WUSTL Class of 2019 Applicants Forum

[Shib26]

Just got a scholarship for $20,000/year! Very excited because I'm well below LSAT median and am expecting a higher Feb score. Took about three months to hear after admittance.

So just to clarify, you applied and were accepted with a pending LSAT score? I just ask because I applied early January, and have had zero movement on the status checker, but I have a pending Feb score as well. I never told them to hold my app for that score but the lack of movement made me wonder if they had put an unofficial hold on it. But if not, then I guess I'll just have to deal with a longer wait than I anticipated.

[proteinshake]

just got upgraded to Dean's Fellowship (full-tuition)!

[cc1012]

Just had my full tuition Scholar in Law Award upgraded to Dean's Fellowship

[jumbo2016]

Did you guys ask for an upgrade/ show them competing offers?

[tsujimoto74]

Just had my full tuition Scholar in Law Award upgraded to Dean's Fellowship

just got upgraded to Dean's Fellowship (full-tuition)!

Congrats! Did you guys negotiate for it, or did they just decide to give you more on their own?

[ramybamy]

My application has been sitting at "Application Documents Received" for almost a month now with no word whatsoever.

Is this normal?

[5135mhs]

Just got a scholarship for $20,000/year! Very excited because I'm well below LSAT median and am expecting a higher Feb score. Took about three months to hear after admittance.

So just to clarify, you applied and were accepted with a pending LSAT score? I just ask because I applied early January, and have had zero movement on the status checker, but I have a pending Feb score as well. I never told them to hold my app for that score but the lack of movement made me wonder if they had put an unofficial hold on it. But if not, then I guess I'll just have to deal with a longer wait than I anticipated.

I was accepted with my June score and awarded a scholarship between taking the feb lsat and getting the score.

[cc1012]

Just had my full tuition Scholar in Law Award upgraded to Dean's Fellowship

just got upgraded to Dean's Fellowship (full-tuition)!

Congrats! Did you guys negotiate for it, or did they just decide to give you more on their own?

Did you guys ask for an upgrade/ show them competing offers?

I haven't contacted them since I asked for a shirt about a month ago. I received the full tuition Scholars in Law Award in October and just received notice that I had received a Dean's Fellowship.

[proteinshake]

Just had my full tuition Scholar in Law Award upgraded to Dean's Fellowship

just got upgraded to Dean's Fellowship (full-tuition)!

Congrats! Did you guys negotiate for it, or did they just decide to give you more on their own?

I didn't negotiate. i think if you get offered admission with a scholly and don't accept it, they'll increase it in fear of losing you to a different school.

[The_Lorax]

Just got bumped from 120k to the dean's fellowship full ride

Didn't even talk to them about it, they just did it out of the blue

[tsujimoto74]

Cool, thanks. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll bump mine up too. Even if they don't, at least it seems like they'll consider if I ask for more, since they're increasing awards anyway.

[RZ5646]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

[JuliusCaesar]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

[LET'S GET IT]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

[RZ5646]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

And am I right in thinking that WUSTL --> non-STL biglaw is unlikely?

[LET'S GET IT]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

And am I right in thinking that WUSTL --> non-STL biglaw is unlikely?

Well I guess it depends on what your meaning of unlikely is, but no I wouldn't say that. I mean it's less than 50/50 sure, but plenty of people got biglaw in NYC, SF, Chi, etc.

[JuliusCaesar]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

Are you from St. Louis? How would you assess the market there for people from oos aside from biglaw firms?

[lnblair]

Hey everyone! I'm wondering if anyone has been rejected or waitlisted after an interview?
Interviewed Feb. 8th and I'm noticing a lot of people who interviewed around that time have already received their admissions decision.

[RZ5646]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

Are you from St. Louis? How would you assess the market there for people from oos aside from biglaw firms?

Also interested. I'm guessing they're even more tie/connection-conscious though.

[LET'S GET IT]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

Are you from St. Louis? How would you assess the market there for people from oos aside from biglaw firms?

Also interested. I'm guessing they're even more tie/connection-conscious though.

Not from St. Louis but from a neighboring state and have a wife with a decent job here. PI jobs/clerkships are definitely far less ties centric. People I know from elsewhere have had little to no problem getting those type jobs regardless of ties. They tend to care more about a track record that shows commitment to PI. It seems to only be the firm's that are ties obsessed. I have no explanation for why this is.

[w00kash]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

Current 2L here. Yeah so this is wrong. There is basically no overcoming it. I don't know of a single person in my class who got biglaw in STL that isn't from here. And some tried very hard to show commitment to the area. They've been burned too often, and if you don't have very strong ties (read: went to high school here) you're chances of getting biglaw here are slim to none unless you are a URM, in which case your chances are upgraded to slim.

Biglaw is doable from WUSTL with good grades, but it probably won't be STL biglaw.

Are you from St. Louis? How would you assess the market there for people from oos aside from biglaw firms?

Also interested. I'm guessing they're even more tie/connection-conscious though.

Not from St. Louis but from a neighboring state and have a wife with a decent job here. PI jobs/clerkships are definitely far less ties centric. People I know from elsewhere have had little to no problem getting those type jobs regardless of ties. They tend to care more about a track record that shows commitment to PI. It seems to only be the firm's that are ties obsessed. I have no explanation for why this is.

Just a 1L here but in my PI/GOV interviews for this summer, why St. Louis? wasn't even asked once and why Wash U? was asked exactly once and I have like the least ties to this area anyone could possibly have. I got 2 offers with PI/GOV summer programs here in STL despite this. I'm sure this is different for 2L summer and even for post-bar interviews, so I don't personally read too much into it but the general feeling is that they really do care about dedication to service rather than ties. My best guess is that, at least so far as local PI and gov gigs are concerned, there's a much better chance you're gonna bolt for a high-paying firm job than another equally low-paying PI gig in some other part of the country. I mean, STL is a pretty solid city to live in if you're gonna make local GOV/PI money. You'd be worse off to try to live on a similar salary in CHI/SF/NYC if you had the choice.

[tsujimoto74]

Related question for the current students in here: how hard is it to get government/PI jobs outside STL from WUSTL? Ideally, I'd like to be in NY or DC after graduation. Anecdotally, do students and grads who don't want to stay in that region have a hard time making it to the markets they do want to be in?

[w00kash]

Related question for the current students in here: how hard is it to get government/PI jobs outside STL from WUSTL? Ideally, I'd like to be in NY or DC after graduation. Anecdotally, do students and grads who don't want to stay in that region have a hard time making it to the markets they do want to be in?

I mean, I know nothing about Fed Gov or the ACLU or anything along those lines, but the big thing for the organizations I interviewed with really is commitment to public service. If you can establish that, you can get one of those jobs out of WUSTL. They do bring in representatives from organizations in both of those cities for networking events on campus. At least they have done so this year. It'll take more legwork on your end I would imagine, but the resources are there for you. PI/Gov isn't necessarily WUSTL's main focus in general though. Again, 1L so take all of my advice with a grain of salt.

[tsujimoto74]

Related question for the current students in here: how hard is it to get government/PI jobs outside STL from WUSTL? Ideally, I'd like to be in NY or DC after graduation. Anecdotally, do students and grads who don't want to stay in that region have a hard time making it to the markets they do want to be in?

I mean, I know nothing about Fed Gov or the ACLU or anything along those lines, but the big thing for the organizations I interviewed with really is commitment to public service. If you can establish that, you can get one of those jobs out of WUSTL. They do bring in representatives from organizations in both of those cities for networking events on campus. At least they have done so this year. It'll take more legwork on your end I would imagine, but the resources are there for you. PI/Gov isn't necessarily WUSTL's main focus in general though. Again, 1L so take all of my advice with a grain of salt.

Yeah, I kind of figured it would require a bit more "hustle," which I don't really mind. I tend to do pretty well at networking and making connections when I put the effort in. I just wanted to know that it remains firmly in the realm of the possible/realistic. Thanks for answering.

[mornincounselor]

Anyone successfully negotiated a stipend?

Also, I've read that St. Louis firms can be very tie-focused. Would WUSTL for free make sense for someone with no Midwest ties who's seeking a midlaw or biglaw job?

I bluntly asked this question during my interview and they said something along the lines of "they are to an extent because people in the past have burned them(the firms) but not nearly to the extent that you read on the internet(they also specifically mentioned TLS lol)" and they also said that it can easily be overcome if you show desire to stay in the area (i.e. gaining residency, significant other with a job there, etc.) Granted, this info was coming from someone who wants people to go there, they were pretty honest about the situation.

That's interesting because TLS happens to have a ton of active posting current and former WUSTL students. In so far as TLS being informed about any particular school, there is probably more collected knowledge about WUSTL here than any other school outside the t14.