ED'ers regret... Forum

[TeddyMuir]

Hey... first time poster.

I recently ED'ed to Duke. And don't get me wrong, I think Duke is an awesome school and I've always kind of dreamed of going there. My uncle and father are both alum's, so I guess it runs in the family. I've only visited it once though, and that was when I was 13.

Now I'm thinking, was this a really stupid decision? FWIW my stats are 169, 3.82. I want to practice in California or NYC after law school.

I'm thinking...

1.) I have a decent shot at Michigan, Berkeley, or UVA (ed)... aren't their employment prospects better? Maybe I should withdraw my Duke app to shoot for these?
2.) I might have a shot at $$ from Cornell or UCLA. I don't know. But I'll pay sticker at Duke for sure.
3.) If I back out of Duke ED I can kiss Duke regular admission goodbye.

So. Are my thoughts rational? What would you do?

Thanks.

[beachbum]

Hey... first time poster.

I recently ED'ed to Duke. And don't get me wrong, I think Duke is an awesome school and I've always kind of dreamed of going there. My uncle and father are both alum's, so I guess it runs in the family. I've only visited it once though, and that was when I was 13.

Now I'm thinking, was this a really stupid decision? FWIW my stats are 169, 3.82. I want to practice in California or NYC after law school.

I'm thinking...

1.) I have a decent shot at Michigan, Berkeley, or UVA (ed)... aren't their employment prospects better? Maybe I should withdraw my Duke app to shoot for these?
2.) I might have a shot at $$ from Cornell or UCLA. I don't know. But I'll pay sticker at Duke for sure.
3.) If I back out of Duke ED I can kiss Duke regular admission goodbye.

So. Are my thoughts rational? What would you do?

Thanks.

1) No, these are all peer schools. You would be wise to choose the school you feel most comfortable at. If Duke is the best fit for you, then you made the right pick.
2) Maybe. This is your personal preference. And you will not necessarily be paying sticker at Duke.
3) Correct.

Honestly, I think you stood a decent shot RD with a solid app and a compelling Why Duke. Though in terms of picking the right school, well, that's all up to you. MVBD are all peers in terms of job placement, so choose based on other factors.

If I were in your shoes, I would let the Duke ED ride until I got confirmation of my scholarship award (or lack thereof?). I would also do some serious research into Duke and the other schools on my list, as it sounds like you jumped into the ED contract pretty quickly. And visit Duke's ASW.

When you have all the information in front of you, you can make a better decision about your future. The worst case scenario is you sit out and apply again next year.

*And in the interest of full disclosure, I am currently EDing to Duke. Just a heads up.

[mikey101]

I just recently decided to switch to ED at Duke myself. My stats however are weaker than yours (similar GPA, 167). If I had those additional two points I wouldn't be EDing at Duke mainly because I think I'd have a realistic shot at at least one of MVPDBG and in at Cornell. If money matters a bunch to you, your point two def would come into play too.

I'd say yes to all three of your thoughts being rational, excepting employment prospects being better at MVPB. Maybe ever so slightly (see ad nauseam amount of threads on this) but not enough to choose anyone of them solely on this factor alone. If you truly like Duke the best out of these schools and don't mind forgoing the possibility of small scholarship at Cornell then ED was the right call.

Hope this helps somewhat.