What does Wisconsin Madison look for? Forum

[Sciencemeetslaw]

Dear All,

I am waitlisted at Wisconsin Madison Law, and I really want to attend this school. It is my absolutely top choice law school.

I am wondering if you guys know if there are particular things that Wisconsin looks for in a student or that they particularly value in a particular student (apart from GPA and LSAT)? E.g.: diversity, work experience, recommendation letters, etc…? I am not an in-state student.

THANK YOU!!

[Traynor Brah]

Retaking the lsat is the best option. Getting in at UW as a waitlist means you won't have a scholarship, which is untenable considering UW's employment statistics.

Why the burning desire to go to UW as an out of state student? If you're not ok with the idea that the only job you can find as a young attorney is practicing at a small WI firm (that is not in Madison), for little money, then I would not go to UW under any circumstance, as that's the most likely outcome.

[Sciencemeetslaw]

Retaking the lsat is the best option. Getting in at UW as a waitlist means you won't have a scholarship, which is untenable considering UW's employment statistics.

Why the burning desire to go to UW as an out of state student? If you're not ok with the idea that the only job you can find as a young attorney is practicing at a small WI firm (that is not in Madison), for little money, then I would not go to UW under any circumstance, as that's the most likely outcome.

Thanks for the suggestions! I am an international student, so for me, it doesn't really matter where I go, the tuition will pretty much be the same. I like UW because it is very highly regarded in my country, and I like the school a lot too. No scholarship is not a big problem for me, I have my own way of financing my education without any debt upon graduation.

I would love to retake the LSAT again, but I have received my waitlist decision from UW AFTER the June LSAT date, so at this point retaking the LSAT is not possible anymore. So I am just wondering whether there are any soft factors that UW is specifically looking for, or what type of students they are lacking and would like to fill the class with.

[kartelite]

Thanks for the suggestions! I am an international student, so for me, it doesn't really matter where I go, the tuition will pretty much be the same.

I'm not sure you understand how this works.

[cavalier1138]

I like UW because it is very highly regarded in my country...

I'm just morbidly curious. Which country is this?

[Traynor Brah]

UW's undergrad* is highly regarded in your country, that is presumably China. But where do you plan on practicing? Wisconsin, as a law school, does not have clout outside of Wisconsin, so if you plan on practicing in the states, this is a very bad idea, as you're going to have immense trouble finding a job that is not in Wisconsin. If you hope to practice for a large American firm in China, you need to go to an elite American school and get really good grades; you simply won't be considered from UW.

Sorry for the harsh advice. You can retake the last in a year or so, probably, which will enable options that could possibly make sense.

[foregetaboutdre]

UW's undergrad* is highly regarded in your country, that is presumably China. But where do you plan on practicing? Wisconsin, as a law school, does not have clout outside of Wisconsin, so if you plan on practicing in the states, this is a very bad idea, as you're going to have immense trouble finding a job that is not in Wisconsin. If you hope to practice for a large American firm in China, you need to go to an elite American school and get really good grades; you simply won't be considered from UW.

Sorry for the harsh advice. You can retake the last in a year or so, probably, which will enable options that could possibly make sense.

Not being a contrarian and I agree with your advice BUT I spent my 1L year at a peer school to UW (think midwest big10), and one of my classmates was originally from SE Asia. It looked like he was essentially guaranteed a job at a large asian firm (by connections) if he went to law school in the US.

He spent 1L summer as a summer associate at a SE asian firm with like 200-300 attorneys. If this is your exact situation, UW wouldn't be a bad choice. Esp. because UW translates well in Asia.

[Sciencemeetslaw]

UW's undergrad* is highly regarded in your country, that is presumably China. But where do you plan on practicing? Wisconsin, as a law school, does not have clout outside of Wisconsin, so if you plan on practicing in the states, this is a very bad idea, as you're going to have immense trouble finding a job that is not in Wisconsin. If you hope to practice for a large American firm in China, you need to go to an elite American school and get really good grades; you simply won't be considered from UW.

Sorry for the harsh advice. You can retake the last in a year or so, probably, which will enable options that could possibly make sense.

Not being a contrarian and I agree with your advice BUT I spent my 1L year at a peer school to UW (think midwest big10), and one of my classmates was originally from SE Asia. It looked like he was essentially guaranteed a job at a large asian firm (by connections) if he went to law school in the US.

He spent 1L summer as a summer associate at a SE asian firm with like 200-300 attorneys. If this is your exact situation, UW wouldn't be a bad choice. Esp. because UW translates well in Asia.

@ forgets outdre: Yes, this is my situation too. So this is why I want to attend UW Madison. Thank you for clarification and the information!!

@ everyone else: I am only waitlisted at UW, and so I am starting this thread to ask if any of you know what type of students is UW Madison especially looking for, i.e.: Is there sth in particular that they particularly value apart from LSAT/GPA? I am not starting this thread to ask whether UW is a good law school....

[Traynor Brah]

Well GPA/lsat is really all that matters, but at the margins, it's a pretty tight community, and the "mission" of the school is Wisconsin-centric. As the school probably doesn't care about raising it's international profile, I would at least try to intimate in further interactions with the school that you want to work in Wisconsin. All else equal, they're going to choose a kid who wants to stay in the state to practice.

[Sciencemeetslaw]

Well GPA/lsat is really all that matters, but at the margins, it's a pretty tight community, and the "mission" of the school is Wisconsin-centric. As the school probably doesn't care about raising it's international profile, I would at least try to intimate in further interactions with the school that you want to work in Wisconsin. All else equal, they're going to choose a kid who wants to stay in the state to practice.

Ok!! Thanks a lot for the information!!

[juyatong]

Hi, I applied Wisconsin this year and waitlisted. Can i ask what did you do later? Did you make it with Wisconsin? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[Rigo]

Hi, I applied Wisconsin this year and waitlisted. Can i ask what did you do later? Did you make it with Wisconsin? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

The original poster is long gone.