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So I just found out I got a Dean’s Scholarship at Michigan worth $105k total. I’m so excited. That said, I’m also in at my top school, UVA, and a school I’d choose over Michigan if money didn’t exist, Duke. Looking at MyLSN, there’s no way they’ll offer me $105k.

My question then is what is feel worth? The fact that I prefer the UVA and Duke vibes over Michigan should matter...but does it matter $30k? That’s about how much more I’m expecting to pay at UVA or Duke. What do y’all think?

*COL isn’t a factor for me

Did you already go back to UVA and Duke with your Michigan offer? I would not be surprised if they would match (if not beat) the $105.

I would also be shocked if you didn't get some sort of comparable offer from Duke and UVA based on Michigan.

But "feel" is worth far less than job prospects. UVA and Duke (especially Duke for biglaw/FC) have Michigan beat in that area. Your cycle is far from over. Start negotiating and see what happens.

cavalier1138 wrote:I would also be shocked if you didn't get some sort of comparable offer from Duke and UVA based on Michigan.

But "feel" is worth far less than job prospects. UVA and Duke (especially Duke for biglaw/FC) have Michigan beat in that area. Your cycle is far from over. Start negotiating and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice!

LSstudent wrote:Did you already go back to UVA and Duke with your Michigan offer? I would not be surprised if they would match (if not beat) the $105.

They haven't made an offer to me yet. I just have looked at past offers and don't expect more than 70k from UVA and 90k TOPS from Duke.

Fwiw, Duke matched my Michigan offer last cycle

chargers21 wrote:Fwiw, Duke matched my Michigan offer last cycle

Can I ask what % jump they were willing to make (or more specific numbers if you're okay with that)? Also, how did you go about asking, and what did you end up choosing?

UVA/Duke may well match or at least come close to Michigan's offer, but I'd be willing to pay 15-30k more for UVA/Duke's better biglaw/FC placement over Michigan.

Feel matters a lot. 3 years of law school can be brutal at times, and the people/place matters a lot while you work through that.

105k is probably too much money to turn down, but as others have said, try to get pry some money loose at schools you would prefer. Once you've done that, a smaller difference in money would make it reasonable to choose the place you want to be over the place offering the most money. What else is money for?

repliCAN wrote:

LSstudent wrote:Did you already go back to UVA and Duke with your Michigan offer? I would not be surprised if they would match (if not beat) the $105.

They haven't made an offer to me yet. I just have looked at past offers and don't expect more than 70k from UVA and 90k TOPS from Duke.

Forget what you expect based on "past offers." Share the offer you got from Michigan with UVA and Duke, hinting that they need to up their game if they're to stay in the running. Last year, UVA responded to me with a higher offer than the Michigan one I went to them with.

LSstudent wrote:

repliCAN wrote:

LSstudent wrote:Did you already go back to UVA and Duke with your Michigan offer? I would not be surprised if they would match (if not beat) the $105.

They haven't made an offer to me yet. I just have looked at past offers and don't expect more than 70k from UVA and 90k TOPS from Duke.

Forget what you expect based on "past offers." Share the offer you got from Michigan with UVA and Duke, hinting that they need to up their game if they're to stay in the running. Last year, UVA responded to me with a higher offer than the Michigan one I went to them with.

Oh wow. Would you mind telling me what percent increase UVA offered you from the original to the response?

thesealocust wrote:Feel matters a lot. 3 years of law school can be brutal at times, and the people/place matters a lot while you work through that.

105k is probably too much money to turn down, but as others have said, try to get pry some money loose at schools you would prefer. Once you've done that, a smaller difference in money would make it reasonable to choose the place you want to be over the place offering the most money. What else is money for?

I agree with this. I think people on TLS tend to be too mechanistic and utilitarian about everything. We like to pretend like everything happens in a vacuum, and that we can just do some calculations with another person's life and tell that person exactly what needs to happen. But that's not the way it works, and feel is not nothing. That being said, at a certain point, the money does talk :