Top Law Schools

I'm pretty sure I have a pecking order of my wishlist even though I haven't visited any of the law schools (I've visited most when I was deciding on UG). Am I missing out on any type of boost I would get by visiting (and making sure they know I visited) if I don't visit any schools before I send in my application?

Facetime with the staff of the admissions office never hurts...but that's only if you can make a good first impression.

i'm sure 99.9% of people aren't charming enough to change people's minds during a visit

but you know, knock yourself out

they won't remember you and if you visit during peak application season, they'll be too busy and crosseyed

FromRussiaWithLove wrote:Facetime with the staff of the admissions office never hurts...but that's only if you can make a good first impression.

+1

Someone got accepted into Fordham on this fourm by going and expressing your interest in the school. Also, I heard a lot of stories about people visiting admissions deans and talking to them/asking questions that helped to get them through. But you have to be a good peep person otherwise your screwed. You don't want adcomms to think your a freak. For example, Don't show up dressed up looking like a goth.

legends159 wrote:they won't remember you and if you visit during peak application season, they'll be too busy and crosseyed

+1

But if you keep on emailing them, and making contact, they eventually will.

legends159 wrote:they won't remember you and if you visit during peak application season, they'll be too busy and crosseyed

They keep records. It's a good way to express interest in a school, but it's hardly necessary. And not as powerful as "Why X" paragraph in your PS.

does anyone know if they keep track of emails that have been sent before sending in an application. in other words, if i send an email today asking a question, but also stating my interest that they are my #1 choice, and then 3 months later I send an application, will that email resurface?

GoodToBeTheKing wrote:does anyone know if they keep track of emails that have been sent before sending in an application. in other words, if i send an email today asking a question, but also stating my interest that they are my #1 choice, and then 3 months later I send an application, will that email resurface?

they ususally keep everything in their file.

underdawg wrote:i'm sure 99.9% of people aren't charming enough to change people's minds during a visit

but you know, knock yourself out

I think it's about enthusiasm and sincerity. I really wanted to go to Fordham.

I'm hardly a 180 for charm. (I mean, you guys have seen me on TLS. You know what I'm like.) I did it, so it can't be hard.

I visited Fordham twice, and met with the same adcomm. I asked about the waitlist, of course, then explained just how much I wanted to go, and exactly what I would be involved in if admitted. When I got to the a cappella group (The Tortfeasors), he seemed genuinely surprised by my level of Fordham knowledge. He asked me for my name, and I actually saw him write it down. When I emailed him to thank him, he replied that he hoped the school would soon have some good news for me.

I urge you to go! Visit! As soon as you possibly can... and be enthusiastic and specific.

2010trojan wrote:I'm pretty sure I have a pecking order of my wishlist even though I haven't visited any of the law schools (I've visited most when I was deciding on UG). Am I missing out on any type of boost I would get by visiting (and making sure they know I visited) if I don't visit any schools before I send in my application?

Some schools really really want you to write an essay about why you want to go there. (Penn's "Why Penn?" essay is pretty much mandatory if you want to attend.) Now, you don't have to have visited the school to write such an essay, I'm sure it would be possible to research the school online, find enough things to say that you want to go to that specific school for, and write about without visiting, but visiting probably helps a lot.

This is how visiting usually helps, it gives you ammo to write a "Why I want to attend your law school" essay and include it in your application package. You can even include such an essay with schools that haven't asked for it, as long as it's not more than a page long. Writing about how you visited the school, what you liked about what you saw, and how it makes you want to go there shows them you really are interested in going there.

I also visited my top choice school twice, meeting with the Dean the second visit. I spent some time with this school's Admin Counselor at the DC Forum and then when my undergrad institution had a law fair a few months later (she recognized me at the fair from the DC Forum). The Dean told me that my Admin Counselor had put a rave review and a note that she recommended me very highly on the outside of my file, which is why I got on the WaitList instead of being rejected based on my numbers. My LSAT is at the very bottom of their range for admitted students. I followed up with my Admin Counselor in May and June.

I just got off the Waitlist and received personal notes from the Dean and my Admin Counselor with congratulations. Now I have to prove to them their decision was the right one, since I feel my profile might be a little higher than the rest of the class as a result of these contacts.

On the other hand, I got rejected off a waitlist at another school (Villanova) that I visited. I thought I had a good meeting with the Dean, but I didn't make the first cut when they released people from their Waitlist. On LSN it looked like they released people based on numbers so the visit didn't seem to make a difference.

You may need a Tarot Deck, a crystal ball and some chicken bones to figure out what any particular school is going to do.

AverageGuy wrote:I also visited my top choice school twice, meeting with the Dean the second visit. I spent some time with this school's Admin Counselor at the DC Forum and then when my undergrad institution had a law fair a few months later (she recognized me at the fair from the DC Forum). The Dean told me that my Admin Counselor had put a rave review and a note that she recommended me very highly on the outside of my file, which is why I got on the WaitList instead of being rejected based on my numbers. My LSAT is at the very bottom of their range for admitted students. I followed up with my Admin Counselor in May and June.

I just got off the Waitlist and received personal notes from the Dean and my Admin Counselor with congratulations. Now I have to prove to them their decision was the right one, since I feel my profile might be a little higher than the rest of the class as a result of these contacts.

On the other hand, I got rejected off a waitlist at another school (Villanova) that I visited. I thought I had a good meeting with the Dean, but I didn't make the first cut when they released people from their Waitlist. On LSN it looked like they released people based on numbers so the visit didn't seem to make a difference.

You may need a Tarot Deck, a crystal ball and some chicken bones to figure out what any particular school is going to do.

Which school was this if you don't mind revealing?

Now I'm torn... I always figured I would go visit the schools that I was accepted into AFTER being accepted because I couldn't imagine what could be more torturous than falling in love with a school on a visit only to find out I had been rejected later on.

michstudent10 wrote:Now I'm torn... I always figured I would go visit the schools that I was accepted into AFTER being accepted because I couldn't imagine what could be more torturous than falling in love with a school on a visit only to find out I had been rejected later on.

haha exactly how i feel. i couldnt resist popping in for a looksee at stanford last month... and now i am tortured

irie wrote:

michstudent10 wrote:Now I'm torn... I always figured I would go visit the schools that I was accepted into AFTER being accepted because I couldn't imagine what could be more torturous than falling in love with a school on a visit only to find out I had been rejected later on.

haha exactly how i feel. i couldnt resist popping in for a looksee at stanford last month... and now i am tortured

Haha yeah, I couldn't resist driving through Stanford's campus when I visited my cousin a few years back. It was absolutely beautiful. Berkeley's going to be my reach out there and I'm already in love with the stories about the school/its programs - I think visiting the campus if I have a chance of being rejected would actually break my heart!

It's dangerous. I actually recommend against visiting schools that are way out of your league, especially if you're as masochistic as I am. Visiting NYU with a very talented former TLSer (before I had even gotten into Cardozo) did not do wonders for my own sense of equilibrium. It was unbearably hard to tour Fordham while I was waiting, but I absolutely still believe that my visits played a role in my eventual acceptance.

OperaSoprano wrote:

underdawg wrote:i'm sure 99.9% of people aren't charming enough to change people's minds during a visit

but you know, knock yourself out

I think it's about enthusiasm and sincerity. I really wanted to go to Fordham.

I'm hardly a 180 for charm. (I mean, you guys have seen me on TLS. You know what I'm like.) I did it, so it can't be hard.

I visited Fordham twice, and met with the same adcomm. I asked about the waitlist, of course, then explained just how much I wanted to go, and exactly what I would be involved in if admitted. When I got to the a cappella group (The Tortfeasors), he seemed genuinely surprised by my level of Fordham knowledge. He asked me for my name, and I actually saw him write it down. When I emailed him to thank him, he replied that he hoped the school would soon have some good news for me.

I urge you to go! Visit! As soon as you possibly can... and be enthusiastic and specific.

OS, How did you set up a visit and meeting with the adcomm last year? Because currently the calendar for tours and such is showing zilch.

clem21 wrote:

OperaSoprano wrote:

underdawg wrote:i'm sure 99.9% of people aren't charming enough to change people's minds during a visit

but you know, knock yourself out

I think it's about enthusiasm and sincerity. I really wanted to go to Fordham.

I'm hardly a 180 for charm. (I mean, you guys have seen me on TLS. You know what I'm like.) I did it, so it can't be hard.

I visited Fordham twice, and met with the same adcomm. I asked about the waitlist, of course, then explained just how much I wanted to go, and exactly what I would be involved in if admitted. When I got to the a cappella group (The Tortfeasors), he seemed genuinely surprised by my level of Fordham knowledge. He asked me for my name, and I actually saw him write it down. When I emailed him to thank him, he replied that he hoped the school would soon have some good news for me.

I urge you to go! Visit! As soon as you possibly can... and be enthusiastic and specific.

OS, How did you set up a visit and meeting with the adcomm last year? Because currently the calendar for tours and such is showing zilch.

Be patient, lol. I expect they'll be up soon. I made my first visit in November, and that time, I stopped by informally to ask questions in the admissions office. I came back a second time after I was waitlisted, and that's when the adcomm in question remembered me. The school worked out my TLS identity sometime after I was admitted.

If you live nearby, Fordham will let you take a self tour, but I would probably do the guided tour anyway, as it shows interest.

For the people who visited prior to acceptance:

When during the cycle (in your opinion) would it be most beneficial to visit? And how would one go about setting up a meeting with someone who could be influential to your admission decision? I ask because I will be applying next fall, and I can visit pretty much anytime. Does it matter if I visit before or after I apply?

OperaSoprano wrote:

clem21 wrote:

OperaSoprano wrote:

underdawg wrote:i'm sure 99.9% of people aren't charming enough to change people's minds during a visit

but you know, knock yourself out

I think it's about enthusiasm and sincerity. I really wanted to go to Fordham.

I'm hardly a 180 for charm. (I mean, you guys have seen me on TLS. You know what I'm like.) I did it, so it can't be hard.

I visited Fordham twice, and met with the same adcomm. I asked about the waitlist, of course, then explained just how much I wanted to go, and exactly what I would be involved in if admitted. When I got to the a cappella group (The Tortfeasors), he seemed genuinely surprised by my level of Fordham knowledge. He asked me for my name, and I actually saw him write it down. When I emailed him to thank him, he replied that he hoped the school would soon have some good news for me.

I urge you to go! Visit! As soon as you possibly can... and be enthusiastic and specific.

OS, How did you set up a visit and meeting with the adcomm last year? Because currently the calendar for tours and such is showing zilch.

Be patient, lol. I expect they'll be up soon. I made my first visit in November, and that time, I stopped by informally to ask questions in the admissions office. I came back a second time after I was waitlisted, and that's when the adcomm in question remembered me. The school worked out my TLS identity sometime after I was admitted.

If you live nearby, Fordham will let you take a self tour, but I would probably do the guided tour anyway, as it shows interest.

I can try.

Thanks for the info.

I wonder if anyone has ever successfully flirted/slept their way into a LS to which they shouldn't have been admitted? Not that I expect anyone to say so if they had, but the question isn't really as stupid or absurd as I'm sure it initially appears, esp. if the applicant is a *really* hot female. I mean, consider the motive of an applicant to get into a place like YLS or HLS, and the motive of a (male) admissions officer--who isn't exactly making bank or raking in prestige sorting through admissions files every year--to get a chance with a perfect 10. Adcomms could easily slip a favor to an applicant they liked; even at YLS, many (most?) applications are decided on by the adcomms and don't go through the 3-professor rating system.

flcath wrote:I wonder if anyone has ever successfully flirted/slept their way into a LS to which they shouldn't have been admitted? Not that I expect anyone to say so if they had, but the question isn't really as stupid or absurd as I'm sure it initially appears, esp. if the applicant is a *really* hot female. I mean, consider the motive of an applicant to get into a place like YLS or HLS, and the motive of a (male) admissions officer--who isn't exactly making bank or raking in prestige sorting through admissions files every year--to get a chance with a perfect 10. Adcomms could easily slip a favor to an applicant they liked; even at YLS, many (most?) applications are decided on by the adcomms and don't go through the 3-professor rating system.

This is sort of like asking whether students sleep with professors to improve their grades. It happens, but is very risky to the professor or, in this case, the adcomm.

UFMatt wrote:

flcath wrote:I wonder if anyone has ever successfully flirted/slept their way into a LS to which they shouldn't have been admitted? Not that I expect anyone to say so if they had, but the question isn't really as stupid or absurd as I'm sure it initially appears, esp. if the applicant is a *really* hot female. I mean, consider the motive of an applicant to get into a place like YLS or HLS, and the motive of a (male) admissions officer--who isn't exactly making bank or raking in prestige sorting through admissions files every year--to get a chance with a perfect 10. Adcomms could easily slip a favor to an applicant they liked; even at YLS, many (most?) applications are decided on by the adcomms and don't go through the 3-professor rating system.

This is sort of like asking whether students sleep with professors to improve their grades. It happens, but is very risky to the professor or, in this case, the adcomm.

1. I have taught at the UG level, where the situation you describe occurs with some (albeit small) regularity.
2. I just feel like adcomms don't have as much to lose as profs do. I mean, it seems like kind of a shitty job to me.

eskimo wrote:For the people who visited prior to acceptance:

When during the cycle (in your opinion) would it be most beneficial to visit? And how would one go about setting up a meeting with someone who could be influential to your admission decision? I ask because I will be applying next fall, and I can visit pretty much anytime. Does it matter if I visit before or after I apply?

Before you visit, make sure it is not some stupid ridiculous reach. Visiting HYS with a 163 Lsat is wasting everyones time. It is best to visit schools where you are borderline, as I did with ND. Most predictors had me as a weak consider to a straight up rejection. I visited after I send in my app and it was complete. I requested to have a meeting with an adcomm, but only push for it if they had the time to do so. The reason you visit after you apply is so they have a file they can look at. They can see everything about you and have the ability to add sticky notes if you impress them.

To set one up, call the admissions office and be super friendly to them, they are the gatekeepers. Only visit schools in which you have a strong desire to be there. Dont go fishing to acceptances by visiting 10 schools. Only visit before a decision to improve your file but make sure you knock it out of the park.