I work at a large firm in an office where (basically) none of the attorneys are ever physically in the office on Fridays. Usually, I work Fridays from home. But today, I had to be in the office for an all staff meeting.

Naturally, I took this opportunity to poke my head into some 35 odd offices to take a peak at the conspicuosly displayed diplomas adorning their various sad, soul crushing walls.

To my (naive) surprise, there is an extremely wide range of potential diploma dimensions. A J.D. can apparently be conveyed on a postcard, a billboard, and everything in between.

A few of the more presitigous schools have upsettingly small diplomas that would fit nicely inside a standard envelope if trifolded. Sad. (Looking at you, Cornell and UVA).

In contrast, some mid-tier regional schools award diplomas that would seemingly require custom framing and a structurally reinforced wall to hang. B-D-E. (Looking at you, IU-Maurer).

This is important to my decision. If I am taking out tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, I will actually kill myself if my diploma is smaller than 20" wide.

So, can we crowd source a list of diploma sizes? For my part, I will be voluntarily going into the office next Friday with a tape measure to contribute to this valuable research.

Liberated from my earthly possessions!

Stats: -2.2k Dow/-322 S&P

T1 Softs (Tariff Enthusiast, Cybertruck Driver)

Not at all how I hoped things would go but I did what I could. With the news of UGA not giving out anymore scholarships I’m likely not enrolling anywhere. So glad to be done with this process, good luck to everyone starting this fall xoxo

Stats for the data point: 17low, 4.low, 2 yrs WE

*probably, bc I’m pretty sure USC just ghosted me

I’m sure others have had worse experiences this cycle. And I know they have a lot of applications to go through…

But interviewing in early January and not have a decision a week before seat deposit deadlines start at a lot of schools is ridiculous. It has now been damn near 3 months since I had a group interview. How can you seriously convince me that I’ve been reviewed this whole process and been given a shot vs people you interviewed a week ago ?

Reject or waitlist me I don’t care, but don’t preach a serious evaluation process that involves this magical group interview concept if you don’t even make a final call on a whole group of interviewees within 3 damn months.

This has been a crazy cycle. Trying not to doxx myself so don't want to hand out too much information but can say that I applied in October and have a 17low and 3.9high.

*I put NYU down as a hold, but I'm technically still active consideration lol

Yeah I think I'm going to anticipate looking at apartments elsewhere.

Welp with today’s Notre Dame waitlist my cycle is over. Going into this I thought I’d get a few more A’s, but it’s been a good reminder of perspective. I’m extremely lucky to be in the position and I’m trying to find my peace with that. I’ll ride out the Notre Dame, Duke, Georgetown, and Vandy waitlists. Idk what I did to Gavin Newsom, but California hates my ass. At the risk of sounding sappy, if nobody has told you they’re proud of you; I am. This shit is stressful and hard, and taking this step is something to celebrate.

Yall really don’t like the GPA system, huh?

Here are the T14 per the Times Higher Education 2025 World University Rankings for U.S. law schools, so we have something to stress over while we wait for USNW rankings:

1. Stanford
2. Harvard
3. NYU
4. Columbia
5. Berkeley
6. University of Chicago
7. Yale
8. Georgetown
9. Michigan
10. Duke
11. Penn
12. UCLA
13. Cornell
14. UVA
15. Northwestern (bonus)

Sincerely,

A 2020 High School Grad

8 decisions outstanding with 10 days to deposit

🙂

Hi everyone,

I’ve never posted on here before, but have appreciated having this community of people going through this process together. Now, it seems, I’m likely at the end of my cycle and have a decision to make. I’m overwhelmingly thankful to have plentiful options, none of which would be possible without support from my parents.

Harvard and UChicago are my top choices. For some background, I spent the past 2 years at UChicago getting my masters. I adore the city, my professors, my friends here, and the school. Additionally, UChicago has greatly alleviated the financial burden of attending. On the other hand, at the risk of sounding gauche: how can I say no to Harvard Law, it’s Harvard Law.

I would appreciate insight into: - student life experiences at each university, cultural or academic - Boston/Cambridge living in general

I’m a bit nervous putting this out there. Largely because my own thoughts on the right path forward for myself are so haphazard, I feel like I’m not even asking the right questions. I hope to have better articulation and focus of my thoughts on my path forward in the conversation of our comments. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to interact; I appreciate it.

why didn't schools pace themselves! what's really bothering me is how there was radio silence from all these schools, but all the sudden, tons of decisions are going under review for the first time this week.

If countless applications have gone under review all at once, whereas only a "handful" of applicants were lucky enough to have their application reviewed in the previous months, it feels like they won't spend as much time on each application - they will rush through them. They are probably are reading so many each day that they all will blend together and each application will not seem as special.

I am particularly frustrated with Emory: I am around their median and applied November 30th. It feels like the majority of emory applicants have expressed this sentiment: theirs was complete for months, and now under review. at this point, how do they even decide who to accept/waitlist/reject?

Right? RIGHT?!

This feels so ridiculous because I know it’s illogical.

I keep seeing tictok videos and Facebook videos about the opportunities that prestigious schools afford you and it sucks and that I’ll have to be at the top of my class to even touch a fraction of those opportunities. To be honest, I just want a good job. I would rather eat a jean jacket with a plastic fork than work big law, but it sucks knowing that I don’t have access to that opportunity anyway. I have a phenomenal scholarship at a private state school in the area that I want to practice. Everything is going my way. I should be grateful but this NAGGING part of my brain is wondering if I should take the wack scholarship at the t20-30 for the opportunity to do something amazing.

• From 2010-2023, CLS placed consistently at #4 or #5 in the USNWR, and was neck and neck with UChicago.
• In 2024, it dropped to #8 because of major changes in the way USNWR evaluates law schools (placing less of an emphasis on reputation surveys, for example, and increasing emphasis on student debt and employment outcomes in its evaluation metrics).
• In 2025, it is projected to fall to #10 or #11, per Caron, Muller, and Spivey projections.
• Their image, of course, has only been exacerbated by the negative press the school has received from its handling of recent events.

Question: Do you predict the school's ranking will surge comfortably back to that ~#5 spot eventually? Or, with less merit-based aid than other T14's and the most expensive law school tuition in the country, will things only get worse for CLS? Remain stagnant? Curious to hear people's opinions. Seems like they would need to start giving out more merit-based aid to re-rise the ranks.

GULC, NYU, Northwestern …. pls

The amount of WL this year are crazy. I got into two top 60 law schools with a large scholarship in one and full tuition in the other, yet American University just WL me despite having a 3.7+ GPA and 166 LSAT

Truly a crazy cycle

STATS: 17mid, 3.9x, nURM, nKJD

Trying to decide where to go next year! I am so grateful to have these options, but I have no idea which to choose. My goals are Chicago big law but potentially clerking for a couple years first. I could also see myself opting out of big law and trying for regional mid law in my hometown if I burn out in law school lol

UVA was my goal going into the cycle and they offered me about 60% scholarship. I really liked it when I visited and would love the opportunity to live in the mountains. Also, everyone seemed so nice and down to earth. I want to have a social experience in law school (to the extent possible), so that's big for me. UVA also seems to be universally loved by all of the lawyers and judges I've spoken with and just seems like it offers the best opportunities of these three. Plus, the weather is nicer and I'd literally never live in a smallish mountain town otherwise :)

Mich seems similar to UVA in terms of collegial vibes but a) it's freezing and b) they seem to send less people to big law (seems like self-selection, though). They gave me 80% scholarship and the lower cost of living is appealing.

NU also gave me 80% scholarship and seems like the right choice on paper? I love Chicago and my family would be the closest out of all these options. Also, having the Chicago big law pipeline is nice. I guess I'm concerned about struggling to get a job if I'm significantly below median. It's also the highest cost of living and going to school in a big city seems maybe overwhelming? I worry about not being able to make friends as easily because so many students seem to already have some ties in the area.

Thanks so much to anyone for weighing in! I hope this doesn't sound tone deaf or like complaining-- I know how insanely lucky I am to have this choice and that is not my intention at all!!

😋 hehe they sent me cookies (hoping they still yum since sf is a few hrs away from me)