If I have some transfer applications in, but recently received an award/honor - for example, invitation to join law review - should I update the applications to tell the schools?

How do I do this? By e-mailing each school?

Thanks.

Yes. I did this by emailing the school and attaching an updated resume.

I feel like an invitation to law review is pretty irrelevant, considering pretty much everyone transferring will have that.

I think it is a good idea to update but not for the reason you might expect. I have sent updates about getting on law review (I think with certain ranks it is just taken as a given).

The objective is not just to inform them of an honor (which might have little to no impact). Rather it is an opportunity to express your continued interest in the school.

I noticed two kinds of responses to my emails. One group was a form letter that schools send out. The others seem more personally tailored to you. So it would look like this

Form letter:

[Your name] we have received your update. And will update your file.

This will be copied nearly verbatim. Two sentances, one with your name, and that is it.

Personlized letter will seem to be more responsive to you. It will be as if they are trying to maintain your interest in a subtle way.

So I say send an updated with subject "UPDATE: [Your Full Name] [Your LSAC#].

Good luck

i've just e-mailed and gotten no response/boilerplate response, so then i followed up with a call to make sure they've received and put something in my file.

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Would you suggest updating if you are already under review? I am concerned if they pull out my file it will disturb the review process.

I was just coming on here to ask the same question, specifically for law review...does anyone else have any comments/feedback as to whether we should send updates?

While for some applicants grade-on is a given, at my school only the top 13 students grade-on, so for everyone else who make it, it's an acknowledgment of research/writing quality and another demonstration of skill and superiority in a competition with one’s peers. However, I’m just not quite sure how to put it, since at my school they also don’t tell us how we make it on (there are 13 spots for each of: (1) grade-on, (2) write-on, or (3) hybrid grade/write-on, and decisions are made using a completely blind system). So basically, I can’t say “I successfully earned a spot on the law review staff through my performance in the joint journal competition” because I don’t know if I graded on, and I can’t say “My grades are so awesome that I was offered a place on law review” because I don’t know that that was the case either – and besides, that sort of message basically illustrates the issue that bceagles was talking about as telling them absolutely nothing new….so if anyone’s got suggestions or ideas I’d appreciate them. Thanks!

I sent them an update with a copy of the letter inviting me to law review. As long as there was SOME basis for getting on, it is an additional accomplishment on your resume.

I would skip the explanation of how you got onto LR and just tell them that you were offered a spot.