Top Law Schools

Hello All,

Quick question for you. I am planning on taking the October LSAT and applying to schools this fall as well. I haven't taken the LSAT before this, so I'll be applying to schools (if I go ED/EA) without knowing my actual LSAT score. I am looking at the lower level of T14 schools (Mich, Gtown, UVA) as well as some ranked just a bit worse (GW, IU, Vandy, UCLA, etc.). I would like, frankly need, to get some sort of $$ for law school. I don't know my exact LSAT score yet obviously but I am practing in the mid 160 range now and have a class to take starting in August as well. My undergrad GPA was not overwhelmingly strong, 3.5 range, from a Top 20 undergraduate school, and I have some good softs that I think will possibly make me competitive at some of these schools, though I realize by no means a guarentee.

Is it better for me to apply ED somewhere like Gtown and try to get into the best position possible, regardless of financial aid? Will I have any leverage at all in trying to get them to give me $$ once I get in? Or would it be better to just apply regular/EA if I need the money.

Thoughts?

it's so hard to give any advice without an LSAT score. You may get your score and not be competitive for any of these schools and will have wasted all the time you spent prepping and stressing over their applications. Or you may get a score that puts you in the ED range, or one that makes you aim higher. Spend time perfecting your PS and write the additional essays for schools you want to apply to (like the Why Mich/UVA). Once you get your score, you'll have a much better idea of what to do and we'll have a better idea about how to guide you.

Also, if you're asking about whether or not you can get scholarship money even though you ED'd, the answer is yes, though if you are EDing you presumably do not think you have numbers to get you in RD and probably would not get scholarship money anyway.

Almost every school will give little to no money to ED applicants. Some of them say they consider ED applicants for scholarship money (such as UVA) but they really don't give much if at all. There is only real exception to this that I know of and it is UMich who gives good scholarship money to ED applicants if their numbers are good enough. Another caveat is GW's ED program gives full tuition scholarships to all of the ED admits but because of this their ED process is more competitive than their RD process (though many ED applicants get deferred into the RD pool). Once you are in ED you will have no leverage at all because you will be forced to withdraw all your other applications.

What do you mean you "need" the money? While it is nice and in certain cases I wouldn't advise going to certain schools without hefty scholarships, you will be allowed to take out loans up to the full cost of attendance at any school. If by "need" you mean that you are debt averse and don't want to take out too much in loans then you should not ED because ED'ing almost always means paying sticker price. So you have to ask yourself would you rather go to a better school and pay more or go to a worse school and pay less? That decision is up to you.

All that being said, you don't have a real LSAT so it is hard to give actual advice. Not to mention that you are practicing in the mid 160's and if your actual LSAT is in the mid 160's you aren't even competitive for any of the schools you listed except IU. A 3.5/166 is almost assuredly not going to get into any T20 school. If you want access to these schools you need to be scoring 167 at minimum and 170+ for the T14.