columbia ED? Forum

[bk641]

hey guys. i'm an international student with a 3.83/168+174.

i first applied during the 2009 cycle, when i only had my 168... and got held, held, held, and then wl from columbia (regular).

retook this june, got the 174. very badly want columbia (also, fiancee will be 1L there in aug), and ED would help a bit, right? though i'm wondering if it reduces my chances for getting money from them.

any suggestions? ED to maximise chances?

[bhan87]

Don't ED. Just get your apps in perfect order and send early.

[bk641]

thanks, i'm thinking that the +6 increase in lsat will be enough for them to get me from a WL last time around to an acceptance, but who knows... you're going to columbia, right? and with your numbers being similar to mine (and my fiancee's), not EDing would be the better course of action, on paper at least...?

does anyone else have an opinion about this?

[bhan87]

Definitely don't ED with the new score. You'll have to screw up big on your apps to get rejected. There's also a chance you'll get $$ at CLS. If not, MVP will definitely throw something your way that you can bargain with to increase your financial aid.

Edit: Yes! I am attending CLS this fall, and my numbers were very similar to yours (slightly higher GPA and 172 LSAT). Columbia seems to favor higher LSATs over higher GPAs so you should have an even better shot than I did. They're also a lot more international student-friendly than most other schools.

[soj]

Don't ED. CLS is international-friendly and with your stats, you're quite secure for CLS RD with $. You won't get a dime if you ED.

On the off-chance you're waitlisted, send them a LOCI explaining the situation with your fiancee.