Penn Law 1L - 4.0 GPA after First Semester - Request Scholarship Increase? Forum

[pennlawguy28]

Hey all,

I entered Penn Law in the fall with a scholarship of about 55%. Just got my fall grades back and somehow by the grace of God I got straight A's (I'm not entirely convinced that there hasn't been a serious error or oversight somehow). Is that grounds for a scholarship increase? Do law schools increase scholarships based off strong first semester grades? Are they fearful of losing students to transfers to Harvard/Columbia/NYU/etc.? Basically, do you think it would be wise to ask them for more money? Any drawbacks/downsides to doing so? Is it something they'd even consider?

Thanks for the words of wisdom

[JD116]

Hey all,

I entered Penn Law in the fall with a scholarship of about 55%. Just got my fall grades back and somehow by the grace of God I got straight A's (I'm not entirely convinced that there hasn't been a serious error or oversight somehow). Is that grounds for a scholarship increase? Do law schools increase scholarships based off strong first semester grades? Are they fearful of losing students to transfers to Harvard/Columbia/NYU/etc.? Basically, do you think it would be wise to ask them for more money? Any drawbacks/downsides to doing so? Is it something they'd even consider?

Thanks for the words of wisdom

What a wonderful position to be in! I have a good friend at UVA who killed it his first semester and tried to up his scholarship (he did not have as much as you initially) but they flat out rejected it. I think it would be tough to persuade them that their 55% is not good enough. But then again, it never hurts to knock on a door and see if it opens--especially when you are their star-studded student. I don't see any downsides of asking. To be honest, if you keep up your grades at Penn, there is absolutely no disadvantage you have compared to any of the T-3 grads. You'll be in strong running for a top Federal Court of Appeals Clerkship and you'll be able to pick your job.

Oh, and if you transfer up, there is a very low chance you get any money. So if money does really matter to you (which it appears is the case), then I would recommend staying put.

God is blessing you bro. He's got you right where He wants you!

[SmokelessTobacco]

I don't have anything substantive to add to this because I was never fortunate enough to be in your position. I just wanted to comment to say congratulations and keep up the hard work. You have really accomplished something awesome here. Wishing you all the best in the future.