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Hello,

I got accepted into Wake Forest for the Fall of 2014.

Just got an offer that I defer to the Fall of 2015, I will be eligible to have my scholarship bumped potentially to $105k over 3 years, an extra $30k from before.

Would it be worth it? I already signed a lease so eating the cost of that is ~5k but I'll be looking for a job if I do defer. Financing it with loans and savings. I'll be attending Wake Forest for sure, just up in the air to defer a year or not.

Is this a guaranteed bump in $ or is it only a bump if you get a higher score?

If the $ increase is guaranteed, go ahead and defer. Get a job for a year, maybe even in Winston-Salem so that you aren't completely wasting the rent money. Make extra money, then have a scholarship increase. Sounds like a win-win there.

Edit: upon re-reading, I can tell that you're moving to Winston regardless so the rent won't be wasted. My mistake.

I'm assuming you received the Wake email that said they had over-enrolled their class and were offering extra money for people to defer? My friend who is Wake 2017 just told me about it. My friend made it sound like it's guaranteed money. Which, if you can afford to wait a year, go for it.

jelly
if i were in ur shoes i'd do that in a heartbeat

as long as ur not in a rush to go to ls (and you shouldn't be)
i'd defer
30k less in loans (which will probably add up to 40k+ in savings after fees and interest)
more work experience
earn money in the meantime
plus you'll be more settled in and have a chance to establish a network in the area outside of LS

so jelly

Soon to be Wake 1L myself and I also got the email. It is a guaranteed bump as an incentive to get people to defer so they can get the class size (150-180) that they want. This kind of bump would almost give the OP full tuition (shy by 15-20k total).

It's a pretty good incentive if you can make it worth your while for a year. It really isn't feasible for me since I made so many commitments already and I quit my job of a few years today.

If you can make it worth it for a year by getting a good gig and/or you feel comfortable sticking it out, then go for it.

Wake 3L here. I'd do it if I had the opportunity. It's pretty simple, you're saving a lot of money with the only downside being a delay in your legal education. Go make some money, enjoy life, and come back with a substantial scholarship.

Just curious -- what was your decision?

hopefully neither