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I'm going to begin applying to schools in a few months. I'm curious as to whether it's a good idea to apply to some schools purely for negotiating purposes.

For example, I applied last cycle and got into Vanderbilt with some money. I did 5 points better on the LSAT this time and am going to reapply for hopefully more. I'm thinking of going a few schools below Vandy, negotiating with Vanderbilt from whatever offers I get, and moving up from there.

Problem is, not really sure where to start. How much of a peer would a school have to be to be seriously considered a threat to "take" one of their students. Could I go as deep as 3 positions deep?

Thanks for any help.

The short answer is yes. Applying to a number of schools for the sole purpose of negotiating is TCR. Apply to lower-ranked schools, similarly ranked schools, and superior schools to the school you wish to attend. Also, there are schools that are known for throwing money at students (Seton Hall & Cardozo come to mind). Even if you have no plans on attending these schools, the money they throw at you can be used as leverage against schools ranked lower and equal.

For a school like Vanderbilt, you should apply to a number of T1 schools (GW, Emory, etc.) and T14 schools. Make sure you also include some T2 schools that will likely offer full rides, which can be leveraged against lower ranked T1s, who can then be used against sister-schools (like those named above).

TL;DR - Apply to a large number of schools, even if you would never seriously attend, for the sole purpose of negotiating.

Yeah, but Vandy doesn't negotiate so I wouldn't plan a strategy that involves them negotiating. They are very set in their ways.

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yes. i did this and got at least an extra 45k from the school i'm going to because of the strategy.