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I'm a white male with a 3.95 and a 170. I'm in at Michigan with 45, and Columbia with no aid so far. Is it unreasonable of me to ask Michigan to double their offer given my numbers? Is it necessary or helpful for me to to ask in person, or would a call/email be sufficient? This is going to be the deciding factor for where I go, so I'm very nervous at the prospect of getting turned down.

gmreplay wrote:I'm a white male with a 3.95 and a 170. I'm in at Michigan with 45, and Columbia with no aid so far. Is it unreasonable of me to ask Michigan to double their offer given my numbers? Is it necessary or helpful for me to to ask in person, or would a call/email be sufficient? This is going to be the deciding factor for where I go, so I'm very nervous at the prospect of getting turned down.

FWIW, asking them to outright double it might not be the best way to go. You'll need to present them with a competing offer.

gmreplay wrote:I'm a white male with a 3.95 and a 170. I'm in at Michigan with 45, and Columbia with no aid so far. Is it unreasonable of me to ask Michigan to double their offer given my numbers? Is it necessary or helpful for me to to ask in person, or would a call/email be sufficient? This is going to be the deciding factor for where I go, so I'm very nervous at the prospect of getting turned down.

They almost certainly won't double your offer. You can ask tactfully, but your only basis of negotiation will be large scholarships from peer schools. If you don't have any of those to work with, then I doubt they will increase your offer at all.

I read the merit aid guide (here http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 22&t=79373) and the author argues that while competing school merit aid offers are obviously the best, admission to higher ranked schools is also a good tool to use.

Am I going to be better off doing this in person? Anyone have any experience as far as that goes?

I actually have almost identical numbers - 170 and 3.94 - and I also got 45k. Not that you shouldn't try to negotiate, but it seems like we got the standard amount. Actually, I got 21k from Chicago and I'm thinking of sending them that offer. I doubt they'll care but it's worth a shot.