Stanford 2010!!! Forum

[crackberry]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

[CardinalRules]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

Only tell them if it's really true, though.

[BioEBear2010]

To bring this discussion back around to the purpose of the thread, I have, over the last couple of hours, managed to make myself fairly pessimistic about my chances of getting accepted by SLS. So far, everyone who has been admitted, with the exception of one URM, has a GPA of 3.9 or above. I don't have that. I also made the mistake of browsing through last year's applicant data on LSN. There were several applicants with numbers as good or better than mine who got rejected. Finally, while I have some interesting softs, I don't have the impressive PI experience that many Stanford admits seems to possess, and I did not attend an elite undergrad.

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

To be fair, isn't it possible (and *crosses fingers* likely) that Stanford is only accepting those applicants with stellar GPAs because it is so early in the cycle? SLS admissions typically continue until April, and I imagine (again, *crosses fingers*) that they will have to start accepting people with sub-3.9 GPAs in order to fill their class.

What's interesting, though, is that Stanford was "supposed" to weight the LSAT more heavily this year...

[crackberry]

This is all credited:

To be fair, isn't it possible (and *crosses fingers* likely) that Stanford is only accepting those applicants with stellar GPAs because it is so early in the cycle? SLS admissions typically continue until April, and I imagine (again, *crosses fingers*) that they will have to start accepting people with sub-3.9 GPAs in order to fill their class.

What's interesting, though, is that Stanford was "supposed" to weight the LSAT more heavily this year...

Also, this:

Only tell them if it's really true, though.

is true.

[WhiskeyGuy]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

I made it crystal clear. May I ask where you heard this? Hoping it was a reputable source(s)!

[Dignan]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

I came very close to saying it. I had a (completely sincere) "Why Stanford?" paragraph in my PS that meshed well with the rest of my statement. But I did not come out and say "I'd pick you over Harvard and Yale!," even though that happens to be true. I didn't want to grovel.

[Dignan]

For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged.

Despite initial optimism, I started feeling the same way about a week before I got the call. Maybe it's a good omen that you're starting to be pessimistic.

I think the omen is a little more effective when you've got a 4.1/178, but I'll hope for the best.

[Dignan]

To bring this discussion back around to the purpose of the thread, I have, over the last couple of hours, managed to make myself fairly pessimistic about my chances of getting accepted by SLS. So far, everyone who has been admitted, with the exception of one URM, has a GPA of 3.9 or above. I don't have that. I also made the mistake of browsing through last year's applicant data on LSN. There were several applicants with numbers as good or better than mine who got rejected. Finally, while I have some interesting softs, I don't have the impressive PI experience that many Stanford admits seems to possess, and I did not attend an elite undergrad.

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

To be fair, isn't it possible (and *crosses fingers* likely) that Stanford is only accepting those applicants with stellar GPAs because it is so early in the cycle? SLS admissions typically continue until April, and I imagine (again, *crosses fingers*) that they will have to start accepting people with sub-3.9 GPAs in order to fill their class.

What's interesting, though, is that Stanford was "supposed" to weight the LSAT more heavily this year...

I heard that too, but Faye Deal denied it:

http://blogs.law.stanford.edu/admission ... g-started/

[WhiskeyGuy]

To bring this discussion back around to the purpose of the thread, I have, over the last couple of hours, managed to make myself fairly pessimistic about my chances of getting accepted by SLS. So far, everyone who has been admitted, with the exception of one URM, has a GPA of 3.9 or above. I don't have that. I also made the mistake of browsing through last year's applicant data on LSN. There were several applicants with numbers as good or better than mine who got rejected. Finally, while I have some interesting softs, I don't have the impressive PI experience that many Stanford admits seems to possess, and I did not attend an elite undergrad.

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

To be fair, isn't it possible (and *crosses fingers* likely) that Stanford is only accepting those applicants with stellar GPAs because it is so early in the cycle? SLS admissions typically continue until April, and I imagine (again, *crosses fingers*) that they will have to start accepting people with sub-3.9 GPAs in order to fill their class.

What's interesting, though, is that Stanford was "supposed" to weight the LSAT more heavily this year...

I heard that too, but Faye Deal denied it:

http://blogs.law.stanford.edu/admission ... g-started/

I was relieved to read that when ndnlawdc posted it awhile back. Really relieved.

[crackberry]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

I made it crystal clear. May I ask where you heard this? Hoping it was a reputable source(s)!

When I spoke to Faye on the phone, we talked about my PS (much of it was about my time at Stanford UG) and she specifically mentioned the fact that I said something like: "For these reasons and more, Stanford is my first choice for law school." She laughed, saying "Well, you aren't bound to come here, of course, but you said you would!"

So straight from the horse's mouth. If that's reputable enough.

[WhiskeyGuy]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

I made it crystal clear. May I ask where you heard this? Hoping it was a reputable source(s)!

When I spoke to Faye on the phone, we talked about my PS (much of it was about my time at Stanford UG) and she specifically mentioned the fact that I said something like: "For these reasons and more, Stanford is my first choice for law school." She laughed, saying "Well, you aren't bound to come here, of course, but you said you would!"

So straight from the horse's mouth. If that's reputable enough.

I suppose that'll do.

edit: Sounds like you get to have a full on conversation with the Dean if you get accepted?

[CardinalRules]

So straight from the horse's mouth. If that's reputable enough.

Poor Faye.

[Laina]

I suppose that'll do.

edit: Sounds like you get to have a full on conversation with the Dean if you get accepted?

Yeah, my phone call was pretty long. She went into detail about the packet I'd be getting, where it'd be sent, confirmed my address, talked about ASW, financial aid opportunities, gave me her direct line (since she calls from a blocked number) and a few other things I pretty much blacked out for. I'm pretty certain she didn't make any specific references to my application, so I guess that was special for crackberry (or I'm just the exception).

[WhiskeyGuy]

I suppose that'll do.

edit: Sounds like you get to have a full on conversation with the Dean if you get accepted?

Yeah, my phone call was pretty long. She went into detail about the packet I'd be getting, where it'd be sent, confirmed my address, talked about ASW, financial aid opportunities, gave me her direct line (since she calls from a blocked number) and a few other things I pretty much blacked out for. I'm pretty certain she didn't make any specific references to my application, so I guess that was special for crackberry (or I'm just the exception).

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It is great that she takes the time to have a thorough conversation with accepted students. I always pictured a quick, 2 minute "your in" from all law schools.

[fidesverita]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It is great that she takes the time to have a thorough conversation with accepted students. I always pictured a quick, 2 minute "your in" from all law schools.

+ 1 That's pretty nice of Faye.

Hopefully the rest of us will have the privilege of having a chat with her over the phone.

[crackberry]

I suppose that'll do.

edit: Sounds like you get to have a full on conversation with the Dean if you get accepted?

Yeah, my phone call was pretty long. She went into detail about the packet I'd be getting, where it'd be sent, confirmed my address, talked about ASW, financial aid opportunities, gave me her direct line (since she calls from a blocked number) and a few other things I pretty much blacked out for. I'm pretty certain she didn't make any specific references to my application, so I guess that was special for crackberry (or I'm just the exception).

Yeah my phone call with her was like four minutes or something. Berkeley, by contrast, was 50-odd seconds. Faye asked about my work and how I liked SF compared to DC, etc. Aside from me shaking in excitement the whole time, it was a pretty relaxed conversation.

[CardinalRules]

I suppose that'll do.

edit: Sounds like you get to have a full on conversation with the Dean if you get accepted?

Yeah, my phone call was pretty long. She went into detail about the packet I'd be getting, where it'd be sent, confirmed my address, talked about ASW, financial aid opportunities, gave me her direct line (since she calls from a blocked number) and a few other things I pretty much blacked out for. I'm pretty certain she didn't make any specific references to my application, so I guess that was special for crackberry (or I'm just the exception).

Yeah my phone call with her was like four minutes or something. Berkeley, by contrast, was 50-odd seconds. Faye asked about my work and how I liked SF compared to DC, etc. Aside from me shaking in excitement the whole time, it was a pretty relaxed conversation.

She left a lengthy message on my voicemail and seemed to be trying to stay on the line for a while in the hope that I would eventually pick up. I wish that I had talked to her in person, but I'm going to email her soon about visiting classes and touring the law school facilities. Her emails thus far have been warm and personable.

[los blancos]

I feel like I'd be a great fit for SLS in many ways. For the first time, though, I think there's a better than even chance that I get dinged. I would get over it but, if it happens, it's going to sting more than any other rejection.

Did you let SLS know (in your PS or otherwise) that they were your number 1? I've heard it helps.

Only tell them if it's really true, though.

I made this promise to Berkeley. Said straight-up in my PS that I would promptly withdraw everywhere else and enroll if I got in. Fully plan on backing it up but I know I'm not going to get the opportunity to.

If I could've told it to a second school, it would've been SLS. A small part of the reason I chose to tell Berk was bc I knew that with my nonexistent softs SLS was going to look at my 3.63 and laugh (Berk, too, but at least I'm above their 75th LSAT and reasonably close to their 25th GPA). I'm counting on diversity (tho I have to check 'white' on the forms) and UG prestige to give me a dark shot in hell at SLS. I would easily take SLS over any school but Berk.

[crackberry]

I made this promise to Berkeley. Said straight-up in my PS that I would promptly withdraw everywhere else and enroll if I got in. Fully plan on backing it up but I know I'm not going to get the opportunity to.

If I could've told it to a second school, it would've been SLS. A small part of the reason I chose to tell Berk was bc I knew that with my nonexistent softs SLS was going to look at my 3.63 and laugh (Berk, too, but at least I'm above their 75th LSAT and reasonably close to their 25th GPA). I'm counting on diversity (tho I have to check 'white' on the forms) and UG prestige to give me a dark shot in hell at SLS. I would easily take SLS over any school but Berk.

While I completely understand your reasoning for choosing Berkeley as your de facto ED school, I've always wondered what it is about Berkeley that appeals to you more than SLS.

Let's say you get into both and pick Berkeley. Why do you do it, assuming $$ is equal?

[Dignan]

I made this promise to Berkeley. Said straight-up in my PS that I would promptly withdraw everywhere else and enroll if I got in. Fully plan on backing it up but I know I'm not going to get the opportunity to.

If I could've told it to a second school, it would've been SLS. A small part of the reason I chose to tell Berk was bc I knew that with my nonexistent softs SLS was going to look at my 3.63 and laugh (Berk, too, but at least I'm above their 75th LSAT and reasonably close to their 25th GPA). I'm counting on diversity (tho I have to check 'white' on the forms) and UG prestige to give me a dark shot in hell at SLS. I would easily take SLS over any school but Berk.

While I completely understand your reasoning for choosing Berkeley as your de facto ED school, I've always wondered what it is about Berkeley that appeals to you more than SLS.

Let's say you get into both and pick Berkeley. Why do you do it, assuming $$ is equal?

I'm sure that boilercat has an answer, but I've given this question some thought as well. For years, the big advantage of Berkeley over Stanford was $$. Not long ago, in-state tuition at Boalt was a quarter of what it was at SLS. It was like every California resident got a 75% scholarship just by virtue of being accepted. (And OOS students could establish residency and get the in-state tuition for their second and third years.) That was a tough deal to turn down.

Now, as we all know, Berkeley's in-state tuition is approaching the level of SLS's, and may even pass it within a couple of years. With the cost of both schools being about the same, I think there are going to be very few students who will choose Berkeley over SLS. I can think of only two reasons why someone would:

1. While in law school, the student wants to earn a concurrent degree in a graduate program in which Berkeley is stronger than Stanford.

2. The student really prefers living in Berkeley to living in Palo Alto.

There might be the occasional law student who is swayed by the first consideration. Although Stanford's professional schools are more highly regarded, Berkeley probably has a slight edge in the overall reputation of its graduate programs, particularly in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It depends, of course, on what program we're talking about. (I would not, for example, rank Berkeley's Poli Sci program ahead of Stanford's.) But there are graduate programs where Berkeley is stronger, and a student seeking a concurrent degree might want to take advantage of that.

As for the second consideration, there are a lot of people, particularly young people, who dislike living in Palo Alto. Although I would rather live in Berkeley than Palo Alto, I can't imagine making a law school choice based on that factor. But there are definitely prospective law students out there who seem to really care about where they live; a few of these students might choose Berkeley Law over SLS based on location.

So, that was all a long way of saying that I find it hard to think of good reasons for choosing Berkeley Law over SLS. I hope that I eventually have this relatively easy choice.

[fidesverita]

Not sure about grad programs, but I'd agree with you that Berkeley is a much more student-friendly city to live in. There's waaaay more to do there than in PA!

[CardinalRules]

Issue #2 has occurred to me, but I can't think of any other reason either. I'm glad that someone asked the cross-Bay question, however, because I was going to ask it myself soon.

[los blancos]

I made this promise to Berkeley. Said straight-up in my PS that I would promptly withdraw everywhere else and enroll if I got in. Fully plan on backing it up but I know I'm not going to get the opportunity to.

If I could've told it to a second school, it would've been SLS. A small part of the reason I chose to tell Berk was bc I knew that with my nonexistent softs SLS was going to look at my 3.63 and laugh (Berk, too, but at least I'm above their 75th LSAT and reasonably close to their 25th GPA). I'm counting on diversity (tho I have to check 'white' on the forms) and UG prestige to give me a dark shot in hell at SLS. I would easily take SLS over any school but Berk.

While I completely understand your reasoning for choosing Berkeley as your de facto ED school, I've always wondered what it is about Berkeley that appeals to you more than SLS.

Let's say you get into both and pick Berkeley. Why do you do it, assuming $$ is equal?

I miss the state school environment, I love Berkeley's campus setting, and as some mentioned, Berkeley is probably the more student-friendly town (and isn't it less expensive, too?). From what people say, Palo Alto reminds me a bit of Evanston. I want something a little different. There are also a few journals and extracurrics at Berk that I found particularly interesting. Also, I've had to deal with the quarter system for the last 3 years and I've really come to hate it (though this probably wouldn't be an issue in CA, my Winter Quarter GPA was probably .3 lower than my fall/spring GPAs).

SLS was my dream school going in to college, but I kind of tossed it aside lately as I kept realizing that I was auto-reject (even tho there's no such thing as numbers auto-reject at either school) and put all of my effort into convincing Boalt (and, as a side effect, myself) that it was my dream school. Part of it is also that I know so much more about Berkeley and haven't done nearly the same amount of research on SLS so I'm just not as aware of things that endear me to Berkeley (good LRAP, chill student body, grading system) that are probably also present at SLS.


All of that said, there's a reason why my profile says Berk is #1 and SLS is #1.5 (I really want to end up in CA and it just so happens that both schools have a lot of similar attractive qualities)

[WhiskeyGuy]

I've never been to either place, but it seems Palo Alto has a slower pace of life, greater immediate access to the outdoors, and is less crowded. I'm grew up in a rural place, so I'm very much digging these qualities.

[Kronk]

The city of Berkeley is way better than Palo Alto, although I haven't spent too much time in Palo Alto. It just seemed very suburban. That said, I'd still pick Stanford over Berkeley. Better weather, better school, and if you want to have a good time that doesn't feel undergrad-y, you're going to be heading to San Francisco regardless of whether you go to Boalt or SLS.