Berkeley's Matching Scholarship - Which offer to use?? Forum

[bigc2]

I have a 67,500 scholarship offer from Duke and 45,000 from Chicago. I have been admitted to Berkeley and it's my top choice by far. When negotiating for a matching scholarship, which offer should I use? (I can only use one, and don't know which will hold more weight...Duke offered more money but Chicago is higher ranked...) Thoughts?? I've heard most people say I should use the higher $$ offer, but I still feel hesitant. I really want to get it in ASAP!

Anyone feel free to PM me or respond here, I'd be really grateful for any input.

[lakerfanimal]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

[smov_operator]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

Definitely agree with this. You have to write an essay explaining why you would go to the other school over Berkeley, so its best if you choose the offer that you actually would be most likely to attend.

I used a higher offer from Duke from my matching and got it by the way, so let me know if you have any questions.

[bigc2]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

Definitely agree with this. You have to write an essay explaining why you would go to the other school over Berkeley, so its best if you choose the offer that you actually would be most likely to attend.

I used a higher offer from Duke from my matching and got it by the way, so let me know if you have any questions.

Did you use Duke in this admissions cycle? Congrats, I was planning on using Duke all along but I only heard from Chicago last week regarding financial aid, and it took me by surprise and caused me to hesitate. I just wanted to make sure that Berkeley doesn't necessarily take a matching application more seriously if it's from a school closer to them in the rankings.

[Ken]

Berkeley's focus is more on matching peer schools (Chicago, Michigan, Penn) so while Chicago is the lower amount, it is more likely to be matched than Duke. If possible, convey that you received even more money from Duke, but if you can only mention one Chicago is likely the best one to focus on. Congrats on your great scholarship offers, but having chosen Berkeley over Chicago and Duke (but without your attractive scholarships), I can understand your preference for Berkeley. Best of luck, hopefully Berkeley wisely matches your Chicago offer. Best,

Ken

[KG_CalGuy]

Gotta agree with Ken. Duke is known for "buying" students (though not as much as Northwestern, who you'll notice Berkeley excluded from their matching program). Chicago is your best bet and even then I hear the matching program is a shot in the dark.

[smov_operator]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

Definitely agree with this. You have to write an essay explaining why you would go to the other school over Berkeley, so its best if you choose the offer that you actually would be most likely to attend.

I used a higher offer from Duke from my matching and got it by the way, so let me know if you have any questions.

Did you use Duke in this admissions cycle? Congrats, I was planning on using Duke all along but I only heard from Chicago last week regarding financial aid, and it took me by surprise and caused me to hesitate. I just wanted to make sure that Berkeley doesn't necessarily take a matching application more seriously if it's from a school closer to them in the rankings.

I used Duke this cycle. I didn't expect them to match it either. But, I agree that it's somewhat ransom--about as random as getting admitted.

[CoutureChiq]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

Definitely agree with this. You have to write an essay explaining why you would go to the other school over Berkeley, so its best if you choose the offer that you actually would be most likely to attend.

I used a higher offer from Duke from my matching and got it by the way, so let me know if you have any questions.

I thought the essay was why you prefer Berkeley over the other school, not the other way around. Can anyone confirm?

[sumus romani]

Gotta agree with Ken. Duke is known for "buying" students (though not as much as Northwestern, who you'll notice Berkeley excluded from their matching program). Chicago is your best bet and even then I hear the matching program is a shot in the dark.

This isn't fair to B or NW. Basically, B goes for high GPAs and doesn't care about LSAT scores very much, while NW is exactly opposite. They don't want to fight over students given their different admissions criteria. In yet other cases, pairs of schools differentiate their admissions criteria so as not to fight over the same students (e.g. BC and BU). But it is not as though B excludes NW because B thinks that NW has a "buying students" mentality. To some extent, all schools below the top three must have a buying student mentality.

[bigc2]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

Definitely agree with this. You have to write an essay explaining why you would go to the other school over Berkeley, so its best if you choose the offer that you actually would be most likely to attend.

I used a higher offer from Duke from my matching and got it by the way, so let me know if you have any questions.

I thought the essay was why you prefer Berkeley over the other school, not the other way around. Can anyone confirm?

On the Admitted Students Website, the prompt for the Matching Scholarship is something along the lines of: "Since you have been admitted to other law schools, why do you want to attend Berkeley Law?" Someone else should feel free to confirm but I believe that's the core information they want from you (of course this could easily include why you might not be able to go there and what might draw you away).

[Hattori Hanzo]

.

[Drake014]

I have a 67,500 scholarship offer from Duke and 45,000 from Chicago. I have been admitted to Berkeley and it's my top choice by far. When negotiating for a matching scholarship, which offer should I use? (I can only use one, and don't know which will hold more weight...Duke offered more money but Chicago is higher ranked...) Thoughts?? I've heard most people say I should use the higher $$ offer, but I still feel hesitant. I really want to get it in ASAP!

Anyone feel free to PM me or respond here, I'd be really grateful for any input.

Berkeley's matching scholarship program actually lists the schools that they will consider matching scholarships. Last year, Chicago was on the list and Duke was not. It'll probably be the same this year.

[smov_operator]

I think you should use the offer from the school you'd be more likely to go to. It seems like the money isn't much different, so hopefully you have a preference between Duke and Chicago.

Definitely agree with this. You have to write an essay explaining why you would go to the other school over Berkeley, so its best if you choose the offer that you actually would be most likely to attend.

I used a higher offer from Duke from my matching and got it by the way, so let me know if you have any questions.

I thought the essay was why you prefer Berkeley over the other school, not the other way around. Can anyone confirm?

On the Admitted Students Website, the prompt for the Matching Scholarship is something along the lines of: "Since you have been admitted to other law schools, why do you want to attend Berkeley Law?" Someone else should feel free to confirm but I believe that's the core information they want from you (of course this could easily include why you might not be able to go there and what might draw you away).

That's true, I should have worded more eloquently what I meant to say . You absolutely have to focus on why you want to attend Berkeley. What I believe helped in my case was the fact that in answering the core question I was able to really convey why I would not be able to attend without the matching aid.

Duke is definitely on there. That's the school I asked them to match.

[Rock of Love]

I have a 67,500 scholarship offer from Duke and 45,000 from Chicago. I have been admitted to Berkeley and it's my top choice by far. When negotiating for a matching scholarship, which offer should I use? (I can only use one, and don't know which will hold more weight...Duke offered more money but Chicago is higher ranked...) Thoughts?? I've heard most people say I should use the higher $$ offer, but I still feel hesitant. I really want to get it in ASAP!

Anyone feel free to PM me or respond here, I'd be really grateful for any input.

Berkeley's matching scholarship program actually lists the schools that they will consider matching scholarships. Last year, Chicago was on the list and Duke was not. It'll probably be the same this year.

Duke was on the list last year. I used it, and it didn't work. I had actually almost exactly the same offers from both Chicago and Duke as you have. I would go with Chicago.

[Drake014]

I have a 67,500 scholarship offer from Duke and 45,000 from Chicago. I have been admitted to Berkeley and it's my top choice by far. When negotiating for a matching scholarship, which offer should I use? (I can only use one, and don't know which will hold more weight...Duke offered more money but Chicago is higher ranked...) Thoughts?? I've heard most people say I should use the higher $$ offer, but I still feel hesitant. I really want to get it in ASAP!

Anyone feel free to PM me or respond here, I'd be really grateful for any input.

Berkeley's matching scholarship program actually lists the schools that they will consider matching scholarships. Last year, Chicago was on the list and Duke was not. It'll probably be the same this year.

Duke was on the list last year. I used it, and it didn't work. I had actually almost exactly the same offers from both Chicago and Duke as you have. I would go with Chicago.

I stand corrected. I never applied to Duke so perhaps I overlooked it.

[jonnodotsg]

.

[Drake014]

I don't mean to feed into the rankings machine, but it might be something worth considering. While controversial in many ways, the USNWR rankings are still scrutinized by both students and schools alike, as much as some might try to deny that. To that end, the acronyms often thrown about (e.g., HYS, CCN) place Chicago in a separate tier as Berkeley, despite both being tied for 6th currently. Whatever reality that reflects aside, it does make sense for Berkeley to recognize Chicago as the greater threat, and feel more inclined to match offers made by that school. Just an opinion. I might be wrong.

The matching scholarships seem to be more about grabbing the students they want than being afraid of the competitition. The matching scholarship I used was from UVA, ranked a good deal lower than Berkeley. They matched it completely. Why? I'm a URM and have the numbers to get into NYU and Columbia even if I wasn't.

[Tangerine Gleam]

I don't mean to feed into the rankings machine, but it might be something worth considering. While controversial in many ways, the USNWR rankings are still scrutinized by both students and schools alike, as much as some might try to deny that. To that end, the acronyms often thrown about (e.g., HYS, CCN) place Chicago in a separate tier as Berkeley, despite both being tied for 6th currently. Whatever reality that reflects aside, it does make sense for Berkeley to recognize Chicago as the greater threat, and feel more inclined to match offers made by that school. Just an opinion. I might be wrong.

The matching scholarships seem to be more about grabbing the students they want than being afraid of the competitition. The matching scholarship I used was from UVA, ranked a good deal lower than Berkeley. They matched it completely. Why? I'm a URM and have the numbers to get into NYU and Columbia even if I wasn't.

This makes sense. This is also what I'm afraid of...I feel like I was lucky to get in to Boalt in the first place, so to get merit money seems even more unlikely. I submitted for the Matching Scholarship with a T10 full ride offer, but I suspect that they'll re-open my file and say, "Oh yeah, this guy. We already did him a favor once." DENIED, etc.

[jtemp320]

Thought I'd revive this thread to ask my own question about which scholarship to submit to Berkeley for a match:

My options are:

Dean's Scholarship at Cornell (45k a year - 135k total)
Duke (25k a year - 75k total)

...or wait to hear from Penn where I am under consideration for the James Wilson (20-25k a year, 60-75k total)

Stats etc are at the LSN link in my profile.

Suggestions?