Law School Dilemma Forum

[tparil2]

Full Tuition Scholarship at Iowa, $16k per year Emory & Minnesota, waiting to hear about any scholarships from Washu, BU, BC, and in off the waitlist from GW.

Where does the TLS community think I should go to law school?

Thinking of litigation or public interest. Leaning towards Litigation.

[tparil2]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

These are regional schools. Where do you want to live?

[BlueJeanBaby]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

So if you fall outside the top 37.5% you will be paying sticker?

[hephaestus]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

That's an egregious stipulation. As an above poster said, where are you from?

[TheThriller]

That stip is horrible. Don't go unless they drop the stip.

None of the other schools are worth going to without 75% or 100% discount (full-ride).

Realize that wherever you go, these schools are regional. You won't be getting a California job from Iowa.

[tparil2]

These are regional schools. Where do you want to live?

Im from outside of Chicago, but I dont really care as long as im in a large-ish city.

[tparil2]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

So if you fall outside the top 37.5% you will be paying sticker?

37.5-50% is a half tuition scholarship

[BlueJeanBaby]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

So if you fall outside the top 37.5% you will be paying sticker?

37.5-50% is a half tuition scholarship

I would negotiate that or forget about Iowa. 50% chance you'll be paying sticker (and I don't remember where you said you are from but if out of state that would REALLY not be good).

[tparil2]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

So if you fall outside the top 37.5% you will be paying sticker?

37.5-50% is a half tuition scholarship

I would negotiate that or forget about Iowa. 50% chance you'll be paying sticker (and I don't remember where you said you are from but if out of state that would REALLY not be good).

I am a non-resident, but a portion of the scholarship comes from giving me a research position and that job would qualify me for in-state tuition.

[tparil2]

Full tuition scholarship is conditional. Top 37.5% of class.

So if you fall outside the top 37.5% you will be paying sticker?

37.5-50% is a half tuition scholarship

I would negotiate that or forget about Iowa. 50% chance you'll be paying sticker (and I don't remember where you said you are from but if out of state that would REALLY not be good).

How would I go about negotiating the...conditional aspects of the scholarship? I understand an email or a phone call is the means, but how do I word that without sounding like a jackass who wants a scholarship, but doesn't want to work really hard during law school. (Obviously to get a good job out of Iowa Law one would need to kick ass)

[muskies970]

Just tell them that you are uncomfortable with the stipulation and ask them if they will reconsider lowering it, perhaps offering to keep your gpa at median, if you're below there anyway it may be worth dropping out. That way you show their office you've researched their median and are not interested in slacking. If they fight you on it I would be worried about section stacking/ seriously reconsider how much the school wants you.

You could always mention other schools' more lenient stipulations, or lack therof, as well. Good luck!

[northerniowan]

These are regional schools. Where do you want to live?

Im from outside of Chicago, but I dont really care as long as im in a large-ish city.

You did the right thing by admitting you are from outside of Chicago. Most people from Illinois in Iowa City say they are from Chicago even if they are really from..... Carbondale.

But really, go to Iowa. Every law school section stacks, so you won't keep your scholarship, but you will only have to pay for two years as opposed to three, so that is good. And go to the websites of all the big law firms in Minneapolis, click on attorney profiles, and you will see there are TONS of lawyers in Minneapolis who went to Iowa. So you can get a valuable education at Iowa and not have to live in Minneapolis while going to law school.

[BlueJeanBaby]

These are regional schools. Where do you want to live?

Im from outside of Chicago, but I dont really care as long as im in a large-ish city.

You did the right thing by admitting you are from outside of Chicago. Most people from Illinois in Iowa City say they are from Chicago even if they are really from..... Carbondale.

But really, go to Iowa. Every law school section stacks, so you won't keep your scholarship, but you will only have to pay for two years as opposed to three, so that is good. And go to the websites of all the big law firms in Minneapolis, click on attorney profiles, and you will see there are TONS of lawyers in Minneapolis who went to Iowa. So you can get a valuable education at Iowa and not have to live in Minneapolis while going to law school.

Can OP get residence after the first year? If not.. I disagree with you. Say you are right in that worst case is that OP doesn't have to pay the first year (although I would wager there is a chance the scholarship could be lost after the first semester?). Out of state tuition is over 49k, with probable increases in the next two years. That is 100k in tuition just from those two years alone. Add on the cost of living, etc. and OP is looking at substantial debt. With the numbers to get accepted into schools like Emory, a full ride to Iowa, I would look at schools that will minimize your debt. For example, UGA (and I am not trying to promote UGA, I simply don't have first hand experience this cycle with any other schools) is offering substantial scholarship money to people who could be accepted into Emory (something like in state tuition + 7,500 making the total tuition 9,000 or so). A 60+% chance at paying 50k/year in tuition alone at Iowa seems like a poor option to me.

[tparil2]

These are regional schools. Where do you want to live?

Im from outside of Chicago, but I dont really care as long as im in a large-ish city.

You did the right thing by admitting you are from outside of Chicago. Most people from Illinois in Iowa City say they are from Chicago even if they are really from..... Carbondale.

But really, go to Iowa. Every law school section stacks, so you won't keep your scholarship, but you will only have to pay for two years as opposed to three, so that is good. And go to the websites of all the big law firms in Minneapolis, click on attorney profiles, and you will see there are TONS of lawyers in Minneapolis who went to Iowa. So you can get a valuable education at Iowa and not have to live in Minneapolis while going to law school.

Can OP get residence after the first year? If not.. I disagree with you. Say you are right in that worst case is that OP doesn't have to pay the first year (although I would wager there is a chance the scholarship could be lost after the first semester?). Out of state tuition is over 49k, with probable increases in the next two years. That is 100k in tuition just from those two years alone. Add on the cost of living, etc. and OP is looking at substantial debt. With the numbers to get accepted into schools like Emory, a full ride to Iowa, I would look at schools that will minimize your debt. For example, UGA (and I am not trying to promote UGA, I simply don't have first hand experience this cycle with any other schools) is offering substantial scholarship money to people who could be accepted into Emory (something like in state tuition + 7,500 making the total tuition 9,000 or so). A 60+% chance at paying 50k/year in tuition alone at Iowa seems like a poor option to me.

They said I can get residency if I keep the scholarship and get a research job.

More interestingly is I was actually accepted by UGA, but they didn't offer any scholarship money (yet). I would more strongly consider Georgia if I had an offer like the one you mentioned.

[BlueJeanBaby]

They said I can get residency if I keep the scholarship and get a research job.

More interestingly is I was actually accepted by UGA, but they didn't offer any scholarship money (yet). I would more strongly consider Georgia if I had an offer like the one you mentioned.

The hypothetical was if you lose the scholarship (the 60+% odds). I still vote no to Iowa. Good luck with UGA and the rest of your cycle! I am sure you will have some great options.

[tparil2]

Good news for me! Iowa changed their scholarship from a conditional one to one that only requires good academic standing. Is Iowa the school I should attend? I have a feeling it is.

[BlueJeanBaby]

Good news for me! Iowa changed their scholarship from a conditional one to one that only requires good academic standing. Is Iowa the school I should attend? I have a feeling it is.

Congrats. That makes Iowa a 10x better option!

[Nova]

Good news for me! Iowa changed their scholarship from a conditional one to one that only requires good academic standing. Is Iowa the school I should attend? I have a feeling it is.

Congrats. That makes Iowa a 10x better option!

Yeah, that makes the Iowa full ride your best option by far, assuming youre cool with living/practicing in Iowa.