Top Law Schools

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Often times the "full ride" and "yield protect" piles are mighty close together, so make sure you write all the optional essays and make it clear you're not applying as a safety. I had schools where my numbers were way above median offer me virtually nothing, and others offer me a full ride, but none did so in the initial letter. At one T2, I was offered $15K/yr in the acceptance letter and then later emailed to interview for a full ride, which I declined. Negotiating aid when you can leverage offers from other schools never hurts.

Sometimes, it's just luck. I had full rides at WUSTL and UIUC, but I didn't write any extra essays or anything.

i agree w/ softboiledlife. it's a delicate dance of proving you really want to go THERE and not overplaying your hand. however, i flat-out told the dean of admissions i was coming to emory before i was awarded my fellowship, and i got it anyway. so take that fwiw.

do you have outstanding numbers + are a phenomenal fit for a school? you might get a full ride.

MusicNutMeggie wrote:Sometimes, it's just luck. I had full rides at WUSTL and UIUC, but I didn't write any extra essays or anything.

This has been my experience. The highest rank school I was admitted to gave me a full ride. Didn't write any optional/school specific essays, very average softs, and LSAT at 75th percentile with GPA slightly below median. I am confident I have the lowest numbers of any scholarship recipient at Iowa who isn't a minority. No clue how it happened. Not to mention I had already committed to Iowa BEFORE they awarded me anything.

Generally speaking, however, there are several things you can probably do. You need to have the numbers, no doubt, and this will play a large role. Negotiating scholarships/high ranked acceptances can absolutely work, however some schools are more receptive to it than others. Some schools are big on optional essays (off the top of my head, Colorado is one of these schools). Some schools may be "known" for something and might want to see a commitment to that field (UNC and public interest, for example). Some schools are known for giving most of their scholarships to minorities (again, UNC is an example, I think).

Basically, research the schools you are applying to and see if they have any soft spots for certain things in applications. If you show an interest in the school, rather than being very general with your essays, you will probably avoid yield protection. Most importantly, though, you need the numbers.