The George Washington Law School 2010 Forum

[CyLaw]

Hey all, I'm an ED applicant and I got my packet today telling me I was accepted RD and offering me the $30/year + free year of housing at the Aston. So all the other ED applicants should be hearing soon, I would assume.

Before about a dozen other people ask. Location you received the mailing and mailing/postmark date please.

Oh, yeah, and congratulations.

Edit: you screen name leads me to believe you are at GW, but figured I ask anyways, since someone else will.

[painsinmysides]

Im in at both BU and GW.

Im trying to decide between the two. Any thoughts, disregarding any of my own preferences?

Basically, I was hoping people could help offer an objective evaluation between the two...

Thanks.

Do you know what field of law you are interested? What programs at each school interest you? Preferences on where you would like to practice after graduation? Total Cost of Attendance for you for each school?

Preferences matter a great deal. I can tell you which I prefer, but that is based solely on my desire to practice in DC in a technology related field, and based on additional funds that I have available to me at one school but not the other.

I like Health Care Law at BU. I like Intellectual Property at GW, and at BU as well. I like environmental law at GW. Truthfully though, I don't know what kind of law I hope to practice.

Ideally, I would like to practice in NYC after graduation. I am still waiting on schol/financial aid info for both schools, but at base cost, GW is more expensive.

Thanks.

[js87]

Quick question for those who applied RD (not ED) and were accepted: When did you first go complete?

[je_ne_regrette_rien]

Wowww. Just flat out rejected from George Washington Univ. 165/3.7 strong softs. Submitted early Nov. PM for details.

Edit: RD FT

[jk11287]

Congratulations everyone who got in.
I'm in NY...howww are people from CA getting their decisions already and not me?? Hoping for tomorrow...

[JusticeHarlan]

Checked with someone at my current address, got the defferred from ED to RD letter today, # and such in profile/LSN.

[jk11287]

Checked with someone at my current address, got the defferred from ED to RD letter today, # and such in profile/LSN.

Ok, what I don't understand is why some people are getting the letter saying they'll hear in 4-6 weeks and why others are just getting a decision right away. I guess maybe people with auto-admit numbers get in RD, and everyone else has to wait to be held against the regular applicant pool?

[JusticeHarlan]

Checked with someone at my current address, got the defferred from ED to RD letter today, # and such in profile/LSN.

Ok, what I don't understand is why some people are getting the letter saying they'll hear in 4-6 weeks and why others are just getting a decision right away. I guess maybe people with auto-admit numbers get in RD, and everyone else has to wait to be held against the regular applicant pool?

I think that should be the case. They probably looked at the EDs, and tossed them in one of a few piles: 'in ED with full scholarship', 'auto-admit RD but not quite full scholarship', and 'needs to be looked at again.' One would think there'd be an 'auto-reject' pile, but I don't think we've heard about anyone from ED getting rejected yet, no?

This is all just speculation at this point, of course.

[umichgrad]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

[wired]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

What?!?!? Softs might actually matter?!?!?!

[itsfine]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

gotta draw the line somewhere...if you think about it, eventually, given a constant lsat and application, .01 on a gpa means thousands in scholarship.

[bergberg]

Same deferral letter today. Sigh.

[jk11287]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

URM status maybe? That's the only thing I can really think of, because ordinarily it wouldn't really make sense to give almost a full ride to someone with median LSAT/GPA.

[umichgrad]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

What?!?!? Softs might actually matter?!?!?!

wired, there's enough douchebaggery and sarcasm on this board already. i'm well aware of the factors that go into an admissions decision. I was questioning the poster above me who suggested that there's a "pile" for auto-admit people, and those not in it are all getting the deferral letter. It seems like a shoddy way to do things, especially when trying to make the argument that two candidates with fairly similar numbers get tossed in different piles.

and jk, i think you might be right...but still, don't most people on lsn post their urm status?

[Veritas]

I'm still really scared about the expense of GW. Is anyone considering paying sticker?

[jk11287]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

What?!?!? Softs might actually matter?!?!?!

wired, there's enough douchebaggery and sarcasm on this board already. i'm well aware of the factors that go into an admissions decision. I was questioning the poster above me who suggested that there's a "pile" for auto-admit people, and those not in it are all getting the deferral letter. It seems like a shoddy way to do things, especially when trying to make the argument that two candidates with fairly similar numbers get tossed in different piles.

and jk, i think you might be right...but still, don't most people on lsn post their urm status?

Yeah sometimes, but sometimes not. Maybe non-trad? In any case, I've been crazily going over LSN for the last 5 years for GWU and I really only saw that type of money handed out to those numbers for URM. They aren't adverse to giving money to splitters, either high-LSAT or high-GPA, but again, it doesn't make sense to just throw money at the medians.

[jk11287]

I'm still really scared about the expense of GW. Is anyone considering paying sticker?

I am. I'm hoping it won't come to that, but I'd do it if I had to. In all honesty, I'm a splitter and didn't do as well this cycle as I hoped, and I really really really want to go to GW. I don't necessarily think that paying sticker here is right for everyone, and it depends on your other options and what you want to do with your degree. That being said, however, I do think there are a lot of people who take out the requisite 150k in loans and end up doing just fine in the end. Sure, its an enormous commitment, but not an impossible one.

[JusticeHarlan]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

Check out their LSN box. Every non-URM admit so far has either a 167, a 3.7, or both. It could be softs, or they could have drawn those numbers as lines in the sands and won't cross them this early in the process. Or something else. Just my best guess at this point.

[Veritas]

I'm still really scared about the expense of GW. Is anyone considering paying sticker?

I am. I'm hoping it won't come to that, but I'd do it if I had to. In all honesty, I'm a splitter and didn't do as well this cycle as I hoped, and I really really really want to go to GW. I don't necessarily think that paying sticker here is right for everyone, and it depends on your other options and what you want to do with your degree. That being said, however, I do think there are a lot of people who take out the requisite 150k in loans and end up doing just fine in the end. Sure, its an enormous commitment, but not an impossible one.

GW is going to be 210k+ (at least) in loans at sticker. I just cower in fear of that number.

[jk11287]

Yeah I mean I understand where you're coming from. My dad is a lawyer, though, and he sees new grads come in all the time with that kind of amount in loans, and he says they all say it was worth it.

[Veritas]

Yeah I mean I understand where you're coming from. My dad is a lawyer, though, and he sees new grads come in all the time with that kind of amount in loans, and he says they all say it was worth it.

(I might do it)

[wired]

But it just doesnt make sense...why would a 167/3.6x be auto-admit + $$ and not a 166/3.4x? it's not like there's an enormous difference...

What?!?!? Softs might actually matter?!?!?!

wired, there's enough douchebaggery and sarcasm on this board already. i'm well aware of the factors that go into an admissions decision. I was questioning the poster above me who suggested that there's a "pile" for auto-admit people, and those not in it are all getting the deferral letter. It seems like a shoddy way to do things, especially when trying to make the argument that two candidates with fairly similar numbers get tossed in different piles.

and jk, i think you might be right...but still, don't most people on lsn post their urm status?

My apologies. That wasn't the best way to get my point across. I still feel that TLSers, in general, underestimate what softs can do to hurt your application or help you with a scholarship.

[silvsy18]

I'm in Nevada, mail came today and still no word from GW on the ED

[hugoboss]

i did the same. I am currently outside usa and snail mail takes 3 weeks. they emailed me my decision.
- i am hoping to get scholarship money from tehm later on in the cycle. I really started to get my hopes up that i would at least get the 105k offer. We'll see though.

[js87]

I'm still really scared about the expense of GW. Is anyone considering paying sticker?

I am. I'm hoping it won't come to that, but I'd do it if I had to. In all honesty, I'm a splitter and didn't do as well this cycle as I hoped, and I really really really want to go to GW. I don't necessarily think that paying sticker here is right for everyone, and it depends on your other options and what you want to do with your degree. That being said, however, I do think there are a lot of people who take out the requisite 150k in loans and end up doing just fine in the end. Sure, its an enormous commitment, but not an impossible one.

GW is going to be 210k+ (at least) in loans at sticker. I just cower in fear of that number.

I see a lot of people commenting on a high tuition at GW. According to their website, it's $43,998 per academic year. While 43k is high IN GENERAL, it didn't seem much higher than any other peer law school, except for state schools. Aren't almost all first tier private law schools 40-45?