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Better to go to a T14 at sticker or to go to a T25-40 with a hefty or full scholarship?

I'm just starting the application process. In the event that I get accepted to a T14 school, is it worth taking out 150K in loans for a 50% or smaller chance of a firm job? I really don't know.

I got a 166, 3.7, and am partially a minority. Thoughts on schools for me to apply to? Any shot of money at Berkeley?

Where do you want to practice?

1) Apply
2) Negotiate for the best aid possible
3) Come back and ask again

My top choice would probably be NYC. I would prefer not to work in a rural area or in an area that is too cold, but I am pretty flexible location wise. I have never been to the West Coast before, but I think I might like it. I am slightly concerned that a degree from CA schools other than Stanford/Berkeley/UCLA will not be portable and that I'll be SOL if I end up not liking the West Coast.

I don't want to spend extra money on applications for schools that are not realistic possibilities.

To be more specific, I would be thrilled to pay to attend Harvard, NYC, Columbia, Penn, Stanford, but I'm not sure that the rest of the T14s are worth the price tag. According to Law School predictor and TLS I have very little chance of getting money at those schools.

Don't be short-sighted. Aid is a hard thing to predict, but to negotiate, you need leverage. Get as many fee waivers as you can, of course (and I bet you'll get a ton) but then realize that a $100 app fee could end up saving you 10s thousands in tuition.

Depends on what kind of minority you are as to whether you have a shot at Harvard, NYU, or Columbia. If you want to work in NYC though, you shouldn't bother applying to anywhere outside of the T14, except for perhaps Fordham (with a fee waiver).

I'm half Cuban. Fordham didn't send me a fee waiver:( Any shot of a full ride at Fordham even though I didn't get a fee waiver?

So apparently being Cuban means that I don't count as a URM and should revise my expectations...does it matter if I apply in late December instead of early December? After what time period am I putting myself at a disadvantage by applying later? Last year a friend of mine applied to law school in March and she's at Vanderbilt now, so I am curious if it really matters if you get your applications in early.

DefyingGravity wrote:So apparently being Cuban means that I don't count as a URM and should revise my expectations...does it matter if I apply in late December instead of early December? After what time period am I putting myself at a disadvantage by applying later? Last year a friend of mine applied to law school in March and she's at Vanderbilt now, so I am curious if it really matters if you get your applications in early.

It's slim pickings at the end of the cycle. People routinely get denied places that they otherwise would have gotten in. I'm pretty sure it's how Georgetown keeps its medians up, since a disproportionate number of people who would have been in the T6-T13 seem to end up there (probably because of the large class size).

Your best bet at the T14 with a 166/3.7 is at Cornell. Maybe that small "Other Hispanic" boost will put you into the mix there. Pretty unlikely at the other schools you listed.

Is December 15 considered late? Do you think that I could still get a full ride at a T30 school even without being a URM?

Just browse here:

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

Don't pay as much attention to people who are URMs, you should be focusing on non-URM applicants.

you definitely can get into a T30 with your numbers. In fact you should get into some T20 even without URM status. I would pick a few T14 as reaches, but don't hold your breath

DefyingGravity wrote:Is December 15 considered late? Do you think that I could still get a full ride at a T30 school even without being a URM?

If you want a strong shot at the schools you listed you definitely need a retake. You are on the edge for lower T14. I dont see a full ride to a T25, but you never know. Ask the admissions offices at different schools for fee waivers and apply as broadly as you can