Top Law Schools

So I'm applying for next cycle, and I'm trying to get a head start on my apps because I'll be traveling this summer. I just got my LSAT back, and to be honest I very reasonably expected I would get around a 173, which would entail me applying to the T14 and then my Southern California regional powerhouses. Luckily, I scored higher and now I want to exercise a little bit more discretion as not to torture myself with extra essays/application fees like I did in undergrad (applied to 19 schools). So here's a bit about my profile:

GPA: 4.0+
LSAT: 177
Top 10 university
Not unicorn, but I would say strong and extensive EC and internships both here and abroad
2 strong LOR's

I'm taking a gap year (I'm a senior now) and in my gap year I'll be doing a fairly prestigious/nationally regarded public policy fellowship.


I'm not set on anything, but I think I eventually want to end up in SF/DC. I'll do biglaw for a couple years if I have to pay off loans, but really I would love to work for the DOJ/ in a government job. Very self-aware/conscious that I don't know exactly what I want now, but I hope my fellowship & the first year of law school provides more answers. Here is what I have so far in terms of where I'll apply:

HYSCCN and then Penn, Duke, Berkeley, USC. (the last four have a lot to do with desirable locations and "feel" of the schools as I visited a couple of them during the undergrad process). My question is, do I apply to Northwestern, Michigan, Virginia, and Cornell in hopes for big $$$? I think with my stats I'm in in the range for big money in CCNP, but I don't want to get ahead of myself and be too sure about a situation that is extremely competitive. I'd really welcome any thoughts!

You should still blanket the T14. Money offers can be idiosyncratic and you should apply broadly to give you more leverage in the negotiation process.

LawTweet wrote:You should still blanket the T14. Money offers can be idiosyncratic and you should apply broadly to give you more leverage in the negotiation process.

Seconded. According to MyLSN, you are very competitive for most of the T14, save for Yale. https://mylsn.info/36ykrl You can also see the average scholarships applicants received from each school. Applying broadly is what I would advise. More options = greater opportunity to leverage your offers into more money.

LawTweet wrote:You should still blanket the T14. Money offers can be idiosyncratic and you should apply broadly to give you more leverage in the negotiation process.

Is asking for fee waivers from T14 unreasonable/ reflect poorly on my commitment to a certain school?

pavementfan wrote:

LawTweet wrote:You should still blanket the T14. Money offers can be idiosyncratic and you should apply broadly to give you more leverage in the negotiation process.

Is asking for fee waivers from T14 unreasonable/ reflect poorly on my commitment to a certain school?

No. You'll probably get a bunch unsolicited but I solicited plenty and had no issue. If you can't get waivers, it's still worth it to put in the application to improve your negotiation position.

really good to know, thanks for the advice

LawTweet wrote:

pavementfan wrote:

LawTweet wrote:You should still blanket the T14. Money offers can be idiosyncratic and you should apply broadly to give you more leverage in the negotiation process.

Is asking for fee waivers from T14 unreasonable/ reflect poorly on my commitment to a certain school?

No. You'll probably get a bunch unsolicited but I solicited plenty and had no issue. If you can't get waivers, it's still worth it to put in the application to improve your negotiation position.

Solicit fee waivers, nearly all will give them. I think it reflc

Apply to any that you would be serious about attending. A minimum of 8 could work

2 of HYS
2 of CCNY
2 of MVP
2 of Others.

If I had your numbers I would do them all just because the application cost is really low compared to the upside. You're looking at minimum of 10k+ gains in value. Could even be as high as $150k-200k. Start essaying now.

Apply to every law school you might reasonably attend. Then apply to every law school of a similar tier for scholarship negotiations.

Sls17 wrote:Apply to every law school you might reasonably attend. Then apply to every law school of a similar tier for scholarship negotiations.

Yes! Now's not the time to skimp. While law school admissions is extremely predictable based on numbers alone, law school scholarships are slightly less predictable. (They're still broadly numbers-driven, but there does seem to be a bit more unpredictability in amount offered, and softs may come into play a bit more. Also, some law schools are more typically generous than others. NYU and Michigan, for example, tend to be on the generous end of things, while Berkeley tends to be on the stingy side.)

Thank you guys, really appreciate the advice!