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hey all

i am currently set to enroll at a t-10. i received an acceptance at a higher ranked t-10 off the waitlist. i'm guessing there isn't any financial aid left at this higher t-10 (maybe i'm wrong?), and i'm attending the lower t-10 on loans. could i possibly use the acceptance at the higher t-10 to leverage at the lower t-10? all things being equal, i'd rather stay at the lower ranked school, but if i got some money at the higher ranked one i'd jump ship. if there is a possibility to get money from the lower t-10, should i call or email the finaid office? i'm not sure how one would phrase that request diplomatically.

thanks in advance!

Michigan's policy is not to negotiate, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

helpwithdecisions wrote:hey all

i am currently set to enroll at a t-10. i received an acceptance at a higher ranked t-10 off the waitlist. i'm guessing there isn't any financial aid left at this higher t-10 (maybe i'm wrong?), and i'm attending the lower t-10 on loans. could i possibly use the acceptance at the higher t-10 to leverage at the lower t-10? all things being equal, i'd rather stay at the lower ranked school, but if i got some money at the higher ranked one i'd jump ship. if there is a possibility to get money from the lower t-10, should i call or email the finaid office? i'm not sure how one would phrase that request diplomatically.

thanks in advance!

It never hurts to ask. I don't know whether calling or e-mailing is better, but I've always found in general that it's harder to say no to someone in person (or on the phone) than by e-mail.

What you say is pretty simple. To the lower ranked school, you tell them you were really excited to be accepted there and all set to go, but you recently got in off the WL at xx school. After looking into the most recent employment data on NALP and law school transparency, you think it would be tough to pass up this opportunity despite how excited you are about their school. You're really nervous about paying back all these loans, and the better employment prospects carry a lot of weight. Is there anything they could do to make the amount of debt you'll carry less?

To the higher ranked school: you've already deposited at the other school and are really excited about it. You've visited, learned a lot about the school, and already feel really comfortable and fully committed. You've already signed a lease that will cost you money to get out of (if true). That said, you were really excited about the WL acceptance. Right now it seems like a tall task to switch so late in the game, but if they could make it a little easier for you that would be enough to make you take the leap.

The higher ranked school is less likely to bite, but it never hurts to ask.

Ask the admissions office. Don't be shy about asking. This is a chance to save yourself some money. Some schools are giving out money to waitlist people this year. This is a good year for people to push for money because the number of applicants are down. Don't be the only one paying sticker because you didn't at least try to get as much as possible.

Read this thread:
Negotiating scholarships

thanks for all of the advice! i always feel like i'm being audacious to ask. i already tried to negotiate with the lower ranked t-10 and filed an appeal, and they wouldn't match competing offers from peer schools. i hope that having a higher ranked school acceptance will help me out!

Withdraw & deposit at the higher ranked law school if you're serious about negotiating.

CanadianWolf wrote:Withdraw & deposit at the higher ranked law school if you're serious about negotiating.

would this encourage the lower ranked school to try and woo me back?

It's a risky strategy that depends upon the particular law schools involved. But you need to be ready to attend the higher ranked law school if things don't work out.

P.S. It might work if the law schools are Michigan & Columbia, for example.

CanadianWolf wrote:It's a risky strategy that depends upon the particular law schools involved. But you need to be ready to attend the higher ranked law school if things don't work out.

P.S. It might work if the law schools are Michigan & Columbia, for example.

Most likely Michigan and one of PVB

lol I would be so insulted if I were at in admissions at Michigan and some punk kid was like, yeah I got an offer at PVB, wanna pay me to stay? Surely OP means a T6, right?

IAFG wrote:lol I would be so insulted if I were at in admissions at Michigan and some punk kid was like, yeah I got an offer at PVB, wanna pay me to stay? Surely OP means a T6, right?

You'd have to pay me $$ to stay at Michigan with a Penn offer in my pocket. They're hardly peer schools.

in this case, the schools are both in the t-6

helpwithdecisions wrote:in this case, the schools are both in the t-6

No, NYU isn't going to throw money at you just because of your CLS offer.

helpwithdecisions wrote:in this case, the schools are both in the t-6

From t-14, to t-10, to t-6...

Which T6 are we talking about here? If it is Columbia and NYU then who knows, it will be a conversation to have. If it is Columbia and Harvard, why not go to Harvard?

helpwithdecisions wrote:in this case, the schools are both in the t-6

L0L good luck with that one

Guessing it's NYU and Chicago...

If it's Chicago, they've been liberally giving away money off the WL. Doesn't matter who it is, the answer is yes. Negotiate with both, and make it clear you're willing to forego both. All about bargaining power.

Of course ask. I'm not sure why these threads always come up. The worst that happens is they say..."no." For a community so risk adverse, that's a small price to pay.

FWIW, I just withdrew from Michigan and will attend Chicago. I asked about money, expecting zero, and they nearly matched Michigan.