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I recently received a letter from the dean of admissions at a T15 school. I sincerely thought Ashton Kutcher may have been hiding in my hallway ready to pop out at any moment with a film crew. (Apologies for those of you who missed out on Punk'd, go watch an episode and return.) Anyways, I spent a good amount of time over analyzing this letter, of course. It's an actual letter, not a mass letter. It's tailored to my interests and highlights student groups I would be inclined to join AND there was also an admissions packet full of amazing and hilarious reasons why I should "please consider attending" this school. The letter is signed in ink (there's even smudges, yes I inspected this) by the dean and there's even a handwritten note. My surprise stems from the fact that 1) I don't meet their median LSAT score, my LSAT scores (yes there is an 's' at the end, I have 2) are WELL below which is why I'm on the Sage 2) my undergrad GPA is good but not stellar, again below their median. I know there are supposedly other factors that go into the admissions decision but right now even this letter confirmed they can only see what's on my LSAC profile and still they are calling me a "strong candidate with a strong chance of admissions," and have waived my application fee to apply. I am definitely going to but I don't want to get my hopes up either. I know this letter of interest is at best necessary but not sufficient to gaining admissions (you like that fellow LSATonians?) but I'm still baffled as to why I even received it in the first place. Just to clarify, I'm not a total downer on myself, I do have a MA, I have published original research, volunteer work, actual work experience, my cat thinks I'm pretty badass etc etc. I'm thinking I should contact this admissions office but I'm still unsure of what I should or should not say. Telling them they have the wrong person is probably not the best idea but I'd like to know why I was contacted, if I even have a shot or if this is just false hope. I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thank you in advance my lovely fellow LSAT prisoners!
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24 comments
@alejoroarios925
It is certainly true that you will receive a bump if you are a URM.
Awww shucks ....
I'm not saying I'm a gunner. I'm just packing intellectual heat.
Haha win!
Lol! Even Apple thinks T14 is arbitrary nomenclature!
@2543.hopkins typed this on an iPhone. T14*.
@alejoroarios925 I wouldn't want to go to UT though. Then you would have to compete against @2543.hopkins in pretty much everything law school related... and I don't think anybody wants that ;p
If we ARE talking about UT here, they will never "rate your chances" over the phone or otherwise. I'm sure this is true for 99%+ of schools. But yeah, you could reach out to the students' org. I'm sure they're prepared to get this kind of question.
We assume you mean UT because you refer to T15 (whereas typically one would refer to the more customary T14).
@2543.hopkins by "handled it" I meant did someone with a similar experience reach out to the admissions office before applying to see if this indicated there was a legitimate chance of admissions, how did they approach without saying I think you have the wrong person or did they not reach out at all and just simply apply and how did it all turn out. UT is a great option. I did not specify the school.
@alejoroarios925 thanks, and you're right I was hoping for something awesome but I get that it may be nothing more than Don Draper level advertising now. I'm here and working diligently to get a better LSAT score so that I'm a more desirable candidate period but just thought someone may have had a similar experience and might be able to impart some advice.
@alexandergreene93842 I am but that isn't necessarily true, which is why I was thinking I should contact admissions or the student association.
Just would like to thank you all for even taking the time to answer. I've never posted a discussion and it's really great to have a sounding board. Shout out to 7Sage for providing the forum.
If you want to go to UT, then take whatever bump you can get!
I agree with the comments below. I don't see this as an evil or bad thing myself. In my situation, I didn't even apply to the school that sent me the letter; instead, I made it a goal to retake the LSAT and kill it so I could become a competitive applicant the second time around. Schools can and should work to recruit more individuals in an effort to be/appear more selective.
@alejoroarios925
Are you a URM? That might be why they are trying to recruit you. If so, you might have a very good shot at an acceptance, despite your numbers.
@alexandergreene93842
1) I don't meet their median LSAT score, my LSAT scores (yes there is an 's' at the end, I have 2) are WELL below which is why I'm on the Sage 2) my undergrad GPA is good but not stellar, again below their median. I know there are supposedly other factors that go into the admissions decision but right now even this letter confirmed they can only see what's on my LSAC profile and still they are calling me a "strong candidate with a strong chance of admissions," and have waived my application fee to apply.
If you wanted to go there before you received this letter, by all means apply, but if not, I would pay this letter (or very effective piece of advertising...like Don Draper effective) very little mind.
Not trying to dash your hopes, just trying to manage your expectations.
I don't know what you mean by "handle it." Retake the LSAT, get a higher score, put out stellar apps, and throw your hat in the ring ... Just like all of us are doing, recruiting letter or not.
For what it's worth, I would say you should definitely apply to UT. The interim dean has a very holistic philosophy and it sounds like they only really consider LSAT scores in the very low 150's to approach being dealbreakers (but even then there could be exceptions?). UT also sort of "recruits" Texas residents, likely because they have to matriculate 65% citizens of Texas. Thus all Texas residents get a fee waiver.
@alejoroarios925 @974 @2543.hopkins I definitely recognize this is recruitment. The question I had was why recruit someone with my profile. I was hoping someone with a similar experience would be able to shed some light on this, advise as to how they handled it and possibly share their outcome. I get the numbers business now and still will be sending one kick ass application.
Exactly
@meredithduarte41
I'm sorry, what's the problem here?
@pritisharma565 Seems like a lot of time, energy and money spent just to inflate numbers. Playing to students in minority groups is low too. I'm speaking with the student group they put me in contact with, hoping to get their perspective since, if anyone, they may have been in a similar situation when looking to apply to schools.
my cat thinks I'm pretty badass etc etc
hahaha
Oh boy it is not only mean spirited it is borderline scam . It is sad what has become of education.
@alejoroarios925 Ok thank you. I was hoping someone could speak on this. Very similar situation here, they put me in contact with a student group and all as well. Kinda mean spirited if you ask me.
@tutordavidlevine115 Assassin don't get false hopes though. I got a tailored letter from a top 3 school after getting a 163 in my first LSAT. I even got a letter from their Hispanic association/student group inviting me to attend, blah blah. While it would be a dream to go there I knew that these types of schools often send letters inviting people to apply so they get much lower acceptance rates and look more exclusive. Apply by all means but don't get your hopes up.
I don't get what the issue is... Do you want to go to UT or not? If yes, apply, if no, perhaps still apply for negotiation purposes later on. It'll only cost you the $30 for lsac's fees. Why would you reach out to the adcoms with anything besides an application?