Negotiating scholarships works!!!!! Forum

[riverwater]

I recently received an increase and was told it was a final offer. I'll be attending regardless of any further bump, but I was curious if its possible to finagle a little more even after they've said the offer was final and I paid the deposits: "I'm coming here regardless, buttttt blah blah blah"

Worth a shot or waste of time?

I would never write "I'm coming here regardless" in an email like that. Anyway, I think it's unnecessary. At the very least you should wait until you get off a WL to try one more time. No reason to burn an email with nothing, absolutely nothing, that gives you leverage.

[Telecaster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmZRLxnXamM

I have found this video extremely helpful as a general template to use for negotiating more money from law schools. Just make sure you approach schools in a similar way and you should be good.

[PB&J.D.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmZRLxnXamM

I have found this video extremely helpful as a general template to use for negotiating more money from law schools. Just make sure you approach schools in a similar way and you should be good.

I've clicked on this twice now, not remembering what it was. Touché.

[BaberhamLincoln]

Question:

How many times can you ask for more money without looking like a total dick?

For example,
I asked for more $$ from a school back in like Feb/March. I know, it was early.
They said NO.

I asked for more money 2 days ago. They said they are over budget and unable to increase at this time but if I wanted to send them other offers I had, I could. So I did.

Today they increased my scholly from $27K ---> $30K per year

Can I ask again later? I am waiting to hear how much I will be getting at another school (much higher ranked school).

I don't want to seem ungrateful or annoying.

[barrelofmonkeys]

Question:

How many times can you ask for more money without looking like a total dick?

For example,
I asked for more $$ from a school back in like Feb/March. I know, it was early.
They said NO.

I asked for more money 2 days ago. They said they are over budget and unable to increase at this time but if I wanted to send them other offers I had, I could. So I did.

Today they increased my scholly from $27K ---> $30K per year

Can I ask again later? I am waiting to hear how much I will be getting at another school (much higher ranked school).

I don't want to seem ungrateful or annoying.

If you end up with an appealing offer from another, higher-ranked school, then you should definitely bring it to this school.

You have absolutely nothing to lose (perhaps a small amount of dignity) and everything to gain.
Don't forget that they're the ones over-charging you. You're entitled to do your best to get the price down to something reasonable.

Good luck!

[Carrotjuice]

Hi everybody, here is the situation I am currently in:

I paid my seat deposit to BC, which had offered me $18k/yr. I had not tried negotiating yet because my stats aren't great (3.4/163, both below medians with gpa ~25th) and I was happy to have received anything. I also had no bargaining chips, as my next best offer was $30k at Cardozo. However, I just got into BU off their waitlist, along with a lower, but comparable offer at $15k/yr. Should I try to use this to negotiate, or is it a bad idea to try and do so with a lower offer? Also, my interests are in patent law, which seems to be a bigger focus at BU. Should I try and squeeze this into my negotiation email somehow?

Thanks!

[njdevils2626]

Hi everybody, here is the situation I am currently in:

I paid my seat deposit to BC, which had offered me $18k/yr. I had not tried negotiating yet because my stats aren't great (3.4/163, both below medians with gpa ~25th) and I was happy to have received anything. I also had no bargaining chips, as my next best offer was $30k at Cardozo. However, I just got into BU off their waitlist, along with a lower, but comparable offer at $15k/yr. Should I try to use this to negotiate, or is it a bad idea to try and do so with a lower offer? Also, my interests are in patent law, which seems to be a bigger focus at BU. Should I try and squeeze this into my negotiation email somehow?

Thanks!

Try negotiating with BU to up your scholarship there, then bring the new offer to BC and ask for an increase. Continue playing one off the other until they say no. Then choose between what will hopefully end up being 2 good offers

[msx3]

Hi everybody, here is the situation I am currently in:

I paid my seat deposit to BC, which had offered me $18k/yr. I had not tried negotiating yet because my stats aren't great (3.4/163, both below medians with gpa ~25th) and I was happy to have received anything. I also had no bargaining chips, as my next best offer was $30k at Cardozo. However, I just got into BU off their waitlist, along with a lower, but comparable offer at $15k/yr. Should I try to use this to negotiate, or is it a bad idea to try and do so with a lower offer? Also, my interests are in patent law, which seems to be a bigger focus at BU. Should I try and squeeze this into my negotiation email somehow?

Thanks!

My GPA is much worse than yours and I received money after negotiating requests to similarly ranked schools. I would definitely shoot over an email and follow the above advice, they aren't going to take your scholarship away and likely expect negotiation emails.

[NoDayButToday]

.

[singftw]

Has anyone ever successfully negotiated a scholarship increase after paying the first seat deposit and then not paying the second deposit?

[msx3]

Has anyone ever successfully negotiated a scholarship increase after paying the first seat deposit and then not paying the second deposit?

Yes, but not every time. One school significantly raised my scholarship, the other was only receptive before I deposited and not afterwards.

Depends on the school would be my answer.

[John Everyman]

Has anyone ever successfully negotiated a scholarship increase after paying the first seat deposit and then not paying the second deposit?

This is a credited strategy. Current school doubled mine after the first seat deposit, and it's a school that TLS wisdom suggests does not negotiate.

[BaberhamLincoln]

Has anyone ever successfully negotiated a scholarship increase after paying the first seat deposit and then not paying the second deposit?

This is a credited strategy. Current school doubled mine after the first seat deposit, and it's a school that TLS wisdom suggests does not negotiate.

This may be an incredibly stupid question but...
You can just not pay second deposit? You won't lose your spot? And you could maybe even use that to negotiate?

I assumed not paying a deposit would mean the school would think, "oh okay he/she isn't coming here. Let's throw away his/her file and open a spot in our class for someone else."

[crimson34]

Has anyone tried negotiating an increase after the second deposit. I received a very attractive new contract at work that makes the economic impact of attending law school greater than when I applied. I still want to go to school but was wondering can you use a job offer as a negotiation point?

[mucker]

You can just not pay second deposit? You won't lose your spot? And you could maybe even use that to negotiate?

I assumed not paying a deposit would mean the school would think, "oh okay he/she isn't coming here. Let's throw away his/her file and open a spot in our class for someone else."

Wondering about this too. How much risk do you run of losing your seat if you don't pay the deposit? And if that happens, how receptive will admissions be if you go asking for your seat and scholarship money back?

[ManoftheHour]

Question:

How many times can you ask for more money without looking like a total dick?

For example,
I asked for more $$ from a school back in like Feb/March. I know, it was early.
They said NO.

I asked for more money 2 days ago. They said they are over budget and unable to increase at this time but if I wanted to send them other offers I had, I could. So I did.

Today they increased my scholly from $27K ---> $30K per year

Can I ask again later? I am waiting to hear how much I will be getting at another school (much higher ranked school).

I don't want to seem ungrateful or annoying.

This is baller.

Keep doing it.

[ManoftheHour]

Can we use LST for negotiating or will you sound like a dick?

[chuckbass]

Can we use LST for negotiating or will you sound like a dick?

Isn't all of the data on LST reported by the school?

[ManoftheHour]

Can we use LST for negotiating or will you sound like a dick?

Isn't all of the data on LST reported by the school?

Yeah, true. I guess I have to find a way to state things pleasantly and not like, "The other school is so much better cuz of ______. Now gimme more."

[BaberhamLincoln]

^^ just send the school a gif of Britney's "Gimme More." If that's not succinct and clear, idk what is.

[ManoftheHour]

^^ just send the school a gif of Britney's "Gimme More." If that's not succinct and clear, idk what is.

[chuckbass]

Can we use LST for negotiating or will you sound like a dick?

Isn't all of the data on LST reported by the school?

Yeah, true. I guess I have to find a way to state things pleasantly and not like, "The other school is so much better cuz of ______. Now gimme more."

I think it's fine to talk about openly.

You've given me more than School B, but I'm interested in working at a big firm and according to the available data, School B gives me a better shot blah blah blah.

[havermayer]

You can just not pay second deposit? You won't lose your spot? And you could maybe even use that to negotiate?

I assumed not paying a deposit would mean the school would think, "oh okay he/she isn't coming here. Let's throw away his/her file and open a spot in our class for someone else."

Wondering about this too. How much risk do you run of losing your seat if you don't pay the deposit? And if that happens, how receptive will admissions be if you go asking for your seat and scholarship money back?

Depends on the ranking of the school. I've had lower ranked schools offer me money and I've successfully negotiated 15k grant total to 45k no stip scholly at a school ranked 50-60 and this was after I failed to deposit and withdrew my application. Then used that offer to negotiate at a higher ranked school and got more money from them after the first deposit. It's risky because you don't know if they'll contact you after not depositing, but my experience from some schools is that they'll send you a follow up email a couple days after the deposit deadline to see if you're still interested.

[Hahalollawl]

Cornell basically seemed to brush me off because I didn't have any competing offers when I asked them to reconsider my file...got in to Duke off the waitlist recently so hopefully I can go back and get better results. Not sure what to say if they don't consider Duke to be "competitive".

[chuckbass]

Cornell basically seemed to brush me off because I didn't have any competing offers when I asked them to reconsider my file...got in to Duke off the waitlist recently so hopefully I can go back and get better results. Not sure what to say if they don't consider Duke to be "competitive".

Isn't COA at Duke cheaper? That should be what you focus on, they'll consider Duke competitive.