help negotiating scholarships! Forum

[muss87]

Dear Admissions Committee,
I was recently accepted to the full time division at ______ for the fall 2010 term. I am very excited to have been afforded this opportunity and even more excited to have been considered for a scholarship in the amount of $12,000 a year provided I remain in the top 1/3 of the class. Compared to past entering classes, my LSAT score is at the median (__), and my undergraduate GPA is well above the 75th percentile at ___. What drove me to apply to the law school are its outstanding professors, distinguished programs, and its reputation for producing first-rate lawyers both in the private and public sector.
However, the decision as to where I attend law school will hinge primarily on the cost of attending. The cost of attending a private law school such as ______ is high and coupled with the high cost of living in _______ a high financial burden would be placed on me to take out large amounts of loans. I know scholarships are designed to help offset these costs, but the price as it stands now would be prohibitive. I have received other scholarship offers, most notably to a higher ranked school in _____ University Law School in the amount of $10,500 a year. That scholarship, coupled with the lower cost of living __________ affords makes that choice a much less expensive option. My acceptance from ______ University Law School, a Tier __ school provides a cheaper option because of its status as a state school and the cost of living in _______. Comparatively, per year it would cost me $49,568 to attend ________, $38,260 to attend _____, and $30,260 to attend _________.
I must also take into account the cost of which law school I attend because I wish to pursue a career as a public defender. The satisfaction from this job does not come from a high-salary but rather the satisfaction that results from helping individuals and making a positive impact on society. Although _______ does have an incredible Loan Repayment Program, the cost may remain too expensive. I desperately wish to live in _______ and assist the city’s poor and indigent people and if there is a way the cost of attending _______ could be lowered even further, it would certainly become my top choice.

Anything I should change/add/omit. Any spelling/grammar? Any advice would be very helpful. Thank you!

[isaiah6v8]

Dear Admissions Committee,
I was recently accepted to the full time division at ______ for the fall 2010 term. I am very excited to have been afforded this opportunity and even more excited to have been considered for a scholarship in the amount of $12,000 a year provided I remain in the top 1/3 of the class. Compared to past entering classes, my LSAT score is at the median (__), and my undergraduate GPA is well above the 75th percentile at ___. What drove me to apply to the law school are its outstanding professors, distinguished programs, and its reputation for producing first-rate lawyers both in the private and public sector.
However, the decision as to where I attend law school will hinge primarily on the cost of attending. The cost of attending a private law school such as ______ is high and coupled with the high cost of living in _______ a high financial burden would be placed on me to take out large amounts of loans. I know scholarships are designed to help offset these costs, but the price as it stands now would be prohibitive. I have received other scholarship offers, most notably to a higher ranked school in _____ University Law School in the amount of $10,500 a year. That scholarship, coupled with the lower cost of living __________ affords makes that choice a much less expensive option. My acceptance from ______ University Law School, a Tier __ school provides a cheaper option because of its status as a state school and the cost of living in _______. Comparatively, per year it would cost me $49,568 to attend ________, $38,260 to attend _____, and $30,260 to attend _________.
I must also take into account the cost of which law school I attend because I wish to pursue a career as a public defender. The satisfaction from this job does not come from a high-salary but rather the satisfaction that results from helping individuals and making a positive impact on society. Although _______ does have an incredible Loan Repayment Program, the cost may remain too expensive. I desperately wish to live in _______ and assist the city’s poor and indigent people and if there is a way the cost of attending _______ could be lowered even further, it would certainly become my top choice.

Anything I should change/add/omit. Any spelling/grammar? Any advice would be very helpful. Thank you!

I would not tell them how the other law school is ranked higher. They know the rankings, they probably live by them, but they take pride in their job and their school. It would be a slap in the face to tell them the school is higher ranked. I negotiated one of my schollies higher and the school I was using as my counter was higher ranked, but i didn't mention this, I just said the name of the school. If they work at a law school, believe me they know where the school you mention is ranked, unless it is Cooley, then they know they are actually the best.

[vanwinkle]

I would not tell them how the other law school is ranked higher. They know the rankings, they probably live by them, but they take pride in their job and their school. It would be a slap in the face to tell them the school is higher ranked. I negotiated one of my schollies higher and the school I was using as my counter was higher ranked, but i didn't mention this, I just said the name of the school. If they work at a law school, believe me they know where the school you mention is ranked, unless it is Cooley, then they know they are actually the best.

This is solid advice.

[Dignan]

I would not tell them how the other law school is ranked higher. They know the rankings, they probably live by them, but they take pride in their job and their school. It would be a slap in the face to tell them the school is higher ranked. I negotiated one of my schollies higher and the school I was using as my counter was higher ranked, but i didn't mention this, I just said the name of the school. If they work at a law school, believe me they know where the school you mention is ranked, unless it is Cooley, then they know they are actually the best.

I agree with this advice. Furthermore, I suggest against mentioning your GPA and LSAT score. The school already has that information; they don't need to hear it again from you. And they certainly don't need (or want) you to tell them about their LSAT and GPA medians.

[5ky]

I desperately wish to live in _______ and assist the city’s poor and indigent people ...

I don't know about this line, I found it a bit out of place in a scholarship negotiation letter where you are asking for more money.

[isaiah6v8]

I desperately wish to live in _______ and assist the city’s poor and indigent people ...

I don't know about this line, I found it a bit out of place in a scholarship negotiation letter where you are asking for more money.

I agree this part sounds more like you are trying to sell yourself for acceptance, but you have been accepted, and they would likely see that you desire for public service sets you up for LRAP better than working in a firm, and may decide to let you prove you want to do public service instead of giving you the money upfront, knowing that you will get it in Loan Repayment if you really follow through with what you say.

[PirateCap'n]

I would not tell them how the other law school is ranked higher. They know the rankings, they probably live by them, but they take pride in their job and their school. It would be a slap in the face to tell them the school is higher ranked. I negotiated one of my schollies higher and the school I was using as my counter was higher ranked, but i didn't mention this, I just said the name of the school. If they work at a law school, believe me they know where the school you mention is ranked, unless it is Cooley, then they know they are actually the best.

This is solid advice.

+1. I can attest to the fact that they do NOT like you to mention the rankings. Take my word for it, and don't mention them.

[insidethetwenty]

provided I remain in the top 1/3 of the class

I know this doesn't have anything to do with your real question, but beware of these scholarships, especially if you have options that are ranked significantly higher.

It's echoed here over and over again, but law school grades are subjective and every professor is different. If you get some bad luck, you could end up at a school with much lower job prospects and without the scholarship that compensated for that difference. Just food for thought...

BTW I agree with everyone that you shouldn't mention rankings in these letters. That could leave a bitter taste in their mouths, which is not what you want when you want them to give you more money.

[nitr0x99]

When negotiation like this, do the schools you are negotiation with usually ask for a copy of the scholarship info from the other school to make sure you are not just making it up?

[isaiah6v8]

When negotiation like this, do the schools you are negotiation with usually ask for a copy of the scholarship info from the other school to make sure you are not just making it up?

they did not ask me, but i have read on other threads where they have offered to match and wanted to see the documents.