Paperless Admission for LL.M. Programs

1
Paperless Admission for LL.M. Programs

• Erin Weldon
• Admissions Manager, Advanced Degree Programs
• eweldon_at_law.berkeley.edu

2
Background
3
Planning Ahead Questions to Ask

• Who will oversee the process? Dedicated data
  manager recommended.
• All paperless, all at once? In stages?
• Flex app vs. paper application form
• Internally
• Application review

4
Planning Ahead Questions to Ask

• Require online application, or keep paper form an
  option?
• What to do with paper materials received?
• What do other law school offices need from
  Admissions, and in what format? e.g. Registrar,
  Financial Aid

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Planning Ahead Questions to Ask

• Require use of LSAC Credential Assembly Service
  (LLM CAS)?
• Document Assembly Service (DAS) allows
  applicant to access and submit
• online application, and submit unauthenticated
  transcripts, letters of
• recommendation, and English proficiency exam
  scores through LSAC
• AND/OR
• International Transcript Authentication
  Evaluation Service (ITAES) allows
• the same as DAS, plus authentication and
  evaluation of academic records

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Planning Ahead

• Make a flow chart!
• Consider using more current statuses to track
  applications
• Make sure there are no gaps for applications to
  fall into

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Examples of Current Statuses
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Resources

• J.D. Admissions Office, other offices who are
  paperless
• Law School IT Office
• LSAC Support Services website regional teams
• ACES2 Manual

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Transitioning ACES2

• UDFs (User Defined Fields) get as much
  information into ACES2 as possible
• Three types available text, checkboxes,
  drop-down list
• To edit labels Utilities Preferences
  UDF Labels
• To edit options for checkboxes or drop-downs
  Utilities Fields

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Transitioning ACES2

• Set up reports
• Daily processing reports (applications/materials
  received, quality control)
• Review Process Administration (By Applicant/By
  Review)
• Set up evaluation grid (what the reviewers will
  see)
• Reports Description Evaluation Grid Design

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Report Tips

• Give reports matching names and conditions
• Provide generic and user-specific reports and
  train staff not to edit any other reports or
  condition
• e.g. Generic Scholarship E-mail, Erins
  Report
• Create sets of reports to be run in tandem
• e.g. WS1 Gender, WS2 Date of Birth, WS3 Special
  Characters
• Plan ahead but dont be afraid to adapt

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Transitioning Training Staff Faculty

• Staff/Student Assistants consider restricting
  access
• To edit access Utilities User
• Faculty provide extra support
• Biggest problems were functionality (like pop up
  settings) and locked accounts/forgotten passwords

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Transitioning Updating Website

• How To Apply
• Extensive information plus basic checklist
• Include LSAC LLM Help contact information -
  http//www.lsac.org/llm/help/help.asp
• Applicant Status Online link information

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Transitioning Updating Website
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Transitioning Flex App

• Utilities Application and Report Settings
• Settings prefer or require online application
• Prefer or Require online application form
• Accept or Require DAS and ITAES
• Print or dont print paper applications and
  reports
• Application
• Update application instructions
• Edit reviewer options (how reviewers will see the
  application form)
• Work with LSAC on flow of information into ACES2

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Processing Applications - Tools

• Scanner Type and price depends on needs
• Volume of paper received
• Double sided
• Color vs black white
• Upright vs flatbed
• Dual Monitors

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Processing Applications - Mail

• Whose responsibility is it to
• process mail?
• File naming convention, e.g.
• Bear, Oski TOEFL or
• Carroll, Lewis TRANS LLB
• Electronic filing designate a location and
  filing system so documents dont get lost
• Check often so that materials dont go unfiled

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Processing Applications Daily Reports

• Use sets of reports to perform quality control
  and file setup for new
• applications, and move previously received
  applications through the
• process.
• Check for documents in e-file folder
• Review LSDAS reports received
• Quality control (blank fields, special
  characters)
• Send Applicant Status Online information by
  e-mail
• Update current status or add mail pieces
• Complete applications
• Applicant Exceptions Search Applicants
  Applicant Exceptions
• Tip Delegate reports based on complexity.

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Data Edit Grid

• Data Edit Grid report output is great for quickly
  
• viewing and editing applicant data.
• Be sure to save before closing!

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Applicant Document Search

• Search Applicants Applicant Documents
• Easy way to find documents search by name, LSAC
  , current status,
• decision status, term, degree, document date,
  date assigned, status date,
• document type

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Applicant Document Search

• Quick view of what is included in LSDAS report
  click Detail

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Review Process Administration By Applicant

• File Manager Review Process Administration
  By Applicant
• Set up By Applicant grid on Reports page
• Easily change current or decision status of
• A group of applicants
• Assign applicants to reviewer
• Can sort and search within results
• (Save for Batch Update is an alternative for
• Making mass changes.)

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Safeguard

• Occasionally run a report of all applicants with
  their current status and
• decision status to make sure nobody has fallen
  into a black hole.

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Applicant Status Online

• Applicants can view their information online,
  including
• current and decision status
• document checklist
• contact information
• generic or targeted message from school
• This year
• 68 of Berkeley Law LL.M. applicants logged in to
  ASO at least once.
• The average number of logins was 7.
• The most logins by one applicant was 459.

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Customizing Applicant Status Online

• Customize page appearance and find your ASO link
  
• Utilities Customize Online Screens
• Customize Targeted Messages based on combination
  of current and decision status Utilities
  Preferences ASO Targeted Message
• Customize Checklist Utilities Preferences
  ASO Checklist

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Applicant Status Online

• ASO is a real time display of information in
  ACES2!
• Test in training environment
• Current and Decision Statuses can be displayed or
  not displayed, to customize Utilities
  Fields Current Status or Decision Status

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Application Review

• Set reviewers up as users first customize access
• Add reviewer (Search Reviewers Add) then
  enter username as Reviewer ID
• Use By Applicant report or Save for Batch Update
  to assign applications, or add reviewers
  individually on Evaluation tab

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Application Review
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Decisions

• Send all decisions by e-mail and post? Or only
  hard copies of admission letters?
• Admission packet or letter only?

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Admitted Students Website
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Student Data Files

• Identify matriculants to LSAC and they will send
  the hard copy documents
• Assemble and print documents in ACES2
• Archive applicants before next cycle