Penn State 2011 Applicants Forum

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

Does anyone know the chances of still being admitted if we missed the April 1st seat deposit deadline? I am trying to convince my friend to go with me, but he missed the date so I don't know if it'll be worth being pushy if he missed it. His numbers are good - autoadmit numbers, and he had a 90k scholarship offer.

The website says that deposits postmarked after the April 1st deadline are taken or not at the discretion of the Admission Committee. If he wants to try to secure his spot, he should probably send it soon or call them to see if they will accept it.

And how did he get a 90k scholarship offer when the highest award is around 60k total?

For the record, nobody got $90K. Nobody.

Last Friday we sent an email to everyone who missed the initial April 1 deadline informing them that their offer and scholarship have expired. We will accommodate admitted students if space remains in the class. Deposits are way up this year and I would absolutely say that scholarship funds are doubtful. We clearly indicated that scholarships would expire with the initial deposit deadline, if only folks would read.

If and when an applicant decides they'd like to join us this fall, they should contact me directly if they've missed their deposit deadline. When they do so, I'll assess their scholarship eligibility. Our scholarship budget is fully committed.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law
(814) 867-0398 direct

[stillundecided]

With the number of deposits being so high, I imagine this leaves little hope for those of us on the waitlist...

Still Keeping my fingers crossed

[jachrist]

In today as per the email. Hopefully I can still get some scholarship money, but I am not going to expect much.

Does anyone know if its possible to get a scholarship after the first year if you dont get any at admittance. ????

Also, is it still possible to ge need-based aid ???

[mtothelissa]

Does anyone know the chances of still being admitted if we missed the April 1st seat deposit deadline? I am trying to convince my friend to go with me, but he missed the date so I don't know if it'll be worth being pushy if he missed it. His numbers are good - autoadmit numbers, and he had a 90k scholarship offer.

Also, I am going to live in the White Course Apartments, anyone else heading that way?

I do not recommend this (I don't know any student who lives/lived in White Course and was happy with their choice). Just FYI.

I'm one of those never-been-away-from-home people and my parents feel more comfortable with my living on campus. :shrug: It's just for this year, then I'll be getting off campus. But thanks for the forewarning.

Does anyone know the chances of still being admitted if we missed the April 1st seat deposit deadline? I am trying to convince my friend to go with me, but he missed the date so I don't know if it'll be worth being pushy if he missed it. His numbers are good - autoadmit numbers, and he had a 90k scholarship offer.

The website says that deposits postmarked after the April 1st deadline are taken or not at the discretion of the Admission Committee. If he wants to try to secure his spot, he should probably send it soon or call them to see if they will accept it.

And how did he get a 90k scholarship offer when the highest award is around 60k total?

Well, he got 30k a year... 30 x 3 = 90? Idk, maybe he exaggerated. I didn't see the acceptance letter. Lol.

Edit: Just read the Dean's post... Guess he must have exaggerated. Lol.

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

In today as per the email. Hopefully I can still get some scholarship money, but I am not going to expect much.

Does anyone know if its possible to get a scholarship after the first year if you dont get any at admittance. ????

Also, is it still possible to ge need-based aid ???

The last couple of years we've made awards to high performing under-awarded rising second year law students. Of course, this is primarily a budgetary issue and depends on how much money is freed up by under-performers. We set realistic renewal criteria but for whatever reason there always seem to be as many high scholarship folks in the bottom of the class as there are no scholarship folks at the top. There's no accounting for hard work and focus and no better time to redeem previous mediocre undergracuate academic performance than the first year of law school. It also goes to show that coming in with the top numbers doesn't mean you'll finish at the top of the class.


Need-based aid is awarded until it is all committed. For this fall I'd guess it's all been assigned. The good news is that this awarding process happens anew each year of law school.

If you have more specific questions, feel free to contact me directly or contact Susan Bogart, our Financial Aid Director.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law
(814) 867-0398 direct

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

Does anyone know the chances of still being admitted if we missed the April 1st seat deposit deadline? I am trying to convince my friend to go with me, but he missed the date so I don't know if it'll be worth being pushy if he missed it. His numbers are good - autoadmit numbers, and he had a 90k scholarship offer.

Also, I am going to live in the White Course Apartments, anyone else heading that way?

I do not recommend this (I don't know any student who lives/lived in White Course and was happy with their choice). Just FYI.

I'm one of those never-been-away-from-home people and my parents feel more comfortable with my living on campus. :shrug: It's just for this year, then I'll be getting off campus. But thanks for the forewarning.

Does anyone know the chances of still being admitted if we missed the April 1st seat deposit deadline? I am trying to convince my friend to go with me, but he missed the date so I don't know if it'll be worth being pushy if he missed it. His numbers are good - autoadmit numbers, and he had a 90k scholarship offer.

The website says that deposits postmarked after the April 1st deadline are taken or not at the discretion of the Admission Committee. If he wants to try to secure his spot, he should probably send it soon or call them to see if they will accept it.

And how did he get a 90k scholarship offer when the highest award is around 60k total?

Well, he got 30k a year... 30 x 3 = 90? Idk, maybe he exaggerated. I didn't see the acceptance letter. Lol.

Edit: Just read the Dean's post... Guess he must have exaggerated. Lol.

In a recent focus group we did regarding housing White Course was a popular discussion topic. While many of the group participants had criticisms, there were positive comments. Specifically, they liked that it only required a 9 month commitment and that there were so many law students in the complex. They also said that the shuttle was convenient. However, they didn't like being treated like undergrads and felt the accommodations were not as nice as they might have gotten off-campus. Certainly there are pros and cons to White Course

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

With the number of deposits being so high, I imagine this leaves little hope for those of us on the waitlist...

Still Keeping my fingers crossed

I do anticipate making some waitlist offers once we get through all of the initial applications. We were pretty much done but then received 600 applications in the last week before our application deadline. We could make some offers off of the waitlist as early as late-April. If we are a top choice and you aren't looking for scholarship dollars, you should email me. I'll take a look at you in the first group and try to give you a realistic expectation of your prospects off the waitlist.

The waitlist can be a stressful place to be. We'll try to minimize that as much as possible. Unfortunately, space is limited. Still letting us know that you want to be at Penn State can help us prioritize your application.

If we do call with an offer we expect you'll be responsive and decisive. Two huge pet peeves and things I am not interested in hearing if I call to talk to an applicant about coming off the waitlist are 1) "Well, I might be interested in Penn State" and 2) "It depends on how much scholarship money you'll offer."

To be clear we expect that if you haven't actively removed yourself from our waitlist that you are interested and that you understand offers must be responded to quickly. Also waitlist candidates are not awarded scholarships. So, if you need/want a scholarship to come to Penn State Law, you should realize it's not likely from the waitlist.

To end this on a positive note I want to reiterate that I do expect to make some offers to waitlist candidates and hopefully within the next couple of weeks.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law
rjs48@psu.edu
(814) 867-0398 direct

[trayball23]

If you go visit do not park in the law school parking lot... there for like 2 hrs and got a ticket.... tack that on to the price of tuition haha

[jbarl1]

If you go visit do not park in the law school parking lot... there for like 2 hrs and got a ticket.... tack that on to the price of tuition haha

Yeah, you have to have a pass before 4pm on weekdays. It is open on the weekends of after 4pm though!

[rehtulx]

With the number of deposits being so high, I imagine this leaves little hope for those of us on the waitlist...

Still Keeping my fingers crossed

I do anticipate making some waitlist offers once we get through all of the initial applications. We were pretty much done but then received 600 applications in the last week before our application deadline. We could make some offers off of the waitlist as early as late-April. If we are a top choice and you aren't looking for scholarship dollars, you should email me. I'll take a look at you in the first group and try to give you a realistic expectation of your prospects off the waitlist.

The waitlist can be a stressful place to be. We'll try to minimize that as much as possible. Unfortunately, space is limited. Still letting us know that you want to be at Penn State can help us prioritize your application.

If we do call with an offer we expect you'll be responsive and decisive. Two huge pet peeves and things I am not interested in hearing if I call to talk to an applicant about coming off the waitlist are 1) "Well, I might be interested in Penn State" and 2) "It depends on how much scholarship money you'll offer."

To be clear we expect that if you haven't actively removed yourself from our waitlist that you are interested and that you understand offers must be responded to quickly. Also waitlist candidates are not awarded scholarships. So, if you need/want a scholarship to come to Penn State Law, you should realize it's not likely from the waitlist.

To end this on a positive note I want to reiterate that I do expect to make some offers to waitlist candidates and hopefully within the next couple of weeks.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law
rjs48@psu.edu
(814) 867-0398 direct

While I unfortunately will not be able to attend Penn State, I have to say, Penn State and in particular Dean Shively are models of how law school admissions--indeed, any admissions--should be handled.

[Velvetvoice06]

+1

They are certainly the most honest and responsive*

Proud to be a future Nittany Lion!

[mtothelissa]

With the number of deposits being so high, I imagine this leaves little hope for those of us on the waitlist...

Still Keeping my fingers crossed

I do anticipate making some waitlist offers once we get through all of the initial applications. We were pretty much done but then received 600 applications in the last week before our application deadline. We could make some offers off of the waitlist as early as late-April. If we are a top choice and you aren't looking for scholarship dollars, you should email me. I'll take a look at you in the first group and try to give you a realistic expectation of your prospects off the waitlist.

The waitlist can be a stressful place to be. We'll try to minimize that as much as possible. Unfortunately, space is limited. Still letting us know that you want to be at Penn State can help us prioritize your application.

If we do call with an offer we expect you'll be responsive and decisive. Two huge pet peeves and things I am not interested in hearing if I call to talk to an applicant about coming off the waitlist are 1) "Well, I might be interested in Penn State" and 2) "It depends on how much scholarship money you'll offer."

To be clear we expect that if you haven't actively removed yourself from our waitlist that you are interested and that you understand offers must be responded to quickly. Also waitlist candidates are not awarded scholarships. So, if you need/want a scholarship to come to Penn State Law, you should realize it's not likely from the waitlist.

To end this on a positive note I want to reiterate that I do expect to make some offers to waitlist candidates and hopefully within the next couple of weeks.

Jay Shively
Penn State Law
rjs48@psu.edu
(814) 867-0398 direct

While I unfortunately will not be able to attend Penn State, I have to say, Penn State and in particular Dean Shively are models of how law school admissions--indeed, any admissions--should be handled.

+1

[BruceBarr]

Absolutely. Anybody interested in attending Penn State will be completely surrounded by some of the most professional and knowledgeable faculty that will do everything they realistically can to be comfortably involved in your experience. This real and "personal" involvement does not stop with admission.

[defiance96]

[quote=

[alexanderhamilton]

I have a question for Dean Shively.

One of my professors mentioned today that Penn State gets only 8% of support from the state and by next year it will be cut down to 4% and that loss is millions of dollars. And in addition there are talks about turning Penn State into a private institution something that's been delayed because of difficulty with changing the charter.

Are these true and if so how will that affect tuition, scholarships, financial aid, and rankings?

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

Also waitlist candidates are not awarded scholarships. So, if you need/want a scholarship to come to Penn State Law, you should realize it's not likely from the waitlist.

So which is it? "Not" or "not likely"?

I apologize for the inconsistency in my earlier statement. In years past we've tried to make some award if the waitlisted applicant was already committed to and had an award from a school we consider to be a peer institution. This year I don't anticipate being able to make such offers. I guess the possibility exists, but the message I was trying to communicate is that waitlisted applicants shouldn't expect an award as a part of the waitlist process.

Scholarships are awarded on very measurable and obvious criteria, a combination of LSAT and GPA. Unfortunately, waitlist candidates to a person likely won't bring strong numbers in both of these categories. I'd think it fairly obvious, but still there are many waitlisted candidates who expect/hope for scholarship consideration and it's just not the way things work. I raise this point to help manage your expectations and not to offend or insult our applicants. We believe that the waitlisted applicants have what it takes to be successful and expect to make room for as many of our waitlisted candidates as possible.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or if I can clarify this point further.


Jay Shively
Penn State Law

[PSULawAdmissionsDean]

I have a question for Dean Shively.

One of my professors mentioned today that Penn State gets only 8% of support from the state and by next year it will be cut down to 4% and that loss is millions of dollars. And in addition there are talks about turning Penn State into a private institution something that's been delayed because of difficulty with changing the charter.

Are these true and if so how will that affect tuition, scholarships, financial aid, and rankings?

By way of disclaimer, I am not an official university spokesperson on this topic. The following response is simply my personal impressions of the potential impact of the budget cuts regarding the law school.

As some of your fellow posters are quick to highlight Penn State Law doesn't offer in-state tuition which is where many of the cuts are occurring. At the law school our tuition is already fairly privatized per our relationship with the University which perhaps insulates us from some of the cuts. (I wonder whether the other state-affiliated schools might have to reconsider in-state tuition.) Penn State Law is intended ultimately to be financially self sufficient. While I certainly don't expect we'll escape all budget cuts, the President of the University has already indicated that the students won't be expected to bear the brunt of the budget cuts.

The University has invested millions of dollars in recent years in the law school. All of this seems to be working to our advantage in putting together a world-class program, facilities, faculty, etc. The upward trajectory of the school has been impressive. Also our tuition increases seem consistent with our peers and our reputation continues to improve. Nationally we fall in the middle of the pack regarding tuition costs.

The University is also working with the legislature to minimize our exposure regarding the budget cuts. Thus, there's no way to know whether we should necessarily expect to take the full cuts proposed by the Governor. So, while I can't make any guarantees about potential outcomes, we don't expect a major impact to our students.

[Ridore]

hey can someone let me know when the 2nd seat deposit is due?

[iluvkj]

hey can someone let me know when the 2nd seat deposit is due?

From the website:

Postmarked no later than Friday, June 10: Second Deposit of $500 No Refunds; No Exceptions

[ach24]

.

[prelawtx]

i've been on the waitlist since 3/4..
i really want to go to penn state

[Ridore]

i've been on the waitlist since 3/4..
i really want to go to penn state

you should message the dean of admissions, he recently had a post where he stated that if you email him, then he would look at your application in the first group.

[jachrist]

Another thank to the dean and the entire admission staff. Everyone is extremely helpful and quick to respond. I got my acceptance letter 10 days after submitting my application.... INCREDIBLY FAST for any law school.

Can't wait to start the fall semester.

[prelawtx]

i've been on the waitlist since 3/4..
i really want to go to penn state

you should message the dean of admissions, he recently had a post where he stated that if you email him, then he would look at your application in the first group.

I've already sent my loci, additional information, and another recommendation letter..
do you think i should contact dean Shively again?

[Ridore]

i've been on the waitlist since 3/4..
i really want to go to penn state

you should message the dean of admissions, he recently had a post where he stated that if you email him, then he would look at your application in the first group.

I've already sent my loci, additional information, and another recommendation letter..
do you think i should contact dean Shively again?

I do not think it will hurt to send another email expressing your desire to attend Penn State, but at this point you have done everything you could to put you in a better position.