URM 2016-2017 Cycle Thread Forum

[brinicolec]

WWYD?

what are your career goals again?

Flexible -- incredibly flexible.

BL salary sounds nice but the work sounds awful -- and the less I'm in debt, the less I think 60/70 hour weeks sound worth it. If I could find a PD-type job that doesn't kill me with a PD-type salary, that would probably be my ideal job.


I don't know what exactly my career goals are. I expect I'm one of those people who will figure it out as I take classes and realize something really interests me. I just know the things that DREW ME to law are primarily criminal law-related (death penalty, public defense, etc.). But I'm, by no means, BL or bust.

Do you have a certain market you're hoping to end up in?

Nope. No ties anywhere so I just want to live somewhere I like.

[dietcoke1]

WWYD?

what are your career goals again?

Flexible -- incredibly flexible.

BL salary sounds nice but the work sounds awful -- and the less I'm in debt, the less I think 60/70 hour weeks sound worth it. If I could find a PD-type job that doesn't kill me with a PD-type salary, that would probably be my ideal job.


I don't know what exactly my career goals are. I expect I'm one of those people who will figure it out as I take classes and realize something really interests me. I just know the things that DREW ME to law are primarily criminal law-related (death penalty, public defense, etc.). But I'm, by no means, BL or bust.

you sound fairly undecided. and if that's the case I would recommend taking the middle route, the highest ranked school that provides the least amount of debt. That way you are leaving the door open for career opportunities that a school like UF would be hard to reach from and at least minimizing the amount of debt that Mich at sticker would be. Also take into consideration that if you go to UF that is probably where you will practice.

Idk, BL's appeal to me is really just money-based, and I, ideally, didn't want to go into this career for the money. I do have that hope of helping make a difference. I was considering BL most when I was looking at the most debt. I like the idea of having a lot of leeway in being able to take a lower-paying job (hopefully not TOO low) because I don't have over $100k of debt floating around somewhere. And I like Florida as a place to live (no snow, low cost of living - for the most part) so that's not a huge concern. It's mostly just like, "Would I be crazy to take 100% tuition at UF instead of like $150k+ of debt at a T15-T20, and if so, how crazy?" Lol

I mean, again, it depends on what you want to do. If you want to join SCOTUS then yes its crazy. If you want to be a PD then UF sounds like the best choice to me. It sounds like you want the meaningful work of a PD but have a big law salary and I don't think that exists right out of law school, or at least I haven't heard of it.

[lnsl123]

.

[Mr_Chukes]

WWYD?

what are your career goals again?

Flexible -- incredibly flexible.

BL salary sounds nice but the work sounds awful -- and the less I'm in debt, the less I think 60/70 hour weeks sound worth it. If I could find a PD-type job that doesn't kill me with a PD-type salary, that would probably be my ideal job.


I don't know what exactly my career goals are. I expect I'm one of those people who will figure it out as I take classes and realize something really interests me. I just know the things that DREW ME to law are primarily criminal law-related (death penalty, public defense, etc.). But I'm, by no means, BL or bust.

you sound fairly undecided. and if that's the case I would recommend taking the middle route, the highest ranked school that provides the least amount of debt. That way you are leaving the door open for career opportunities that a school like UF would be hard to reach from and at least minimizing the amount of debt that Mich at sticker would be. Also take into consideration that if you go to UF that is probably where you will practice.

Idk, BL's appeal to me is really just money-based, and I, ideally, didn't want to go into this career for the money. I do have that hope of helping make a difference. I was considering BL most when I was looking at the most debt. I like the idea of having a lot of leeway in being able to take a lower-paying job (hopefully not TOO low) because I don't have over $100k of debt floating around somewhere. And I like Florida as a place to live (no snow, low cost of living - for the most part) so that's not a huge concern. It's mostly just like, "Would I be crazy to take 100% tuition at UF instead of like $150k+ of debt at a T15-T20, and if so, how crazy?" Lol

IDK money isn't everything, debt isn't everything. Your time is worth something to. The way how I see it, I'm going for the best overall package. A school with prestige that is known for getting people hired. I want to be able to have options. My friend goes to Whittier right now. Most of his schooling is paid for because they gave him a good scholarship. He won't have a lot of debt. On the other hand, it is hard for him to find internships. He works at a library and for a professor on campus as a research assistant. He is number 11 in his class but does not have much opportunities open to him.

From his experience I learned that money isn't everything. He even told me when I told him about the schools I applied to. Money isn't everything.

I feel you will be fine if you're not paying sticker price. Don't worry too much about the debt because most people come out with 100k in debt and many of them are able to pay that back. Especially those who go to top law schools.

[brinicolec]

WWYD?

what are your career goals again?

Flexible -- incredibly flexible.

BL salary sounds nice but the work sounds awful -- and the less I'm in debt, the less I think 60/70 hour weeks sound worth it. If I could find a PD-type job that doesn't kill me with a PD-type salary, that would probably be my ideal job.


I don't know what exactly my career goals are. I expect I'm one of those people who will figure it out as I take classes and realize something really interests me. I just know the things that DREW ME to law are primarily criminal law-related (death penalty, public defense, etc.). But I'm, by no means, BL or bust.

you sound fairly undecided. and if that's the case I would recommend taking the middle route, the highest ranked school that provides the least amount of debt. That way you are leaving the door open for career opportunities that a school like UF would be hard to reach from and at least minimizing the amount of debt that Mich at sticker would be. Also take into consideration that if you go to UF that is probably where you will practice.

Idk, BL's appeal to me is really just money-based, and I, ideally, didn't want to go into this career for the money. I do have that hope of helping make a difference. I was considering BL most when I was looking at the most debt. I like the idea of having a lot of leeway in being able to take a lower-paying job (hopefully not TOO low) because I don't have over $100k of debt floating around somewhere. And I like Florida as a place to live (no snow, low cost of living - for the most part) so that's not a huge concern. It's mostly just like, "Would I be crazy to take 100% tuition at UF instead of like $150k+ of debt at a T15-T20, and if so, how crazy?" Lol

Do you really want to end up in Florida? And basically have little opportunity to leave Florida? I understand that you are debt averse, but it's law school, and it's an investment. If you have the option of going to a much better school that will give you much better long term options, I would go with those vs. UF, because you have absolutely no idea how your career, and life, will progress, or what you may want to do 10 years after you graduate.

If I were in your position, I would go with a T20 school that gives me money.

*Well, honestly, if I were you I would go to Michigan. But I know that's a tough one.

I'm really fine with Florida. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have applied to Florida because I know you mostly stay in FL.

[brinicolec]

WWYD?

what are your career goals again?

Flexible -- incredibly flexible.

BL salary sounds nice but the work sounds awful -- and the less I'm in debt, the less I think 60/70 hour weeks sound worth it. If I could find a PD-type job that doesn't kill me with a PD-type salary, that would probably be my ideal job.


I don't know what exactly my career goals are. I expect I'm one of those people who will figure it out as I take classes and realize something really interests me. I just know the things that DREW ME to law are primarily criminal law-related (death penalty, public defense, etc.). But I'm, by no means, BL or bust.

you sound fairly undecided. and if that's the case I would recommend taking the middle route, the highest ranked school that provides the least amount of debt. That way you are leaving the door open for career opportunities that a school like UF would be hard to reach from and at least minimizing the amount of debt that Mich at sticker would be. Also take into consideration that if you go to UF that is probably where you will practice.

Idk, BL's appeal to me is really just money-based, and I, ideally, didn't want to go into this career for the money. I do have that hope of helping make a difference. I was considering BL most when I was looking at the most debt. I like the idea of having a lot of leeway in being able to take a lower-paying job (hopefully not TOO low) because I don't have over $100k of debt floating around somewhere. And I like Florida as a place to live (no snow, low cost of living - for the most part) so that's not a huge concern. It's mostly just like, "Would I be crazy to take 100% tuition at UF instead of like $150k+ of debt at a T15-T20, and if so, how crazy?" Lol

IDK money isn't everything, debt isn't everything. Your time is worth something to. The way how I see it, I'm going for the best overall package. A school with prestige that is known for getting people hired. I want to be able to have options. My friend goes to Whittier right now. Most of his schooling is paid for because they gave him a good scholarship. He won't have a lot of debt. On the other hand, it is hard for him to find internships. He works at a library and for a professor on campus as a research assistant. He is number 11 in his class but does not have much opportunities open to him.

From his experience I learned that money isn't everything. He even told me when I told him about the schools I applied to. Money isn't everything.

I feel you will be fine if you're not paying sticker price. Don't worry too much about the debt because most people come out with 100k in debt and many of them are able to pay that back. Especially those who go to top law schools.

Okay but I think the debt is closer to upper-100s/well into $200s by the time I actually pay it off 10 years later (because ~ interest ~)

[Mr_Chukes]

WWYD?

what are your career goals again?

Flexible -- incredibly flexible.

BL salary sounds nice but the work sounds awful -- and the less I'm in debt, the less I think 60/70 hour weeks sound worth it. If I could find a PD-type job that doesn't kill me with a PD-type salary, that would probably be my ideal job.


I don't know what exactly my career goals are. I expect I'm one of those people who will figure it out as I take classes and realize something really interests me. I just know the things that DREW ME to law are primarily criminal law-related (death penalty, public defense, etc.). But I'm, by no means, BL or bust.

you sound fairly undecided. and if that's the case I would recommend taking the middle route, the highest ranked school that provides the least amount of debt. That way you are leaving the door open for career opportunities that a school like UF would be hard to reach from and at least minimizing the amount of debt that Mich at sticker would be. Also take into consideration that if you go to UF that is probably where you will practice.

Idk, BL's appeal to me is really just money-based, and I, ideally, didn't want to go into this career for the money. I do have that hope of helping make a difference. I was considering BL most when I was looking at the most debt. I like the idea of having a lot of leeway in being able to take a lower-paying job (hopefully not TOO low) because I don't have over $100k of debt floating around somewhere. And I like Florida as a place to live (no snow, low cost of living - for the most part) so that's not a huge concern. It's mostly just like, "Would I be crazy to take 100% tuition at UF instead of like $150k+ of debt at a T15-T20, and if so, how crazy?" Lol

IDK money isn't everything, debt isn't everything. Your time is worth something to. The way how I see it, I'm going for the best overall package. A school with prestige that is known for getting people hired. I want to be able to have options. My friend goes to Whittier right now. Most of his schooling is paid for because they gave him a good scholarship. He won't have a lot of debt. On the other hand, it is hard for him to find internships. He works at a library and for a professor on campus as a research assistant. He is number 11 in his class but does not have much opportunities open to him.

From his experience I learned that money isn't everything. He even told me when I told him about the schools I applied to. Money isn't everything.

I feel you will be fine if you're not paying sticker price. Don't worry too much about the debt because most people come out with 100k in debt and many of them are able to pay that back. Especially those who go to top law schools.

Okay but I think the debt is closer to upper-100s/well into $200s by the time I actually pay it off 10 years later (because ~ interest ~)

Yeah but that debt may open doors for you and give you opportunities you may never have outta UF. There may be some clerkships or internships that you may really enjoy. That's the thing these schools bring things to the table that make that amount of debt ok. Plus we are young. If you want also when you get a summer internship you can take most of that money and apply it towards your debt.

[brinicolec]

Okay but I think the debt is closer to upper-100s/well into $200s by the time I actually pay it off 10 years later (because ~ interest ~)

Yeah but that debt may open doors for you and give you opportunities you may never have outta UF. There may be some clerkships or internships that you may really enjoy. That's the thing these schools bring things to the table that make that amount of debt ok. Plus we are young. If you want also when you get a summer internship you can take most of that money and apply it towards your debt.[/quote]

Yeah, idk. Clerkships don't really intrigue me (I know they should). Meh, this offer just gives me something else to think about.

[Mr_Chukes]

Okay but I think the debt is closer to upper-100s/well into $200s by the time I actually pay it off 10 years later (because ~ interest ~)

Yeah but that debt may open doors for you and give you opportunities you may never have outta UF. There may be some clerkships or internships that you may really enjoy. That's the thing these schools bring things to the table that make that amount of debt ok. Plus we are young. If you want also when you get a summer internship you can take most of that money and apply it towards your debt.

Yeah, idk. Clerkships don't really intrigue me (I know they should). Meh, this offer just gives me something else to think about.[/quote]
OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

[brinicolec]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

[Mr_Chukes]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

Jenna from NU told me she was going into big law in NYC and then transitioning into something where she could help juveniles in court. You could always do that. Play the money game first and then work into something you'll be able to make an impact with. We young. By the time I'm outta law school imma be 27. So many years to pursue this career lol.

[sfn91]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

I'm honestly reconsidering some of my plans too. The thing is, I've been planning to do Big Law out of LS, but part of that is because it'd be a necessity (along with that prestige factor). It's hard to not put into the calculus "what will others think?" which I admit is kind of juvenile.

Now I'm wondering, if I don't get $$$ at a T14, is it really worth it? I can't imagine the take-home pay after paying hundreds of thousands back with interest will be significantly bigger at $180K than doing government work in NorCal (which pays close to six figures and comes with amazing full benefits) if I take a full-ride at a regional school. Like, will I end up not even making that much more if I go into huge debt and do BL? Idk.

[brinicolec]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

Jenna from NU told me she was going into big law in NYC and then transitioning into something where she could help juveniles in court. You could always do that. Play the money game first and then work into something you'll be able to make an impact with. We young. By the time I'm outta law school imma be 27. So many years to pursue this career lol.

I think that's a nice, and unrealistic, goal.

Most people aren't going to be able to/willing to go from living on a six-figure salary to living on a (probably) mid-five-figure salary just because they want to make a difference.

[Mr_Chukes]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

Jenna from NU told me she was going into big law in NYC and then transitioning into something where she could help juveniles in court. You could always do that. Play the money game first and then work into something you'll be able to make an impact with. We young. By the time I'm outta law school imma be 27. So many years to pursue this career lol.

I think that's a nice, and unrealistic, goal.

Most people aren't going to be able to/willing to go from living on a six-figure salary to living on a (probably) mid-five-figure salary just because they want to make a difference.

I see what you mean being use to living on a huge salary and then one day it's gone.

[brinicolec]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

I'm honestly reconsidering some of my plans too. The thing is, I've been planning to do Big Law out of LS, but part of that is because it'd be a necessity (along with that prestige factor). It's hard to not put into the calculus what "others might think" which I admit is kind of juvenile.

Now I'm wondering, if I don't get $$$ at a T14, is it really worth it? I can't imagine the take-home pay after paying hundreds of thousands back with interest will be significantly bigger at $180K than doing government work in NorCal (which pays close to six figures and comes with amazing full benefits) if I take a full-ride at a regional school. Like, will I end up not even making that much more if I go into huge debt and do BL? Idk.

I agree. While TLS has helped me with a lot of stuff, it's kind of fucked my entire thought-process up when it comes to what I actually want to do with my degree.

I think you also have to consider how well your regional school places in that government work though. The entire legal field is essentially just prestige-snobs who like to say they have graduates from [insert T14 school name] here working for them. I just can't imagine seeing so much of a high pay check go to so much debt would be worth the hours and the work that I have pretty much no interest in. The one big problem is that people like to see BL experience for other jobs. I have no idea why because arguably, you don't really get a lot of help/training in BL as compared to other jobs that give you more responsibility and everything, but again, ~ prestige ~

This whole thing is making my head hurt, honestly lol.

[brinicolec]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

Jenna from NU told me she was going into big law in NYC and then transitioning into something where she could help juveniles in court. You could always do that. Play the money game first and then work into something you'll be able to make an impact with. We young. By the time I'm outta law school imma be 27. So many years to pursue this career lol.

I think that's a nice, and unrealistic, goal.

Most people aren't going to be able to/willing to go from living on a six-figure salary to living on a (probably) mid-five-figure salary just because they want to make a difference.

I see what you mean being use to living on a huge salary and then one day it's gone.

Yeah, I think there are people who can take the cut, but I don't think it's common. I think it's more likely that a lot of people who are interested in PI but choose BL go into it like "I can just pay off my debt then go do PI stuff" then, once the debt is paid, they like the salary too much to go backwards.

[playersball]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

I'm honestly reconsidering some of my plans too. The thing is, I've been planning to do Big Law out of LS, but part of that is because it'd be a necessity (along with that prestige factor). It's hard to not put into the calculus what "others might think" which I admit is kind of juvenile.

Now I'm wondering, if I don't get $$$ at a T14, is it really worth it? I can't imagine the take-home pay after paying hundreds of thousands back with interest will be significantly bigger at $180K than doing government work in NorCal (which pays close to six figures and comes with amazing full benefits) if I take a full-ride at a regional school. Like, will I end up not even making that much more if I go into huge debt and do BL? Idk.

I agree. While TLS has helped me with a lot of stuff, it's kind of fucked my entire thought-process up when it comes to what I actually want to do with my degree.

I think you also have to consider how well your regional school places in that government work though. The entire legal field is essentially just prestige-snobs who like to say they have graduates from [insert T14 school name] here working for them. I just can't imagine seeing so much of a high pay check go to so much debt would be worth the hours and the work that I have pretty much no interest in. The one big problem is that people like to see BL experience for other jobs. I have no idea why because arguably, you don't really get a lot of help/training in BL as compared to other jobs that give you more responsibility and everything, but again, ~ prestige ~

This whole thing is making my head hurt, honestly lol.

I'm sorry you are feeling like this bri and Sfn**!! And I totally sympathize with the whole being a bleeding heart and wanting to do PI but being apprehensive about the low salary that comes with it. One thing I can say at least for CA market is that for PD/DA offices the pay does start low but then does get pretty high up there (from my perspective at least) obviously not comparable to big law salary but still enough to earn a nice living.

Another thing to consider too is that many (most?) people drop out of BL after a few years because that lifestyle is just rough, so transitioning from BL to something like juvenile justice may not be all that unheard of. I imagine there are some associates that gladly take the paycut to regain their happiness haha

I will also add though that my understanding for that type of PI is that big law may actually hurt- they may worry that you won't be able to transition to the pay cut, or just question your dedication to PI. These types of jobs are also competitive and "who you know," so if you spent your summers in big law, you will likely lose out to the summer interns from that respective government office.

I am sort of contradicting myself with those last two points i realize haha but I am also just trying to take in all of the information like you guys!

Did you have any luck/expect any luck with $$ from T20 schools like UCLA, USC, WUSTL, Emory? Also have you looked into any LRAP programs hat seemed promising to you?

[brinicolec]

OK I understand. Sorry if I seemed pushy. I just want the best for my friends lol.

Lol, no it's fine, I appreciate the insight.

My main problem is the kind of work I genuinely want to do is low-salary work, which is problematic because I'm not a low-salary kind of gal

I'm honestly reconsidering some of my plans too. The thing is, I've been planning to do Big Law out of LS, but part of that is because it'd be a necessity (along with that prestige factor). It's hard to not put into the calculus what "others might think" which I admit is kind of juvenile.

Now I'm wondering, if I don't get $$$ at a T14, is it really worth it? I can't imagine the take-home pay after paying hundreds of thousands back with interest will be significantly bigger at $180K than doing government work in NorCal (which pays close to six figures and comes with amazing full benefits) if I take a full-ride at a regional school. Like, will I end up not even making that much more if I go into huge debt and do BL? Idk.

I agree. While TLS has helped me with a lot of stuff, it's kind of fucked my entire thought-process up when it comes to what I actually want to do with my degree.

I think you also have to consider how well your regional school places in that government work though. The entire legal field is essentially just prestige-snobs who like to say they have graduates from [insert T14 school name] here working for them. I just can't imagine seeing so much of a high pay check go to so much debt would be worth the hours and the work that I have pretty much no interest in. The one big problem is that people like to see BL experience for other jobs. I have no idea why because arguably, you don't really get a lot of help/training in BL as compared to other jobs that give you more responsibility and everything, but again, ~ prestige ~

This whole thing is making my head hurt, honestly lol.

I'm sorry you are feeling like this bri and Sfn**!! And I totally sympathize with the whole being a bleeding heart and wanting to do PI but being apprehensive about the low salary that comes with it. One thing I can say at least for CA market is that for PD/DA offices the pay does start low but then does get pretty high up there (from my perspective at least) obviously not comparable to big law salary but still enough to earn a nice living.

Another thing to consider too is that many (most?) people drop out of BL after a few years because that lifestyle is just rough, so transitioning from BL to something like juvenile justice may not be all that unheard of. I imagine there are some associates that gladly take the paycut to regain their happiness haha

I will also add though that my understanding for that type of PI is that big law may actually hurt- they may worry that you won't be able to transition to the pay cut, or just question your dedication to PI. These types of jobs are also competitive and "who you know," so if you spent your summers in big law, you will likely lose out to the summer interns from that respective government office.

I am sort of contradicting myself with those last two points i realize haha but I am also just trying to take in all of the information like you guys!

Did you have any luck/expect any luck with $$ from T20 schools like UCLA, USC, WUSTL, Emory? Also have you looked into any LRAP programs hat seemed promising to you?

I'm not going to any Cali schools (personal reasons). Emory gave me an okay amount of money (not 100% tuition, of course lol). I have schools that are in the top 10 that accepted or WLed me, but want me to pay sticker - which I won't. GULC - I'm waiting for scholarship info but don't like the big class size at alllll and feel weird about some of the complaints I've seen about the school. I also want to avoid living somewhere that I'd have to drive that snows (would have to live in either VA or MD) because driving in snow makes me very uncomfortable/I'm awful at it. BU gave me more than 75% tuition, but CoL is so high that the loans would be pretty up there. Still waiting on UT to give me scholly info but am expecting that it'd be around $20k off of out-of-state tuition, based on my numbers. I applied to WUSTL but idk what they're doing with my application/I don't want to go there. UT is appealing to me (assuming I think I could live in Texas as a minority progressive liberal) but if I put the numbers in right, the LST calculator suggests the debt won't be pretty.

[AJ1010]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

[Mr_Chukes]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you

[20171lhopeful]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

Congrats! is this the first H acceptance for URMs on this thread?

[OnlyHumean]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

Congrats! I can imagine it being slightly overwhelming! Your top choice?

We've got pretty similar stats. but I didn't interview till late January, so if I get the call, I'm not expecting it until mid-late March. Hopfully this bodes well for me and any other URMs with JS1s.

[lawpotato]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

OMG CONGRATS!!!

[beantheshadow]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!

[AJ1010]

Just got my JS2. I cried a little and hyperventilated a lot.

Congrats! I can imagine it being slightly overwhelming! Your top choice?

We've got pretty similar stats. but I didn't interview till late January, so if I get the call, I'm not expecting it until mid-late March. Hopfully this bodes well for me and any other URMs with JS1s.

My top choice for sure. Harvard has always been my dream school. However, I just threw in a last minute Hail Mary of a Yale application, but I'm not expecting to get in. I'm not sure what I would do if Yale accepted me.