May 06, 2005
michigan for now
everybody dance now!
michigan law sent confirmation of the receipt of my deposit. ever gracious, sarah zearfoss includes a response to my letter:
I remember the question you asked me at the forum, but I didn't recall it was you who had asked when I later met you at Preview! I hope you'll still choose to join us after you hear from C & C.
Posted by foxes in status update at 05:35 PM | riffraff (190) | trackback (1969)
May 02, 2005
24 hour tardy people
the peanut gallery has been clamoring for foxes' decision. nobirth writes in the comments: "So, what is the deal? Most other bloggers have announced their law school decision..."
let's pause for a moment and hop into the wayback machine: it's december 2004. the world is different. holding hands is still in style. girls are still wearing uggs. yet, foxes still had the prescience to write: "this site will document my law school application process, as i am surely to be waitlisted into oblivion". is foxes clairvoyant? whence comes his foresight? it's simple: he's a genius. you haven't noticed? don't front!
so along with his deposit to michigan law, foxes included the following letter that was addressed to the charming ms. sarah zearfoss; but, he would also like to send the same sentiment out to the entire foxes fan club and its multitude of international constituents, desperate to know his decision so that they can make their own.
Dear Ms. Zearfoss,
Thank you for the offer of admission. Enclosed is my enrollment deposit. I write to notify you that I will remain under consideration at Chicago and Columbia.
I doubt that you remember—because of the volume of students that you must have met—but I spoke with you at [my undergraduate institution's] law forum, asking you whether two women pictured in the viewbook—one with a hijab and one without—were in fact the same person. At that time, I had little interest in Michigan Law, but after speaking with you, I became enthused about the possibility of attending and sent in my application straightaway.
Your patience is appreciated during this period of uncertainty.
do you remember that time we...? foxes will always love ya, no matter how this turns out. xoxo
Posted by foxes in status update at 04:36 PM | riffraff (135) | trackback (1020)
February 25, 2005
complete @ yale
an international airport??
yale law school writes to let me know that i've gone complete. explicating their unique review process, they write: "the entire faculty is involved in admissions decisions and a file may be read by as many as four faculty readers..." continuing below: "...but your credentials indicate that a single review conducted by Professor Trashcan will be sufficient. Thank you for your admission fee."
Posted by foxes in status update at 10:18 AM | riffraff (325) | trackback (719)
February 24, 2005
held @ chicago
do NOT step into my square.
Posted by foxes in status update at 11:25 PM | riffraff (215) | trackback (786)
January 19, 2005
i seen hoop dreams deflate like a true fiend's weight
time to hit the books.
my mommy seriously wants me to apply to yale. she said, "mommy knows how smart her baby is; schools will too!" i thanked her for being my mommy but corrected her deluded fantasies.
but for my mommy's sake, i finally churned out the 250 word yale essay. i call it, "yale student selection (a cautionary tale)". a teaser from the rough draft:
I follow the Bulldogs closely, so I know that Coach Koh states that maintaining the Law School’s history of success is a top priority. That being the case, he must have already watched film from USA Basketball’s dismal third place showing in the Athens Olympics.
The Americans made a classic mistake in their admissions process—they selected individual players instead of a team. Indeed, 2004’s Dream Team had twelve of the finest basketball players in the world; however, because they were chosen individually without consideration of the consequent whole, their various skills never meshed.
For instance, LeBron James, a young stud, and Allen Iverson, a long-time superstar both are prolific scorers, but oftentimes their ability to penetrate the defense relies on the team’s outside shooters whose presence on the perimeter prevents opposing defenses from smothering the ball-handler. A sharpshooter such as Michael Redd could have completely changed the complexion of games simply due to his ability to make shots from distance. But the selection committee mistakenly passed on Redd simply because he did not graduate Phi Beta Kappa.
Posted by foxes in status update at 11:21 PM | riffraff (341)
January 05, 2005
usc law's early action plan is an elaborate hoax
phooning: the illusion of movement (usc law)
i'm calling usc out.
or, more accurately, i just called usc on the phone.
part of the fun of usc's early action plan is that they say that they will render a decision on the application no more than two weeks after the application has gone complete. this makes the applicant feel all warm and gooey inside (self-importance is like a butter cake).
but, the simple fact is that they can attribute complete status whenever they feel like it, meaning that early action becomes whenever usc feels like it action, kinda defeating the whole point.
for instance, my application was sent in early november and went complete at most schools by early december, but until today, i had still heard nothing from usc. a quick phone call cleared everything up: they hadn't deemed me complete yet because of inefficiencies in the admissions office. they'll render the decision within two weeks, which is eons after receiving regular decisions at duke and michigan. so, either usc's early action program is an elaborate hoax, or they made a sincere mistake. YOU DECIDE.
Posted by foxes in status update at 07:57 PM | riffraff (103)
December 14, 2004
complete @ virginia
what's your name, boy?
Posted by foxes in status update at 11:52 PM | riffraff (200)
December 10, 2004
texas don't want me for a sunbeam
what is it, guys? i submitted my application over a month ago. and i still haven't heard anything back from you. nada. zip.
when i talked to you at that law forum, you whispered sweet nothings into my ear about how ut law was a small school inside of a large school, about how my lobes smelled delicious, and i believed you. you told me that it didn't matter that my father is an aggie, or was, an affiliation that he traded in for three beers at kerby lane.
i know college station is a dump. but it's my dump. you know what they say—"one man's trash is another man's agricultural and mechanical university". besides, i was really bringing up the property value of that place.
but i see that you've decided to walk right on out my life; or not walk in in the first place, even when i asked you to walk in; no you didn't walk in or walk out you just stayed there somewhere out of sight, or something. it doesn't matter. ut is bcs bound and i'm the insight.com bowl. goodness, gracious, great balls of fire...
Posted by foxes in status update at 05:32 PM | riffraff (217)
December 09, 2004
complete @ harvard
you can't handle the truth!
i'm in err... complete at harvard. unlike columbia law, they sent me a detailed four paragraph epic of an email describing their application procedures. Here's the bulk of it:
Applications are reviewed roughly in order of their completion dates. Each application receives individual consideration and is reviewed in its entirety by at least two readers, and many applications become complete on approximately the same date. As a result, decisions are normally sent approximately two months after completion. However, because applications are circulated to readers on different schedules, the length of time they take varies. Of all applications completed on approximately the same date, some will be decided in less than two months, most will be decided in about two months, and some may take longer than two months. Given the large volume of applications we receive during the two to three weeks prior to the February 1 deadline, notification of the decisions on many applications received during this period may take longer than two months from the date of completion.
too lazy to read that? basically what it says is, "it may take us less than two months; it may take us two months; and it may take us more than two months; but eventually, you'll have a decision. now squirm! squirm!! (but not too much you're not getting in anyway.)" the maniacal laughter is somewhere in the background.
Posted by foxes in status update at 06:19 PM | riffraff (366)
December 08, 2004
complete @ stanford
the university of chicago is a good reach for me, because it's still well within the realm of possibility. i spoke with their representative at a law forum i attended, asking the question, "how do i make it clear to chicago that it is my top choice?" she told me to apply early decision.
i ended up not doing that for two reasons. number one: i didn't want to put myself in the situation in which i only had one financial aid package to consider. if a lesser school breaks the bank for me, well it's an option that i'd like to have. but the main reason really is...
during the mad application process—writing essays, filling out forms, shoring up my resume—i managed to delude myself into thinking that, not only was stanford law a possibility, it was in fact my destiny. the only problem with this is that, now that my head has cleared, i realize that i may have done myself in. with no real prospects at stanford, i may have also somewhat sacrificed my chances at chicago as well because my first semester grades are not hot and i've lost the advantage of applying early. it's like icarus flying too close to the sun or that time i arm wrestled a body builder. all that's left is the free fall.
the upside? i'm complete at stanford. baby steps.
Posted by foxes in status update at 07:37 PM | riffraff (205)
December 06, 2004
complete @ columbia
i think deeply. (columbia.edu)
eschewing the pleasantries of its peer institutions, columbia law sent me the following terse email:
Dear Foxes:
Your application is complete and will be considered soon.
Best wishes,
Admissions
i just hope that they make their rejection letter a little more ornate, otherwise my sense of self-worth may plummet into oblivion. what am i, if not a prospective student with impressive achievements whose application was carefully considered? please—be gentle.
Posted by foxes in status update at 07:05 PM | riffraff (179)
December 03, 2004
deferred @ upenn
hold up.
i've been held over to the regular decision pool for penn law. this is a bit strange, because i thought i was being automatically held over because i didn't make the early action deadline.
i did call the admissions office to find out if i was simply being held over because of their large volume of early action applicants in consideration of the fact that i didn't get my stuff in on time—but they told me, no, we did look at your file, we just thought you were kinda "meh" (expression added).
so the waiting game begins in earnest.
Posted by foxes in status update at 05:11 PM | riffraff (319)
complete @ boalt hall
i'm tingly all over (berkeley.edu)
i've gone complete at boalt hall aka cal berkeley. now all i have to do is wait for the rejection notice. from the email they sent me:
Our review process is thorough and holistic. Each application is reviewed individually and several factors are taken into account. Given the large number of applications we receive, we request that you refrain from requesting status checks or otherwise contacting us unless the matter is urgent.
"thorough and holistic"? sounds like some eastern medicine waikuku bizznass. someone call ricky williams up in hurrr! hey ricky, smokin' dope ain't no joke! boomshakalaka!
Posted by foxes in status update at 03:09 PM | riffraff (35)
a watched pot will never boil
sizzle. sizzle.
i've seriously been having dreams about the admissions process. but the weird thing is, it isn't something exciting like opening up to the mailbox to find an admit letter from yale plus a diamond engagement ring from that girl in my writing class. no, last night i had a dream that i checked lsac and virginia, texas, and chicago all requested my lsdas report on the same day. pretty sad, huh? i don't know what's going on. i'm not the type to get crazy about this sort of thing. REALLY
but, as chance would have it, virginia did request my lsdas report. i've heard great things about uva, but the school has a certain stigma attached to it in my mind because thomas jefferson had sexual relations with his slaves. maybe it's something i'll reconcile during a dream. charlottesville is no hotlanta, but virginia does claim the birthplace of the confederacy. dirrrrty south, here i come.
Posted by foxes in status update at 09:14 AM | riffraff (173)
December 02, 2004
complete @ upenn
i just received a kindly email from penn law indicating that my file has gone complete there. unfortunately, i had wanted to be considered for non-binding early action, but your file must be complete by november 15th. clearly, i've missed that deadline. oh well.
i had my penn law application in by november 1st, but my second letter of recommendation wasn't sent until november 7th. lsac didn't process that letter until the 18th, and then didn't send out my updated file with the included letter until the 23rd. penn law didn't get everything processed until now.
so a word to my faithful readers out there who are planning on applying some years down the line: to satisfy these early decision deadlines, you may need to get your stuff sent out several months in advance.
also, rumor has it that penn law early action applications are up an astounding 75%. in consideration of this, they've been pretty good about keeping me updated, particularly in comparison with other schools. dave sun holla back.
Posted by foxes in status update at 08:27 AM | riffraff (213)
h-bomb
a few weeks ago, haaaavaahhhd (is that how you spell it?) sent me a letter acknowledging reciept of my application. it was nice, actually, considering that most schools didn't bother with a paper letter, and many actually haven't sent me any notice of any kind (i'm looking at you, texas, virginia).
while i will cherish all correspondences with harvard prior to my imminent rejection, i do have a couple of qualms with the letter.
#1: they sent the letter in a big envelope because it came along with a viewbook. naturally, i began hyperventilating, barely managing to get out, "did i?! get in?! to haaaavaaahhhd??" but really, that moment of weakness lasted just for one second. one teeny second.
#2: they began the letter, "Dear Applicant". really, is it that hard to print out a personalized letter for each applicant? i mean, the letter did reach me, and it was addressed to "Foxes" and not just "applicant who resides at this address" or "current resident". schools with far fewer resources have shown the capability of printing mass-mailings with individually printed names. really harvard, this just goes further to add to your reputation as an impersonal lawyer producing/churning/soul-crushing factory. i mean, it's not a big deal or anything. i'd like, still think about going, okay?
on the upside, pg. 14, red hair (for those of you following along), has one of the more attractive girls that i've seen in a viewbook, but that really isn't saying anything at all. law school is going to be an oh so lonely time. hopefully i'll be able to find comfort in the arms of a status-seeking undergraduate. veritas, son!
Posted by foxes in status update at 05:27 AM | riffraff (279)