Should I expect Scholarships. or will ED help at these schools? Forum

[Downindixie]

My numbers are 3.2 GPA, 164 LSAT. I'm from Dallas, but I have close family that lives in Birmingham, so the goal is to work somewhere in Texas, Bama, or Georgia (avoiding Mississippi/LA would be nice). Anyways, my top school choice would be SMU because I love the city of Dallas, but the high COA makes it less attractive for me compared to several other State schools throughout the south. What sort of scholarships, if any, should I expect from SMU if I apply early in the normal cycle, or even ED?

Also, the other schools i'm looking at are Georgia, Alabama, and Baylor. I'm having trouble finding a good estimate of my chances, because one predictor has me above 90% at all of them, and another one has me below 50%. What are my chances, and should I apply ED?

[Sparkymilarky]

Any reason you can't retake?

[magicmagic]

You could almost definitely get into SMU (no reason to ED), and probably get a decent amount of money. Currently your chances are just okay at Georgia and Bama...your LSAT is great for both but your GPA is pretty low for their numbers. I'd write an addendum explaining poor GPA and play up any softs you might have (work experience, etc). Baylor would almost definitely be an admit. I would counsel against EDing anywhere unless you really don't need any scholarship money...it's always better to have options. Check out each school's 509 report to see how much money they usually give to people with your numbers.

You could probably get a lot of money from FSU or U of F if you aren't opposed to Florida.

Retaking the LSAT and going up even 2-3 points would definitely help you with admissions and money. I got a 163 my first time around and scored a 170 in December, so significant improvement is possible (with loads of prep). Seriously consider retaking if you haven't already. Applying next cycle is worth it if it improves your job prospects and earning potential for the rest of your life.

[bluefish91]

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[unsweetened]

At Georgia, you could probably get a $20K in-state tuition equalization scholarship if you plan on becoming a GA resident after the first year.
The only students that I know with 3.2 GPA that got scholarship money at UGA had scores of 168 and 171. You might be able to negotiate since your LSAT is higher than median, but I think it would largely depend on what other scholarships you held.