Top Law Schools

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It would make it a lot easier to help you if I knew what exactly your numbers are.

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With your current numbers getting off the waitlists at Vandy, Michigan, USC, and Cornell are all possible. Keep sending letters of continued interest. Personally, I might pay sticker for Cornell or Michigan, but not for any of the other schools you listed. If I was you i'd go if I got off the Michigan waitlist and if not i'd retake and reapply EARLY. And, if you don't do better, i'd ED to Michigan early if you would pay sticker there.

Reapply. You should be fine if you play the rolling admissions game. Plus, it may help to stay your graduation a little as the market is still turning.

In a similar situation and were numbers twins. I'm too impatient to retake/reapply. I also feel like I underperformed on the LSAT, but this is already a down year for admissions. I don't have any guarantees that I'll do better or that next year will be any easier competition-wise. I also don't want to sit around for a year doing nothing of substance and I don't think the companies I could get jobs at would be thrilled to have me for 9 months.

I'm leaning towards WUSTL at the moment, but I'm like you in that I'd like to end up in NY or Chicago. I'm still riding basically the same WLs you are. I'm interested to see what you decide, since were so similar. Retake seems like a great option, but I don't think I have the patience.

I appreciate the feedback everyone. I remember hearing a lot of about splitters faring well with the ED option for certain schools like UVA. I tried searching but could not find exact data on it. Is there a thread or place that has it all compiled?

MyManKanye wrote:In a similar situation and were numbers twins. I'm too impatient to retake/reapply. I also feel like I underperformed on the LSAT, but this is already a down year for admissions. I don't have any guarantees that I'll do better or that next year will be any easier competition-wise. I also don't want to sit around for a year doing nothing of substance and I don't think the companies I could get jobs at would be thrilled to have me for 9 months.

I'm leaning towards WUSTL at the moment, but I'm like you in that I'd like to end up in NY or Chicago. I'm still riding basically the same WLs you are. I'm interested to see what you decide, since were so similar. Retake seems like a great option, but I don't think I have the patience.

I know exactly how you feel. I guess some tough choices to make. Are you choosing between WUSTL / BU too?

How do schools feel about riding first-deposits at two different schools while I make up my mind? Maybe I should email and ask.

Slevin Kelevra 2011 wrote:Reapply. You should be fine if you play the rolling admissions game. Plus, it may help to stay your graduation a little as the market is still turning.

If I don't improve my LSAT, is it worth reapplying just because it is earlier in the cycle? I would assume they would not look too fondly on such a minor difference between my applications. And I guess it could look a little obsessive, especially if I did worse...

Im deciding between UIUC WUSTL and BU with similar wait lists and money. I've decided that I am no waiting/retaking because I don't particularly fancy retaking the LSAT. I might go up, but if I don't than I've basically screwed myself for the year since I won't get anything meaningful lined up to do during that year this late in the game.

I figure I can either gamble with a retake or gamble with transferring after 1L. Choosing the second option gives me a fallback of staying at my 1L school and having a little debt.

Right now I'm leaning towards WUSTL just because BU seems a little expensive and I don't particularly want to be in Boston. I'm also considering UIUC because I like the campus and they gave me more money.

I'm going into IP law so I'm not overly concerned with biglaw, but if you're biglaw or bust you might need to consider BU more heavily than me. Also, you might get off a waitlist yet, so keep sending those letters, I know I am. Whatever you decide though, good luck.

I'm surprised so many people are recommending WUSTL even if I really do not want midwest unless Chicago. I guess people are either more optimistic about its national reach or the 45k extra in scholarships really matters that much? 150k vs 110k debt?

Well you'll save more than that since Boston is much more expensive to live than St. Louis

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/?salary=5 ... 2=52507000

Says Boston is 100% more expensive and housing is almost 300% more.

Anyway, I think WUSTL isn't out of reach for Chicago if you do well, especially if you don't need a biglaw job. I wouldn't count on WUSTL having any national reach, but BU has virtually no reach outside Boston. You might get a few bites in NY, but WUSTL can land you more non home market jobs than BU.

If its biglaw or bust, than retaking is probably the best odds you'll get.

MyManKanye wrote:Well you'll save more than that since Boston is much more expensive to live than St. Louis

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/?salary=5 ... 2=52507000

Says Boston is 100% more expensive and housing is almost 300% more.

Anyway, I think WUSTL isn't out of reach for Chicago if you do well, especially if you don't need a biglaw job. I wouldn't count on WUSTL having any national reach, but BU has virtually no reach outside Boston. You might get a few bites in NY, but WUSTL can land you more non home market jobs than BU.

If its biglaw or bust, than retaking is probably the best odds you'll get.

Troll is trolling. Only 50% of BU stays in Boston, and NYC is a huge market for us. WUSTL likely spreads out more due to its complete lack of a decent home market.

Blindmelon wrote:
Troll is trolling. Only 50% of BU stays in Boston, and NYC is a huge market for us. WUSTL likely spreads out more due to its complete lack of a decent home market.

No need to take it personally, fact is that BU puts a much higher percentage of its biglaw grads in Boston than WUSTL with Chicago. Reasons could be varied, but that's the truth. If you want NY biglaw BU is likely not the proper option. That's all I'm saying. I would never go to BU wanting biglaw if I wasn't willing to stay in Boston. Just like I'd never go to WUSTL if I wasn't willing to stay in the midwest.

MyManKanye wrote:

Blindmelon wrote:
Troll is trolling. Only 50% of BU stays in Boston, and NYC is a huge market for us. WUSTL likely spreads out more due to its complete lack of a decent home market.

No need to take it personally, fact is that BU puts a much higher percentage of its biglaw grads in Boston than WUSTL with Chicago. Reasons could be varied, but that's the truth. If you want NY biglaw BU is likely not the proper option. That's all I'm saying. I would never go to BU wanting biglaw if I wasn't willing to stay in Boston. Just like I'd never go to WUSTL if I wasn't willing to stay in the midwest.

I don't agree. BU is fine for anywhere in the northeast really. However, once you get out of that area, it doesn't look good.

MyManKanye wrote:Well you'll save more than that since Boston is much more expensive to live than St. Louis

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/?salary=5 ... 2=52507000

Says Boston is 100% more expensive and housing is almost 300% more.

Anyway, I think WUSTL isn't out of reach for Chicago if you do well, especially if you don't need a biglaw job. I wouldn't count on WUSTL having any national reach, but BU has virtually no reach outside Boston. You might get a few bites in NY, but WUSTL can land you more non home market jobs than BU.

If its biglaw or bust, than retaking is probably the best odds you'll get.

Thing is, BU tuition is $3,500 cheaper than WUSTL so much of the housing costs can kind of cancel out in terms of COA. Granted, other expenses are probably more expensive, but not significantly so if the 3.5k is accounted for. If BU tuition was ridiculous like Cornell's, it probably wouldn't really be much of an option.

But gosh I feel so 50/50 right now and I'm not sure what to do. I guess I have more time to decide...

How "late" did you apply?

Well I mean the way I'd look at is what is the worst case for me here? If you go to WUSTL it would be getting stuck in a non-chicago big/mid/shit law job with ~70k in debt. For BU it would be getting stuck in the NE somewhere with a non big law job and 150k in debt. Given you want NYC, but would be ok in the NE and don't want mid-west unless its Chicago I think BU is probably your safer option. If you feel like gambling you could take WUSTL for less debt, but then again if you wanted to gamble you might as well just retake and try again all over.

Basically I think the worst case is worse in WUSTL than BU, but if you are super debt averse than WUSTL is probably better.

FiveSermon wrote:How "late" did you apply?

Mid January. The day I got my Dec LSAT scores. =/

I guess this is a case of debt-averse versus midwest-adverse. haha...

Uh. A higher LSAT might not help his admissions chances without ED. Would get him a little more money from Wash U.

Sticker at UVA vs. 75k at WUSTL is by no means a tossup unless you're set on biglaw, though your preference for NYC definitely affects things.

ETA: NVM, not wanting anything but Chicago = don't go to Wash U.