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[Meursault]

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[Shelbinole]

I feel like you should have better options than this with a 3.7/176. Did you blanket the T-14?

[thisiswater]

As deadlines are approaching, I'm still trying to figure out where to head in Fall. I've gotten a lot of help from this site previously, and figured I'd appeal to the collective wisdom. My options are a kind of the strong regional v. T14 paradigm. Thanks in advance.

-The schools you are considering & The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each:

UGA - Cost of Attendance (pre-interest): $49,700

Duke - Cost of Attendance (pre-interest): $159,000

Cornell - Cost of Attendance (pre-interest): $90,733

-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings

I'll be loan financing.

-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any):

I'm from Georgia. Have significant ties, an OK network, and a long term significant other at a graduate school in Georgia. I'm ok with working anywhere East Coast, but there is definitely consideration for my significant other (they will have a fairly portable degree).

-Your general career goals

Nothing too specific (still a 0L). I'm interested in clerking, and would entertain BigLaw if it was available. I don't want to hang up a shingle or anything.

-Your LSAT/GPA numbers

3.7x, 167, 176

-How many times you have taken the LSAT

Two.

how late did you apply with that 176? i feel like you should have more options and that UGA should have given you more

[jrthor10]

How are these your only options?

[Clemenceau]

I find it hard to believe Duke is that expensive with your numbers. That's probably like a $75-90k scholly or something. Late app?

I don't think that's too bad of a price tag for cornell. But it does sound like duke would better suited to your (extremely vague) goals.

[ILoveYou]

If those are your only 3 options, I think you've significantly under-performed your numbers. Did you apply super narrowly or late? You should have more money at those schools I think, and some nice offers in the lower T14.

[Meursault]

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[TLSModBot]

Sit out a cycle (I wouldn't bother retaking but knock yourself out if you want to), blanket the t-14 again, aggressively negotiate for a full ride at the lower t-10 or significant money at a t6.

If you *must* choose one of these, Cornell and it isn't even close. No way that Duke is worth 70K more than Cornell, although if you really want to end up closer to home then Duke might be worth considering.

[smaug]

I'd say Cornell unless you get more out of Duke. You'll probably have better luck if you wait another year.

[OhBoyOhBortles]

3.7, 176?! Definitely reapply next year OP. Or keep negotiating until you have a full or very close to it at Duke. You should have much better offers than this (though, 90k COA at Cornell is pretty solid.)

[thisiswater]

if you're not willing to sit out again, Cornell at 90k is a very good result. i think you could end up with better if you do wait another cycle but that may not work for you. duke might be a better fit for you but it's not worth 70k more.

[Meursault]

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[CanadianWolf]

With a 176 LSAT and above a 3.7 GPA, you underperformed due, most likely, to applying late in the cycle. Since you want biglaw or a federal clerkship, you need to reapply next admissions cycle.

Were you rejected or waitlisted by Harvard, Yale, Stanford & Columbia ?

Duke & Virginia should offer very significant scholarships & should be target schools as well based on your objectives.

Chicago awards 60 full tuition Rubenstein Scholar scholarships (20 per year) . Northwestern awards $150,000 scholarships. Chicago should be a target school for you. (Yes, as the poster below wrote, Chicago likes high GPAs for the Ruby scholarship, but that is up to Chicago's discretion & Rubensteins have been awarded to those with less than a 3.8 GPA.)

[Meursault]

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[CanadianWolf]

Charlotte, NC might be a good market as well as Atlanta.

Do you think that you'll qualify for much financial aid if admitted to Harvard ?

[Meursault]

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[CanadianWolf]

If you like, I'll offer a brief critique of your personal statement if you PM it to me.

[Meursault]

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[Flokkness]

+1 for waiting a cycle. Nail the PS and get a year of solid WE and dive back in. Not to beat the dead horse, but for whatever reason you've vastly underperformed your numbers this cycle.

[Auxilio]

With a 176 LSAT and above a 3.7 GPA, you underperformed due, most likely, to applying late in the cycle. Since you want biglaw or a federal clerkship, you need to reapply next admissions cycle.

Were you rejected or waitlisted by Harvard, Yale, Stanford & Columbia ?

Duke & Virginia should offer very significant scholarships & should be target schools as well based on your objectives.

Chicago awards 60 full tuition Rubenstein Scholar scholarships. Northwestern awards $150,000 scholarships. Chicago should be a target school for you.

I am pretty sure it is 20 Rubys a year, and I don't think they would give it to someone with 3.7 to be honest, Chicago likes their GPA

[daleearnhardt123]

Op, your concern seems to be a lack of things to do during a second gap year. But consider, you'll make 10s of thousands of dollars this year even BEFORE accounting for a job. Wait tables, have fun, and go on a few vacations. You'll come out way ahead.

[Shelbinole]

Definitely apply next cycle. You have a shot at HYS with those numbers and fulls to Chicago/NU/UVA

[WeeBey]

I really don't understand why everyone is saying apply again. Especially when they have Cornell w/ a full ride.

Yea, they'll prolly get H maybe S, but depending on how much aid they get, would it really be worth 200k more for their goals? It seems OP wants Biglaw in Atlanta but would be happy with NYC BigLaw. With their ties I doubt that will be too difficult.

The 3.7 makes getting a full ride at a T6 very unlikely but OP is very likely to get a full ride in the T14. Even then, at the heavy YP schools like Penn, Virginia, Michigan, Duke its hard to predict where they'll get in a where they'll get a full ride.

I dont think a Penn full ride worth waiting out a year over a Cornell full ride, let alone a possible Penn full ride. That's a year of not making 160k and an extra year of hoping the market stays good.

[FlamingDragon]

I really don't understand why everyone is saying apply again. Especially when they have Cornell w/ a full ride.

Yea, they'll prolly get H maybe S, but depending on how much aid they get, would it really be worth 200k more for their goals? It seems OP wants Biglaw in Atlanta but would be happy with NYC BigLaw. With their ties I doubt that will be too difficult.

The 3.7 makes getting a full ride at a T6 very unlikely but OP is very likely to get a full ride in the T14. Even then, at the heavy YP schools like Penn, Virginia, Michigan, Duke its hard to predict where they'll get in a where they'll get a full ride.

I dont think a Penn full ride worth waiting out a year over a Cornell full ride, let alone a possible Penn full ride. That's a year of not making 160k and an extra year of hoping the market stays good.

Agreed 100%. As to a different point though, any OP who thinks they would be perfectly happy with NYC biglaw and Atlanta biglaw doesn't know shit about anything, because these are literally like going into different careers. For a lot of people I know, NYC biglaw is basically the worst outcome possible b/c of how shitty the lifestyle and pay is (factoring in COL v. other markets that pay equally) and the fact that hours are worse and living in NYC is hell in every way possible. OP if you really think either is fine do more research and thinking on life goals. Not to say that NYC biglaw is a terrrible outcome or not great for some (most do hate it though) but NY and Atl or Charlotte biglaw are totally different goals and require totally different mindsets.