Top Law Schools

MonicaYoung_LOL wrote:

dm1683 wrote:

supermanloi wrote:

Walliums wrote:Is it possible these aren’t YPs but perhaps a misalignment with the culture fit Chicago is looking for? I guess I just don’t know why they would bother yield protecting folks they chose to interview.

Also it really sounds like they grab a lot of people off the WL so don’t fret?

Do we know what kind of culture fit Chicago is looking for? The high stats of those with waitlists got me wonder.

straight, conservative cis people





/s obviously

lol don't mean to burst your bubble, but I was accepted with a personal statement about criminal justice reform and attacking systemic transphobia, racism, and ableism. I also spent most of my interview talking about social justice & liberal reform. Totally understand your frustration, just don't know if that's a fair deduction...

note the postscript, haha I'm just foolin. Probably because I'm K-JD and didn't overly impress with the interview. I did fine but I feel like the bar for kjds is absurdly high this cycle.

dm1683 wrote:

ilpsm wrote:

dm1683 wrote:

supermanloi wrote:

Walliums wrote:Is it possible these aren’t YPs but perhaps a misalignment with the culture fit Chicago is looking for? I guess I just don’t know why they would bother yield protecting folks they chose to interview.

Also it really sounds like they grab a lot of people off the WL so don’t fret?

Do we know what kind of culture fit Chicago is looking for? The high stats of those with waitlists got me wonder.

straight, conservative cis people


/s obviously

edit: make that /s a bigger font lmao

can you tell I'm bitter?

chicago was on one today and you will def get in eventually

dm1683 wrote:

MonicaYoung_LOL wrote:

dm1683 wrote:

supermanloi wrote:

Walliums wrote:Is it possible these aren’t YPs but perhaps a misalignment with the culture fit Chicago is looking for? I guess I just don’t know why they would bother yield protecting folks they chose to interview.

Also it really sounds like they grab a lot of people off the WL so don’t fret?

Do we know what kind of culture fit Chicago is looking for? The high stats of those with waitlists got me wonder.

straight, conservative cis people





/s obviously

lol don't mean to burst your bubble, but I was accepted with a personal statement about criminal justice reform and attacking systemic transphobia, racism, and ableism. I also spent most of my interview talking about social justice & liberal reform. Totally understand your frustration, just don't know if that's a fair deduction...

note the postscript, haha I'm just foolin. Probably because I'm K-JD and didn't overly impress with the interview. I did fine but I feel like the bar for kjds is absurdly high this cycle.

Yeah no that's totally fair! I would be p/o'ed if I were you, too. Your stats are off the charts!

principalagent wrote:

dm1683 wrote:Another waitlist. I'm floored. 4.0/173/Why Chicago/interview. K-JD like many of the others. Glad to hear I'm not alone but this was my top choice. Gunner bloodbath right here...

I’m floored! You’re incredible.

Chicago was really out here today.

+1 to this. I'm genuinely shocked by some of these waitlists

Platopus wrote:

principalagent wrote:

dm1683 wrote:Another waitlist. I'm floored. 4.0/173/Why Chicago/interview. K-JD like many of the others. Glad to hear I'm not alone but this was my top choice. Gunner bloodbath right here...

I’m floored! You’re incredible.

Chicago was really out here today.

+1 to this. I'm genuinely shocked by some of these waitlists

I can think of a few reasons why in my case:

1. I'm K-JD and a really young K-JD at that. Turned legal less than six months ago.

2. Didn't prioritize "why law" in my PS, made it more about my personal story (I was afraid of being boilerplate, guess I misjudged)

3. Interview went OK but not stellar; I faltered a bit on one question in particular

4. Soft major from an unimpressive school

Honestly I think I relied too much on my good numbers/diversity. With the increase in applicants/introduction of the GRE perhaps we're moving to a more holistic admissions process.

dm1683 wrote:

Platopus wrote:

principalagent wrote:

dm1683 wrote:Another waitlist. I'm floored. 4.0/173/Why Chicago/interview. K-JD like many of the others. Glad to hear I'm not alone but this was my top choice. Gunner bloodbath right here...

I’m floored! You’re incredible.

Chicago was really out here today.

+1 to this. I'm genuinely shocked by some of these waitlists

I can think of a few reasons why in my case:

1. I'm K-JD and a really young K-JD at that. Turned legal less than six months ago.

2. Didn't prioritize "why law" in my PS, made it more about my personal story (I was afraid of being boilerplate, guess I misjudged)

3. Interview went OK but not stellar; I faltered a bit on one question in particular

4. Soft major from an unimpressive school

Honestly I think I relied too much on my good numbers/diversity. With the increase in applicants/introduction of the GRE perhaps we're moving to a more holistic admissions process.

had none of problems 1-4 but agree with your last statement. still genuinely believe your WL is YP and they think you're headed to yale

ilpsm wrote:

dm1683 wrote:

Platopus wrote:

principalagent wrote:

dm1683 wrote:Another waitlist. I'm floored. 4.0/173/Why Chicago/interview. K-JD like many of the others. Glad to hear I'm not alone but this was my top choice. Gunner bloodbath right here...

I’m floored! You’re incredible.

Chicago was really out here today.

+1 to this. I'm genuinely shocked by some of these waitlists

I can think of a few reasons why in my case:

1. I'm K-JD and a really young K-JD at that. Turned legal less than six months ago.

2. Didn't prioritize "why law" in my PS, made it more about my personal story (I was afraid of being boilerplate, guess I misjudged)

3. Interview went OK but not stellar; I faltered a bit on one question in particular

4. Soft major from an unimpressive school

Honestly I think I relied too much on my good numbers/diversity. With the increase in applicants/introduction of the GRE perhaps we're moving to a more holistic admissions process.

had none of problems 1-4 but agree with your last statement. still genuinely believe your WL is YP and they think you're headed to yale

I wrote a personalized why chicago and visited the campus and talked to the admissions staff though??? That's why YP seems super unlikely to me.

I also received an email about my application being under "continuing review" at mich so I'm starting to seriously panic about whether there's some horrible poison pill in my application or something.

Did people submit an additional 'Why Chicago' essays?

ChutzpahSaxa15 wrote:Did people submit an additional 'Why Chicago' essays?

I didn't but I'm thinking I should have. Chicago would be great for me because it's the only school I could get home from on public transport (and I'm carless) and I ultimately want to work in Chicago. Should I send an email with these reasons? I feel dumb for not doing so initially.

dm1683 wrote:

ilpsm wrote:

dm1683 wrote:

Platopus wrote:

principalagent wrote:

dm1683 wrote:Another waitlist. I'm floored. 4.0/173/Why Chicago/interview. K-JD like many of the others. Glad to hear I'm not alone but this was my top choice. Gunner bloodbath right here...

I’m floored! You’re incredible.

Chicago was really out here today.

+1 to this. I'm genuinely shocked by some of these waitlists

I can think of a few reasons why in my case:

1. I'm K-JD and a really young K-JD at that. Turned legal less than six months ago.

2. Didn't prioritize "why law" in my PS, made it more about my personal story (I was afraid of being boilerplate, guess I misjudged)

3. Interview went OK but not stellar; I faltered a bit on one question in particular

4. Soft major from an unimpressive school

Honestly I think I relied too much on my good numbers/diversity. With the increase in applicants/introduction of the GRE perhaps we're moving to a more holistic admissions process.

had none of problems 1-4 but agree with your last statement. still genuinely believe your WL is YP and they think you're headed to yale

I wrote a personalized why chicago and visited the campus and talked to the admissions staff though??? That's why YP seems super unlikely to me.

I also received an email about my application being under "continuing review" at mich so I'm starting to seriously panic about whether there's some horrible poison pill in my application or something.

They're just playing hard to get

ChutzpahSaxa15 wrote:Did people submit an additional 'Why Chicago' essays?

I did. Which, combined with my being above both 75ths, tells me something in my app really set them off.

dm1683 wrote:

ChutzpahSaxa15 wrote:Did people submit an additional 'Why Chicago' essays?

I did. Which, combined with my being above both 75ths, tells me something in my app really set them off.

So weird. What is going on.

supermanloi wrote:

Walliums wrote:Is it possible these aren’t YPs but perhaps a misalignment with the culture fit Chicago is looking for? I guess I just don’t know why they would bother yield protecting folks they chose to interview.

Also it really sounds like they grab a lot of people off the WL so don’t fret?

Do we know what kind of culture fit Chicago is looking for? The high stats of those with waitlists got me wonder.

I have no idea what that cultural fit would be — 100% speculation

Walliums wrote:

supermanloi wrote:

Walliums wrote:Is it possible these aren’t YPs but perhaps a misalignment with the culture fit Chicago is looking for? I guess I just don’t know why they would bother yield protecting folks they chose to interview.

Also it really sounds like they grab a lot of people off the WL so don’t fret?

Do we know what kind of culture fit Chicago is looking for? The high stats of those with waitlists got me wonder.

I have no idea what that cultural fit would be — 100% speculation

I don't know if this is helpful since I was accepted, but during my interview my interviewer made a point of asking about my relationships with faculty or something like that and said that not everyone does well/fits in with the small class size and community of Chicago but she said I seemed like someone who would do well in that environment. I'm not sure what they look for to determine that. Maybe they're more interested in LORs than most schools? I'm a year out of undergrad doing a one-year master's but she was also very serious about asking me why I was going straight to law school, essentially saying that she considered me K-JD still. I didn't think my answer was great but I guess it worked.

Came here to mope about my waitlist :\

For those on waitlist, I am really sorry. I can only think that, as others said, it's a combo of YP plus prioritization of certain 'types' of candidates. I don't think they are opposed to young applicants, but maybe don't gravitate that way first. Some schools just seem to have a type. I, for example, am the old, sure-bet type (in that I already work in legal research, know what I want to do, have grad degrees, have partners at my firms writing me letters). My numbers are not as strong as many of yours though. This combo is working out for me really well at some schools, but others won't give me the time of day. I can't get a JS1 to save my life. Oh well - if they think I'm not right for them, I can accept that.

And frankly if you have a 175+/4.0 AND are young, I think others are right - they assume you're headed to HYS. If you send them an essay and let them know they're your first choice, I'm 100% sure they'll snap you up and give you a gigantic welcome scholarship to soothe any hurt feelings over that unsavory waitlist business. Bad first date! Can totally be a happy marriage where you and Chicago will laugh about it when you're old and grey.

supermanloi wrote:Any non-URM K-JDs got accepted today? Does UChi hate K-JDs that much..?

me! Pretty shocked right now, honestly, but I focused a lot on why Chicago in my interview and my current institution is pretty similar to the way the law school is set up, so I guess that helped?

Bush v. Gorgeous wrote:For those on waitlist, I am really sorry. I can only think that, as others said, it's a combo of YP plus prioritization of certain 'types' of candidates. I don't think they are opposed to young applicants, but maybe don't gravitate that way first. Some schools just seem to have a type. I, for example, am the old, sure-bet type (in that I already work in legal research, know what I want to do, have grad degrees, have partners at my firms writing me letters). My numbers are not as strong as many of yours though. This combo is working out for me really well at some schools, but others won't give me the time of day. I can't get a JS1 to save my life. Oh well - if they think I'm not right for them, I can accept that.

And frankly if you have a 175+/4.0 AND are young, I think others are right - they assume you're headed to HYS. If you send them an essay and let them know they're your first choice, I'm 100% sure they'll snap you up and give you a gigantic welcome scholarship to soothe any hurt feelings over that unsavory waitlist business. Bad first date! Can totally be a happy marriage where you and Chicago will laugh about it when you're old and grey.

excellent and on point.

Bush v. Gorgeous wrote:For those on waitlist, I am really sorry. I can only think that, as others said, it's a combo of YP plus prioritization of certain 'types' of candidates. I don't think they are opposed to young applicants, but maybe don't gravitate that way first. Some schools just seem to have a type. I, for example, am the old, sure-bet type (in that I already work in legal research, know what I want to do, have grad degrees, have partners at my firms writing me letters). My numbers are not as strong as many of yours though. This combo is working out for me really well at some schools, but others won't give me the time of day. I can't get a JS1 to save my life. Oh well - if they think I'm not right for them, I can accept that.

And frankly if you have a 175+/4.0 AND are young, I think others are right - they assume you're headed to HYS. If you send them an essay and let them know they're your first choice, I'm 100% sure they'll snap you up and give you a gigantic welcome scholarship to soothe any hurt feelings over that unsavory waitlist business. Bad first date! Can totally be a happy marriage where you and Chicago will laugh about it when you're old and grey.

I submitted a two-page Why Chicago in my original app in which I explicitly named them as one of my top choices. So it can't be YP in my case. There was a connectivity issue with Skype during my interview, could that really have been the nail in the coffin?

But hey, thanks for the reassurance and that LOCI is being written as we speak.

dm1683 wrote:

Bush v. Gorgeous wrote:For those on waitlist, I am really sorry. I can only think that, as others said, it's a combo of YP plus prioritization of certain 'types' of candidates. I don't think they are opposed to young applicants, but maybe don't gravitate that way first. Some schools just seem to have a type. I, for example, am the old, sure-bet type (in that I already work in legal research, know what I want to do, have grad degrees, have partners at my firms writing me letters). My numbers are not as strong as many of yours though. This combo is working out for me really well at some schools, but others won't give me the time of day. I can't get a JS1 to save my life. Oh well - if they think I'm not right for them, I can accept that.

And frankly if you have a 175+/4.0 AND are young, I think others are right - they assume you're headed to HYS. If you send them an essay and let them know they're your first choice, I'm 100% sure they'll snap you up and give you a gigantic welcome scholarship to soothe any hurt feelings over that unsavory waitlist business. Bad first date! Can totally be a happy marriage where you and Chicago will laugh about it when you're old and grey.

I submitted a two-page Why Chicago in my original app in which I explicitly named them as one of my top choices. So it can't be YP in my case. There was a connectivity issue with Skype during my interview, could that really have been the nail in the coffin?

But hey, thanks for the reassurance and that LOCI is being written as we speak.

I had a connectivity issue with skype as well. Did they call you on the phone (this is what happened in my case)? The phone conversation, I think, went smoothly but it did give it a bit of an awkward/overly casual feel to it so I hope I didn't speak out of turn or too nonchalantly.

etramak wrote:

dm1683 wrote:

Bush v. Gorgeous wrote:For those on waitlist, I am really sorry. I can only think that, as others said, it's a combo of YP plus prioritization of certain 'types' of candidates. I don't think they are opposed to young applicants, but maybe don't gravitate that way first. Some schools just seem to have a type. I, for example, am the old, sure-bet type (in that I already work in legal research, know what I want to do, have grad degrees, have partners at my firms writing me letters). My numbers are not as strong as many of yours though. This combo is working out for me really well at some schools, but others won't give me the time of day. I can't get a JS1 to save my life. Oh well - if they think I'm not right for them, I can accept that.

And frankly if you have a 175+/4.0 AND are young, I think others are right - they assume you're headed to HYS. If you send them an essay and let them know they're your first choice, I'm 100% sure they'll snap you up and give you a gigantic welcome scholarship to soothe any hurt feelings over that unsavory waitlist business. Bad first date! Can totally be a happy marriage where you and Chicago will laugh about it when you're old and grey.

I submitted a two-page Why Chicago in my original app in which I explicitly named them as one of my top choices. So it can't be YP in my case. There was a connectivity issue with Skype during my interview, could that really have been the nail in the coffin?

But hey, thanks for the reassurance and that LOCI is being written as we speak.

I had a connectivity issue with skype as well. Did they call you on the phone (this is what happened in my case)? The phone conversation, I think, went smoothly but it did give it a bit of an awkward/overly casual feel to it so I hope I didn't speak out of turn or too nonchalantly.

Yes they did. I definitely stumbled on one question though. But overall the interview went OK I think. Solid B.

I'm a 3.5/177/Non-URM/no why Chicago. I got WL'd but my non-URM numbers twin got accepted. I seem like kind of an odd candidate for YP, could it have been a bad PS or something?

Maybe there are tons and tons of amazing candidates so they're just super worried about over-enrolling everyone. Small class size, after all.

ChutzpahSaxa15 wrote:Maybe there are tons and tons of amazing candidates so they're just super worried about over-enrolling everyone. Small class size, after all.

I mean this was basically alluded to in their waitlist email. They do have a historically not great yield, and start pulling pretty early comparatively. It's definitely not over.

principalagent wrote:

ChutzpahSaxa15 wrote:Maybe there are tons and tons of amazing candidates so they're just super worried about over-enrolling everyone. Small class size, after all.

I mean this was basically alluded to in their waitlist email. They do have a historically not great yield, and start pulling pretty early comparatively. It's definitely not over.

In other words, Uchicago countercycle?