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Depends on which law school. If you've got the credentials to get in to HYS (and I'm pretty sure you go to S), then I'd say you're probably as close to a shoo-in as possible at Kennedy. If you're looking at CCN, then probably.

For Kennedy, they allow you to send things in directly by email to update your application. For example, people who did not get their recs in on time were allowed to send in recs to the admissions office directly or update their file after dec. 3 through emails. Sparks won't work, so it would have to be sent via email or directly to the admissions office. I would only update if something substantial happens - you publish something substantial, for example, or you complete a major project. Something that would add more than a feather to the scale of your admissions odds. Also, if waitlisted, I would certainly also tell them that Kennedy is your first choice and you would come if admitted, if that is true.

Admission rate is the percentage of students whom apply that are admitted. Hypothetically, if you have 100 applicants and 20 are admitted, then the admit rate for the hypothetical would be 20%. I guess admit percentage might be more accurate?

DC is a livable city and imo, has the best public transportation in America (SF a close second). Also, DC's cost of living is high with rent, but if you're willing to take a chance on some of the "up and coming" neighborhoods, then you cna get a good deal. Columbia Heights used to be crack infested, but now it is a mixture of urban elites and blue collar workers. The rent there is better. Silver Spring MD has a great suburban feel, but less than a 1/2 hour commute (by metro) to DC proper. Tenleytown is over by American, but is more affordable than places in DC proper and you can split rent with roommates. There are also residential areas near American's law school going toward Bethesda - these residents often rent out their basements or some rooms for good rates. I worked in DC and stayed in Northern Virginia for a couple years. My place was about 2500/mo excluding utilities. I moved to the South and got a place that was bigger for 800/mo. So I definitely understand the cost differential. Just understand that DC costs more because there's more opportunities and more people want to be there. Can't put a price on connections in the field we're going into. Good luck deciding.

lol! I'd say Yes! Yes! Yes!

i've also heard that TFAers get preferable admissions at some schools. I'm not sure if HKS is one of them, but I do know that HKS has a strong TFA alumni presence on campus. I didn't do TFA, but if you know someone at HKS who did TFA, I'm sure they'd give you the scoop.

Public Policy and International Affairs. It is a program for college juniors at Berkeley, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, etc. PPIA members often get favorable admissions odds, full tuition +20k stipend (10k per year) from what I've heard. HKS has student groups. Someone I know is in a State specific student group at HKS and admissions shared with the group how many from X state applied and what the percentage they were of total applicants. So then I just did the math. Obviously, it isn't exact, but that's around what it is.

Kennedy has an admissions team review applicants. They examine each applicant on the totality of the application and decide who to admit. They also have special pools of applicants from certain groups: PPIA, for example, applicants are highly desired and I hear are considered separately with a more favorable admission odds. Kennedy is no different from any school in that they admit more students than they have seats for. They already know that about 80% will attend, so they know how many admissions they can offer. They also maintain a wait-list. Successful applicants generally have a specific time frame to send in a deposit to secure their seat. if they don't, then their seat is forfeited. After the deadline for deposits are in, you'll generally see a couple of people get in off the waitlist. Then you'll see another couple people get in the first week of school as people who made deposits decide not to come. So in an effort to fill the class, they will pull people from the waitlist. Waitlist candidates are not ranked ordered, from what I hear. A lot of it has to do with what particular applicant has decided not to come. So if someone from Mississippi decides not to come and you're from Miss, then you might be a good candidate to pull from the waitlist. Another thing that can help is updating your profile with something helpful and letting Kennedy know that you'll definitely come if admitted. Those are two techniques that will help separate you from others on the waitlist. I have no idea how many people they will admit. I do know that there are ~2000 applicants this year. I assume the admission rate will be between 18-20%. So I think there will be about 360-400 admits or so (edit: actually, the admit rate will probably be about 16-18% now that I think about it). No idea on the waitlist.

Yeah, I mean, I'm sympathetic because none of us want to waste time in courses that won't help us. But it isn't like Kennedy is hiding the ball either. They tell us upfront what courses we have to take. Going to a school and expecting to have the rules changed because of one's individual circumstances seems like a poor bet.

I also went to a law school filled with around 230 students, but I chose it over a much larger law school. The school I went to is considered "small and intimate" and it felt that way. So the Kennedy School number seems "small and intimate" to me. I think it is a matter of preference. In any event, I think having a critical mass of say 200 or so students is important. I want to be able to build off of the diverse knowledge base of my classmates and get a full spectrum of ideas to challenge and think about. If this means I have to deal with an unhelpful administration from time to time, so be it.

If the applicant pool was around 2000 people, would that be greater or less than previous years?

How long after the admit emails go out do current students begin calling?

Me! Me! March 18, 2:38 pm.

I wouldn't call them "Strong" either. Certainly not 800V/800Q. They aren't low either. You just made an assumption I wanted to correct. That's all. Edit: I'm also not trying to be a pretentious jerk either. I just don't want to be known as the guy with a low GRE score because I asked about cutoffs.