Stanford C/O 2020 Applicants (2016-2017 Cycle) Forum

[Smc1994]

Do you guys know for KJDs whether Stanford requires our final grades if we are still being evaluated after our Fall semester? Do they factor in considerably?

Stanford will definitely admit a student without knowing their final, spring semester transcripts, if that student is in their final year of undergrad.

The student has to have completed undergrad by Aug before the start of the fall semester at SLS.

It is common practice though to send your transcripts to LSAC as soon as they are available though (i.e. in the Spring), even after admission.

But to answer your second question, I don't know whether or not it will be factored in considerably.

Ah I phrased my question poorly...I meant will they look at our Fall senior year grades if we've already completed our application as a Senior in the middle of fall semester.

I suspect they'll evaluate it based on your original CAS report, unless you send them a new one with updated grades. Still, given Stanford's tendency to select for high GPAs, I'd shoot for a 4.0 this semester

[ArtistOfManliness]

Fall 2016 grades matter. If it's 2017 and you haven't been accepted yet, you should submit updated grades--your competition will be submitting updated grades, and SLS will assume you've got something to hide if you're hiding something. Arguments can be made for having senior year's grades factor in either more or less, but it's impossible to know what Faye thinks on the subject.

[ChodeAnalBead]

Fall 2016 grades matter. If it's 2017 and you haven't been accepted yet, you should submit updated grades--your competition will be submitting updated grades, and SLS will assume you've got something to hide if you're hiding something. Arguments can be made for having senior year's grades factor in either more or less, but it's impossible to know what Faye thinks on the subject.

Hey I noticed from your previous posts that you attend SLS--

So I'm going to ask you a generic question in which I contribute no value to you but hope that you'll take the time to answer nonetheless...

What's the ONE suggestion that you would give to an SLS applicant?

[ArtistOfManliness]

Hey I noticed from your previous posts that you attend SLS--

So I'm going to ask you a generic question in which I contribute no value to you but hope that you'll take the time to answer nonetheless...

What's the ONE suggestion that you would give to an SLS applicant?

Well with knowing that no value will be attributed to me, I couldn't help but to answer. Everyone at SLS is both interesting and nice. So, if you can find a way to make clear from your application package that you're both interesting and nice, I'd say you have a shot (assuming you have all the other bells and whistles).

[ChodeAnalBead]

Hey I noticed from your previous posts that you attend SLS--

So I'm going to ask you a generic question in which I contribute no value to you but hope that you'll take the time to answer nonetheless...

What's the ONE suggestion that you would give to an SLS applicant?

Well with knowing that no value will be attributed to me, I couldn't help but to answer. Everyone at SLS is both interesting and nice. So, if you can find a way to make clear from your application package that you're both interesting and nice, I'd say you have a shot (assuming you have all the other bells and whistles).

Haha. thank you. Seems deceptively simple though...

[4thand9]

Hey all,

Current 1L here just wishing you all the best of luck. I know there's already a recent alum who has posted in this thread, but if you want/need another resource feel free to ask either in a post/quote or pm.

I know the admissions process may feel especially inscrutable with SLS, but don't worry too much about complete, utter, deafening silence!

[ChodeAnalBead]

Hey all,

Current 1L here just wishing you all the best of luck. I know there's already a recent alum who has posted in this thread, but if you want/need another resource feel free to ask either in a post/quote or pm.

I know the admissions process may feel especially inscrutable with SLS, but don't worry too much about complete, utter, deafening silence!

You're a great person.

Did you visit SLS during or before your application season? Did you meet with an admissions member?

What does meeting with an admissions member during a visit usually entail?

[4thand9]

You're a great person.

Did you visit SLS during or before your application season? Did you meet with an admissions member?

What does meeting with an admissions member during a visit usually entail?

Yes, I did visit SLS after application submission but before hearing anything back and generally before first waves of admits. No, didn't meet with admissions member. My impression is that SLS doesn't generally allow for a meeting approaching the status of a serious interview, but if you have questions about classes to sit in on or general information about centers/clinics/etc., you can ask (unless they appear super busy).

There's definitely a blog post from admissions somewhere on the internet that encourages informational visits and sitting in on 1L classes. If it's not super inconvenient, I would recommend a visit. Send an email ahead of time asking for some info on visiting, because there may be special talks, events, or classes you could see while you're here. Lunch talks common between 12:45 and 2:00.

Visit can help you see a day in the life, gives a little insight into the vibe of the place, and students are friendly to inquiries. Moreover, visiting indicates additional interest in SLS (as you know, SLS appears to encourage SLS-specific things like targeted LoR and LoCI). Don't feel like you have to talk to an admissions staff member to make your visit worth it, because you can always send a thank you email after the fact.

Don't feel forced to visit to eek out a little admissions bump, but definitely visit if it's convenient and genuinely of interest to you to experience a typically beautiful day at SLS. But who knows, you may despair at our high school-sized class of 180 1L's and nifty hallways lined with lockers .

[ArtistOfManliness]

You're a great person.

Did you visit SLS during or before your application season? Did you meet with an admissions member?

What does meeting with an admissions member during a visit usually entail?

I may not be a great person, but I did not visit/meet with an admissions member. I'd second 4thand9 in that visiting would help you get a better idea of a "day in the life," as ASW is a little contrived.

[acz26]

anyone have any insight as to how big of a deal a typo in my personal statement might be? I was pretty mortified the other day when I realized that I missed an "a" toward the end of the essay.

I wrote, "As victim of past discriminatory remarks, I have learned to..."

[RictusErectus]

anyone have any insight as to how big of a deal a typo in my personal statement might be? I was pretty mortified the other day when I realized that I missed an "a" toward the end of the essay.

I wrote, "As victim of past discriminatory remarks, I have learned to..."

You should be fine.

Toward the end of your personal statement, if something as small as a missing article rankles your reader, then the problem might be that they weren't immersed enough in your tale to begin with.

[RictusErectus]

Hey all,

I'm submitting two recs from professors, which are stellar. I have a third (really positive one) from a Dean who supervised me in a leadership role. But, for example, Asha in her Yale blog is quite specific that a third rec -- if not academic -- leaves a meh impression. I was wondering if anyone had any info, or can point to any blogpost / interview with Dean Faye Deal, regarding how Stanford views a third recommendation letter if it is non-academic?

[dietcoke1]

Hey all,

I'm submitting two recs from professors, which are stellar. I have a third (really positive one) from a Dean who supervised me in a leadership role. But, for example, Asha in her Yale blog is quite specific that a third rec -- if not academic -- leaves a meh impression. I was wondering if anyone had any info, or can point to any blogpost / interview with Dean Faye Deal, regarding how Stanford views a third recommendation letter if it is non-academic?

no interview to back this up, but I recently went to an event in which Dean Deal spoke. For LOR she really stressed having letters that shed light on the type of person you are. Letters that are positive but lacking anything substantive were letters that weren't as good as the letters that spoke about how you overcame a weakness or how you interacted with classmates etc.

hope this helps

[Keilz]

I just received a nice letter from Stanford in the mail, which certainly worked because I always figured I had no shot here, but when I looked it up I'm at both 25%, GPA is slightly under by a few tenths of a point, which is not as significant as I originally thought. I also got a letter from the Women of Stanford.

Thinking of applying. I just visited the Stanford campus this summer and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

[RictusErectus]

no interview to back this up, but I recently went to an event in which Dean Deal spoke. For LOR she really stressed having letters that shed light on the type of person you are. Letters that are positive but lacking anything substantive were letters that weren't as good as the letters that spoke about how you overcame a weakness or how you interacted with classmates etc.

hope this helps

Thanks! That's really helpful.

[ChodeAnalBead]

anyone have any insight as to how big of a deal a typo in my personal statement might be? I was pretty mortified the other day when I realized that I missed an "a" toward the end of the essay.

I wrote, "As victim of past discriminatory remarks, I have learned to..."

That's not even grammatically incorrect. An article would merely serve to make the noun statement unique (the) / generic (a).

Spy a similar sentence, which for some reason, feels intuitively more grammatically correct than yours,

'As substance to be pondered for the rest of his life, her discourse affected him.'

This sentence is also lacking an article before the noun in the initial clause, but is grammatically correct, though arguably 'substance' is more suited for this type of use than 'victim.'

Anyway, you're fine.

And if you're really curious, what's actually going on is that you've gapped the subject and its verb in the initial clause (gapped = removed), which you're allowed to do, because the subject appears in the independent clause, i.e. the subject 'I' occurs in the independent clause, 'I have learned,' and the gapped verb for the initial clause is obviously the copula, 'to be,' and is likewise assumed.

So the sentence without the gapping is, 'As I am victim of past discriminatory remarks, I have learned to...'

Though, admittedly this does sound choppy af, so choppy perhaps to say that, even though it is grammatically correct, an article should be included...

But we can conceive of it another way, in which 'As I was victim of past discriminatory remarks' is a copula linking a subject and an adjectival use of a noun, a construction which is common in English when the noun is followed by a prepositional phrase, like for example in, 'As I was doctor for a hundred soldiers, I got...'

Gap that and you get a sentence like yours, 'As doctor for a hundred soldiers, I got my d sucked on the reg.'

tl;dr you're fine

[acz26]

anyone have any insight as to how big of a deal a typo in my personal statement might be? I was pretty mortified the other day when I realized that I missed an "a" toward the end of the essay.

I wrote, "As victim of past discriminatory remarks, I have learned to..."

That's not even grammatically incorrect. An article would merely serve to make the noun statement unique (the) / generic (a).

Spy a similar sentence, which for some reason, feels intuitively more grammatically correct than yours,

'As substance to be pondered for the rest of his life, her discourse affected him.'

This sentence is also lacking an article before the noun in the initial clause, but is grammatically correct, though arguably 'substance' is more suited for this type of use than 'victim.'

Anyway, you're fine.

And if you're really curious, what's actually going on is that you've gapped the subject and its verb in the initial clause (gapped = removed), which you're allowed to do, because the subject appears in the independent clause, i.e. the subject 'I' occurs in the independent clause, 'I have learned,' and the gapped verb for the initial clause is obviously the copula, 'to be,' and is likewise assumed.

So the sentence without the gapping is, 'As I am victim of past discriminatory remarks, I have learned to...'

Though, admittedly this does sound choppy af, so choppy perhaps to say that, even though it is grammatically correct, an article should be included...

But we can conceive of it another way, in which 'As I was victim of past discriminatory remarks' is a copula linking a subject and an adjectival use of a noun, a construction which is common in English when the noun is followed by a prepositional phrase, like for example in, 'As I was doctor for a hundred soldiers, I got...'

Gap that and you get a sentence like yours, 'As doctor for a hundred soldiers, I got my d sucked on the reg.'

tl;dr you're fine

So I actually realize that I wrote, "As past victim of..." but from what you're saying, it looks like I'm in the clear. Wow thank you!

[dojodawg]

I've asked my professors to write a stanford specific req, and he's asking me if he should specifically address it to someone or something at Stanford. Any ideas?

[Nickel94]

Got a packet in the mail today - included an OUTLaw pamphlet, letter encouraging to apply, and Fee Waifer Application.

Anyone else???

[proteinshake]

Got a packet in the mail today - included an OUTLaw pamphlet, letter encouraging to apply, and Fee Waifer Application.

Anyone else???

yup, but different stuff from the Asian org on campus.

[ArtistOfManliness]

I've asked my professors to write a stanford specific req, and he's asking me if he should specifically address it to someone or something at Stanford. Any ideas?

no

[proteinshake]

Stanford doesn't give out acceptances until like Jan or Feb right?

[LawschoolHopeful2k16]

Hey all,

I'm submitting two recs from professors, which are stellar. I have a third (really positive one) from a Dean who supervised me in a leadership role. But, for example, Asha in her Yale blog is quite specific that a third rec -- if not academic -- leaves a meh impression. I was wondering if anyone had any info, or can point to any blogpost / interview with Dean Faye Deal, regarding how Stanford views a third recommendation letter if it is non-academic?

Dean Deal spoke at a law school admissions event I went to and she said that letters from employers or like people who supervised a community service program if you did some sort of extensive community service program after graduating were fine.

So I'd guess that as long as the letter of rec was written well and shined light on an aspect of you that the other letters didn't, you'd be fine sending it in. If it's jusy going to say the same thing as the two othere but serve more to show hey look here's proof that even more people agree with the idea that I'm a good fit for law school, then you might want to hold off on sending it.

[dietcoke1]

Stanford doesn't give out acceptances until like Jan or Feb right?

there has been some November and some December acceptances, but primarily they are in January and February

[KiltedKicker]

Hey all,

Current 1L here just wishing you all the best of luck. I know there's already a recent alum who has posted in this thread, but if you want/need another resource feel free to ask either in a post/quote or pm.

I know the admissions process may feel especially inscrutable with SLS, but don't worry too much about complete, utter, deafening silence!

You're a great person.

Did you visit SLS during or before your application season? Did you meet with an admissions member?

What does meeting with an admissions member during a visit usually entail?

Also a 1L here. What 4thand9 said seems right from talking to people and see people who have visited. I'm local and actually didn't visit until after I was waitlisted (I thought it would be weird to visit before being admitted), and when I visited I just had an informal conversation with Dean Deal and walked around the building. I think it helped just so that she could put a face to the application, but realistically it's very unlikely to make any difference if you've already shown enough interest. If you visit great, but if you can't it really shouldn't be a problem. And frankly you can get enough information off the internet to get a pretty good impression of which schools fit you best.

Also, law school specific advice that can probably be applied more broadly as well: shockingly, people generally consider names such as 'ChodeAnalBead' to be unprofessional. While it's pretty likely no one will ever find out who you are, there is zero upside and considerable downside to saying stupid shit on the internet. Don't assume that things you put on the internet will be anonymous