Cornell c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013) Forum

[RetakeFrenzy]

Congratulations to the new admits! And the beginning of a succesful legal/political career has begun.

Strangely enough, this feels almost as if some friends had just gotten the seats. Glad that Cornell is spreading some elation this year.

Maybe we'll see each other in court (or in class, I hope very much)!

If my predicted timings are correct (which so far have been pretty good, I think), there will be one or two more rounds of reserve list admissions and then the waitlist will start being generated in 7-8 days (june 20/june 21, 2013).
I'll bet $10 on this.

I'll be obligated to make a new account called "The_TLS_Oracle" if I'm right.

I really hope you're right about this one!

[LRGhost]

Congratulations to the new admits! And the beginning of a succesful legal/political career has begun.

Strangely enough, this feels almost as if some friends had just gotten the seats. Glad that Cornell is spreading some elation this year.

Maybe we'll see each other in court (or in class, I hope very much)!

If my predicted timings are correct (which so far have been pretty good, I think), there will be one or two more rounds of reserve list admissions and then the waitlist will start being generated in 7-8 days (june 20/june 21, 2013).
I'll bet $10 on this.

I'll be obligated to make a new account called "The_TLS_Oracle" if I'm right.

I really hope you're right about this one!

+1

Man now I'm gonna be anxious. Was everyone who was accepted sitting on 4/15 or any 6/3 people?

[chraruce]

Congratulations to the new admits! And the beginning of a succesful legal/political career has begun.

Strangely enough, this feels almost as if some friends had just gotten the seats. Glad that Cornell is spreading some elation this year.

Maybe we'll see each other in court (or in class, I hope very much)!

If my predicted timings are correct (which so far have been pretty good, I think), there will be one or two more rounds of reserve list admissions and then the waitlist will start being generated in 7-8 days (june 20/june 21, 2013).
I'll bet $10 on this.

I'll be obligated to make a new account called "The_TLS_Oracle" if I'm right.

I really hope you're right about this one!

+1

Man now I'm gonna be anxious. Was everyone who was accepted sitting on 4/15 or any 6/3 people?

In response to your 4/15 v. 6/3 question, see quote below

In off the reserve as well! I never got a status update either, so I wouldn't worry too much if you were stuck on 4/15. I got my decision via email this afternoon. I sent two LOCI's, one of which was a "Why Cornell" essay; I also visited the school.

[LRGhost]

That doesn't seem to bode well for 6/3

[chraruce]

Congratulations to the new admits! And the beginning of a succesful legal/political career has begun.

Strangely enough, this feels almost as if some friends had just gotten the seats. Glad that Cornell is spreading some elation this year.

Maybe we'll see each other in court (or in class, I hope very much)!

If my predicted timings are correct (which so far have been pretty good, I think), there will be one or two more rounds of reserve list admissions and then the waitlist will start being generated in 7-8 days (june 20/june 21, 2013).
I'll bet $10 on this.

I'll be obligated to make a new account called "The_TLS_Oracle" if I'm right.

I really hope you're right about this one!

+1

Man now I'm gonna be anxious. Was everyone who was accepted sitting on 4/15 or any 6/3 people?

Also, I wouldn't be anxious if I were you.
Look at it this way: the probability of you getting off of the reserve list is <number of seats available> / <size of pool of candidates to which you belong (i.e. the size of the reserve list)>. Assuming the following (questionable and probably generous) estimates: size of reserve list = 200 people; number of seats left to be filled = 20, then we can do the following calculation:

(probability that you get chosen to fill a seat) = 0.1 = 10%.

This is just an estimate and it is based on one wild guess and one educated guess. My estimates are as follows (which probably are not correct, but it's the best that I can do at the moment... notice the extremes that I reach in times of uncertainty), the reserve list should be about 200 people (educated guess according to some numbers that I've seen previously; don't remember where, but for starts, I think the 2009 reserve list had about 175 people in it.). Although maybe this year they increased the reserve size significantly given the expected weird effects caused by the decrease in the law school applicant pool; if this is the case, then the final probability will be reduced as you are dividing the available seats by the larger size of the reserve list.
At any rate, my guess as to the number of spots that Cornell is trying to fill up is an estimated 20 seats--I am extremely generous here. Cornell is usually pretty good at estimating their initial yield so that usually there's not much reserve list movement. However, this cycle is weird. This number is the greatest weakness in my estimates so, please, if anyone has better insight, do share.

All in all, good luck. These estimates ignore factors such as your GPA and LSAT as compared to the rest of the reserve list as well as the type of applicant that Cornell is trying to catch (say, perhaps Cornell needs more engineers, and if you're me, then your probabilities increase dramatically =)

[RetakeFrenzy]

Look at it this way: the probability of you getting off of the reserve list is <number of seats available> / <size of pool of candidates to which you belong (i.e. the size of the reserve list)>. Assuming the following (questionable and probably generous) estimates: size of reserve list = 200 people; number of seats left to be filled = 20, then we can do the following calculation:

(probability that you get chosen to fill a seat) = 0.1 = 10%.

This is just an estimate and it is based on one wild guess and one educated guess. My estimates are as follows (which probably are not correct, but it's the best that I can do at the moment... notice the extremes that I reach in times of uncertainty), the reserve list should be about 200 people (educated guess according to some numbers that I've seen previously; don't remember where, but for starts, I think the 2009 reserve list had about 175 people in it.). Although maybe this year they increased the reserve size significantly given the expected weird effects caused by the decrease in the law school applicant pool; if this is the case, then the final probability will be reduced as you are dividing the available seats by the larger size of the reserve list.
At any rate, my guess as to the number of spots that Cornell is trying to fill up is an estimated 20 seats--I am extremely generous here. Cornell is usually pretty good at estimating their initial yield so that usually there's not much reserve list movement. However, this cycle is weird. This number is the greatest weakness in my estimates so, please, if anyone has better insight, do share.

All in all, good luck. These estimates ignore factors such as your GPA and LSAT as compared to the rest of the reserve list as well as the type of applicant that Cornell is trying to catch (say, perhaps Cornell needs more engineers, and if you're me, then your probabilities increase dramatically =)

In the initial reserve decision email, Cornell said several hundred

Our several-hundred-person reserve group (of which you are now a part) helps us keep in line with these target levels.

[chraruce]

Look at it this way: the probability of you getting off of the reserve list is <number of seats available> / <size of pool of candidates to which you belong (i.e. the size of the reserve list)>. Assuming the following (questionable and probably generous) estimates: size of reserve list = 200 people; number of seats left to be filled = 20, then we can do the following calculation:

(probability that you get chosen to fill a seat) = 0.1 = 10%.

This is just an estimate and it is based on one wild guess and one educated guess. My estimates are as follows (which probably are not correct, but it's the best that I can do at the moment... notice the extremes that I reach in times of uncertainty), the reserve list should be about 200 people (educated guess according to some numbers that I've seen previously; don't remember where, but for starts, I think the 2009 reserve list had about 175 people in it.). Although maybe this year they increased the reserve size significantly given the expected weird effects caused by the decrease in the law school applicant pool; if this is the case, then the final probability will be reduced as you are dividing the available seats by the larger size of the reserve list.
At any rate, my guess as to the number of spots that Cornell is trying to fill up is an estimated 20 seats--I am extremely generous here. Cornell is usually pretty good at estimating their initial yield so that usually there's not much reserve list movement. However, this cycle is weird. This number is the greatest weakness in my estimates so, please, if anyone has better insight, do share.

All in all, good luck. These estimates ignore factors such as your GPA and LSAT as compared to the rest of the reserve list as well as the type of applicant that Cornell is trying to catch (say, perhaps Cornell needs more engineers, and if you're me, then your probabilities increase dramatically =)

In the initial reserve decision email, Cornell said several hundred

Our several-hundred-person reserve group (of which you are now a part) helps us keep in line with these target levels.

Hah, well, you can just plug in your numbers and you can see how fast our chances plummet. For example, keeping my super generous 200 people reserve but reducing the number of seats to 10, the probability goes down to 5%. Make it 5 seats and that’s a 2.5% chance. Also, for example, increasing the reserve list to 600 people (that sounds like several hundred), and keeping constant the 20 seats, then the probability decreases to 3.3%; make it 5 seats and that’s 0.8%
All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t get your hopes up.

Also, notice how as Cornell keeps filling up more and more spots, our chances just go down the drain really quickly.

[RetakeFrenzy]

Yes, I was afraid of plugging in 600

[LRGhost]

Yes, I was afraid of plugging in 600

Remember that most of those people aren't going to be competitive, a lot would have withdrawn, and it was probably less than that to begin with!

[RetakeFrenzy]

Yes, I was afraid of plugging in 600

Remember that most of those people aren't going to be competitive, a lot would have withdrawn, and it was probably less than that to begin with!

I'm so gullible

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Welp, I'm in at Georgetown, I'm in at Northwestern.... your move, Cornell.

[LRGhost]

Welp, I'm in at Georgetown, I'm in at Northwestern.... your move, Cornell.

+1.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Welp, I'm in at Georgetown, I'm in at Northwestern.... your move, Cornell.

+1.

Also "on reserve"? Sucks.

[Mentally_AFK]

Accepted off reserve. My next best option is GWU with only 10k in aid, so methinks Cornell it is.

Edit: If it helps anyone calculate their own chances, I'm not an underrepresented minority or legacy, and my GPA/LSAT was 3.32/167, though my Liberal Arts GPA was 3.82.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Accepted off reserve. My next best option is GWU with only 10k in aid, so methinks Cornell it is.

Just now? Congrats!

[Mentally_AFK]

Accepted off reserve. My next best option is GWU with only 10k in aid, so methinks Cornell it is.

Just now? Congrats!

Last night! And thanks!

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Accepted off reserve. My next best option is GWU with only 10k in aid, so methinks Cornell it is.

Just now? Congrats!

Last night! And thanks!

Would you mind PMing me your stats?

[Mentally_AFK]

Accepted off reserve. My next best option is GWU with only 10k in aid, so methinks Cornell it is.

Just now? Congrats!

Last night! And thanks!

Would you mind PMing me your stats?

I just edited my post. I'm not terribly concerned about keeping them secret, though they are admittedly less-than-stellar. I suspect my letters and statement helped.

[LRGhost]

I just edited my post. I'm not terribly concerned about keeping them secret, though they are admittedly less-than-stellar. I suspect my letters and statement helped.

Dang. What a grab. Congrats!

[TheMostDangerousLG]

I'm pretty sure Cornell just hates me... maybe literally. We had a pretty nasty phone call where I got pissed that they lost my email and were consequently throwing me in with the late apps after repeatedly promising me they wouldn't.

I thought Cornell was a sure thing. =\

[chraruce]

I'm pretty sure Cornell just hates me... maybe literally. We had a pretty nasty phone call where I got pissed that they lost my email and were consequently throwing me in with the late apps after repeatedly promising me they wouldn't.

I thought Cornell was a sure thing. =\

Sorry to hear that, man. Looks like some bad luck may be screwing up with you. Think of it like this though, if you don't get Cornell, you still have Northwestern, which is an amazing school in an amazing city. I don't think you're in a terribly bad situation.
At least that's how I rationalize my package at BU... BU doesn't quite compare to NU/GULC, but I'm still ecstatic at having the options that I have. Cornell would definitely make my midlife crisis less intense, though (in a couple of years).

At the risk of offending you (and please don't take it that way, I just want to provide a different perspective from what you may have), I'd say that your interaction with Cornell may be cause of concern. In law and in business, you are always someone else's bitch (be it your boss, the client, or the judge) and you are at their mercy. If something doesn't go the way you want, the BEST you can do is rationalize with them and use all the persuasion and influence skills that you have at hand, but you probably should not resort to behavior that will either burn bridges or hurt your chances/relationship significantly (unless that is exactly what you're trying to accomplish). If all your persuasion skills do not pan out, let it go and accept the final decision (unless you can appeal to a greater power, like to the Supreme Court); just move on without burning the bridges.
I hope the "nasty phone call" did not get you blacked out. In an ideal world, the call should not hurt your chances, but people are people and in such a subjective game as admissions, people's leanings matter a lot =(

In the end though, you'll probably get a seat offer before I do.

[LRGhost]

Couple things, why make that post and not PM it?

Second, as an applicant, he paid money for his application to be handled a certain way. It wasn't. I understand being respectful and as someone who works in customer service, I'm nicer than I usually am when talking with people on the phone, especially when situations are out of their control. But he has every right to be miffed that he paid for his application, was in communication with them about it, and that they dropped the ball.

Can you do anything about it? No. Is it probably best to say 'Ah, I understand'? Yes.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

I'm pretty sure Cornell just hates me... maybe literally. We had a pretty nasty phone call where I got pissed that they lost my email and were consequently throwing me in with the late apps after repeatedly promising me they wouldn't.

I thought Cornell was a sure thing. =\

Sorry to hear that, man. Looks like some bad luck may be screwing up with you. Think of it like this though, if you don't get Cornell, you still have Northwestern, which is an amazing school in an amazing city. I don't think you're in a terribly bad situation.
At least that's how I rationalize my package at BU... BU doesn't quite compare to NU/GULC, but I'm still ecstatic at having the options that I have. Cornell would definitely make my midlife crisis less intense, though (in a couple of years).

At the risk of offending you (and please don't take it that way, I just want to provide a different perspective from what you may have), I'd say that your interaction with Cornell may be cause of concern. In law and in business, you are always someone else's bitch (be it your boss, the client, or the judge) and you are at their mercy. If something doesn't go the way you want, the BEST you can do is rationalize with them and use all the persuasion and influence skills that you have at hand, but you probably should not resort to behavior that will either burn bridges or hurt your chances/relationship significantly (unless that is exactly what you're trying to accomplish). If all your persuasion skills do not pan out, let it go and accept the final decision (unless you can appeal to a greater power, like to the Supreme Court); just move on without burning the bridges.
I hope the "nasty phone call" did not get you blacked out. In an ideal world, the call should not hurt your chances, but people are people and in such a subjective game as admissions, people's leanings matter a lot =(

In the end though, you'll probably get a seat offer before I do.

Yeah, the thing is, I didn't care enough to be nice. Which is probably not a sign of good character, but.. yeah. Had I wanted that spot enough, I wouldn't have messed it up. Your advice still holds though.

It probably also didn't help my application that it went complete in April.

Thanks for the advice and kind words.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Couple things, why make that post and not PM it?

Second, as an applicant, he paid money for his application to be handled a certain way. It wasn't. I understand being respectful and as someone who works in customer service, I'm nicer than I usually am when talking with people on the phone, especially when situations are out of their control. But he has every right to be miffed that he paid for his application, was in communication with them about it, and that they dropped the ball.

Can you do anything about it? No. Is it probably best to say 'Ah, I understand'? Yes.

I'm a lady.

Just worth emphasizing that every person on here is not a dude.

[chraruce]

I'm pretty sure Cornell just hates me... maybe literally. We had a pretty nasty phone call where I got pissed that they lost my email and were consequently throwing me in with the late apps after repeatedly promising me they wouldn't.

I thought Cornell was a sure thing. =\

Sorry to hear that, man. Looks like some bad luck may be screwing up with you. Think of it like this though, if you don't get Cornell, you still have Northwestern, which is an amazing school in an amazing city. I don't think you're in a terribly bad situation.
At least that's how I rationalize my package at BU... BU doesn't quite compare to NU/GULC, but I'm still ecstatic at having the options that I have. Cornell would definitely make my midlife crisis less intense, though (in a couple of years).

At the risk of offending you (and please don't take it that way, I just want to provide a different perspective from what you may have), I'd say that your interaction with Cornell may be cause of concern. In law and in business, you are always someone else's bitch (be it your boss, the client, or the judge) and you are at their mercy. If something doesn't go the way you want, the BEST you can do is rationalize with them and use all the persuasion and influence skills that you have at hand, but you probably should not resort to behavior that will either burn bridges or hurt your chances/relationship significantly (unless that is exactly what you're trying to accomplish). If all your persuasion skills do not pan out, let it go and accept the final decision (unless you can appeal to a greater power, like to the Supreme Court); just move on without burning the bridges.
I hope the "nasty phone call" did not get you blacked out. In an ideal world, the call should not hurt your chances, but people are people and in such a subjective game as admissions, people's leanings matter a lot =(

In the end though, you'll probably get a seat offer before I do.

Yeah, the thing is, I didn't care enough to be nice. Which is probably not a sign of good character, but.. yeah. Had I wanted that spot enough, I wouldn't have messed it up. Your advice still holds though.

It probably also didn't help my application that it went complete in April.

Thanks for the advice and kind words.

Nah, don't be so harsh. It has less to do with character than with experience getting burnt.
Been there many times myself.

My app also went complete pretty late (like March?) because of the Dean's Certification ugh... I see a theme here: complete late and be reserved.

If I were you, I'd have an apartment lined up in Chitown by now =)