. Forum

[EMZE]

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[meatball122]

Hello

Currently an active duty Marine. I asked a lot of similar questions:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=159152
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 9&t=159146

Here is my LSN: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/juj122

Long story short, being a veteran should help a bit but it wont completely make up for numbers way below what the schools are looking for. Im applying to damn near every school in top 14, but I dont think I have a chance at T6 mainly because of my LSAT (168). My GPA is near median for CCN but LSAT is way low, and apparently they are all about the numbers (more so than HYS, who have that luxury). I dont expect to make up for that lost ground by veteran status. But fingers are crossed.

In the two threads I posted above, a lot of other veterans commented on their successes and lack there of.

As for fee waivers, I received a lot unsolicited and then a handful solicited. I'd recommend asking for 'public service' based fee waivers, like they give out to teach for america people. I initially asked for 'merit based' and simply mentioned the fact that i was in the Marine Corps, which I regret. I feel like I would have had more success asking for public service. You can see specifics on my LSN page.

I would not spend the time talking about your awards in your PS. It's the experiences you had not the awards that you received that should set you apart. Emphasize your committment to public service and some of the lessons that you learned while serving. But dont make it a "so there I was, ass deep in mud, bullets flying...". <--- at least that was the advice that I received.

[Cavgirl]

Fellow disabled vet here. I applied the 2005-2006 cycle with a 168 and 3.87 gpa. Had a pretty good cycle and definitely outperformed my numbers. Ended up not going becauase I was diagnosed with Lupus and had to take a year for aggressive medical treatment.

I found Michigan and Chicago to be very receptive to vets and even got a personal email from one.

Going for it again this year with same gpa and slightly better LSAT score.

Good luck!

[NavyLaw]

I pretty much blanketed the top-14 and asked if they offer fee-waivers for active duty military (and included my LSAC number and scores). Most respectfully declined and said if I want a waiver to apply via the need based forms (which I doubt I would qualify for as I have a full time job). However, both Michigan and UVA gave me codes to waive the fee, so I recommend you folks ask as well. Good luck on out performing your numbers, I'm crossing my fingers for the same.

[Kring345]

Cav Girl - PM inbound for specifics on your cycle, if you would be so kind.

[meatball122]

I think it's important to tie the fee waivers into public service. The VAST majority of schools have waivers for those participating in Teach for America and Peace Corps. How is military any less of a public service committment?

I'd say something like this:

I see that you offer fee waivers for those that perform public service. You specifically mention TFA and PC, but does military service also fall into the category of public service? I have a 3.x and a XXX LSAT.

Thank you for your time,

Bill Gates
L123456789

That way if they respond no, they are (in a round about way) implying that TFA/PC > military

[Cavgirl]

Cav Girl - PM inbound for specifics on your cycle, if you would be so kind.

PM'd you.

[03121202698008]

I'm a vet at Michigan...they are super supportive. They even re-classified our schollys this year so they would still pay out alongside the GI Bill after Congress made the VA a last payor. Alls we did was ask and it took like a week.

[Cavgirl]

I'm a vet at Michigan...they are super supportive. They even re-classified our schollys this year so they would still pay out alongside the GI Bill after Congress made the VA a last payor. Alls we did was ask and it took like a week.

One of my top choices. *fingers crossed*

[03121202698008]

I'm a vet at Michigan...they are super supportive. They even re-classified our schollys this year so they would still pay out alongside the GI Bill after Congress made the VA a last payor. Alls we did was ask and it took like a week.

One of my top choices. *fingers crossed*

Dean Z loves military. Write a Why X...emphasize maturity, life experiences, and any public service you've done. Not only do many vets get in slightly below the #s that should get them in, many of those have at least a $10K scholly to defray what living expenses the GI bill doesn't. (We had an unlimited # of yellow ribbon scholarships too but that obviously isn't needed anymore since last update by Congress.)

[ThomasMN]

I recently was accepted to UVA with a 165 LSAT and a 3.91 gpa through their ED program. They seemed very receptive to veterans and before I applied I was put in contact with the president of their student veterans group who gave me his personal phone number and talked with me about UVA for almost an hour. They also offer the YR program for up to 12k (6 from them 6 from the VA).

Just to put my info out there, I am a former Army infantry NCO with seven years of active service. I also received quite a few fee waivers, but I am not certain if those were connected to my numbers, service, or a combination.

[Kring345]

So Im a bit confused. How exactly do scholarships work? I kind of figured that we'd get minimal scholarships because of the GI Bill. We dont have much of a "need"? So are we only talking merit based scholarships? Also, how does the math play out?

Let's take school X:

GI: 17,500
Yellow Ribbon1: 10,000
YL2 match: 10,000
----
Total: 37,500
Tuition: 40,000
Difference: 2,500

What if we get a 10,000 scholarship. Does the difference (10,000 - 2,500) go into our pocket?

Forgive any ignorance.

[HeadToWall]

I may fall outside of the scope of this post, but I'm an Israeli Special Forces vet with high hopes based on high GPA and strong softs. Unfortunately, I feel Tuesdays LSAT went worse than expected, so I'm definitely looking to target those top schools who value military and government service...albeit with an international twist.

[03121202698008]

So Im a bit confused. How exactly do scholarships work? I kind of figured that we'd get minimal scholarships because of the GI Bill. We dont have much of a "need"? So are we only talking merit based scholarships? Also, how does the math play out?

Let's take school X:

GI: 17,500
Yellow Ribbon1: 10,000
YL2 match: 10,000
----
Total: 37,500
Tuition: 40,000
Difference: 2,500

What if we get a 10,000 scholarship. Does the difference (10,000 - 2,500) go into our pocket?

Forgive any ignorance.

It goes in your pocket so long as your scholarship is not coded for tuition and fees. (The only way to tell is ask your school, it's an internal thing.) If it is, then it goes to tuition first and then GI Bill takes rest and you get nothing. Starting in August, Congress made the GI Bill a last payor like medicare.

[zx92027xz]

AD Air Force right now, enlisted.

160/3.88

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/zx92027xz

ill keep it updated as to how schools respond. I assume I will be a good test subject to see how schools respond to Veterans, as I'm a bit of a reverse splitter from a Regional undergrad. so i don't have anything really strong going for me on the numbers side.

[NavyLaw]

Has anyone ever heard of a school reaching their cap as far as GI bill slots? I know some schools list a finite number of a allowed students and was wondering if you are guaranteed funding for all three years if you initially receive it.

[03121202698008]

Has anyone ever heard of a school reaching their cap as far as GI bill slots? I know some schools list a finite number of a allowed students and was wondering if you are guaranteed funding for all three years if you initially receive it.

This went away for all public schools under the Aug 1 changes. For public schools, there is no yellow ribbon as 100% is covered. As for private schools, yes some hit their cap for yellow ribbon.

[zx92027xz]

Has anyone ever heard of a school reaching their cap as far as GI bill slots? I know some schools list a finite number of a allowed students and was wondering if you are guaranteed funding for all three years if you initially receive it.

I am by no means an expert, but the way I interpret the changes is as follows:

$18,500 is paid out by post 9-11 gib to any school. If your public (or private) institution costs more (m ost law schools), You will be having to foot the bill some other way. Your best bet is to find a school with a strong yellow ribbon program.

As far as hitting the cap goes, I interpret it to say that the yrp is a noncompetitive, first come first served program that lasts the duration of your enrollment at that school. So if I go to ucla which has 10 slots for 99k this year (I think) and I'm the 9th person to get it, I will get the yr benefits all three years, even if more than 10 show up next year. If you happen to be the 11th person this year and the school doesn't want to make special concessions for you, try again next year, I guess.

[zx92027xz]

Has anyone ever heard of a school reaching their cap as far as GI bill slots? I know some schools list a finite number of a allowed students and was wondering if you are guaranteed funding for all three years if you initially receive it.

This went away for all public schools under the Aug 1 changes. For public schools, there is no yellow ribbon as 100% is covered. As for private schools, yes some hit their cap for yellow ribbon.

I think you may be misinterpreting the legislation. Before Aug 1 of this year the post 911 paid for maximum in-state undergraduate tuition. As of aug1 it switched to a national flat rate paid out of 18500

[03121202698008]

Has anyone ever heard of a school reaching their cap as far as GI bill slots? I know some schools list a finite number of a allowed students and was wondering if you are guaranteed funding for all three years if you initially receive it.

This went away for all public schools under the Aug 1 changes. For public schools, there is no yellow ribbon as 100% is covered. As for private schools, yes some hit their cap for yellow ribbon.

I think you may be misinterpreting the legislation. Before Aug 1 of this year the post 911 paid for maximum in-state undergraduate tuition. As of aug1 it switched to a national flat rate paid out of 18500

It is a flat rate for private schools. It now covers all tuition and fees at any public institution without regard to that cap. The cap is also $17,500 but thanks for playing. I went through the conversion from public+YR to public only (and helped coordinate reclassifying our schollys) so I know the rules well. FWIW if you don't believe me, I already have $22,500 paid out for this semester alone without YR.

http://gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_ ... ogram.html

I'll advise you to be careful reading the statute only when dealing with the VA. They interpret a lot into the bills. E.g. under the old Post 9/11, the VA would pay 100% for active duty regardless of cap even though it wasn't clear that was intended. VA said there was a gray area (which honestly I didn't see, you had to squint at two different sections and assume) and they were interpreting to benefit the AD troops. (I ran into this taking a Dale Carnegie class and they paid 3x the cap...they even sent a letter explaining why they were paying all despite Congress's intention.)

[03121202698008]

Has anyone ever heard of a school reaching their cap as far as GI bill slots? I know some schools list a finite number of a allowed students and was wondering if you are guaranteed funding for all three years if you initially receive it.

I am by no means an expert, but the way I interpret the changes is as follows:

$18,500 is paid out by post 9-11 gib to any school. If your public (or private) institution costs more (m ost law schools), You will be having to foot the bill some other way. Your best bet is to find a school with a strong yellow ribbon program.

As far as hitting the cap goes, I interpret it to say that the yrp is a noncompetitive, first come first served program that lasts the duration of your enrollment at that school. So if I go to ucla which has 10 slots for 99k this year (I think) and I'm the 9th person to get it, I will get the yr benefits all three years, even if more than 10 show up next year. If you happen to be the 11th person this year and the school doesn't want to make special concessions for you, try again next year, I guess.

As mentioned in my reply to this poster, this is wrong. She/he is confusing portions of the old bill with the new. This is essentially how the old bill worked except it didn't have a national cap. Public is 100% all tuition and fees. Private is flat rate with a $17,500 cap. Yes, they do hit the max number of yellow ribbon offerings. I assume this is what you mean by slots. You'd still get the GI Bill itself, just not that school/va split of the YR portion.

[ThomasMN]

I second all the above comments. Part of the reason I chose to ed to UVA is knowing that all my fees and tuition were covered since it is public university (I double checked with the VA). Basically, my first year of school is free.

[NavyLaw]

Does it matter if you're out of state?

[03121202698008]

Does it matter if you're out of state?

Nope, I'm out of state and they pay it.

[californihuh]

Christ almighty, your GPA's are high. Not to mention good LSAT scores.

3.31 cumulative/3.21 LSDAS... I'll be applying in 2012 for 2013 class. No clue on the LSAT score, but if the untimed diagnostic is any indication, I have a waaaaaays to go, not to mention a realistic max cap of around high-160's.

I won't be accepted to where you guys are headed...