Brooklyn Law 17/18 Forum

Share Your Experiences, Read About Other Experiences. Please keep posts organized by school and expected year of graduation.
Post Reply
User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:36 pm

jj1990 wrote:Dinged via status checker. Kind of surprised, I figured that with my numbers I'd have a decent chance.
Sorry to hear that. Good luck with your other choices, I'm sure with your numbers you have some great options!

CaveCanem

New
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:51 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by CaveCanem » Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:44 pm

Wbrem wrote:
CaveCanem wrote:
Wbrem wrote:
cosmomedici wrote:Definitely going, hoping to get housing at 148-150 Clinton Street. If I get assigned to Feil Hall I'll probably cut my losses and look for an apartment in LES or Brooklyn. Anyone been on the housing tour?
Unfurnished housing is my first choice as well but I hear it's improbable to be assigned there your first year since there are so few, especially on Clinton St. I will probably get an off campus apartment also.
Any dirt on Feil hall that i don't about? Heard good things..
I've heard nothing but good things. I have a friend who is living there now and really loves it. I've just lived on my own for so long that I don't want to get rid of my furniture and everything to go back to living in a dorm atmosphere.
Valid point. Just think with the below-market price and convenience it's a good option for me for 1L.

michaelbluth

New
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:52 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by michaelbluth » Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:09 pm

Wbrem wrote:
CaveCanem wrote:
Wbrem wrote:
cosmomedici wrote:Definitely going, hoping to get housing at 148-150 Clinton Street. If I get assigned to Feil Hall I'll probably cut my losses and look for an apartment in LES or Brooklyn. Anyone been on the housing tour?
Unfurnished housing is my first choice as well but I hear it's improbable to be assigned there your first year since there are so few, especially on Clinton St. I will probably get an off campus apartment also.
Any dirt on Feil hall that i don't about? Heard good things..
I've heard nothing but good things. I have a friend who is living there now and really loves it. I've just lived on my own for so long that I don't want to get rid of my furniture and everything to go back to living in a dorm atmosphere.
I currently live in Feil, really like it, and plan to stay next year as well. (I lived here during 1L, won the lottery so I got to stay for 2L, and am lottery-exempt for 3L. That said, rising 3Ls pretty much always win because of the way the lottery works so being lottery-exempt doesn't matter.) That said, I know people who hate it. There are absolutely pros and cons.

Pros:
-Below market rent, especially considering what you get for your money.
-I've yet to see a single bug inside the building, save a bee that flew in when I had the window open last spring. That said, I don't worry about ants, roaches, bedbugs, etc.
-I like my roommate, but if you have roommate issues, they're pretty good about switching people around. (I know several people who moved apartments mid-semester and even more who switched roommates after 1L.)
-It's close to school and the train, and it's hugely convenient for events that take place both at school and in Feil. I know I attend a lot more events than I otherwise would because they take place in the building. I'm also less inclined to skip class.
-You're surrounded by law students, so there's always someone to talk to, be it for social or academic reasons. (This can be a con, too.)
-With one exception, the staff in Feil are all pretty awesome, from the security guards to the maintenance guys. (The exception is a specific security guard who's perfectly nice but rather clueless and tactless and can rub people the wrong way.)
-Geraldo's is a decent study spot, when there isn't an event going on there.
-The laundry room is clean and has enough washers and dryers that I've never had to wait to do laundry.
-The appliances in the kitchen are relatively new and work well. Stoves are gas, not electric, which is a huge pro as far as I'm concerned.
-Utilities are pretty cheap. My half of the bill averages about $25/month during the year. It goes up in the summer (heat is included; A/C is not.) The most I've ever paid was $80 in the middle of last summer when we had the A/C going 24/7 in 2-3 rooms at a time. That said, utilities are calculated by taking your apartment's entire bill and dividing it among the people who live in the apartment, so if your roommate uses way more electricity than you do, it could be a Thing, I guess.

Cons:
-The WiFi sucks. Really sucks. On the other hand, there are a ton of ethernet jacks, so we just plug in. When plugged in, the internet's really fast. That said, neither my roommate nor I can get our iPhones to connect to the WiFi for more than about 10 minutes at a time. (Not a huge deal as we both have unlimited data, but still annoying. I imagine it'd be more annoying if I had a tablet.)
-Dish sucks, and the building's contracted with Dish so your options are, well, Dish or nothing. (That said, it's cheap. We pay $10/month for one TV for all the expected channels plus HBO.)
-You're surrounded by law students (and a few profs), so it sometimes feels like there's no escape. I've heard it described as living in a fish bowl, and I think that can be accurate. (This can be a pro, too. It depends on your mood and personality.)
-Delivery guys aren't allowed past the security desk, so if you order food, you have to go down to the lobby to pick it up. Not a huge deal, but it can be annoying because half of the point of ordering food is that it means being able to obtain food without having to put on shoes. (It's possible that I'm just lazy and this isn't actually a con.)
-The mattresses are pretty firm to the point of uncomfortable, although a decent memory foam topper can do wonders. Also, the beds squeak and the walls are thin.
-The heater/air conditioner is hotel style, so you can't set a temperature and go and they're not exactly precision instruments. I know someone who says her heater has two settings: off and sauna. I've been in her apartment and think she's exaggerating, though.
-The ventilation is such that, depending on who your neighbors are, the hallways often smell like pot, especially on weekends and in the summer. (I realize this may not be a con for everyone.)
-Mailboxes aren't individual, so you and any roommates have a single mailbox/mail key. This doesn't matter unless you're highly competitive/paranoid/private. I know someone who Freaks Out about the shared mailbox because he's convinced his roommate will be able to figure out his class rank because the school mails letters to congratulate you for making dean's list or winning a CALI. Then again, he falls into the highly paranoid category.
-I really want a dog and the building has a no-pets policy.
-The building doesn't have much personality, so it sometimes feels like living in a hotel. (Then again, this could be a pro, depending on your preferences.)
-Some of the building policies are just dumb and can make you feel like the school thinks you're a child. For example, the rarely-enforced official policy says that have to show your school ID every time you go inside. Your ID's also your apartment key, so it's not like you're going to lose it, but there's nothing worse than being carded when you're carrying a bag of groceries or after ducking out for five minutes. It's especially ridiculous because the guards know all of us on sight and a lot of us by name. There's something kind of insane about walking into your building and hearing someone say "hi, [name], ID please?" That said, most of the more asinine policies are only enforced at the beginning of the year or when certain administrators are hanging around. With one exception, the guards really are awesome guys and they'll be the first to acknowledge how dumb some of the policies are.

dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:45 am

Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:40 am

dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I think the tuition reduction is for next year (2015-2016) but I might be wrong. It was frozen for this year at last year's rate, no?

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:46 am

PattyCake wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I think the tuition reduction is for next year (2015-2016) but I might be wrong. It was frozen for this year at last year's rate, no?
yes - the tuition reduction is for next year.

so what are my chances for scholly this year.. thank you!

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:18 am

dreamofNYC wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I think the tuition reduction is for next year (2015-2016) but I might be wrong. It was frozen for this year at last year's rate, no?
yes - the tuition reduction is for next year.

so what are my chances for scholly this year.. thank you!
I got in with $34K in early March, not sure what their funding looks like this late though.

dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:43 am

PattyCake wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I think the tuition reduction is for next year (2015-2016) but I might be wrong. It was frozen for this year at last year's rate, no?
yes - the tuition reduction is for next year.

so what are my chances for scholly this year.. thank you!
I got in with $34K in early March, not sure what their funding looks like this late though.
Congrats! Hope to hear from them soon.

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:20 pm

dreamofNYC wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
I think the tuition reduction is for next year (2015-2016) but I might be wrong. It was frozen for this year at last year's rate, no?
yes - the tuition reduction is for next year.

so what are my chances for scholly this year.. thank you!
I got in with $34K in early March, not sure what their funding looks like this late though.
Congrats! Hope to hear from them soon.
Thanks! Money always opens up after the seat deposit deadline, so you still have a good shot, I'd say.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


Yawkey

New
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:49 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by Yawkey » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:52 pm

dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I wouldn't discount Fordham. Also, have you thought about reapplying in the fall? Your numbers are pretty good as it is and presumably will only be more valuable in next year's cycle.

dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:51 pm

Yawkey wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I wouldn't discount Fordham. Also, have you thought about reapplying in the fall? Your numbers are pretty good as it is and presumably will only be more valuable in next year's cycle.
Thanks! I did think about reapplying, and sending some applications out to NYU and Columbia as well. We'll see... I wouldn't turn down $ from Bklyn though. It's a respectable school and I plan to stay on the NY market anyway. So Bklyn / Fordham to me doesn't make much of a difference. I may be mistaken? Thanks so much for your feedback.

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:57 pm

dreamofNYC wrote:
Yawkey wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I wouldn't discount Fordham. Also, have you thought about reapplying in the fall? Your numbers are pretty good as it is and presumably will only be more valuable in next year's cycle.
Thanks! I did think about reapplying, and sending some applications out to NYU and Columbia as well. We'll see... I wouldn't turn down $ from Bklyn though. It's a respectable school and I plan to stay on the NY market anyway. So Bklyn / Fordham to me doesn't make much of a difference. I may be mistaken? Thanks so much for your feedback.
I may be wrong, but I believe you will be much more likely to receive a generous scholarship from Brooklyn than Fordham.

dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:15 pm

PattyCake wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:
Yawkey wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
I wouldn't discount Fordham. Also, have you thought about reapplying in the fall? Your numbers are pretty good as it is and presumably will only be more valuable in next year's cycle.
Thanks! I did think about reapplying, and sending some applications out to NYU and Columbia as well. We'll see... I wouldn't turn down $ from Bklyn though. It's a respectable school and I plan to stay on the NY market anyway. So Bklyn / Fordham to me doesn't make much of a difference. I may be mistaken? Thanks so much for your feedback.
I may be wrong, but I believe you will be much more likely to receive a generous scholarship from Brooklyn than Fordham.
I agree. Let's hope it's not too late in the game.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


CaveCanem

New
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:51 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by CaveCanem » Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:10 pm

This may have been more obvious to you guys than it was to me but after speaking with someone close to BLS, apparently once the 2015 increase kicks in, you will have a choice to pick between the lowered tuition amount or your merit scholarship award. I find this a bit ridiculous. How can they advertise this decrease in tuition as some type of magic pill that all of the sudden makes it a good investment, then refuse to apply it to merit scholarship holders, of which a significant amount of incoming students are. It's not like this is taking effect right after we received scholarships and we got lucky. It doesn't even kick in for a year. Maybe this is more rational a move than I think but it seems a bit slimy if you ask me.

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:06 pm

CaveCanem wrote:This may have been more obvious to you guys than it was to me but after speaking with someone close to BLS, apparently once the 2015 increase kicks in, you will have a choice to pick between the lowered tuition amount or your merit scholarship award. I find this a bit ridiculous. How can they advertise this decrease in tuition as some type of magic pill that all of the sudden makes it a good investment, then refuse to apply it to merit scholarship holders, of which a significant amount of incoming students are. It's not like this is taking effect right after we received scholarships and we got lucky. It doesn't even kick in for a year. Maybe this is more rational a move than I think but it seems a bit slimy if you ask me.
I think they are probably planning to scale back on merit based awards next cycle, so it'll even out for future incoming classes. They offer a huge percentage of incoming students merit based scholarships right now, that money has to come from somewhere. It would be better if they offered to scale down awards instead by 15% though, it does seem a bit strange to make it all-or-nothing...

michaelbluth

New
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:52 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by michaelbluth » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:28 pm

dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
Odds are you'll end up with a full ride. If they don't offer full tuition up front, negotiate, esp. after the first deposit deadline.

dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:46 pm

michaelbluth wrote:
dreamofNYC wrote:Applied today.
GPA: 3.9 / also graduate degree in int'l affairs at Columbia
LSAT: 163
6 years of legal experience (paralegal / project manager) in private equity.


any hopes to get scholarship $? Thanks all. Bklyn is my 1st choice - esp after they lowered tuition 15%!

also got into Fordham. no $ though. :(
Odds are you'll end up with a full ride. If they don't offer full tuition up front, negotiate, esp. after the first deposit deadline.
Let's hope so! Thank you for the encouragement, Michael. I will keep everyone posted.

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


User avatar
chipotle123

New
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:03 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by chipotle123 » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:59 pm

CaveCanem wrote:This may have been more obvious to you guys than it was to me but after speaking with someone close to BLS, apparently once the 2015 increase kicks in, you will have a choice to pick between the lowered tuition amount or your merit scholarship award. I find this a bit ridiculous. How can they advertise this decrease in tuition as some type of magic pill that all of the sudden makes it a good investment, then refuse to apply it to merit scholarship holders, of which a significant amount of incoming students are. It's not like this is taking effect right after we received scholarships and we got lucky. It doesn't even kick in for a year. Maybe this is more rational a move than I think but it seems a bit slimy if you ask me.

Taken straight from the 2014 merit scholarship guidelines:

"Reservation of Rights:....... Nevertheless, BLS expressly reserves the right to 1) Modify the Merit scholarship program and make chnges applicable to all participating students; 2) limit the program's funding and its level of assistance or participation; 3) add, change or delete any requirement in connection with the program; and 4) change any regulation, process or procedure affecting the administration of the program. In short, the law school continues to reserve the right to change the program in any way it deems appropriate, at any time without notice, even as such changes may affect current students"

I added the bold for emphasis lol, but I feel like their merit is literally a bait and switch tactic. Yea its nice that you only have to stay above the bottom 20% to keep your merit, but I keep feeling like the school is desperate. First they sell most of their dorms, then lower their merit requirements, then announce a 15% cut in tuition. This could also be due to the fact that everytime I have seen the dean say something, be it in person or in the news paper, I feel like he's full of $h!t.

I'm not trying to hate or anything like that, but just thinking out loud and sharing my feelings on this. Does anybody else feel similar?????

User avatar
JazzieShizzle

Bronze
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:47 am

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by JazzieShizzle » Wed Apr 09, 2014 12:44 am

PattyCake wrote:
CaveCanem wrote:This may have been more obvious to you guys than it was to me but after speaking with someone close to BLS, apparently once the 2015 increase kicks in, you will have a choice to pick between the lowered tuition amount or your merit scholarship award. I find this a bit ridiculous. How can they advertise this decrease in tuition as some type of magic pill that all of the sudden makes it a good investment, then refuse to apply it to merit scholarship holders, of which a significant amount of incoming students are. It's not like this is taking effect right after we received scholarships and we got lucky. It doesn't even kick in for a year. Maybe this is more rational a move than I think but it seems a bit slimy if you ask me.
I think they are probably planning to scale back on merit based awards next cycle, so it'll even out for future incoming classes. They offer a huge percentage of incoming students merit based scholarships right now, that money has to come from somewhere. It would be better if they offered to scale down awards instead by 15% though, it does seem a bit strange to make it all-or-nothing...
That seems pretty crappy to me... Discounting their already too high tuition is great, but it cheapens the effect if they eliminate or decrease scholarship offers. I really liked BLS at first and I was somewhat reluctant to withdraw, but now I'm glad I did.

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:16 am

JazzieShizzle wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
CaveCanem wrote:This may have been more obvious to you guys than it was to me but after speaking with someone close to BLS, apparently once the 2015 increase kicks in, you will have a choice to pick between the lowered tuition amount or your merit scholarship award. I find this a bit ridiculous. How can they advertise this decrease in tuition as some type of magic pill that all of the sudden makes it a good investment, then refuse to apply it to merit scholarship holders, of which a significant amount of incoming students are. It's not like this is taking effect right after we received scholarships and we got lucky. It doesn't even kick in for a year. Maybe this is more rational a move than I think but it seems a bit slimy if you ask me.
I think they are probably planning to scale back on merit based awards next cycle, so it'll even out for future incoming classes. They offer a huge percentage of incoming students merit based scholarships right now, that money has to come from somewhere. It would be better if they offered to scale down awards instead by 15% though, it does seem a bit strange to make it all-or-nothing...
That seems pretty crappy to me... Discounting their already too high tuition is great, but it cheapens the effect if they eliminate or decrease scholarship offers. I really liked BLS at first and I was somewhat reluctant to withdraw, but now I'm glad I did.
I hear what you're saying, but the scholarship they offered you is basically a discount. They have to budget very carefully, just as all schools do. I'm NOT defending the disgusting rise in tuition over the last 5-10 years (my sister was offered full tuition and free housing at BLS in 2005 when the tuition was around $30K - an almost 25K rise in 10 years is deplorable, no question). But schools cost a lot of money to run, and they're obviously not going to just fire their faculty to allow for that decrease. It's an unfortunate fact that the classes entering during transitions often don't get the advantages of the new policy. I can understand getting upset, because the policy seems unfair at first, but the school can't just open a vein and let all that funding go all at once - they need the transition period to balance things out. I'm actually pretty impressed with the percentage drop they announced -15% is a HUGE drop to balance out in only 3 years.

dreamofNYC

Bronze
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by dreamofNYC » Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:14 am

PattyCake wrote:
JazzieShizzle wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
CaveCanem wrote:This may have been more obvious to you guys than it was to me but after speaking with someone close to BLS, apparently once the 2015 increase kicks in, you will have a choice to pick between the lowered tuition amount or your merit scholarship award. I find this a bit ridiculous. How can they advertise this decrease in tuition as some type of magic pill that all of the sudden makes it a good investment, then refuse to apply it to merit scholarship holders, of which a significant amount of incoming students are. It's not like this is taking effect right after we received scholarships and we got lucky. It doesn't even kick in for a year. Maybe this is more rational a move than I think but it seems a bit slimy if you ask me.
I think they are probably planning to scale back on merit based awards next cycle, so it'll even out for future incoming classes. They offer a huge percentage of incoming students merit based scholarships right now, that money has to come from somewhere. It would be better if they offered to scale down awards instead by 15% though, it does seem a bit strange to make it all-or-nothing...
That seems pretty crappy to me... Discounting their already too high tuition is great, but it cheapens the effect if they eliminate or decrease scholarship offers. I really liked BLS at first and I was somewhat reluctant to withdraw, but now I'm glad I did.
I hear what you're saying, but the scholarship they offered you is basically a discount. They have to budget very carefully, just as all schools do. I'm NOT defending the disgusting rise in tuition over the last 5-10 years (my sister was offered full tuition and free housing at BLS in 2005 when the tuition was around $30K - an almost 25K rise in 10 years is deplorable, no question). But schools cost a lot of money to run, and they're obviously not going to just fire their faculty to allow for that decrease. It's an unfortunate fact that the classes entering during transitions often don't get the advantages of the new policy. I can understand getting upset, because the policy seems unfair at first, but the school can't just open a vein and let all that funding go all at once - they need the transition period to balance things out. I'm actually pretty impressed with the percentage drop they announced -15% is a HUGE drop to balance out in only 3 years.
Are they eliminating scholarships for this incoming year?

Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.

Register now, it's still FREE!


User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:22 am

dreamofNYC wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
JazzieShizzle wrote:
PattyCake wrote:
I think they are probably planning to scale back on merit based awards next cycle, so it'll even out for future incoming classes. They offer a huge percentage of incoming students merit based scholarships right now, that money has to come from somewhere. It would be better if they offered to scale down awards instead by 15% though, it does seem a bit strange to make it all-or-nothing...
That seems pretty crappy to me... Discounting their already too high tuition is great, but it cheapens the effect if they eliminate or decrease scholarship offers. I really liked BLS at first and I was somewhat reluctant to withdraw, but now I'm glad I did.
I hear what you're saying, but the scholarship they offered you is basically a discount. They have to budget very carefully, just as all schools do. I'm NOT defending the disgusting rise in tuition over the last 5-10 years (my sister was offered full tuition and free housing at BLS in 2005 when the tuition was around $30K - an almost 25K rise in 10 years is deplorable, no question). But schools cost a lot of money to run, and they're obviously not going to just fire their faculty to allow for that decrease. It's an unfortunate fact that the classes entering during transitions often don't get the advantages of the new policy. I can understand getting upset, because the policy seems unfair at first, but the school can't just open a vein and let all that funding go all at once - they need the transition period to balance things out. I'm actually pretty impressed with the percentage drop they announced -15% is a HUGE drop to balance out in only 3 years.
Are they eliminating scholarships for this incoming year?
I doubt it, but the awards might be smaller, or fewer in number. I have no idea what portion of the funding comes from what source, or how much it might be affected.

User avatar
JazzieShizzle

Bronze
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:47 am

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by JazzieShizzle » Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:02 pm

PattyCake wrote: I hear what you're saying, but the scholarship they offered you is basically a discount. They have to budget very carefully, just as all schools do. I'm NOT defending the disgusting rise in tuition over the last 5-10 years (my sister was offered full tuition and free housing at BLS in 2005 when the tuition was around $30K - an almost 25K rise in 10 years is deplorable, no question). But schools cost a lot of money to run, and they're obviously not going to just fire their faculty to allow for that decrease. It's an unfortunate fact that the classes entering during transitions often don't get the advantages of the new policy. I can understand getting upset, because the policy seems unfair at first, but the school can't just open a vein and let all that funding go all at once - they need the transition period to balance things out. I'm actually pretty impressed with the percentage drop they announced -15% is a HUGE drop to balance out in only 3 years.
I agree; that 15% in tuition is impressive, and I hope it sets a precedent that other schools will follow as well.

What you're saying makes sense, of course, but I don't like it. :roll: I withdrew before they announced the tuition drop, so I was pretty disappointed at first because the tuition drop combined with my scholarship would have made BLS more competitive with other schools I had to choose from in terms of cost. But them requiring students to choose between the tuition cut and the scholarship means that those of us offered more than a $7,500 scholarship (practically all scholarship recipients, I think) don't even benefit from the tuition drop. It just sucks because it sounds like a much better deal than it actually is. I'm willing to bet that people this cycle will choose BLS because they are unaware that they will not be able to take advantage of both their scholarship and the tuition drop during their 2L and 3L years, which will be a really crappy surprise for them.

And PattyCake, I think you are spot on with your prediction of scholarship offers in future cycles. I'm sure they will still offer scholarships, but the dollar amounts will be much lower. I imagine that BLS will reduce their scholarship offers such that they don't even feel the hit from the tuition cut. Yes, it is an improvement that they will have a lower sticker price, but I think most students will end up paying more because of this change.

User avatar
DerekZoolander

New
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:29 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by DerekZoolander » Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:23 pm

Came here to also talk about the recent tuition drop news. I'm in on a $28k scholarship currently, trying to decide/negotiate.

I really enjoyed my visit (Feil, Pierrepont, the lecture, the students, Brooklyn Heights, a Shake Shack across the street, my admissions counselor, etc.), but the recent news about the school has me feeling uneasy. Also, last year they somehow removed more students from scholarship than they statistically should have considering their stipulations. How is this possible??

All I know is..."Brooklyn" is starting to feel a lot more like "Crooklyn."

User avatar
PattyCake

Bronze
Posts: 440
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:02 pm

Re: Brooklyn Law 17/18

Post by PattyCake » Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:42 pm

DerekZoolander wrote:Also, last year they somehow removed more students from scholarship than they statistically should have considering their stipulations. How is this possible??
If you read their policy very carefully it actually says that thy can't guarantee the funding will be available for everyone who fulfills the requirements, and that it's possible you could have your scholarship reduced or eliminated due to a shortage of funding if too many students meet the criteria. Yeah. I caught that the second time around because they slip it in very casually.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “Law School Acceptances, Denials, and Waitlists”