Can it actually help your chances to visit a school? Forum

[tumbleweed664]

I think I was lucky- I toured UVA during one of the new admissions dean's first week at a top school and got to meet him and talk to him for a little bit. I don't think that moved me from a reject to admit or anything, but I heard back from that school very early and was definitely not an auto-admit (indeed, it was quite a reach). That person wrote a little personalized note on the letter referencing the visit, those those notes seem standard now.

On the other hand, their were two giant tools when I went to visit Penn who made evident their tool-osity in the Q&A. I don't think it hurt their chances, but it sure didn't help.

[Dany]

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.

Thank you - I appreciate your advice!

[observationalist]

Easy there flcath... some of the adcomms trolling these boards may take offense to you speculating on the relative crappiness of their job. Unless you're referring to the secretarial staff as being adcomms? But those aren't the ones who troll TLS looking for wisdom.

I finally ran into one of our adcomms after he got back from a run on the west coast. I'm pretty sure most of us are of the opinion that being an adcomm (or doing anything at the law school compared to a similar job elsewhere) is a pretty sweet gig.

Consider being a Vandy adcomm: you work in a beautifully renovated building in a fun city surrounded by attractive, intelligent young people, with whom you can go out and party with when you're not getting paid to travel around the country attending law school forums filled with attractive, intelligent young people who all want to meet you and hear what you have to say. Plus, you get some crazy stories about what people say at the forums and in interviews (most of which you, unfortunately, cannot share with the general public lest the person who said it get word and feel bad... though you can tell the 3Ls who promise to keep mum).

[SlipperyPete]

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[observationalist]

Easy there flcath... some of the adcomms trolling these boards may take offense to you speculating on the relative crappiness of their job. Unless you're referring to the secretarial staff as being adcomms? But those aren't the ones who troll TLS looking for wisdom.

I finally ran into one of our adcomms after he got back from a run on the west coast. I'm pretty sure most of us are of the opinion that being an adcomm (or doing anything at the law school compared to a similar job elsewhere) is a pretty sweet gig.

Consider being a Vandy adcomm: you work in a beautifully renovated building in a fun city surrounded by attractive, intelligent young people, with whom you can go out and party with when you're not getting paid to travel around the country attending law school forums filled with attractive, intelligent young people who all want to meet you and hear what you have to say. Plus, you get some crazy stories about what people say at the forums and in interviews (most of which you, unfortunately, cannot share with the general public lest the person who said it get word and feel bad... though you can tell the 3Ls who promise to keep mum).

I forgot to answer the OP's question... Yes, it can help. It has the greatest impact for people on the WL trying to get accepted. At that point, everyone on the WL has exhibited some potential and it's up to the adcomms to determine who will be the best fit. They still have to worry about the summer melt (where they lose accepteds to other WLs and risk drops in academic strength), so the numbers are still important, but they have far more discretion in picking from the WL people who they've come to know and trust throughout the cycle. I suspect that's how Opera got into Fordham and I also suspect it happens at just about every school who ends up with a 'median cushion' at the end of the cycle.*

Before the WL though? Depends on whether the school conducts interviews and/or cares about a candidate's ability to handle themselves in a conversation, something that's extremely important for most legal job interviews but not necessarily revealed by written essays or previous academic success. (Job experience may reveal that, though, depending on the type of job). A "Why Penn?" essay doesn't show whether or not the person can speak well, and I'm sure Penn ends up pulling in some students every year who lack that faculty.

*median cushion would be, in the case of Vanderbilt, being able to lose a certain number of top students without seeing your medians drop. If a school in June has a 169 LSAT median and they can afford to lose 5 or 10 >169 LSAT applicants while still keeping the median, then they can also afford to let in a few <169s who they like. And depending on how stable the 25th percentile is, they might not have to distinguish between a 160 on the WL and a 165 on the WL at that point.... they may even go for the 160 if they had the higher gpa and displayed more enthusiasm for the school than the candidate with the 165.

[Apologies for referring to people by their LSAT number. Pretty sure that's all you are to most adcomms, though, until you make yourself stand out somehow. FWIW this is where I think soft factors do come into play.]

[observationalist]

Someone got accepted into Fordham on this fourm by going and expressing their interest in the school

Wait who was this directed at? I have a hard time believing that somebody got into Fordham by talking about somebody else's interest. What, was the adcom King Solomon or something? If you're right though . . . fascinating.

I think the bolded fixes the statement... and I'm assuming it's about OS. Opera, you still there or are you off taking exams?

[Aloha4]

Serious question. Does continuously calling Rutgers Camden, or any school, and asking what my status is or if I can get an interview, hurt or help me chances? The reason I am asking is because I have been told to do so, but I can't imagine it doing anything but pissing them the hell off.

[Jackie O]

nevermind