Veterans Thread Forum

[ScottRiqui]

It would sure be nice if the private amount was raised a bit & analyzed annually to cover some set amount of the average private school. $19K is somewhere in the 30-50% neighborhood. It'd be nice if it inched to 50-70%.

I agree that a new analysis is probably in order after the changes to how the GI Bill handles payment to private schools. I do have to say that I'm impressed by how many private schools just "spun the dials to the right" and set the YRP limits to $99,999 with an unlimited number of slots, basically saying "don't worry, we've got you covered".

[TheJanitor6203]

I wish more would. Baylor stopped using YRP and SMU only has 10 slots which are currently all full.

[ScottRiqui]

I wish more would. Baylor stopped using YRP and SMU only has 10 slots which are currently all full.

Ouch. How recently have you talked to SMU's YRP Coordinator? Are there no YRP participants graduating in Spring 2014, freeing up slots? I just got a LOT more interested in whether they'll be offering me a scholarship.

[TheJanitor6203]

I wish more would. Baylor stopped using YRP and SMU only has 10 slots which are currently all full.

Ouch. How recently have you talked to SMU's YRP Coordinator? Are there no YRP participants graduating in Spring 2014, freeing up slots? I just got a LOT more interested in whether they'll be offering me a scholarship.

I called about 2 or 3 weeks ago. She said there are currently 2 on the waiting list and 4 should be graduating or out of benefits at the end of the year. So in theory there will be 2 spots open but they are first come first serve.

[TheJanitor6203]

I'm currently on day 2 of the DOL Workshop of the ACAP process. It is horrible. It makes me want to hurt myself.

Just wanted to share my misery with someone else.

[Magical Trevor]

I'm currently on day 2 of the DOL Workshop of the ACAP process. It is horrible. It makes me want to hurt myself.

Just wanted to share my misery with someone else.

I start that tomorrow, tso excite!

ETA: After 20 minutes of this workshop I'm ready to set myself on fire.

[zbollenb]

I just got approved for Voc Rehab. Beyond excited. Message for details.

[ScottRiqui]

Does the VA place some kind of limit on how many Yellow Ribbon slots a private school can have, and how much the school can contribute to YRP? I think some of the private schools are shooting themselves in the foot by not having more slots, especially if they typically give out scholarships that are larger than half of the difference between the tuition amount and the GI Bill tuition/fees limit.

[Magical Trevor]

No, the YRP contributions are capped by the school itself. They pick the slots and the total money. It's actually a cheesy way for the schools to talk about how military friendly they are because they offer the YRP regardless how much the school limits their exposure.

[ScottRiqui]

No, the YRP contributions are capped by the school itself. They pick the slots and the total money. It's actually a cheesy way for the schools to talk about how military friendly they are because they offer the YRP regardless how much the school limits their exposure.

Okay, that's what I thought. It just seems silly in the cases where it ends up costing the school *more* money. I'll use one of the schools where I've been accepted as an example: Tuition is 48k and the GI Bill will pay up to 19k, so that leaves a 29k "gap". The school gave me 18k/year for a scholarship, but only has a limited number of YRP slots (each slot has an unlimited contribution, though).

So if I don't get a YRP slot, I have to come up with 11k/year (48k - 19k - 18k). But if the school would just open up another slot, they could cancel my 18k scholarship entirely, pay half of the 29k "gap" ($14,500), and the VA would pay the other $14,500. The school saves $3,500/year and I end up with a full ride.

tl;dr - why would schools spend scholarship money when they could spend the VA's money instead?

[Magical Trevor]

That only works out if the school isn't going to grant the scholarship to someone else.

For example, you and student B are both admitted. You get the full YRP and the school pays $14.5k and student B gets the $18k scholarship which costs the school a total of $32.5k. Or, you get an $18k scholarship and the school covers the remaining funds with YRP at $5.5k while student B doesn't get a scholarship. The school then only spends $23.5k and total scholarship expenditure remains $18k.

[Ling520]

It would sure be nice if the private amount was raised a bit & analyzed annually to cover some set amount of the average private school. $19K is somewhere in the 30-50% neighborhood. It'd be nice if it inched to 50-70%.

A few more dollars with GI Bill + YRP and I could attend Yale for close to free! I'd need to hop in the DeLorean with ole' Doc Brown and re-attempt all of undergrad, but I'd be one step closer!

The gap is pretty big at YLS. YLS only contributes 5K to YRP so, right now, you're looking at paying close to 90K out of pocket with the GIbill + YRP, there.

A school that covers the full cost of tuition and a school that only contributes 1K to YLP will both advertise that they are Vet-friendly YRP schools.

[NYker]

Hey folks, I thought this might be a good forum to put in a quick plug for NYU Law. The school changed last year to a $20,000 contribution under the YRB per vet which means that attendance is free for YRB-eligible vets. It also does not hurt that BAH in that zip code is $3,258 right now at 100% GI Bill eligibility. In addition, the school is waiving the application fee for vets and we have a number of awesome programs at the school that you might find interesting. In particular, we have a great veterans advocacy student organization and we also provide pro bono representation for veterans in the area. I think the school is a phenomenal place for veterans to spend three years and to start their legal careers so whenever you are applying to law school I want to encourage you to consider sending an application to NYU!

[MT Cicero]

Hey folks, I thought this might be a good forum to put in a quick plug for NYU Law. The school changed last year to a $20,000 contribution under the YRB per vet which means that attendance is free for YRB-eligible vets. It also does not hurt that BAH in that zip code is $3,258 right now at 100% GI Bill eligibility. In addition, the school is waiving the application fee for vets and we have a number of awesome programs at the school that you might find interesting. In particular, we have a great veterans advocacy student organization and we also provide pro bono representation for veterans in the area. I think the school is a phenomenal place for veterans to spend three years and to start their legal careers so whenever you are applying to law school I want to encourage you to consider sending an application to NYU!

For those reasons, I applied two months back. Unfortunately, my GPA will probably be my limiting factor in all my apps even though I've put 10-15 years between myself and undergrad.

NYU is an outstanding deal for vets though, and I hope some of the folks on this thread take advantage!

[TheJanitor6203]

Hey folks, I thought this might be a good forum to put in a quick plug for NYU Law. The school changed last year to a $20,000 contribution under the YRB per vet which means that attendance is free for YRB-eligible vets. It also does not hurt that BAH in that zip code is $3,258 right now at 100% GI Bill eligibility. In addition, the school is waiving the application fee for vets and we have a number of awesome programs at the school that you might find interesting. In particular, we have a great veterans advocacy student organization and we also provide pro bono representation for veterans in the area. I think the school is a phenomenal place for veterans to spend three years and to start their legal careers so whenever you are applying to law school I want to encourage you to consider sending an application to NYU!

I already applied too. NYU is my top pick. Unfortunately I won't get in.

[USMarineLaw]

All,

Thanks for the information in this thread; it's been extremely valuable. Aside from GI Bill and YRP (which I'm ineligible for due to ROTC), are there specific loans/grants/scholarships for veterans? I'm not doing JAG, and I'm applying to UVA, Duke, GULC, GW, Vandy, and a few others.

Stats: 3.5/172

Forgive me if this information is somewhere already, I've read quite a few pages on this forum but still haven't found much.

Thanks!

[unc0mm0n1]

It would sure be nice if the private amount was raised a bit & analyzed annually to cover some set amount of the average private school. $19K is somewhere in the 30-50% neighborhood. It'd be nice if it inched to 50-70%.

A few more dollars with GI Bill + YRP and I could attend Yale for close to free! I'd need to hop in the DeLorean with ole' Doc Brown and re-attempt all of undergrad, but I'd be one step closer!

The gap is pretty big at YLS. YLS only contributes 5K to YRP so, right now, you're looking at paying close to 90K out of pocket with the GIbill + YRP, there.

A school that covers the full cost of tuition and a school that only contributes 1K to YLP will both advertise that they are Vet-friendly YRP schools.

That was one of the main reason I didn't choose Yale. Great school but their YRP just isn't competitive. I talked to them during the open house and they said they were looking into raising the number (that was 3 years ago).

[JazzyMac]

It would sure be nice if the private amount was raised a bit & analyzed annually to cover some set amount of the average private school. $19K is somewhere in the 30-50% neighborhood. It'd be nice if it inched to 50-70%.

A few more dollars with GI Bill + YRP and I could attend Yale for close to free! I'd need to hop in the DeLorean with ole' Doc Brown and re-attempt all of undergrad, but I'd be one step closer!

The gap is pretty big at YLS. YLS only contributes 5K to YRP so, right now, you're looking at paying close to 90K out of pocket with the GIbill + YRP, there.

A school that covers the full cost of tuition and a school that only contributes 1K to YLP will both advertise that they are Vet-friendly YRP schools.

That was one of the main reason I didn't choose Yale. Great school but their YRP just isn't competitive. I talked to them during the open house and they said they were looking into raising the number (that was 3 years ago).

Hey there! I see you're attending Harvard. Care to give a brief synopsis of your journey before and during? Is your URM status due to being a Vet, or something else?

[Magical Trevor]

Veteran status doesn't confer URM benefits.

[TheJanitor6203]

Veteran status doesn't confer URM benefits.

That would be AWESOME.

[unc0mm0n1]

Hey there! I see you're attending Harvard. Care to give a brief synopsis of your journey before and during? Is your URM status due to being a Vet, or something else?

I'm a URM because of my race. As for my "journey" I'm not exactly sure what you want to know. Do you mean my military journey? Not sure if it's any different than most of you guys. I went to college (flagship state school) before joining the Army, served 5 years. Took the LSAT during my last year in the Army, once I scored enough to be in consideration for the T10 I put in my paperwork to get out. I applied to the entire top ten sans HYS. I was set to go to Berkeley with $$$ but decided for a final retake and I put in an app to HYS. I increased my score by 5 points and was accepted to H&Y and pulled my app from S. I choose H because it fit more with my long term career goals (and it was cheaper). Also I had to keep my significant other in mind. There were more jobs in her field in Boston than in New Haven. Overall, I'm happy with my choice. I have a few friends at Yale and they love it there so I think it's a matter of taste. Not sure if I answered your question but if you have a specific question let me know.

[JazzyMac]

Hey there! I see you're attending Harvard. Care to give a brief synopsis of your journey before and during? Is your URM status due to being a Vet, or something else?

I'm a URM because of my race. As for my "journey" I'm not exactly sure what you want to know. Do you mean my military journey? Not sure if it's any different than most of you guys. I went to college (flagship state school) before joining the Army, served 5 years. Took the LSAT during my last year in the Army, once I scored enough to be in consideration for the T10 I put in my paperwork to get out. I applied to the entire top ten sans HYS. I was set to go to Berkeley with $$$ but decided for a final retake and I put in an app to HYS. I increased my score by 5 points and was accepted to H&Y and pulled my app from S. I choose H because it fit more with my long term career goals (and it was cheaper). Also I had to keep my significant other in mind. There were more jobs in her field in Boston than in New Haven. Overall, I'm happy with my choice. I have a few friends at Yale and they love it there so I think it's a matter of taste. Not sure if I answered your question but if you have a specific question let me know.

Hey that's all great. Thanks for sharing. I combed this entire thread, and there are very few who share their "story"...which I'm thinking could be beneficial for a lot of us. As of now, I have a few years before I'm officially out, so I'm just doing research to decide where I want to go, how much I'm willing to pay (HYS only), and what I want to do upon completion of Law School. Thanks again!

I've read that multiple retakes on the LSAT can be frowned upon. However, it didn't seem like it hurt you any. Also, was your application inundated with your military career, or just "well rounded" with personal life, education, and career information?

Honestly, I'm also a URM. Since entering the military, I've heard being an URM "gets me places"...and I've gotten all of two millimeters with those attributes. No matter what the threads say, I'm still a bit wary on how much URM can help. I hope I'm not being too frontal.

Hmm...guess I do have specific questions.

[SemperLegal]

Hey there! I see you're attending Harvard. Care to give a brief synopsis of your journey before and during? Is your URM status due to being a Vet, or something else?

I'm a URM because of my race. As for my "journey" I'm not exactly sure what you want to know. Do you mean my military journey? Not sure if it's any different than most of you guys. I went to college (flagship state school) before joining the Army, served 5 years. Took the LSAT during my last year in the Army, once I scored enough to be in consideration for the T10 I put in my paperwork to get out. I applied to the entire top ten sans HYS. I was set to go to Berkeley with $$$ but decided for a final retake and I put in an app to HYS. I increased my score by 5 points and was accepted to H&Y and pulled my app from S. I choose H because it fit more with my long term career goals (and it was cheaper). Also I had to keep my significant other in mind. There were more jobs in her field in Boston than in New Haven. Overall, I'm happy with my choice. I have a few friends at Yale and they love it there so I think it's a matter of taste. Not sure if I answered your question but if you have a specific question let me know.

Hey that's all great. Thanks for sharing. I combed this entire thread, and there are very few who share their "story"...which I'm thinking could be beneficial for a lot of us. As of now, I have a few years before I'm officially out, so I'm just doing research to decide where I want to go, how much I'm willing to pay (HYS only), and what I want to do upon completion of Law School. Thanks again!

I've read that multiple retakes on the LSAT can be frowned upon. However, it didn't seem like it hurt you any. Also, was your application inundated with your military career, or just "well rounded" with personal life, education, and career information?

Honestly, I'm also a URM. Since entering the military, I've heard being an URM "gets me places"...and I've gotten all of two millimeters with those attributes. No matter what the threads say, I'm still a bit wary on how much URM can help. I hope I'm not being too frontal.

Hmm...guess I do have specific questions.

Retakes, as a general rule, are not frowned upon. Most schools only look at the highest score now, since its all that they have to report to USNWR when the rankings are made.

Its a good idea to use a few military stories to explain how you have the skills law students and lawyers need (attention to detail, discipline, ethic, etc.)

URM gives a real and quantitative boos, but it depends on exactly what your race and gender is. However, a useful caveat is that there is constantly litigation and state legislation trying to overrule the practice.

[TheSpanishMain]

Just found out that a school I'm seriously considering will not/can not recode a scholarship to make it not exclusively for tuition. Once my tuition is reduced to 0, I don't get to net the difference.

I realize it's kind of shitty to bitch about having a $0 COA, but that still bites.

[TheJanitor6203]

Just found out that a school I'm seriously considering will not/can not recode a scholarship to make it not exclusively for tuition. Once my tuition is reduced to 0, I don't get to net the difference.

I realize it's kind of shitty to bitch about having a $0 COA, but that still bites.

That does suck. If I go to a state school I'm hoping to do this myself.