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3.98/170, which puts me well above their 75th GPA but below their median LSAT. Should I ED to Columbia and forego other schools where I have a semi-shot (Stanford, Harvard), or should I risk the ding and bank on a peer school (Chicago, NYU)? New York would work really well for my fiancee and I, and let's be honest, Columbia>NYU. So, thoughts?

anewaphorist wrote:3.98/170, which puts me well above their 75th GPA but below their median LSAT. Should I ED to Columbia and forego other schools where I have a semi-shot (Stanford, Harvard), or should I risk the ding and bank on a peer school (Chicago, NYU)? New York would work really well for my fiancee and I, and let's be honest, Columbia>NYU. So, thoughts?

More importantly, are you ok with paying sticker at Columbia when you could get a good scholly at one or more of MVPDN?

And let's be honest, the Columbia/NYU difference is way overstated here. Don't pay appreciably more for Columbia if NYU happens to throw some $$ your way.

Columbia at sticker is a burden, but one that's well worth it IMHO. As for schollys to MVP, I'm assuming they wouldn't be enough (100k or more) to sway me.

anewaphorist wrote:Columbia at sticker is a burden, but one that's well worth it IMHO. As for schollys to MVP, I'm assuming they wouldn't be enough (100k or more) to sway me.

Between scholly $ and COL differences, you'd probably end up paying ~75k less at the next mini-tier down. If you think Columbia's worth the extra money, then go ahead and press the ED button.

I think it's worth the money, but that doesn't mean that I don't want a chance at Stanford or a surprise scholarship from Chicago, Penn, or UMich. I am a somewhat unique applicant, but maybe I'm just buying into the adcoms' rote disclaimer that they look beyond the numbers.

You seem to have a respectable shot at Stanford. If you'd rather go there than Columbia, then I'd RD.

Thanks! Things have changed somewhat, since I got a Columbia fee waiver today. I know that's no guarantee of admission, but my LSAT is, honestly, weaker than my GPA (and the email stated that the waiver was based solely off LSAT performance). Does anyone apply ED with a fee waiver? Is that an oxymoron?

anewaphorist wrote:Thanks! Things have changed somewhat, since I got a Columbia fee waiver today. I know that's no guarantee of admission, but my LSAT is, honestly, weaker than my GPA (and the email stated that the waiver was based solely off LSAT performance). Does anyone apply ED with a fee waiver? Is that an oxymoron?

Fee waiver doesn't mean anything. People with far worse numbers have gotten Columbia fee waivers.

Yes, but I guess the real question is, did they get in RD?

anewaphorist wrote:Yes, but I guess the real question is, did they get in RD?

Fee waivers are completely irrelevant. CLS didn't give me one, but accepted me RD. I would ignore them entirely for any sort of analysis you're attempting to do here.

Fee waivers are completely irrelevant. CLS didn't give me one, but accepted me RD. I would ignore them entirely for any sort of analysis you're attempting to do here

Ha, analysis? I was soliciting it, not providing any. Notice the question marks above? Good to hear your anecdotes, though, as well as Tiago's...

I know that's no guarantee of admission

I guess, more than anything, I was trying to ascertain whether the fee waiver (based solely off what I consider a nondescript score) combined with my 90+% GPA would render ED unnecessary. It's a tough nut to crack, trying to pick one school to ED to...