WUSTL (90k) v Apply Next Year Forum

[2014]

A number of you have helped me both in the past and recently and I really appreciate that. Wanted to throw up one more of these for now to get a consensus.

I applied this year later than I should have (Dec/Jan) and ultimately was left with my only real option being WUSTL with 30k/year.
Got waitlisted at Vandy, Michigan, NYU and Chicago but ultimately it is getting too late at this point for me to be willing to accept an offer, presumably at sticker, without visiting prior.

As I've gone through the spring, I've basically been scared shitless by WUSTL's employment prospects and despite really liking it when I visited, just not feeling great about matriculating. The problem is that I don't know how much of that is some combination of buyer's remorse and regret about applying late and how much is actual logic.

So my question is, should I withdraw and apply next year early like I should have this year?

Numbers are 175/3.3
Good ties to the midwest (KC/STL) and would like to end up here after graduation but not at all opposed to NYC/Chicago/DC
Would be 2 years out of UG if I wait another year (graduated 2011)
50-60k undergraduate debt
Assume I would be working in some sort of $9-$15/hour fulltime gig in the meantime, nothing career oriented but enough to pay COL and at least fend off interest from UG debt for the year.

Were I to redo this all next year I would probably be willing to use an ED to either NU for scholarship consideration or to NYU/Chicago/Penn.

Happy to provide anything else I forgot but I'm already approaching TL;DR status here like I tend to do

[roaringeagle]

How many schools did you apply to? Did you blanket the top20?

[fl0w]

WUSTL with 30k/year.

Good ties to the midwest (KC/STL) and would like to end up here after graduation

if you're seriously focused on these two markets. your scholly at wustl is a pretty great thing.

[2014]

How many schools did you apply to? Did you blanket the top20?

Nope, the mentioned schools plus a T2 safety that I immediately ruled out. Completely idiotic not to apply more broadly, but hindsight is 20/20.

if you're seriously focused on these two markets. your scholly at wustl is a pretty great thing.

As a WUSTL student, do you think the very real risk of being one of the 70% who are not in 50+ is worth the scholarship money though compared to a lower T14 with a lower scholarship next year? From your posts I'm pretty sure you did well at OCI right? But do you have friends who didn't despite working hard?

[roaringeagle]

How many schools did you apply to? Did you blanket the top20?

Nope, the mentioned schools plus a T2 safety that I immediately ruled out. Completely idiotic not to apply more broadly, but hindsight is 20/20.

if you're seriously focused on these two markets. your scholly at wustl is a pretty great thing.

As a WUSTL student, do you think the very real risk of being one of the 70% who are not in 50+ is worth the scholarship money though compared to a lower T14 with a lower scholarship next year? From your posts I'm pretty sure you did well at OCI right? But do you have friends who didn't despite working hard?

Hmmm...would you go to a T14 with no money? If not let me advise you this: Working shitty jobs sucks if you are smart. Don't piss away a year if you don't have to. +Ask WashU for more money. They raised 1.5 billion dollars between '96-'04. Tell them how you feel, your prospects etc. Perhaps they will give you more money for the following years.

[2014]

How many schools did you apply to? Did you blanket the top20?

Nope, the mentioned schools plus a T2 safety that I immediately ruled out. Completely idiotic not to apply more broadly, but hindsight is 20/20.

if you're seriously focused on these two markets. your scholly at wustl is a pretty great thing.

As a WUSTL student, do you think the very real risk of being one of the 70% who are not in 50+ is worth the scholarship money though compared to a lower T14 with a lower scholarship next year? From your posts I'm pretty sure you did well at OCI right? But do you have friends who didn't despite working hard?

Hmmm...would you go to a T14 with no money? If not let me advise you this: Working shitty jobs sucks if you are smart. Don't piss away a year if you don't have to. +Ask WashU for more money. They raised 1.5 billion dollars between '96-'04. Tell them how you feel, your prospects etc. Perhaps they will give you more money for the following years.

I'm pretty sure I'm at the end of the line negotiating with WashU especially without ANY leverage. I can't imagine my offer there being less next year and with drops in apps it could presumably be even higher. I'm well aware of the misery of hourly employment though, I've done my fair share of unskilled jobs

And yes I would go to a T14 with no money, but I don't think I would ultimately have to. Plenty of 15k/year offers around my numbers to NU, GULC, Cornell, and Michigan this year (and same argument regarding less apps next year should mean the same or higher next year right?)

[ahnhub]

You didn't apply super-late, but I don't know if you under-performed numbers or just didn't apply to enough schools. I feel like you woulda gotten in somewhere if you blanketed T-14. But it wouldn't be shocking for a 175/3.3 to get shut out of the T-14, either.

It sounds like you really want to work at a big law firm, and T-14 is probably hands down the best bet for that.

I would vote for reapply early, but revisit your app and make sure there's no weaknesses you might have missed the 1st time (sloppy PS, lukewarm recs, etc.)

[Tiago Splitter]

It sounds like you aren't too excited about your current options which given your LSAT is understandable. Unlike most people around here you seem comfortable waiting a year and that's never a bad thing. Like you said, WUSTL with money should be there a year from now. If you need a job for the next year in the St. Louis area I'd be happy to give you a referral.

[fl0w]

How many schools did you apply to? Did you blanket the top20?

Nope, the mentioned schools plus a T2 safety that I immediately ruled out. Completely idiotic not to apply more broadly, but hindsight is 20/20.

if you're seriously focused on these two markets. your scholly at wustl is a pretty great thing.

As a WUSTL student, do you think the very real risk of being one of the 70% who are not in 50+ is worth the scholarship money though compared to a lower T14 with a lower scholarship next year? From your posts I'm pretty sure you did well at OCI right? But do you have friends who didn't despite working hard?

as a wustl student, i actually didn't participate in OCI. I have zero interest in the STL/KC and DC/NY markets. I pursued my interest in CHI/SF markets via outside job fairs and independent networking. I want to be clear and say that I came to wustl because of the $$$. For me money was an extremely important factor in returning to school because I am financing my education on my own without the possibility of assistance. I simply could not afford to be taking out so many loans.

As far as the situation now, it seems like there are certainly a good number of 3Ls w/o a job at this point. But every 2L that I know has found work for both 1L and 2L summers. And the people that had difficulty were looking in an outside market but ended up "settling" for something in STL for the summer. Settling here means working pretty good positions with the department of health, etc.

Personally, I don't know that I would wait a year just to work a job that "pays the bills." But I came into law school at 27 and had a career, so that's probably why I feel that way.

If KC/STL are your target markets and you perform well at wustl, you will be highly sought after.

[Doorkeeper]

If you want to maximize your chances of NYC/DC biglaw as a fall back option if you can't get biglaw in Stl or KC, which is fairly rare, then you should reapply next year to UVA/Northwestern/Penn/NYU.

If you're confident that you want to gun for StL/KC, then you should see if you can get WUSTL to bump your scholarship more.

[2014]

How many schools did you apply to? Did you blanket the top20?

Nope, the mentioned schools plus a T2 safety that I immediately ruled out. Completely idiotic not to apply more broadly, but hindsight is 20/20.

if you're seriously focused on these two markets. your scholly at wustl is a pretty great thing.

As a WUSTL student, do you think the very real risk of being one of the 70% who are not in 50+ is worth the scholarship money though compared to a lower T14 with a lower scholarship next year? From your posts I'm pretty sure you did well at OCI right? But do you have friends who didn't despite working hard?

as a wustl student, i actually didn't participate in OCI. I have zero interest in the STL/KC and DC/NY markets. I pursued my interest in CHI/SF markets via outside job fairs and independent networking. I want to be clear and say that I came to wustl because of the $$$. For me money was an extremely important factor in returning to school because I am financing my education on my own without the possibility of assistance. I simply could not afford to be taking out so many loans.

As far as the situation now, it seems like there are certainly a good number of 3Ls w/o a job at this point. But every 2L that I know has found work for both 1L and 2L summers. And the people that had difficulty were looking in an outside market but ended up "settling" for something in STL for the summer. Settling here means working pretty good positions with the department of health, etc.

Personally, I don't know that I would wait a year just to work a job that "pays the bills." But I came into law school at 27 and had a career, so that's probably why I feel that way.

If KC/STL are your target markets and you perform well at wustl, you will be highly sought after.

Yeah I get where you are coming from, and that is my issue the whole "if I perform well" which everyone says is no guarantee. I'm only 23 and so I'm coming in at a different place in life than you were, but of course I'd rather pursue career goals than just getting by if I can justify it. Thanks for the advice though!

Appreciate the other advice as well and thanks Tiago, but if I hold off a year I'll end up staying here in Kansas

And ahnhub solid advice about rechecking the app, definitely plan on doing that. I'm really happy with my PS this year, but I intend to completely redo it over the summer with a different approach. Also will spend a lot more time on Why X's for everywhere this time around.