I think I've made a huge, tiny mistake Forum

[jadore714]

Okay, so I got accepted on 3/29, and had to pay the seat deposit by 4/1. I panicked because this is the first school I was accepted to (applied late because Feb LSAT scores) and just paid the $500 deposit tonight after receiving a rejection and waitlist from other schools this afternoon, but I still haven't received my aid offer.

How long does it normally take to receive an offer? How badly have I f***ed up? I'm panicking now that I have seriously lowered the financial aid they will offer me. Have I or will this not really affect anything since I can still withdraw?

Honestly, I just want someone to tell me that I'm dumb and overreacting and everything will be okay, but also if it won't maybe advise me as to what I should do from here on out. Any thoughts?

[magnum_law]

Chill out. What are your #s? Walk if the offer isn't right.

[jadore714]

lol I know I can almost taste the panic attack in my first post, it's just the only school I've gotten into so far, so I'm a bit stressed about the whole thing. I'm a pretty major splitter 172/2.6

[Clearly]

Sit and reapply. The Feb LSAT is NO GOOD for that same years class. Trust me as a super splitter Feb LSAT, who applied when scores dropped, sat, and reapplied with the exact same essays the next year. It was literally the same app 2 years in a row. Hyuge difference.

[magnum_law]

Gotcha. That's tough 'cause splitters are much harder to predict. Congrats on that LSAT score. Did you blanket the t14 ?

Honestly, the way to go about this is to pretend as if you didn't deposit. Worst case scenario you lose $500 instead of $300,000. If they don't value you enough for that LSAT score - walk.

If that's the case, I'd say that TCR is to reapply very early next cycle and perhaps do the ED option with Northwestern.

[jadore714]

Sit and reapply. The Feb LSAT is NO GOOD for that same years class. Trust me as a super splitter Feb LSAT, who applied when scores dropped, sat, and reapplied with the exact same essays the next year. It was literally the same app 2 years in a row. Hyuge difference.

I hear you, but my parents really wanted me to apply this cycle "just to see," and they were willing to bankroll the application fees as well, so I applied this cycle to appease them and also the idea of not having to wait another whole year is appealing. I figure I'll see how it works out and then decide what to do. Having said that, I want to maximize the financial aid offers this time around just in case I decide I want to just say f it and attend this year, so I have good options either way.

Gotcha. That's tough 'cause splitters are much harder to predict. Congrats on that LSAT score. Did you blanket the t14 ?

Honestly, the way to go about this is to pretend as if you didn't deposit. Worst case scenario you lose $500 instead of $300,000. If they don't value you enough for that LSAT score - walk.

If that's the case, I'd say that TCR is to reapply very early next cycle and perhaps do the ED option with Northwestern.

Thanks! The LSAT score was definitely necessary. I applied to about half of them, still waiting to hear back from most, waitlisted at UVA. So hope is still alive at least. The more I think about it the less catastrophic this seems, since decision and deposit deadlines for other school are still coming up, so as far as the admissions office is concerned, I'm still not a lock even with the deposit. Thanks for talking me down lol, the months of constant anxiety can really make you crazy.

[Clearly]

Sit and reapply. The Feb LSAT is NO GOOD for that same years class. Trust me as a super splitter Feb LSAT, who applied when scores dropped, sat, and reapplied with the exact same essays the next year. It was literally the same app 2 years in a row. Hyuge difference.

I hear you, but my parents really wanted me to apply this cycle "just to see," and they were willing to bankroll the application fees as well, so I applied this cycle to appease them and also the idea of not having to wait another whole year is appealing. I figure I'll see how it works out and then decide what to do. Having said that, I want to maximize the financial aid offers this time around just in case I decide I want to just say f it and attend this year, so I have good options either way.

Gotcha. That's tough 'cause splitters are much harder to predict. Congrats on that LSAT score. Did you blanket the t14 ?

Honestly, the way to go about this is to pretend as if you didn't deposit. Worst case scenario you lose $500 instead of $300,000. If they don't value you enough for that LSAT score - walk.

If that's the case, I'd say that TCR is to reapply very early next cycle and perhaps do the ED option with Northwestern.

Thanks! The LSAT score was definitely necessary. I applied to about half of them, still waiting to hear back from most, waitlisted at UVA. So hope is still alive at least. The more I think about it the less catastrophic this seems, since decision and deposit deadlines for other school are still coming up, so as far as the admissions office is concerned, I'm still not a lock even with the deposit. Thanks for talking me down lol, the months of constant anxiety can really make you crazy.

If its about financial aid, then you DEF should just sit. Schools allocated much of their budget before your LSAT even went through a scantron man. Look, I was in your position, exactly. Your gonna have to trust me on this, you would do better with money and schools in Sept than you will now. The worst part of this thing people do is they get a decent enough offer and they go, when literally sleeping for 6 months and trying again, not even doing anything at all, would have gotten them better schools or much more money. Don't be tempted by some BS offer just because you got in.

[jadore714]

If its about financial aid, then you DEF should just sit. Schools allocated much of their budget before your LSAT even went through a scantron man. Look, I was in your position, exactly. Your gonna have to trust me on this, you would do better with money and schools in Sept than you will now. The worst part of this thing people do is they get a decent enough offer and they go, when literally sleeping for 6 months and trying again, not even doing anything at all, would have gotten them better schools or much more money. Don't be tempted by some BS offer just because you got in.

I feel like I know you're right, and I'm just being impatient and probably shortsighted. Since apps are already in, I'll wait to see how everything shakes out, but I will definitely very seriously consider waiting and reapplying again next year. I just feel like all I've done is wait for the LSAT and wait for admissions decisions and now I'll have to wait some more again, but you're right that it could prove far more beneficial in the long run. I really do appreciate your advice though, it's always nice to hear the success story of a fellow splitter.

[fliptrip]

You can't get better advice than what Clearly is giving you.

Please take it. You won't regret it.

[hairbear7]

You can't get better advice than what Clearly is giving you.

Please take it. You won't regret it.

[GFox345]

You can't get better advice than what Clearly is giving you.

Please take it. You won't regret it.

[jrass]

If anything paying the seat deposit strengthens your bargaining position, because the school is going to bank on x percentage of students who paid their seat deposit to matriculate. $500 is nothing, and they're going to reject people who otherwise may have been accepted had you not paid. Think of it like a baseball player in free agency. If a team needs a second baseman and during the course of negotiating with one second baseman, other free agents sign elsewhere, the original second baseman's value increases.

That said enrolling because you're already $500 in the hole is insanely dumb. It's like if you put 0.5% of a home purchase price into escrow, and argue you need to go through with the purchase because you might as well pay 99.5% once you've paid 0.5%.

[grizzlybears]

lol I know I can almost taste the panic attack in my first post, it's just the only school I've gotten into so far, so I'm a bit stressed about the whole thing. I'm a pretty major splitter 172/2.6

These are the same numbers I'm running right now. Can I ask which school you deposited at?

[jadore714]

If anything paying the seat deposit strengthens your bargaining position, because the school is going to bank on x percentage of students who paid their seat deposit to matriculate. $500 is nothing, and they're going to reject people who otherwise may have been accepted had you not paid. Think of it like a baseball player in free agency. If a team needs a second baseman and during the course of negotiating with one second baseman, other free agents sign elsewhere, the original second baseman's value increases.

That said enrolling because you're already $500 in the hole is insanely dumb. It's like if you put 0.5% of a home purchase price into escrow, and argue you need to go through with the purchase because you might as well pay 99.5% once you've paid 0.5%.

Ah okay, I see what you're saying in terms of bargaining position, and that makes sense. I'm definitely not going to for sure enroll just because I paid the $500, I'm willing to walk away from that money because it's ultimately a drop in the bucket, I just wanted to make sure I hadn't somehow screwed myself out of thousands of financial aid money. Also, thanks for addressing my question. While I appreciate the posters telling me to wait a year, and I am considering their opinions so this was valuable input, whether I had severely impaired my bargaining power is what I had originally wanted to find out.

These are the same numbers I'm running right now. Can I ask which school you deposited at?

WUSTL, though I am seriously considering waiting a year based on previous posters' advice. But my apps are already in and fees paid, so might as well see how everything turns out and keep all my options open for now. Are you applying this cycle?

[jlk411]

Wait until next cycle. Your parents will understand when you tell them how much more money you will be making for the rest of your life by placing in a better firm because of your higher ranked school next year. trust.

[grizzlybears]

WUSTL, though I am seriously considering waiting a year based on previous posters' advice. But my apps are already in and fees paid, so might as well see how everything turns out and keep all my options open for now. Are you applying this cycle?

Same exact situation, school and scores and everything. I'm putting down a deposit today but I'm still waiting on a couple schools. I got a late start on my apps but I'm not in a position where I can afford to wait a year. If you're able to, you might as well!

[jadore714]

Same exact situation, school and scores and everything. I'm putting down a deposit today but I'm still waiting on a couple schools. I got a late start on my apps but I'm not in a position where I can afford to wait a year. If you're able to, you might as well!

Ahh gotcha. Bummer, but I mean a scholarship to WUSTL isn't the end of the world or anything. I'm definitely leaning towards reapplying next year now, but also I already paid the first seat deposit and haven't heard back from like 60% of the schools I applied to so hope springs eternal lol, I'm just going to wait and see how everything ends up and then decide before I have to pay the second deposit.