GW Early Decision or other top international law programs?
Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 5:25 pm
Hello, I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on a tough decision I'm trying make as to where to apply to law school.
I was accepted at GULC in the fall of 2009. I deferred for a year, but ultimately decided to withdraw my application because of the huge costs at Georgetown. I'm going to reapply this fall in hopes of landing a scholarship.
Part of my decision to withdraw had to do with learning that GW, which also has a tremendous International Law program, offers a really generous full scholarship to students who commit to a binding application.
My question is this: given my numbers (166/171 LSAT, 3.79 gpa), should I apply binding ED at GW? I feel that I would have a shot (not a great shot, but a decent shot) at getting into ONE of the other top international law programs (Harvard, Columbia, NYU), albeit without the money. Then I would have to make the decision between paying full price at a top school, or a full ride at a less prestigious school. However, if I apply ED at GW, I won't even be able to make that choice, since I will be bound to attending GW. Of course, I'm not at all a lock to even get the full ride at GW, though I think my numbers are competitive.
I'm certain that I want to study international law, specifically human rights law in Latin America. That career path does not entail making a lot of money, so it's really important to me not to be saddled with huge loans. GW has a great International law program, and I would be lucky to get the full ride there. At the same time, I feel like I'm selling myself short by ruling out those top 3 schools altogether.
I may be putting the cart before the horse, but any comments on this dilemma would be greatly appreciated. Would you choose a full ride at GW, or full price at Harvard / NYU / Columbia, knowing that you were going to study international law? Should I just go all out for GW, or apply RD in order that those other schools can be a possibility? I know that GW does offer money RD, but nothing as good as the ED presidential scholarship.
I was accepted at GULC in the fall of 2009. I deferred for a year, but ultimately decided to withdraw my application because of the huge costs at Georgetown. I'm going to reapply this fall in hopes of landing a scholarship.
Part of my decision to withdraw had to do with learning that GW, which also has a tremendous International Law program, offers a really generous full scholarship to students who commit to a binding application.
My question is this: given my numbers (166/171 LSAT, 3.79 gpa), should I apply binding ED at GW? I feel that I would have a shot (not a great shot, but a decent shot) at getting into ONE of the other top international law programs (Harvard, Columbia, NYU), albeit without the money. Then I would have to make the decision between paying full price at a top school, or a full ride at a less prestigious school. However, if I apply ED at GW, I won't even be able to make that choice, since I will be bound to attending GW. Of course, I'm not at all a lock to even get the full ride at GW, though I think my numbers are competitive.
I'm certain that I want to study international law, specifically human rights law in Latin America. That career path does not entail making a lot of money, so it's really important to me not to be saddled with huge loans. GW has a great International law program, and I would be lucky to get the full ride there. At the same time, I feel like I'm selling myself short by ruling out those top 3 schools altogether.
I may be putting the cart before the horse, but any comments on this dilemma would be greatly appreciated. Would you choose a full ride at GW, or full price at Harvard / NYU / Columbia, knowing that you were going to study international law? Should I just go all out for GW, or apply RD in order that those other schools can be a possibility? I know that GW does offer money RD, but nothing as good as the ED presidential scholarship.