Top Law Schools

i allready have a master degree and will be a 1L next year. for the drop down box i answer continuing graduate level degree right?
I do not click on 1st year graduate degree because I allready have one. Am i correct on this?

northwood wrote:i allready have a master degree and will be a 1L next year. for the drop down box i answer continuing graduate level degree right?
I do not click on 1st year graduate degree because I allready have one. Am i correct on this?

If you're going to be a 1L, that means you'll be in the first year of a graduate degree so do check that box.

yeah I'm in the same situation and just putting "1st year grad student"

I have a fafsa question as well. It says we can add up to 10 schools. Can we include schools we have not heard decisions from yet, or should we just list schools we've been accepted to?

iwanta170 wrote:I have a fafsa question as well. It says we can add up to 10 schools. Can we include schools we have not heard decisions from yet, or should we just list schools we've been accepted to?

any school you want.

northwood wrote:i allready have a master degree and will be a 1L next year. for the drop down box i answer continuing graduate level degree right?
I do not click on 1st year graduate degree because I allready have one. Am i correct on this?

I think continuing refers to a subsequent year of study pursuing the same degree. Since this is a new degree, I think first year. But I'm not 100%.

Thanks, also does it matter how early we submit our FAFSA? I think I have to wait for my parents to file their tax returns. Should I submit my FAFSA now and include an estimate and update it later, or just wait? Is there a difference?

iwanta170 wrote:Thanks, also does it matter how early we submit our FAFSA? I think I have to wait for my parents to file their tax returns. Should I submit my FAFSA now and include an estimate and update it later, or just wait? Is there a difference?

You shouldn't need parental info for law school.

you have to submit it by each schools particular date. You can always make changes if necessary. If you need parents info, use last years (2009) tax info, and make necessary changes after they finish their taxes

If you are over 26, or have been in grad school before you are an independent student. If you are going straight from ug to ls, then your parents info may be needed for the first year

What's this junk above about not needing your parental information?
FAFSA itself will consider us as independent students since we're old, independent from our parents, and going to graduate schools. (Or any of those three).

The law schools don't care though. I have yet to find one that doesn't require parental information on the FAFSA form. Some only require it for people under 31, but mostly they require that your parents' financial information is on your FAFSA to consider you for any kind of need based aid. I am waiting for my parents to file

Does anyone know if this question includes law/medical students. I just want to make sure.

How many people in your parents' household will be college students between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?

iwanta170 wrote:Does anyone know if this question includes law/medical students. I just want to make sure.

How many people in your parents' household will be college students between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?

I think this means UG but call and check.

JJDancer wrote:

iwanta170 wrote:Does anyone know if this question includes law/medical students. I just want to make sure.

How many people in your parents' household will be college students between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?

I think this means UG but call and check.

I called and was told it does include law students.

just got a email from fasfa: i have to contact each school to decide. Not a whole lot of help from them, but if anyone else is in my shoes, thats what you have to do

northwood wrote:just got a email from fasfa: i have to contact each school to decide. Not a whole lot of help from them, but if anyone else is in my shoes, thats what you have to do

I'd just check the damn box.

hayansekki724 wrote:What's this junk above about not needing your parental information?
FAFSA itself will consider us as independent students since we're old, independent from our parents, and going to graduate schools. (Or any of those three).

The law schools don't care though. I have yet to find one that doesn't require parental information on the FAFSA form. Some only require it for people under 31, but mostly they require that your parents' financial information is on your FAFSA to consider you for any kind of need based aid. I am waiting for my parents to file

On the Parental Demographics page, it asks how many people in your parents' household, and how many people in the household will be attending college. Since I am independent and don't live in my dad's house, my answers are 1 and 0, respectively, to those questions, but the form does not allow those responses. Why is it suddenly assuming I am a dependent and living at home, when I am neither? How does an independent student fill out the parental demographics page?

JJDancer wrote:

iwanta170 wrote:Does anyone know if this question includes law/medical students. I just want to make sure.

How many people in your parents' household will be college students between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?

I think this means UG but call and check.

College students means anyone in any kind of higher education (as a student obviously).

rinkrat19 wrote:

hayansekki724 wrote:What's this junk above about not needing your parental information?
FAFSA itself will consider us as independent students since we're old, independent from our parents, and going to graduate schools. (Or any of those three).

The law schools don't care though. I have yet to find one that doesn't require parental information on the FAFSA form. Some only require it for people under 31, but mostly they require that your parents' financial information is on your FAFSA to consider you for any kind of need based aid. I am waiting for my parents to file

On the Parental Demographics page, it asks how many people in your parents' household, and how many people in the household will be attending college. Since I am independent and don't live in my dad's house, my answers are 1 and 0, respectively, to those questions, but the form does not allow those responses. Why is it suddenly assuming I am a dependent and living at home, when I am neither? How does an independent student fill out the parental demographics page?

They don't. Seriously, I help people with the FAFSA everyday, you really don't need parental info. Just click "I do not wish to provide parental information."

Maybe it's because I have been independent of my parents for the majority of my life, but my response is to tell schools to shove it when they start asking about them. I even contacted Need Access, and they confirmed that I just need to leave the parental info blank. If you are independent and the schools are asking for parental info just call them and push them on it.

Dexter,
The schools assume you to be dependent typically if you're under a certain age, ie 30 or 100. Every school I have looked at except Michigan states that they require the parental information even for us independent adults in order to give any consideration for need based aid.
You can call them and tell them to "shove it" though if you want. I definitely don't mind reduced competition.

hayansekki724 wrote:Dexter,
The schools assume you to be dependent typically if you're under a certain age, ie 30 or 100. Every school I have looked at except Michigan states that they require the parental information even for us independent adults in order to give any consideration for need based aid.
You can call them and tell them to "shove it" though if you want. I definitely don't mind reduced competition.

IMO people roll over too easily. Of course I am in a position that requires me to push and get special consideration (not that I am really expecting need based aid anyway).

dextermorgan wrote:IMO people roll over too easily. Of course I am in a position that requires me to push and get special consideration (not that I am really expecting need based aid anyway).

Do you think they're really going to give you consideration then? Most institutions state quite plainly that they will not give nay consideration to anyone who does not provide their parents' information.

I have these same questions. My parents are not contributing at all to my law school education. Because I am only 24 years old schools are telling me that I have to put their info on the FAFSA which seems completely counterproductive since I am paying for this on my own and need as much aid as I can possibly get. My parents do not claim me as a dependent when they file taxes, why isn't this enough to jusify leaving them off my FAFSA?

Side note about how much FAFSA sucks: my dad is not part of the picture at all and my mom didn't get remarried the summer I left for my first year of college. Freshman year I was golden with financial aid since I only had to put her info on the FAFSA, but sophomore year I lost almost all my aid because I now had to put my step-father's info even though he wasn't contributing ONE CENT to my education. When I called to ask about this they said "sorry your mother and step-father file taxes together, we don't care how much he is or is not contributing." So yeah, basically the whole process sucks.

hayansekki724 wrote:

dextermorgan wrote:IMO people roll over too easily. Of course I am in a position that requires me to push and get special consideration (not that I am really expecting need based aid anyway).

Do you think they're really going to give you consideration then? Most institutions state quite plainly that they will not give nay consideration to anyone who does not provide their parents' information.

Like I said, I have already addressed the issue with Need Access. Furthermore, schools will waive the parental information requirement if you actually talk to them. Oh, and law schools don't give substantial need based aid anyway.

"The purpose of student financial aid is to assist students who would otherwise be unable to pursue a legal education at Stanford. Approximately 80 percent of the student body receives tuition fellowship or loan assistance, with the average fellowship portion per recipient totaling about $20,000 annually. Aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated need and is provided through a combination of tuition fellowships, government guaranteed loans, private loans, and university loans appropriate to the circumstances of each student."
http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/tui ... ancial_aid

"HLS does not award merit or full-ride scholarships, but instead focuses on need-based aid. Experienced student financial services officers determine each student's financial need through careful evaluation and all officers are committed to helping every student create a workable education financing plan."
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/ ... index.html

"The Law School awards grant assistance primarily on the basis of demonstrated financial need. However, there are a number of fellowships not based on financial need that are awarded by the Office of Admissions at the time an applicant in admitted to the Law School."
http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applican ... ns/tuition

"*All students who wish to be considered for a need-based grant MUST submit complete parent information on the FAFSA and supplemental application unless they meet the requirements for financial independence for that academic year. Without complete parent information, the applicant will not be considered for grant eligibility. ... All students who will not be 30 years of age by December 31 of the academic year for which they are applying will be considered financially dependent for the purpose of determining need-based grant eligibility. An imputed parent contribution from parents' income and assets is used in determining grant eligibility."
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/192.htm


This info is just the top four schools I applied to. The need based aid might not be substantial, but it is the majority of the aid they give out. It looks like Columbia and Berkeley do also give out merit based aid, whereas Harvard and Stanford do not. All of these schools require the parental information to be included on FAFSA.

hayansekki724 wrote:"The purpose of student financial aid is to assist students who would otherwise be unable to pursue a legal education at Stanford. Approximately 80 percent of the student body receives tuition fellowship or loan assistance, with the average fellowship portion per recipient totaling about $20,000 annually. Aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated need and is provided through a combination of tuition fellowships, government guaranteed loans, private loans, and university loans appropriate to the circumstances of each student."
http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/tui ... ancial_aid

"HLS does not award merit or full-ride scholarships, but instead focuses on need-based aid. Experienced student financial services officers determine each student's financial need through careful evaluation and all officers are committed to helping every student create a workable education financing plan."
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/ ... index.html

"The Law School awards grant assistance primarily on the basis of demonstrated financial need. However, there are a number of fellowships not based on financial need that are awarded by the Office of Admissions at the time an applicant in admitted to the Law School."
http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applican ... ns/tuition

"*All students who wish to be considered for a need-based grant MUST submit complete parent information on the FAFSA and supplemental application unless they meet the requirements for financial independence for that academic year. Without complete parent information, the applicant will not be considered for grant eligibility. ... All students who will not be 30 years of age by December 31 of the academic year for which they are applying will be considered financially dependent for the purpose of determining need-based grant eligibility. An imputed parent contribution from parents' income and assets is used in determining grant eligibility."
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/192.htm


This info is just the top four schools I applied to. The need based aid might not be substantial, but it is the majority of the aid they give out. It looks like Columbia and Berkeley do also give out merit based aid, whereas Harvard and Stanford do not. All of these schools require the parental information to be included on FAFSA.

Lol at "loan assistance" being "need-based aid."