow interview). Their loss.

[jawsjawsjaws]

If it helps anybody, my lsn page is here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/thegremlin

However, though I'm international, I did my undergrad in the states and so I don't think it's all that helpful for those without an american GPA.

Also yeah, lol at UVA. Funny thing is I really liked their school, and am very much willing to be tempted by scholarships (thank you Michigan for the Darrow interview). Their loss.

Congrats on the Darrow! And yeah your loss, UVA!

[ikethegremlin]

If it helps anybody, my lsn page is here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/thegremlin

However, though I'm international, I did my undergrad in the states and so I don't think it's all that helpful for those without an american GPA.

Also yeah, lol at UVA. Funny thing is I really liked their school, and am very much willing to be tempted by scholarships (thank you Michigan for the Darrow interview). Their loss.

Congrats on the Darrow! And yeah your loss, UVA!

Haven't got it yet - interview mid-jan. Very excited to talk to Michigan though. Definitely come across as one of the nicest/quirkiest admissions offices in the T14.

[jawsjawsjaws]

If it helps anybody, my lsn page is here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/thegremlin

However, though I'm international, I did my undergrad in the states and so I don't think it's all that helpful for those without an american GPA.

Also yeah, lol at UVA. Funny thing is I really liked their school, and am very much willing to be tempted by scholarships (thank you Michigan for the Darrow interview). Their loss.

Congrats on the Darrow! And yeah your loss, UVA!

Haven't got it yet - interview mid-jan. Very excited to talk to Michigan though. Definitely come across as one of the nicest/quirkiest admissions offices in the T14.

Haha oops I meant to say congrats on the invite. So you'll be visiting Ann Arbor?

[pylon]

If it helps anybody, my lsn page is here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/thegremlin

So far you've had a pretty great cycle, ike! Congrats! What's your top choice?

[pylon]

So you'll be visiting Ann Arbor?

IIRC the Darrow interview is via Skype

[ikethegremlin]

If it helps anybody, my lsn page is here: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/thegremlin

So far you've had a pretty great cycle, ike! Congrats! What's your top choice?

Honestly trying my best not to think about it until I have heard yes or no from everywhere. I don't want to start to mentally see myself somewhere/tell friends what I'm thinking and then have to totally re-evaluate. I know I'm not getting into Yale but... you want to know anyway, don't you?

That said...

Berkeley was somewhere I got into for Undergrad and have always sort of regretted not attending. Beautiful campus, very much aligned with myself politically, and in a great area.

Chicago has a weirdly negative reputation in terms of vibe, but I can't get a fix on where that actually comes from. The interview I had with them was great, she really sold the international experience to me which was compelling given how some of the T14 don't seem to give a damn whether they have any international 'diversity' or not. Obviously extremely academic, and I really like being surrounded by people who are smarter than myself.

Michigan seem like genuinely lovely people, both faculty and students, and Ann Arbor is pretty much the nicest place on earth. If I got the scholarship, especially the 100% one, it would be a really difficult proposition to turn down.

Penn... I've never been to Philly, but I hear nice things in general. I've always been in big cities, so I'm torn between wanting something new, and being worried about being bored out of my skull on a campus in the middle of nowhere. I've not had too much interaction with them, but they obviously place very well and have strong lay prestige which is maybe more useful to international students than home grown lawyers?

Duke - Love the LLM integration, very keen to do that. Love the cheap COA and the southern feel - that's very new to me, but something I've always found appealing. They seem like a school that's on the rise and actively investing in their brand, and that's pretty important when it's a couple hundred k on our end for a degree we'll have for the next 60 or so years.

Columbia - (only invited to interview so might not even get it) Fuck me but that COA is prohibitive. Would/could never attend for sticker, because undergrad at NYU was a financial burden already, and I now know just how expensive NY is. However, with a decent scholarship they could definitely be a strong contender. I know I like living in NYC, I know I want to work there afterwards at least for a few years, and it's a name that will carry weight all over the world and in all industries.

[Veronica2015]

Will I be able to get a fee waiver from Columbia/NYU/Upenn/UChicago with a 98% lsat as an international? Got shot down when trying to solicit. I want to apply asap, but another $400 will break me. Should I wait? Will internationals be missed during CRS search for these schools?

[jawsjawsjaws]

Will I be able to get a fee waiver from Columbia/NYU/Upenn/UChicago with a 98% lsat as an international? Got shot down when trying to solicit. I want to apply asap, but another $400 will break me. Should I wait? Will internationals be missed during CRS search for these schools?

If I were you, I'd go ahead and solicit waivers, as it's getting late in the application cycle. Totally baseless, but I think you'll be able to get waivers from most of them.

[Veronica2015]

Will I be able to get a fee waiver from Columbia/NYU/Upenn/UChicago with a 98% lsat as an international? Got shot down when trying to solicit. I want to apply asap, but another $400 will break me. Should I wait? Will internationals be missed during CRS search for these schools?

If I were you, I'd go ahead and solicit waivers, as it's getting late in the application cycle. Totally baseless, but I think you'll be able to get waivers from most of them.

I tried but they asked me to wait for CRS search

[musedreverie]

Will I be able to get a fee waiver from Columbia/NYU/Upenn/UChicago with a 98% lsat as an international? Got shot down when trying to solicit. I want to apply asap, but another $400 will break me. Should I wait? Will internationals be missed during CRS search for these schools?

If I were you, I'd go ahead and solicit waivers, as it's getting late in the application cycle. Totally baseless, but I think you'll be able to get waivers from most of them.

I tried but they asked me to wait for CRS search

NYU, UPenn and UChicago all missed me on CRS fee-waiver search, found Columbia's waiver lurking right at the end when I was checking out.

Funnily enough, I was given the Columbia fee waiver when my LSAT score was below their 25th percentile, but a lot of people with LSAT higher than the median didn't get one. So it might all be random

And mind you, the fee waivers are hidden right up until you get to the checkout section, so watch out for those!

[williamsun]

Check in!
LSAT 168, S.
Chinese Applicant from Renmin Univ.
Applied all T14 except HYS, Berkeley, Cornell and Penn.

Feels like buying a lottery, but it's much more expensive lol

Not very optimistic about being admitted anywhere, but who knows? Better to give it a shot than just sit there and wait.

[pylon]

Welcome! Good luck with your apps - those essays are so short but so hard lol

[musedreverie]

Check in!
LSAT 168, Chinese Applicant from Renmin Univ.
Haven't started application yet, though.

Good to see you here!

And yeah, the PS/essays really were a pain... I didn't realise it was when I was writing one for my undergrad institution, but maybe that's because the British institutions wanted a real straightforward, almost Statement of Purpose kind of personal statement without the storytelling and the flowery language.

But once you're done with PS, should be relatively easy as all forms are nearly identical and they automatically transfer across different schools

[charrob]

Does anyone know how the scholarship process works? Do schools automatically offer you merit scholarships or do you have to apply for all scholarships?

Thanks!

[Hand]

Does anyone know how the scholarship process works? Do schools automatically offer you merit scholarships or do you have to apply for all scholarships?

Thanks!

Most schools will make an initial offer for a merit scholarship without prompting, usually after you've filled out the need access form (which are slowly becoming available it seems; NYU at least sent out an email about their form a couple of days ago). But at other places you may need to ask - be prepared to bring them offers from other schools, though, so that they have a reason to offer you a scholarship. At HYS there is only need-based money.

[charrob]

Thanks!