current offers -- help with neogotiations Forum

[zoomzoom88]

numbers: 161/3.3

currently these are my two offers:

NYLS: full ride, free books, graduate research position, free tuition abroad for a semester, priority discount housing

RU-N: 12,000 off per year, instate tuition (I live in NJ w parents and could commute) -- total tuition would be around 39,000

... how do I possibly ask ru-n for more money? is it possible?

[20130312]

... how do I possibly ask ru-n for more money? is it possible?

Yes. Call or email (whichever you're more comfortable with) admissions and tell them about your other offer. Say that you're leaning toward NYLS and that some additional scholarship money from RU-N would go a long way in changing your mind.

[zoomzoom88]

who at rutgers newark should i call? thank you so much -- going to call the dean of admissions

[20130312]

who at rutgers newark should i call? thank you so much

There should be a contact on the scholarship letter that they mailed you, but if not this is what's on their website:

Contact the Admissions Office at lawinfo@andromeda.rutgers.edu or 973-353-5554

[zoomzoom88]

was told that nothing more can be given right now

[20130312]

was told that nothing more can be given right now

Interesting that they're playing hard ball. It's only mid-December, so they probably still have plenty of money left but don't want to give it out yet. You should follow up in a couple months.

[zoomzoom88]

i will.. and as i hear back from other schools i might have a better bargaining chip. -- is a full ride from NYLS a good bargaining chip?

[timbs4339]

i will.. and as i hear back from other schools i might have a better bargaining chip. -- is a full ride from NYLS a good bargaining chip?

Sure, to other schools in the NYLS range. Don't be afraid to bargain with another school using the NYLS full ride, and then take that offer to R-N. Applications are plummeting this year and schools are going to have trouble hitting their numbers targets.

[ajax]

As others have stated, applications continue to plummet, and for good reason:

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=newyork&show=ABA

Make certain to only use NYLS for negotiation purposes.

This said, more money will open up later in the cycle when some turn down Rutgers-Newark for greener pastures. You'll just have to be patient for the time being.

[zoomzoom88]

hmm what do you mean only for negotiation purposes? .. you're right i have to be patient! i am really excited though...just have to wait on a few more and understand all of the options.

[locthebloke]

numbers: 161/3.3

currently these are my two offers:

NYLS: full ride, free books, graduate research position, free tuition abroad for a semester, priority discount housing

RU-N: 12,000 off per year, instate tuition (I live in NJ w parents and could commute) -- total tuition would be around 39,000

... how do I possibly ask ru-n for more money? is it possible?

I'd reconsider law school, friend. Neither of these are good schools. Is your free ride at NYLS stip free? Even if there are no stips on it, you still want to consider not going there. You'll still have debt from living expenses and a NYLS degree will get you nothing. Consider what you're competing against in the NY market: Columbia, NYU, Cornell--heck even Fordham grads are ahead of you in the interview line. That's to say nothing of the other Ivies and Stanford, many of whom come to NYC and environs. Free tuition or not, you still have to ask yourself if 3 years of hard work, three years of your life, is really worth it for a degree that will shut doors on other non-legal opportunities and at best get you into some 30k a year legal job. And that's at the very best.


40k a year at Rutgers is madness. That is the easiest decision you will ever make in your life. NO.

[cinephile]

numbers: 161/3.3

currently these are my two offers:

NYLS: full ride, free books, graduate research position, free tuition abroad for a semester, priority discount housing

RU-N: 12,000 off per year, instate tuition (I live in NJ w parents and could commute) -- total tuition would be around 39,000

... how do I possibly ask ru-n for more money? is it possible?

I'd reconsider law school, friend. Neither of these are good schools. Is your free ride at NYLS stip free? Even if there are no stips on it, you still want to consider not going there. You'll still have debt from living expenses and a NYLS degree will get you nothing. Consider what you're competing against in the NY market: Columbia, NYU, Cornell--heck even Fordham grads are ahead of you in the interview line. That's to say nothing of the other Ivies and Stanford, many of whom come to NYC and environs. Free tuition or not, you still have to ask yourself if 3 years of hard work, three years of your life, is really worth it for a degree that will shut doors on other non-legal opportunities and at best get you into some 30k a year legal job. And that's at the very best.


40k a year at Rutgers is madness. That is the easiest decision you will ever make in your life. NO.

I thought he meant 40k at Rutgers total over the course of three years.

[zoomzoom88]

Yea 40,000 for 3 years.. I don't see how that's a bad position

[cinephile]

Yea 40,000 for 3 years.. I don't see how that's a bad position

I don't think it is either. But you should be aware that tuition increases every year, sometimes dramatically so. I had a 5k increase between my first and second year of law school. If it increases like that again next, I'll be paying 15k more than I initially calculated, plus interest. The interest is also an important factor to consider.

[locthebloke]

Yea 40,000 for 3 years.. I don't see how that's a bad position

I see. My apologies. But it can be a worse position than you think. 40k of total debt is nothing to scoff at. And the fact remains that Rut-New is not a great school. You're going to have to do quite well there to have a fighting chance if you don't have connections/employment lined up.

It seems like far too many law school neophytes or wannabes think the total debt level is the only consideration. Like, yeah, my prospects for gainful employment are atrocious, but I'll take the plunge anyway because hey I'm not paying for it so who cares? The thing is, you pay for it in more than just cash money. You pay for it in time and energy. You have to ask yourself is law school REALLY worth 3 years of my life expending all my efforts and energy on turgid, tedious work, given my position. Keep in mind also, that unless you find gainful legal employment, a resume does not benefit from a JD..

[zoomzoom88]

so you're saying there are really no viable employment opportunities from ru-n?

[BarbellDreams]

Assuming you wanna work in Jersey Rutgers - N with around 40K in debt isn't a bad option. Honestly a retake is by far the best option, but I would take Rutgers if it was available for that price. And don't you dare go to NYLS, ever, even if free.

[20130312]

Assuming you wanna work in Jersey Rutgers - N with around 40K in debt isn't a bad option. Honestly a retake is by far the best option, but I would take Rutgers if it was available for that price. And don't you dare go to NYLS, ever, even if free.

With a retake and a few more points, RU-N for free is a real possibility that you should consider, OP.

[zoomzoom88]

mmm i'm hoping that I will be able to get RU-N to come down another 3 or 5 per year. ...and you're right I probably should have retaken it. Hopefully RU-N will be more willing to negotiate a little later in the cycle

[BoGuaGua]

Rutgers is a good school with a great reputation in the nation especially in jersey, u do know that thousands apply and not that many can get in to begin with, so don't sweat too much if money isn't as much as u wanted

[YankeesFan]

Rutgers is a good school with a great reputation in the nation especially in jersey, u do know that thousands apply and not that many can get in to begin with, so don't sweat too much if money isn't as much as u wanted

This is horrible advice and Rutgers cannot even get enough people to fill seats. There are well documented new articles and anecdotal experiences on this website of people be admitting without applying and being guaranteed a scholarship. The NY/NJ legal market is saturated and Rutgers is low on the totem pole. You need to squeeze every cent out of them you can to make it even a decent decision.

[BoGuaGua]

# Applications: 3336
# Admitted: 945
# Matriculated: 283
Acceptance Rate: 28%
Yield Rate: 30%

i would disagree

[rickgrimes69]

Rutgers is a good school with a great reputation in the nation especially in jersey, u do know that thousands apply and not that many can get in to begin with, so don't sweat too much if money isn't as much as u wanted

[muskies970]

mmm i'm hoping that I will be able to get RU-N to come down another 3 or 5 per year. ...and you're right I probably should have retaken it. Hopefully RU-N will be more willing to negotiate a little later in the cycle

If I were you I would e-mail instead of call. That way they have time to think about your request and get back to you, instead of putting them in the spot where they're gut reaction is no...

[20130312]

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