My numbers are such that the lower t14's are marginally realistic reaches so I was planning on blanketing them. But the more I think about it, the more I don't nec think northwestern would be the place for me. I'd be going in as a 23 year old (looking to befriend/work with other 23 year olds), with only one year of work experience and with no interest in business. Thoughts?

have you visited or spoken with any alumni? maybe even try to contact a student there and get his/her perspective. is NW the only school you have feelings like this? if you're not feeling it, don't invest your next 3 years there...in my opnion

age is just a number. if you mean someone cool and who you get a long with who's 27, are you really going to turn them down as a friend because they might be ready to get married and you're still chasing tail?

As long as your opinion is based on some solid reasoning, I think it's fine not to apply. I'm applying to most of the T14 but not NW or Chicago simply because I don't want to live there. Some people might think I'm crazy, but it's 3 years of my prime adulthood.

With that said, you could also apply just to see and then choose to go visit and research the school more if admitted. That's what I'd do if I was on the fence about it.

you should not apply. you seem like just the sort of person NW tries to weed out with their focus on WE and the interview requirement. if you're looking to meet other 23 year-olds, then you should go where they are plentiful. NW law school is far from the undergraduate campus, so if you did actually get in and you did decide to go, you'd be surrounded by olds who will undoubtedly find you annoying and not actually be your friend, but may pretend to listen to what you're saying and buy you dinner and drinks in order to have sex with you. that is, if you're 23 and also hot.

Agreed.
I feel silly not applying to some of the T14... but why spend the money on applications when I truly can't see myself living in the city?

Wait what? I'm assuming the OP is a girl is also an assumption.

My opinion would be this, if you don't like NW don't apply. For the t-14s, I for some reason don't have any desire to go to Michigan, UVa, or Duke. Not that I don't think they're great schools.
The only reason to apply to NW if you don't want to go there is to leverage some money off another school.

+1 It's ok to make choices. It's your life. But $100 to apply if it may give you bargaining power might be worth it.

NU's median age is a whole one year older than other schools. You're going to be young wherever you go.

Not a girl. my name isn't misscollege it's Imisscollege. doesn't mean people don't take me to drinks in order to have sex with me, though.

Is the bargaining power reason really a reason to apply?? I hadn't given much thought to this. With a 173/ 3.79, is it worth applying to schools like NYU and U Chicago even though I'm not crazy about the locations? Will schools actually hand out more $$?

Imisscollege (sorry I called you misscollege yesterday) if you don't like the school or don't think you'd feel comfortable there, then don't apply. Just because it's a T14 and your numbers make you competitive does not mean that you need to even consider let alone apply to the school. It sounds like you might feel a little out of place at Northwestern, but if you're still debating there are a few resident NU posters who I'm sure would be happy to answer questions or address any concerns you might have.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=86361

Is the bargaining power reason really a reason to apply?? I hadn't given much thought to this. With a 173/ 3.79, is it worth applying to schools like NYU and U Chicago even though I'm not crazy about the locations? Will schools actually hand out more $$?[/quote]
If you get in and are awarded decent scholarships, this is very possible and even probable.

I can't say from any personal experience, but from LSN and from what other people have written or suggested, it seems like it's worth it (only $200 bucks for two extra applications). If your heart is set on Penn or whatever, and they accept you, but NYU or Chicago offers you $40k, the worst that can happen is you ask Penn for some money and they tell you no and you're down $200 bucks, however Penn could match the offer or offer you $20k in hopes of swaying your decision. Plus who knows perhaps you'll visit NYU or Chicago and find out you'll like it. Weird how you mentioned NYU as a location you don't like. It seems to be the most popular place in terms of location. I'm not a real city person, but I had two summer internships in Manhattan and lived in an NYU dorm and loved it.

With 1 year WE, that'd place you with something like 10-15 percent of matriculants. The vast majority have 2+ years. So I think you may not be in the best position for NU anyway.

But I hardly think you must be interested in 'business' to go to Northwestern. It's still a law school, not a business school. By the same token, you can go to SLS and not do IP, go to YLS but not do academia, go to NYU and not do public interest, go to Cornell but skip the IntLaw programs, etc.

Ha, see - and I actually wasn't assuming you were a girl. As a relatively old homo, I can't say I've never taken young guys out for drinks in order to have sex with them. I wouldn't bother with dinner.

Also I was just trying to be funny. Also serious at the same time... because it just sounds like - no - you don't really want to go to NW.

If you have a fee waiver, definitely apply. It's all about scholarships and scholarship negotiation!

If you don't have a fee waiver, and don't particularly see yourself there, don't bother.

FYI OP, apparently a lot of Northwestern fee waivers are 'hidden.'

I feel the same way. I would rather be surrounded by people who have more similar interests to mine... not people in an entirely different stage of their lives.

OP, there is no reason to apply to Northwestern if you aren't interested in the school, but I can tell you as someone who started a graduate program at the age of 22 with mostly 24-29 year olds, that you shouldn't use being a few years younger than the schools average as your basis for not applying. You will quickly find that there is not much difference between 23 year olds and 27 year olds, especially when they are all in a similar situation going to school together, you shouldn't have any problem relating.

haha found out the hard way that mine was not....

conclusion to thread/last few days = I probably don't want to go to Northwestern but I applied anyway.

Seconded, I'll blow some money on booze on them, but feeding them is just a waste

<-- Northwestern 2L.

I see you've already applied, so it's kind of moot, but maybe this will be helpful for someone else.

First, we're not THAT old! Isn't the median like 25? I certainly know a number of 23-24 year olds. I feel like there's a perception that everyone at Northwestern is in their mid-30s. In reality, there are some people who worked for a year or two after college, and there are some people who worked five or six years after college. Maybe you won't be able to relate to that older set (and I question that), but one-two years of working after college does not mean someone is in "a different point" in his/her life.

Second, I don't think it's really "business oriented." Not everyone's work experience was at a Fortune 500, and most people left because they want to do law, anyway. You can have a more business-oriented experience if you want to (taking classes at Kellogg, working for the small business clinic), but you certainly don't have to.

I think you should apply to as many schools in your range as possible. It can only help, especially if you start getting scholarship offers. Then you can narrow it down and visit. I only applied to NU because I got a fee waiver, but once I visited I felt pretty good about it.

Having said all that, definitely go to the school that you want to go to. Like, if you don't want to be in a city, don't go to school in a city. The quality of your life during those three years IS meaningful, and you should keep that in mind.

Spoken by a player with a Daniel Craig avatar. I might chase that...

If you don't want to go there, don't apply there. It's unlikely that NU will be the only one you get into if you're applying to them all. I didn't apply to NU or Cornell because I knew I wouldn't go to either of them. I'd rather have gone to UCLA, but that never became an issue. If you get fee waivers, feel free to apply to them just to see, but don't spend the $70ish on a school you don't want to go to. Looking back I wish I hadn't applied to a bunch of the schools I did (even with fee waivers)... but during apps you are just worried about getting in anywhere.