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I committed to Cornell with $120k in scholarships because I thought I wanted to do NYC biglaw, but I recently had a change of heart and want to take a gap year and end up in CA biglaw.

I applied with a 3.95/168 after having taken the LSAT in June and September, with a 168 and 164, respectively. I took the LSAT again this past June to see if I could get a high enough score to make me competitive for Stanford or at least help me get more scholarship $$$ at Berkeley if I reapplied (they gave me $60k this past cycle so I turned them down).

I really want to take a gap year and find work in LA and stay in California for school.
Should I reapply with pretty much the same application (new essay and some kind of work/internship experience) and try to see if Berkeley would accept me again or if UCLA would give me a lot of $? Would they count it against me that I turned them down? Granted, they never responded to my scholarship review request. Anyways,
Would it be worth it to turn down the security I have with Cornell to reapply for a chance at Berkeley or UCLA?
I didn't apply to UCLA the first time through.

Or I could sign up for the September LSAT because they changed the rules. I don't mind taking it again. I've PTed in the mid 170s since last September but just seriously underperformed two tests in a row.

So pretty much

I want to take a gap year and work in CA, go to a CA law school with no or very little debt, and end up in CA Biglaw or even possibly some other kind of work.

Cornell now with 120k
Or
Reapply with same application + new essay + 1 year work(i would be starting work when i apply this fall)
Or
Reapply after taking the September LSAT

That's a pretty big risk you're taking turning down a significant scholarship package from Cornell. I would not assume that you'll have similar results next cycle with schools in CA. Plus, If you want to work in CA after graduation, Cornell has national reach so I would strongly consider taking their offer.

I'm a little confused. You retook the LSAT in June. Did you actually improve your score?

If not, you're not likely to get an improved offer at Berkeley, and with existing ties to California, Cornell won't cut you out of that market.

That said, if your ambitions are changing this rapidly, I'd recommend taking a gap year anyway, because it sounds like you need to figure out what you want (in your career and life in general).

pike25 wrote:That's a pretty big risk you're taking turning down a significant scholarship package from Cornell. I would not assume that you'll have similar results next cycle with schools in CA. Plus, If you want to work in CA after graduation, Cornell has national reach so I would strongly consider taking their offer.

I'm taking the LSAT again in September, so I'm hoping for a higher score to apply to Stanford/reapply to Berkeley for more money.

Also, I know there's no guarantee but I think I have a pretty good shot at at least UCLA with a good amount of $$$, which I think would be at least comparable to $$$ at Cornell, especially considering the higher tuition and cost of living.

cavalier1138 wrote:I'm a little confused. You retook the LSAT in June. Did you actually improve your score?

If not, you're not likely to get an improved offer at Berkeley, and with existing ties to California, Cornell won't cut you out of that market.

That said, if your ambitions are changing this rapidly, I'd recommend taking a gap year anyway, because it sounds like you need to figure out what you want (in your career and life in general).

I actually got the exact same score, so I signed up for the September LSAT.

I'm hoping to increase my score so Berkeley takes me again/ gives me a better offer. I know Cornell won't cut me out from the CA market, but I'd rather not have to live in Ithaca for 3 years. I also just want to take a gap year and try working.

I figured that, although nothing is guaranteed if I reapply this coming cycle, I would probably end up with results that are at least not much worse than my current offer, considering tuition differences, cost of living, my happiness, and my goal of staying in california if possible for law school and for work.