I've got to agree that for me the free tuition was an added bonus, but it wasn't the deciding factor. Like I mentioned earlier, I was sold on UCI because of the opportunities that come along with launching a new program (particularly a UC) in an unsaturated market -- coupled with the amazing faculty, small student body, etc. I was told by Dean Ortiz that they will likely keep the second year class small (60-80) and then grow it slowly until they reach about 200 students per class. I also got the impression that they would be offering some type of scholarship monies to future classes, although the amount wasn't specified. But, like I said, I don't think that is necessarily the deciding factor for most of the students I've spoken with. It helped, but I didn't speak to one person who said that they were coming to UCI for the scholarship. Most students received sizable scholarships to other programs with more established reputations. With regards to transfers, I think their admissions process really focused on students who would stay for the long-haul. While you can't always plan for those people who choose to leave the field entirely, I think they aimed for students who had ties to the area, were drawn to the idea of building a new institution, and who had some degree of work experience (and thus had a basis for their interest in the law).LawApp2012 wrote:For me it wasn't about the free tuition, but you're right that many other people may have chosen another school without it. I'm not sure how many people they want to admit for the second year class, but I think they will be able to find at least 60 people just like me. That's my prediction, but only time will tell.jacktripper wrote:This was mainly due to the free tuition. Do you think people will be as torn between UCI and Hastings/Davis in the next few years without the free tution? I really doubt it. In my opinion the amount of interest in UCI will drop off greatly without the free tuition and the lack of reputation that comes with being in a market for 40 or 100 years. I'm not saying they don't have a lot of things going for them. They definitely have a strong faculty, but a majority of the interest came out of the free tuition.LawApp2012 wrote:but UCI has proven them wrong this year and I think they will continue to prove them wrong.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that UCI seems to be looking for people who are not discouraged by the thought of being part of a new program, and are instead inspired by the opportunities it provides.