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

[TheThriller]

I would probably take NU at sticker but thats just me... Unless UT/Vandy was throwing out some serious cash

[shifty_eyed]

Honestly, half of your classmates, if not more, are pretty dumb. You'll be competing with the relatively small amount of intelligent students for the good grades - the bottom half of the class is pretty set with LLM students and those of your classmates that never belonged in law school. The only problem is that the number of available good grades is still smaller than the number of smart people at WUSTL.

This seems to go against TLS common wisdom that everybody at a top law school is super smart and you can't even count on making median. Considering that top undergrads have mean LSAT scores in the low 160s, it seems like the competition will be super smart at any school with a high median LSAT.

[shifty_eyed]

I would probably take NU at sticker but thats just me... Unless UT/Vandy was throwing out some serious cash

LST projects nondiscounted COA at 291k. $45k scholly there is a drop in the bucket

[Xs20]

I would probably take NU at sticker but thats just me... Unless UT/Vandy was throwing out some serious cash

Read this thread, and then come back and say that:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 0&t=183509

[Spikedude]

LSAT scores only predict 16% of the variance in law school GPA student data. moving on...

[TheThriller]

I would probably take NU at sticker but thats just me... Unless UT/Vandy was throwing out some serious cash

Read this thread, and then come back and say that:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 0&t=183509

I remember when I first saw that thread, almost made me change my desire to go to law school. If you want to know what sadness is, read that and the T20 OCI threads back to back

[shifty_eyed]

LSAT scores only predict 16% of the variance in law school GPA student data. moving on...

Due in part to the fact that most schools matriculate students in a very narrow range of LSAT scores. There isn't a significant difference between a 164 and 166. But I imagine most people who score 164 and 166 are relatively smart and competitive students.

[wannabelawstudent]

LSAT scores only predict 16% of the variance in law school GPA student data. moving on...

Due in part to the fact that most schools matriculate students in a very narrow range of LSAT scores. There isn't a significant difference between a 164 and 166. But I imagine most people who score 164 and 166 are relatively smart and competitive students.

Shifty, most schools don't matriculate a narrow range. Look at some schools drop between their median and 25th usually its like 5 points. Then there's people below that and people way above the 75ths. The range is usually much larger than you'd think.

ETA: Also remember WUSTL is a gamer. That will even more likely produce a larger range.

[DoveBodyWash]

I would probably take NU at sticker but thats just me... Unless UT/Vandy was throwing out some serious cash

LST projects nondiscounted COA at 291k. $45k scholly there is a drop in the bucket

Turned down NU at sticker. No regrets.

[Birdnals]

This seems to go against TLS common wisdom that everybody at a top law school is super smart and you can't even count on making median. Considering that top undergrads have mean LSAT scores in the low 160s, it seems like the competition will be super smart at any school with a high median LSAT.

He is right to an extent and wrong to an extent.
1. LLM students are on a different curve (I am pretty sure), but there will still be a few foreign students who are getting their American JD, and they are mostly smart people but will never be able to get the same grade a native speaker can on a racehorse exam.

25% of the class are really smart but just don't put in the effort to get top grades.
25% put in the work, but just can't grasp the material. They are smart, but usually either hard science backgrounds or simply have a 1 track mind and have a hard time seeing both sides of the material
25% are smart and put in the work but just don't do well on law school exams. Law school exams are unlike anything you have seen before in undergrad and they are simply different.

the top 25% is a crap shoot. They are all smart and put in the work. Some of what separates them is just sheer amount of hours, and some of it is just varying degrees of intelligence/ability to read a professor and know what he/she wants.


The problem is that before you enter law school the only thing you can know about yourself for sure is if you will be in that 25% who just don't work hard enough. That's why common wisdom is plan on median no matter where you go.

FWIW, none of the people I know in the top of the class did substantive prep. A few did GTM/LEEWS early in the semester when the work isn't bad. I'm pretty firmly in the "best case it does nothing, worst case is confuses you" camp.

[shifty_eyed]

25% are smart and put in the work but just don't do well on law school exams. Law school exams are unlike anything you have seen before in undergrad and they are simply different. .

This is the 25% I am most curious about. I have started reading GTM (bang bang pew pew), and I've looked at a few of the old exams posted on TLS just to SEE what a law school exam looks like. I feel like "don't do well on law school exams" is such an amorphous category. Isn't part of doing the work/effort taking a decent amount of practice exams and comparing your answers to model answers? I have a hard time understanding how someone can do this AND understand the material, and not do relatively well. This is what scares me most about the law school curve. Is it just that they can't do it AS WELL as their peers?

[Birdnals]

25% are smart and put in the work but just don't do well on law school exams. Law school exams are unlike anything you have seen before in undergrad and they are simply different. .

This is the 25% I am most curious about. I have started reading GTM (bang bang pew pew), and I've looked at a few of the old exams posted on TLS just to SEE what a law school exam looks like. I feel like "don't do well on law school exams" is such an amorphous category. Isn't part of doing the work/effort taking a decent amount of practice exams and comparing your answers to model answers? I have a hard time understanding how someone can do this AND understand the material, and not do relatively well. This is what scares me most about the law school curve. Is it just that they can't do it AS WELL as their peers?

Some of it is being smart and knowing the material but not doing enough practice tests to simulate how to answer a problem on the fly. Some of it is not knowing what this particular professor is looking for. Some of them are people who are good at writing papers but can't put their thoughts down well in 3-4 hours.

TCR, IMO, isn't to do substantive prep before hand, it's finding 1 or 2 (but no more) other people to do readings/ practice problems with throughout the semester and bounce ideas off them. They will be able to bring up things you may have missed/ clear up areas of law in language a fellow student will understand.

ETA: different strokes, but this is just my opinion

[RAWR]

WTF is this? Why is this a thing? Isn't this why we have LSAC?

https://law.wustl.edu/shortformapp.asp

[snapdragon25]

After a lot of thinking and much pestering from wannabe, I decided to withdraw. I'll either be attending northwestern in the fall if I ever get out of hold limbo, or retaking the LSAT and reapplying next year. I'm gonna miss this thread, but it feels great to finally make a decision! Best of luck to all of you, I know you're gonna love law school.

PS. I bequeath my march madness winnings to cuse.

[DoveBodyWash]

After a lot of thinking and much pestering from wannabe, I decided to withdraw. I'll either be attending northwestern in the fall if I ever get out of hold limbo, or retaking the LSAT and reapplying next year. I'm gonna miss this thread, but it feels great to finally make a decision! Best of luck to all of you, I know you're gonna love law school.

PS. I bequeath my march madness winnings to cuse.

Good luck! We shall miss you

[Xs20]

After a lot of thinking and much pestering from wannabe, I decided to withdraw. I'll either be attending northwestern in the fall if I ever get out of hold limbo, or retaking the LSAT and reapplying next year. I'm gonna miss this thread, but it feels great to finally make a decision! Best of luck to all of you, I know you're gonna love law school.

PS. I bequeath my march madness winnings to cuse.

Good luck! We shall miss you

[snapdragon25]

Thanks guys!

[wannabelawstudent]

After a lot of thinking and much pestering from wannabe, I decided to withdraw. I'll either be attending northwestern in the fall if I ever get out of hold limbo, or retaking the LSAT and reapplying next year. I'm gonna miss this thread, but it feels great to finally make a decision! Best of luck to all of you, I know you're gonna love law school.

PS. I bequeath my march madness winnings to cuse.

Don't carrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee. Foe'd. One less person to compete with. *WHISTLES GUILTILY*

[shifty_eyed]

After a lot of thinking and much pestering from wannabe, I decided to withdraw. I'll either be attending northwestern in the fall if I ever get out of hold limbo, or retaking the LSAT and reapplying next year. I'm gonna miss this thread, but it feels great to finally make a decision! Best of luck to all of you, I know you're gonna love law school.

PS. I bequeath my march madness winnings to cuse.

Good luck! Retaking is almost always worth it IMO

[DoveBodyWash]

Just as a general heads-up

WashU does refund your deposit if you withdraw by May 1, but May 1 is only 16 days after April 15th. There's a chance they may not reply to your scholly requests in time for you to withdraw by the refund date.

So just go into it with the knowledge that there's a fair chance you won't be able to get a refund if you're waiting for a scholly reply.

[shifty_eyed]

Is there a second deposit deadline? If so, when/how much?

Cuse is my google.

[DoveBodyWash]

Is there a second deposit deadline? If so, when/how much?

Cuse is my google.

June 1st, $500

[WokeUpInACar]

I'm going to be rather upset if I they don't get back to me by the end of the day.

[Dream Weave]

I got a really nice email from MAC last night regarding my scholly request. I hope it means I should hear back soon. Regardless though, I appreciate how responsive Washu has been in the process compared to other schools. When your asking someone to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on a risky venture why would you not be like WashU?

[WokeUpInACar]

I got a really nice email from MAC last night regarding my scholly request. I hope it means I should hear back soon. Regardless though, I appreciate how responsive Washu has been in the process compared to other schools. When your asking someone to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on a risky venture why would you not be like WashU?

What did she say?