OP: I really wanted to make Loyola work for me, mainly because it's located in Chicago. I've found there are a LOT of K-JDs attending these schools, whose parents are supporting everything, and they aren't really considering the decision. And therefore, there are a lot of students willing to pay for it. I was above both 75ths and still only received a scholarship covering 75% of tuition. I was also told after trying to negotiate w/ full rides from other, higher ranked schools that they *do not* give more than that. This is corroborated by LSN, which shows people with numbers higher than me getting the same scholarships.rzzza wrote:I understand the risk and thanks for your warnings. My parents want me to go to law school and I want to make them happy before they...die of old age. They've had law school set on their brains for me for years and they just won't understand at all if I tell them I'm scared of the debt and decide not to pursue any higher education at all and stick with the sales thing. To them an attorney is a more proud occupation than a salesman is. Debt is a reality for any type of education in this country, be it undergrad or post-grad degrees. Debt is unavoidable (unless you're the elite 1% and either have parents pay for everything or get offered full rides) so I just view this 60k-70k of debt as the price that's paid for admission.UVA2B wrote:It doesn't matter, negotiate when you have things to negotiate with. If you have better offers, go to them with it. If you don't, ask nicely because of how important this financial decision is for your future. There doesn't have to be etiquette in negotiating, only balances in power. If you don't have any leverage, they won't budge before, during, or after when seat deposits are due.rzzza wrote:Alright, cool thanks.UVA2B wrote:Get above their 75th LSAT to maximize scholarships.
You can always ask and they'll probably say no if they don't consider the schools peers. I have no idea who these schools consider as peers, so just ask and see what they say.
Lastly, and I will never stop saying this in cases like yours, really think about the type of law you'll be practicing coming out of these schools (assuming you get a JD required job at all), because you're essentially guaranteeing your best outcome as small firm work and non-competitive criminal law work. If those things don't interest you, you shouldn't be going to law school.
So is it better to negotiate after the first seat deposit deadline or before? I've seen people say both. I've seen people say its not a good idea because submitting multiple seat deposits might anger the schools and make them pull your scholarship offers. And I've also seen people claim that law schools will have more money in the pool to offer students after the deadline has passed, so they're more amenable to negotiations. I don't see any way to negotiate after the deadline without submitting multiple deposits though.
And please, for the love of all that is holy, take my last piece of advice seriously, because as it stands, you're considering going into six figures of debt to ultimately make $45k/year in the best, most likely case. That's financial suicide and you will be crushed by that debt without any recourse for the rest of your life. Your credit will go to hell if you default on your loans. You won't be able to create any sort of financial freedom because that debt will be hanging around your neck. Your life will be miserable, and you have no idea if you'll even like this career. Do you really want to throw caution to the wind on a career you very well might hate that could lead you down a path of financial ruin? You can reason with yourself all you want that this is a decision that's already been made and you're definitely going to one of these schools, but that's just not true. You don't have to perform financial hari kari because your job right now bores you. That's what you're doing taking on $100k+ of debt to get the jobs Kent or Loyola will more than likely get you (if you get a JD required job at all).
Please tell me this rationale makes sense to you. Please tell me you're considering how potentially dire you're making your financial situation in doing this, and that you don't want to saddle yourself with that much debt for a job that won't service the debt. If you want to be that cavalier with being under the crushing weight of debt you can't pay off, then pick whichever school appeals to you most, because it really doesn't matter. But never forget that you were vehemently and thoroughly warned about the implications of the decision you're considering.
I've been told till I'm blue in the face not to go to law school, that its a terrible investment and I'll most likely end up destitute and living behind a dumpster somewhere if I decide to go to law school. My parents understand NONE OF THIS. They still think law school is a golden ticket to a $100k a year job. They'll be terribly, terribly disappointed if I decline law school and I'd rather live with 70k of student loan debt than to see them disappointed. This is my last chance to make something of my self. Nothing else is an option. I'm not going to be a doctor, I'm not going to business school. I'm terrible at math. It's either law school or inside sales for the rest of my life. I'd rather take a gamble to get that J.D. next to my name on the ol' resume.
The problem with Chicago is that there's a big gap between schools - the gap between Northwestern and Loyola is massive. If you can't get into Northwestern with money (which I certainly cannot) - Loyola/Kent become tempting. But, after a ton of research, I realized Loyola/Kent are NOT good decisions, based on employment #s, especially when you're paying for it. I understand where you're coming from (except, i guess, the whole 'willing to go into debt for a career you aren't really interested in' thing; and the parental influence thing), but I just wanted to give you a heads up - Loyola does not offer full scholarships. And, this is coming from someone who wants to practice what everyone else generally considers 'shit law'.