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After much research I still can't make up my mind, I go back and forth. Please enlighten me TLS where should I spend the next 3 years.

GW offers 90k scholarship.
WUSTL offers 105k scholarship

I will be debt financing. I don't mind as long as I have reasonable opportunity to repay.

Acceptable outcomes are Academia, public interest (currently interning in the field), Biglaw (if I sell my soul, I want it to pay), or BigFed.

Edited (Splitter)

I won't be retaking and I won't wait another year.

GW seems to be becoming less selective, it's been trending towards a higher admission rate, bigger class and it accepts median transfers from American. I don't want to start school at a top 20 and end up graduating from a top 30. Higher COL. GW places more people in my preferred living locations.

For WUSTL my primary concern is the location. I would prefer to practice in either NY, DC, or California. WUSTL has some nice clinics in NY and DC. It also has a much lower COL. Tuition is also a little less. Would be a total of around 50k less.

Is there anything missing from my analysis? How important is job vs location?

Man, you should have way better options than WUSTL and GW with those numbers and your URM status.

Unless you count being a public defender as public interest, neither school is good for your acceptable outcomes

Also rank doesn't matter so stop talking about rank. Don't even consider it.

InTheHouse wrote:Man, you should have way better options than WUSTL and GW with those numbers and your URM status.

+1 to this. OP should have at least a full ride to WUSTL and numerous T14 acceptances.

OP, what gives? Are you sure you're URM? We're you a late applicant? Anything else that may be holding you back?

romothesavior wrote:

InTheHouse wrote:Man, you should have way better options than WUSTL and GW with those numbers and your URM status.

+1 to this. OP should have at least a full ride to WUSTL and numerous T14 acceptances.

OP, what gives? Are you sure you're URM? We're you a late applicant? Anything else that may be holding you back?

Yes I'm pretty sure. I applied in early January. I have weak w/e. I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school. I didn't apply to Northwestern because It seemed late, there were no interviews available, and I was told they like splitters with strong w/e. Those were the only T14s where I felt I had a shot.

neither will get you to the Left Coast.

Big mistake not applying to the T14, particularly GULC for someone desiring DC.

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:

romothesavior wrote:

InTheHouse wrote:Man, you should have way better options than WUSTL and GW with those numbers and your URM status.

+1 to this. OP should have at least a full ride to WUSTL and numerous T14 acceptances.

OP, what gives? Are you sure you're URM? We're you a late applicant? Anything else that may be holding you back?

Yes I'm pretty sure. I applied in early January. I have weak w/e. I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school. I didn't apply to Northwestern because It seemed late, there were no interviews available, and I was told they like splitters with strong w/e. Those were the only T14s where I felt I had a shot.

No Cornell?

With your numbers, splitter status and URM you would be crazy to choose either. You will get $ or $$ from Cornell/Northwestern.

Big Dog wrote:Big mistake not applying to the T14, particularly GULC for someone desiring DC.

Oh, man, how true this is...



Either way, you should have better options than this. Wouldn't you rather be looking at NYU at some discount (not a huge discount, granted) or Cornell than these two schools?

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:

romothesavior wrote:

InTheHouse wrote:Man, you should have way better options than WUSTL and GW with those numbers and your URM status.

+1 to this. OP should have at least a full ride to WUSTL and numerous T14 acceptances.

OP, what gives? Are you sure you're URM? We're you a late applicant? Anything else that may be holding you back?

Yes I'm pretty sure. I applied in early January. I have weak w/e. I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school. I didn't apply to Northwestern because It seemed late, there were no interviews available, and I was told they like splitters with strong w/e. Those were the only T14s where I felt I had a shot.

I get the sense that most of NW's w/e focus is just marketing b.s. 169s don't grown on trees anymore.

Send out some hail mary apps this week and see who bites. If no one does, I'd sit out a cycle and apply early next year.

smiles123 wrote:Sound out some hail mary apps this week and see who bites. If no one does, I'd sit out a cycle and apply early next year.

O.K.
I will be the first OP in history to admit that they have royally fucked up.
The deadline for most t14s has past, many of them just yesterday, so I can't apply to them. I will apply to Penn which had sent me a fee waiver, UVA, and maybe Gtown.
If I don't get in then I'll wait a year. Perhaps I can break 170 on the third try.

It'll be so tough to explain to everyone if I don't go to law school this year. Any suggestions as to what to do in the next year?

Thank you everyone.

EDIT: I did not royally fuck up. YAY

Even if the deadline has passed I'd submit t14 apps that you have fee waivers to. A lot of the apps are still available and the worst that can happen is they reject you because you're late

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:

smiles123 wrote:Sound out some hail mary apps this week and see who bites. If no one does, I'd sit out a cycle and apply early next year.

O.K.
I will be the first OP in history to admit that they have royally fucked up.
The deadline for most t14s has past, many of them just yesterday, so I can't apply to them. I will apply to Penn which had sent me a fee waiver, UVA, and maybe Gtown.
If I don't get in then I'll wait a year. Perhaps I can break 170 on the third try.

It'll be so tough to explain to everyone if I don't go to law school this year. Any suggestions as to what to do in the next year?

Thank you everyone.

I fell like this is the biggest reason most K-JD's reject the advice retake/reapply/etc ... Good luck to you OP. Hopefully, it works out this cycle. If not, you should be in at much better law schools next cycle.

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:

romothesavior wrote:

InTheHouse wrote:Man, you should have way better options than WUSTL and GW with those numbers and your URM status.

+1 to this. OP should have at least a full ride to WUSTL and numerous T14 acceptances.

OP, what gives? Are you sure you're URM? We're you a late applicant? Anything else that may be holding you back?

Yes I'm pretty sure. I applied in early January. I have weak w/e. I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school. I didn't apply to Northwestern because It seemed late, there were no interviews available, and I was told they like splitters with strong w/e. Those were the only T14s where I felt I had a shot.

This seems weird or dumb. Does Georgetown really have that rep? Like, I've heard it with Pepperdine, but I assumed that was a different level.

Good decision to wait, OP. I think by waiting out a year you'll have a much more successful cycle. Find just about any job you can to kill the time. I can promise you a lot of people have been in this boat and waiting was the best decision they could have made. Just tell people the truth; you applied too late and you can get into better schools by waiting a year. Any embarrassment will be minimal, and the better outcomes will be huge.

WUSTL for free wouldn't be a bad choice, but they lowballed you. At the very least, you ought to negotiate for a full ride. But your best option wait a year.

Iagreetotheseterms wrote: I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school.

Who the hell cares? Apply to GULC right now. You'll get in with $$$.

ETA: Didn't see that OP agreed to wait a year. Definitely the right choice. But, seriously, ruling out the best school in one of your preferred markets because it's "associated with a religious school" is stupid.

hey OP,

we.ve talked before. we r in a similar situatn. im just popping in here to say hi and good luck. im sure you.ll make the right decision

also you can mentn to schools that you are going to sit out if you dont get more money. pls do continue to negotiate up to a full ride even if you r planning on sitting out

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:
I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school.

This statement is...weird. Are you such a militant atheist that you refuse to have anything to do with a religious institution, or are you picturing Georgetown as some kind of hardcore evangelical place like Liberty?

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:Any suggestions as to what to do in the next year?

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:I have weak w/e.

Fix this. Also, you might as well take a shot at a retake. You have nothing to lose.

Finally, are you positive you're a URM? You're African-American, Mexican-American, or Puerto Rican?

TheSpanishMain wrote:

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:
I didn't apply to Georgetown because it's associated with a religious school.

This statement is...weird. Are you such a militant atheist that you refuse to have anything to do with a religious institution, or are you picturing Georgetown as some kind of hardcore evangelical place like Liberty?

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:Any suggestions as to what to do in the next year?

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:I have weak w/e.

Fix this. Also, you might as well take a shot at a retake. You have nothing to lose.

Finally, are you positive you're a URM? You're African-American, Mexican-American, or Puerto Rican?

The former. I am aware that it has better employment outcomes then the other schools I considered, yet this doesn't diminish its association with the Catholic Church. I can't in good conscious attend such a school, even if they never mention god in the classroom.


YES. My parents are from Mexico, but I didn't play this up in my application as I don't really care for the concept of race, or race based admissions. I did mention growing up in poverty, but it appears that schools don't weigh this heavily if at all.

cc78 wrote:

Big Dog wrote:Big mistake not applying to the T14, particularly GULC for someone desiring DC.

Oh, man, how true this is...


Either way, you should have better options than this. Wouldn't you rather be looking at NYU at some discount (not a huge discount, granted) or Cornell than these two schools?

CC78 your data was the one that convinced me that I should wait. However, excluding AAs the odds look less promising only around a 14% shot at making it to T14s except for Georgetown which I wouldn't go to. I'm leaning towards going this year again. Perhaps I should have specified that I wasn't AA, as they seem to get a particularly large boost.

I can't post images yet, but that's what myLSN shows.

http://myLSN.info/t0i9r9_1-14.jpg

Iagreetotheseterms wrote: The former. I am aware that it has better employment outcomes then the other schools I considered, yet this doesn't diminish its association with the Catholic Church. I can't in good conscious attend such a school, even if they never mention god in the classroom.

Good on you. Making a massive life decision based on a school's tangential connections to a religious institution that will in no way have any bearing on your day-to-day existence makes you so much more rational and intelligent than all those stupid religious sheeple.

pamphleteer wrote:
Good on you. Making a massive life decision based on a school's tangential connections to a religious institution that will in no way have any bearing on your day-to-day existence makes you so much more rational and intelligent than all those stupid religious sheeple.

I knew you would understand.

Iagreetotheseterms wrote:

pamphleteer wrote:
Good on you. Making a massive life decision based on a school's tangential connections to a religious institution that will in no way have any bearing on your day-to-day existence makes you so much more rational and intelligent than all those stupid religious sheeple.

I knew you would understand.

As a URM with a 169, you'll likely have better options than GULc anyway, but this is hilariously childish. You do you though.

Just so you know, Duke and Northwestern were both founded by churches/ministers. Columbia and Chicago have schools of Divinity or joint programs with a seminary. Harvard and Yale also have divinity schools and were founded specifically to educate clergy. Just in case you want to make the totally rational decision not to apply because you need to be hermetically sealed in an atheist cocoon like bubble boy.

George Washington was a vestryman and church warden. Time to cross GWU off the list.