URM 2016-2017 Cycle Thread Forum

[Cbear2017]

In at Stanford!! So happy, never expected this and it is an amazing option to have!

[brinicolec]

In at Stanford!! So happy, never expected this and it is an amazing option to have!

Oh wow. Awesome! Congrats!

[S.Picquery]

Damn. Didn't get the Point Scholarship. Guess it's time to hit that wine.

[brinicolec]

Damn. Didn't get the Point Scholarship. Guess it's time to hit that wine.

... what is the Point scholarship? lol

[Mr_Chukes]

In at Stanford!! So happy, never expected this and it is an amazing option to have!

Yes! You rock!

[Stephylynette]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

[brinicolec]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

I think the correct answer to the question of debt is it's all a matter of personal preference. What's comfortable for you may not be comfortable for the next person. I agree that some people's advice regarding debt on here is pretty ridiculous though. Full-tuition schollies aren't IMPOSSIBLE to come by, but they're not at all the norm either lol. Then you see schools like GULC which has I think 51% paying full price -- and that's when you're like, "Wow, okay, people are crazy."

The only thing I'd say to you regarding Duke + LRAP is make sure that you know what their backup plan is in the case that the federal government pulls out of their part of loan forgiveness.

[Mr_Chukes]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

Most of those people are just privileged kids who can't understand the reality that others face. Honestly taking out debt is only a bad idea if there are not a lot of opportunities that follow it. Duke will open up doors though. Haters gone hate man. Not everyone has parents who can foot the bill. Those who who have to pave their own way will be able to better handle situations in the future.

[Stephylynette]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

I think the correct answer to the question of debt is it's all a matter of personal preference. What's comfortable for you may not be comfortable for the next person. I agree that some people's advice regarding debt on here is pretty ridiculous though. Full-tuition schollies aren't IMPOSSIBLE to come by, but they're not at all the norm either lol. Then you see schools like GULC which has I think 51% paying full price -- and that's when you're like, "Wow, okay, people are crazy."

The only thing I'd say to you regarding Duke + LRAP is make sure that you know what their backup plan is in the case that the federal government pulls out of their part of loan forgiveness.

That's going to be the main question I ask when I go to ASW, trust me. I am not about to be caught looking foolish in Trump's America. Thanks for advice girl!

[Stephylynette]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

Most of those people are just privileged kids who can't understand the reality that others face. Honestly taking out debt is only a bad idea if there are not a lot of opportunities that follow it. Duke will open up doors though. Haters gone hate man. Not everyone has parents who can foot the bill. Those who who have to pave their own way will be able to better handle situations in the future.

Thank you for bringing some reality to the discussion. Like I understand the reality of $150K debt is going to hit hard but it's also my reality that this really is the best choice for me. My options regarding squirming my way out of debt are slim. I'll just have to be smart about my career choices. I can deal with that. *shrugs*

[Cbear2017]

In at Stanford!! So happy, never expected this and it is an amazing option to have!

Oh wow. Awesome! Congrats!

Thank you!

[Cbear2017]

In at Stanford!! So happy, never expected this and it is an amazing option to have!

Yes! You rock!

Thank you! Best of luck for the last few schools!!

[bunney_j]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

Okay the first thing is, the "privilege/parents" shtick is somewhat narrow minded. The average age someone starts law school is 26. Thinking you graduate from college and get a job right away that makes around 30-60k and save up for 3-4 years, you could potentially make enough money to cover part of your law school career. (I personally paid for my MA an BA by myself through working multiple jobs and applying for fellowships, and will be doing the same for law school - and this is despite the fact that my SO has offered to pay. I would rather pay for my degree myself personally and not be beholden to anyone else.)

Threads and convos with I've had with other students make it seem like at t14s around 1/3 are daddy's money kids. The rest who are paying sticker are doing so for prestige or because of the larger chance of getting big law/academia/whatever. The great thing about law school is that you have agency 100 percent. It's a huge investment, but for some the risk of debt is worth it even if they don't have a parent paying, especially because of better outcomes. Go on the finances thread many people say they couldn't get a job or a well paying one. For them, the risk of law school and debt was worth it because of an otherwise lack of opportunity.

Your situation is your own, and only you can decide what's worth going into debt for or not. (Though I would imagine you could negotiate your scholarships for a full ride to the t20s if you mention your t14 acceptances.)

[bunney_j]

You should get into H easily.

Is that true? I haven't looked into this as closely as you probably have, but just going over LSN for the past couple of years, 3.45/167/URM (average of the range he gave) doesn't seem like it gets you into H almost ever, although obviously the data set is small and most applicants probably don't have super strong softs like OP does.

Personally I wouldn't give odds for or against him, although I don't really know what I'm talking about so please correct me if I'm wrong

good luck mrjd

Lol by looking closely - I just looked through previous URM threads and cycles like 2012, 2014, etc. when I first was applying.
An AA female got in with a 3.2 and 167 I believe, and an AA male with a 166 and 3.5 I think. Harvard also accepts and enrolls the most AAs in the t14. I would imagine he would get in there more likely than stanford or yale who care a lot about GPA

[S.Picquery]

Damn. Didn't get the Point Scholarship. Guess it's time to hit that wine.

... what is the Point scholarship? lol

[greatspirit]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

Most of those people are just privileged kids who can't understand the reality that others face. Honestly taking out debt is only a bad idea if there are not a lot of opportunities that follow it. Duke will open up doors though. Haters gone hate man. Not everyone has parents who can foot the bill. Those who who have to pave their own way will be able to better handle situations in the future.

This. The rest of TLS is making me understand the French Revolution.

Will my kids end up like these disgusting people?

[PrezRand]

Delete

[PrezRand]

How many people have had luck with the holy trinity this cycle?

[Mr_Chukes]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

Most of those people are just privileged kids who can't understand the reality that others face. Honestly taking out debt is only a bad idea if there are not a lot of opportunities that follow it. Duke will open up doors though. Haters gone hate man. Not everyone has parents who can foot the bill. Those who who have to pave their own way will be able to better handle situations in the future.

This. The rest of TLS is making me understand the French Revolution.

Will my kids end up like these disgusting people?

There are nice people as well but I find most of the nice people are in the acceptance threads and URM thread. I don't even bother going to the chance me or choosing a school thread.

[lawpotato]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

The way I see it, there are 2 extremes when it comes to law school financing. There are some who get zero scholarship and no help from their family and have to take it all in loans. There are some who get full scholarships or their parents/SO will pay for everything. Most people are somewhere in the middle. I got a lot more relaxed about the whole process when I realized that most people end out with some loans. Duke with $105,000 in scholarship is a gift. Sure there are people who say that no school outside HYS is worth and debt but that doesn't hold up to me. The fact is that most people end up accruing some debt and, in some time, pay it off. Please enjoy Duke.

[brinicolec]

So I've been struggling with something that may have been covered ad-nauseam before but I just can't find any real answers and it's stressing me out.

These people that get on TLS and firmly state that nobody should be willing to take out more than a dime for a school outside of the T-14 or T-20 and no more than $50K for T-20 schools... HOW in the world are they paying people to pay for their cost of living? Are they just being privileged dicks who will have their parents paying for everything outside of tuition and then tell those who don't have that privilege to not take on any debt? Or are they genuinely insinuating that full tuition to the T-14 is the only way it's a sound decision? I'm just confused. Even w/ a full scholly, COL alone will total about $60K worth of debt. How are these people expecting people to pay for law school? Almost no one is getting full tuition scholarship to T-14 schools so either they really somehow believe class sizes should be 15 people or they're out of touch with reality. Idk which it is but I'm over it. The debt is unavoidable for most real people and it's making me sick to see so many people called stupid for taking it on.


For context, I'm probably going to Duke w/ $105,000 scholarship. I'll still have about $150K in debt bc I'm not getting any money from my parents. I've seen plenty of discussions about the pros/cons of taking on this amount of debt when in the context of BigLaw but very rarely in relation to PI, which is what I will be pursuing. People on here have made me feel crazy for being willing to take on this debt. But I know I'll probably be making less than 75K regardless of if I go to Michigan (sticker), Duke for $150K, Texas for $140K, UGA for $90K, or Northeastern for $60K. I can understand not taking on sticker price debt but I genuinely think my Duke offer is great so why not go to the best school with the best LRAP program? Am I missing something or am I crazy? I mean, I know this process is driving me crazy but it this really such a terrible decision?

Most of those people are just privileged kids who can't understand the reality that others face. Honestly taking out debt is only a bad idea if there are not a lot of opportunities that follow it. Duke will open up doors though. Haters gone hate man. Not everyone has parents who can foot the bill. Those who who have to pave their own way will be able to better handle situations in the future.

This. The rest of TLS is making me understand the French Revolution.

Will my kids end up like these disgusting people?

There are nice people as well but I find most of the nice people are in the acceptance threads and URM thread. I don't even bother going to the chance me or choosing a school thread.

Yeah ppl can be quite snarky on here. Ones that are already in LS or graduated already are always like "F you don't like me, you shouldn't be a lawyer" but it's like... if all other lawyers jump off of a cliff, are you gonna do it too?!?! Lol

[brinicolec]

Also, anyone finding it increasingly difficult to listen to anecdotal stuff as you come to the realization that every cycle varies significantly for URMs AND also, I suspect there is a difference in URM boosts based on gender... which would make sense. Black women are some of the most educated in America whereas black men tend to not be as represented in higher education.

[dyebri]

So I'm really confused and nervous about my cycle now.land was just waitlisted at Michigan. My personal statement was read over by multiple people and same with my diversity statement.

Some people tell me I got waitlisted because of YP but I thought the urm boost would help me more. I was

[KillaKam92]

So I'm really confused and nervous about my cycle now. I'm a MA urm with a 3.86 gpa and 170 lsat and was just waitlisted at Michigan. My personal statement was read over by multiple people and same with my diversity statement.

Some people tell me I got waitlisted because of YP but I thought the urm boost would help me more. I was wondering if Michigan is even allowed to give boosts to urm. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

I'd say relax, you definitely got YP'd, nothing to worry about your numbers are incredible. Michigan does give the boost too if your wondering

[KillaKam92]

Also, anyone finding it increasingly difficult to listen to anecdotal stuff as you come to the realization that every cycle varies significantly for URMs AND also, I suspect there is a difference in URM boosts based on gender... which would make sense. Black women are some of the most educated in America whereas black men tend to not be as represented in higher education.

Yeah I think it would make sense that AA males get a slightly bigger boost than AA females but I don't think the difference would be drastic. There are definitely more of the latter who graduate from college and look to become professionals in different fields i.e. go to law school. A lot of issues why that is but no real need to discuss the obvious