Top Law Schools

NYU is not my top choice, but they offered me $75,000 earlier this month with the qualification that I submit my enrollment deposit by April 2nd or the money is gone.

Columbia didn't start sending out Finaid until after April 2nd last year, and I still have no idea if Harvard is ever going to talk to me again.

If I get Columbia's finaid before 4/2 I can use NYU's aid to leverage a better deal (hopefully). If April 2 rolls around... then what? I could just enroll and not take any chances. But NYU isn't my top choice and frankly I don't want to "reward" them for these kind of shenanigans by enrolling.

If I wait after 4/2 the money from NYU is gone and I might as well withdraw. But if Harvard doesn't come through and CLS gives me squat for aid.... I'm SOL. I can't exactly email CLS and try to leverage aid that doesn't exist anymore now can I?


Are there any potential consequences (besides being out $500, which is a lot for me) for just enrolling at NYU and then switching out if I can get a similar offer from CLS?

I think you have to put down the $500 and be willing to eat it if you decide to attend another school. In the big picture of the cost of law school, $500 is not a lot of money.

If you read the enrollment form you are signing that you have already withdrawn all applications to all other law schools and that you will not apply to anymore. So yea, whatever the consequences are to breaking that contract are what you are dealing with in addition to eating the $500. If the the only real consequence is eating the $500 than who really cares. But yeah this cluster fuck of a decision and deadlines between Columbia financial aid and this NYU Scholarship deadline has been extremely stressful especially as the deadline gets closer and closer.

Dtackpat75 wrote:If you read the enrollment form you are signing that you have already withdrawn all applications to all other law schools and that you will not apply to anymore. So yea, whatever the consequences are to breaking that contract are what you are dealing with in addition to eating the $500. If the the only real consequence is eating the $500 than who really cares. But yeah this cluster fuck of a decision and deadlines between Columbia financial aid and this NYU Scholarship deadline has been extremely stressful especially as the deadline gets closer and closer.

That's what I remember too. This wouldn't bode well for C&F and other schools could drop you if they found out.

I really hate this game that NYU is playing with people's lives.

yeah, didn't realize that they had that stipulation on the contract that you must withdrawal from all other schools, so in that case, you either have to ask for an extension or make a decision.

Sogui wrote:
I really hate this game that NYU is playing with people's lives.

Why is a deadline a "game"? I had to decide on a scholarship from G'town in mid-march March during my cycle.

Decline it, please. NYU is my first choice and I would kill for a $75,000 scholarship!

Sogui wrote:

Dtackpat75 wrote:If you read the enrollment form you are signing that you have already withdrawn all applications to all other law schools and that you will not apply to anymore. So yea, whatever the consequences are to breaking that contract are what you are dealing with in addition to eating the $500. If the the only real consequence is eating the $500 than who really cares. But yeah this cluster fuck of a decision and deadlines between Columbia financial aid and this NYU Scholarship deadline has been extremely stressful especially as the deadline gets closer and closer.

That's what I remember too. This wouldn't bode well for C&F and other schools could drop you if they found out.

I really hate this game that NYU is playing with people's lives.

Huh? Making people tell them if they're coming or not by April 2nd so they can take that scholarship money and give it to students who want to go to NYU but need financial aid to do so is a "game"?

Before you diss NYU, why don't you call them up and ask them to extend your deadline because you need to hear from two other schools?

NYU does this so that dead money isn't sitting with kids who would never take them and they can redistribute it to kids who actually need the $.

gossipgirl wrote:

Sogui wrote:

Dtackpat75 wrote:If you read the enrollment form you are signing that you have already withdrawn all applications to all other law schools and that you will not apply to anymore. So yea, whatever the consequences are to breaking that contract are what you are dealing with in addition to eating the $500. If the the only real consequence is eating the $500 than who really cares. But yeah this cluster fuck of a decision and deadlines between Columbia financial aid and this NYU Scholarship deadline has been extremely stressful especially as the deadline gets closer and closer.

That's what I remember too. This wouldn't bode well for C&F and other schools could drop you if they found out.

I really hate this game that NYU is playing with people's lives.

Huh? Making people tell them if they're coming or not by April 2nd so they can take that scholarship money and give it to students who want to go to NYU but need financial aid to do so is a "game"?

Before you diss NYU, why don't you call them up and ask them to extend your deadline because you need to hear from two other schools?

NYU does this so that dead money isn't sitting with kids who would never take them and they can redistribute it to kids who actually need the $.

NYU set an earlier financial aid deadline than most schools for people who wanted the scholly. The scholarship also includes all your need-based aid as well, so they are holding all your need money hostage too here. In return for an earlier Finaid application they get back to you REALLY fast, less than 2 weeks if I recall with your award amount.

Problem is they set a deadline before nearly any other school sends out their finaid. A deadline that requires me to shoot all my other pending applications down and decide on NYU.

It's not that I don't want NYU. If Columbia got back to me with a weaker finaid package and Harvard ends up rejecting/holding me, then NYU could very well end up my #1. I "need" this money just as much as anyone else here, I've got way more loans than most TLSers as it is and I have no parental safety net. I just think that it's silly to prey on student's fear and doubt in this cycle to try and hurry them into enrolling at NYU.

April 2nd is just a few days before CLS sends out its financial aid info. That's why I suspect this is a "game" they are playing and not just a legitimate attempt to get their money distributed efficiently.

Also, I am sending a request for deadline extension on Monday, so I will let you guys know how that pans out. I am pessimistic though since NYU MADE you check a box that says "I will give you my decision by 4/2" before you can even see the scholarship amount, and it reminds you again and again on the award letter that you must let them know by 4/2. I doubt they are going to budge on this, but I'll try.