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From Florida, UF undergrad. 3.48 gpa. One bad semester bringing things down sophmore year. 173 on LSAT. Decent softs, Miami State attorney internship and one with a small IP firm. Also played/managed a band that opened for major acts (if that adds any diversity.) Couple other minor things. Looking to practice around the southeast (or generally in a mild climate) but relatively flexible. My main concern is finding employment. UVA and Duke seem like ideal places but may be to far a reach. What do you recommend I look into?

UVa ED

You probably don't even need to ED, you stand a good chance at both UVA and Duke.

Probably any school you want, starting from Penn on down

I looked at law school numbers and for UVA and Duke and it seems like I'd be a waitlist at Duke and UVA, maybe get in off the waitlist, but I couldn't afford to pay sticker. If you were in my situation, minus the reigional preference where would you apply?

dabbadon8 wrote:If you were in my situation, minus the reigional preference where would you apply?

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dabbadon8 wrote:I looked at law school numbers and for UVA and Duke and it seems like I'd be a waitlist at Duke and UVA, maybe get in off the waitlist, but I couldn't afford to pay sticker. If you were in my situation, minus the reigional preference where would you apply?

thats not the norm, the normal 3.5/173 applicant is getting into those schools. If are unwilling to take out loans, then you need to be applying to schools in the 13-35 range in the region that you want to work in. If you are willing to take out loans, apply to every school between 4-14.

Vanderbilt sounds like a really great option for you. Apply early, maybe write a Why Vandy essay, and see what happens. Emory is another great school for the southeast, and you could probably swing some scholarship money from them. If you can't pay sticker, you're most likely going to have to look outside the T14 for substantial scholarships.

Patriot1208 wrote:

dabbadon8 wrote:I looked at law school numbers and for UVA and Duke and it seems like I'd be a waitlist at Duke and UVA, maybe get in off the waitlist, but I couldn't afford to pay sticker. If you were in my situation, minus the reigional preference where would you apply?

thats not the norm, the normal 3.5/173 applicant is getting into those schools. If are unwilling to take out loans, then you need to be applying to schools in the 13-35 range in the region that you want to work in. If you are willing to take out loans, apply to every school between 4-14.

I'm willing to take out loans to a point, though not approx. 200k for Duke sticker... trying to keep debt around 100k or so.

Some people with those numbers got nice $$ at Michigan.

It's worth throwing to CCN if you apply early (or even if you don't, it's still probably worth it). You stand a good/very good chance at MVPB, as well as the rest of the T14.

I'm almost an identical numbers twin (rising 2L now - 3.49/173) and I was fortunate enough to get $54k at Michigan (with what I believe was a rather compelling Why Michigan essay), and acceptances to NYU and NU. Was a late-January applicant, so I also landed a good number of WLs. Good those apps in early, and good luck!

dabbadon8 wrote:I looked at law school numbers and for UVA and Duke and it seems like I'd be a waitlist at Duke and UVA, maybe get in off the waitlist, but I couldn't afford to pay sticker. If you were in my situation, minus the reigional preference where would you apply?

If you can't afford sticker, then don't ED anywhere since they most likely will not give you a dime.

You are being too modest. You have very relevant work experience. I think UVA and Duke are definitely possibilities. I think you most definitely would get into Vandy as well with major scholarship money.

dabbadon8 wrote:I looked at law school numbers and for UVA and Duke and it seems like I'd be a waitlist at Duke and UVA, maybe get in off the waitlist, but I couldn't afford to pay sticker. If you were in my situation, minus the reigional preference where would you apply?

I got into CCN on down with numbers very close to that: 3.42/174.

I think the key for people with uneven applications is to apply broadly. The way schools handle splitters like you is often inconsistent from year to year. Send out lots of apps. I'd certainly be applying to Vandy and Emory with a shot at money. How about UT?

Edit:

And I think Duke and UVA are realistic goals for you. I just don't know how much money they will give you, but it wouldn't be crazy for one or both of them to offer a nice scholly.

Edit:

One last thought, see if you can get on Duke's special priority track. That's the reason I applied there (and I wound up enrolling), and it's nice to get a quick turnaround on an admissions decision. I'm skeptical of early decision apps, but a ton of people seem to do that at UVA.

i got into ccn with basically the same numbers 3.49/174 so i would definitely apply

Reedie wrote:I think the key for people with uneven applications is to apply broadly. The way schools handle splitters like you is often inconsistent from year to year. Send out lots of apps. I'd certainly be applying to Vandy and Emory with a shot at money. How about UT?

Edit:

And I think Duke and UVA are realistic goals for you. I just don't know how much money they will give you, but it wouldn't be crazy for one or both of them to offer a nice scholly.

Edit:

One last thought, see if you can get on Duke's special priority track. That's the reason I applied there (and I wound up enrolling), and it's nice to get a quick turnaround on an admissions decision. I'm skeptical of early decision apps, but a ton of people seem to do that at UVA.

UT is an option. I like Austin but don't know if I'd like to live elsewhere in Texas. I'm more flexible with location within the top 14 because of the portability of the degree. I am interested in biglaw but fine with mid-law in regions with lower cost of living.

dabbadon8 wrote: UT is an option. I like Austin but don't know if I'd like to live elsewhere in Texas. I'm more flexible with location within the top 14 because of the portability of the degree. I am interested in biglaw but fine with mid-law in regions with lower cost of living.

Don't make too much of that arbitrary t14 line. UT is an excellent school with a national reputation.