Top Law Schools

I applied very, very late to law schools, and I've been admitted to 3 of the 4 I applied to (NYU, USC, UCLA - I have yet to hear from UPenn). I only received a substantial scholarship offer from USC ($40k toward $52k tuition), but I expect UCLA to make a similar rebuttal offer. NYU (which is my top choice) did not offer me any money. Although UCLA and USC are not T14, they do have very respectable hiring rates, and good connections for entertainment/IP law, which is what I intend to pursue.

My undergraduate record is not the greatest (my GPA is downward trending), so I did not even think to apply to HYS or other top ranking schools that didn't send me a fee waiver, but I've been told that if I reapply next year in September and apply to more of the T14 schools, I can expect to receive more scholarship offers. I'm not sure whether to accept my offer to USC or UCLA (if it comes) or wait a year and reapply. Moreover, I am not sure how best to spend the interim year if I do decide to reapply.

I should mention that I also have been accepted to University of Washington's Molecular Cell Biology graduate program, so I could study at UW for my interim year (it would not be enough time to obtain my master's, but it would allow me to definitively qualify for the patent bar.) Other than that, I am not sure how best to make my application more competitive if I do reapply.


LSAT: 173
GPA: 3.6 from Michigan State University. I have dual degrees in Physiology and Psychology.
Career Plans: I want to work in IP or Entertainment Law

I would definitely reapply and get that early boost. I'd blanket the entire T-14 as well.

Winston1984 wrote:I would definitely reapply and get that early boost. I'd blanket the entire T-14 as well.

So much this. You should be choosing between CCN with $ or lower T14 with $$$. When you say your GPA is downward trending, what does that mean exactly?

ImNoScar wrote:

Winston1984 wrote:I would definitely reapply and get that early boost. I'd blanket the entire T-14 as well.

So much this. You should be choosing between CCN with $ or lower T14 with $$$. When you say your GPA is downward trending, what does that mean exactly?

I mean that my semester GPA decreased from my freshman year to my senior year (excluding my last semester). So rather than my GPA improving from my freshman year, it has declined. However, my major GPAs remain 3.85 for physio and 3.8 for psychology.

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Reapply on the first day you can. Use the summer to write any/ all supplemental essays. blanket the T14 and USC, UCLA. And keep your mind open to what you will be practicing/ understand that secondary rankings matter much less ( if at all) to the schools overall reputation.

ImNoScar wrote: So much this. You should be choosing between CCN with $ or lower T14 with $$$.

Having near identical stats to the OP, I am curious what kind of $ you think CCN would typically offer. I know that in the forums there is a thread which graphs projected scholarships based on GPA/LSAT, and individuals with similar numbers seemed to receive offers in the 40-60k range. Does that seem appropriate to you? Although NYU also stands as my top choice, the opinions of the posters here have been (rightfully so) making me more debt averse by the minute.