UVA Class of 2013 Forum

[D Brooks]

Dude, don't fill it out if you don't want to. But they explicitly state they award very few strictly merit-based schollies. Most scholarship have a need component to them.

[likeaspark]

I e-mailed the financial aid office about parental info and got this response:

"If you do not wish to be considered for need-based scholarships, you would not have to provide the parental information on both documents. If, however, you would like to be considered for need-based scholarships, as well as our merit scholarships, and you are an unmarried student age 26 or younger, you would need to provide the parental data as requested."

I thought merit aid was independent of the financial aid forms??? I wasn't going to bother with parental information and just use Stafford/GradPLUS but if you have to do it to get sholarship monies too, then I guess I have to.

I think that you can infer from this that the application only affects your ability to get need-based aid. Merit is seperate I believe.

I've been trying to sort all of this out too - even though my parents won't be giving me a cent of money towards law school, including their finances will knock me out of the "need-based" running. My only chance is a strictly merit-based scholarship, but I am under the impression that the strictly merit-based scholarships are offered at the time of acceptance, not later. So if I didn't receive a scholarship offer when I was accepted, is there any possibility of getting a merit-based scholarship at a later date?

[avacado111]

I e-mailed the financial aid office about parental info and got this response:

"If you do not wish to be considered for need-based scholarships, you would not have to provide the parental information on both documents. If, however, you would like to be considered for need-based scholarships, as well as our merit scholarships, and you are an unmarried student age 26 or younger, you would need to provide the parental data as requested."

I thought merit aid was independent of the financial aid forms??? I wasn't going to bother with parental information and just use Stafford/GradPLUS but if you have to do it to get sholarship monies too, then I guess I have to.

I think that you can infer from this that the application only affects your ability to get need-based aid. Merit is seperate I believe.

I've been trying to sort all of this out too - even though my parents won't be giving me a cent of money towards law school, including their finances will knock me out of the "need-based" running. My only chance is a strictly merit-based scholarship, but I am under the impression that the strictly merit-based scholarships are offered at the time of acceptance, not later. So if I didn't receive a scholarship offer when I was accepted, is there any possibility of getting a merit-based scholarship at a later date?

is it parental info on the fasfa and the UVA SIS Finaid App? Or is it on the SIS? I only ask because of hte "both documents"

[Philo38]

I e-mailed the financial aid office about parental info and got this response:

"If you do not wish to be considered for need-based scholarships, you would not have to provide the parental information on both documents. If, however, you would like to be considered for need-based scholarships, as well as our merit scholarships, and you are an unmarried student age 26 or younger, you would need to provide the parental data as requested."

I thought merit aid was independent of the financial aid forms??? I wasn't going to bother with parental information and just use Stafford/GradPLUS but if you have to do it to get sholarship monies too, then I guess I have to.

I think that you can infer from this that the application only affects your ability to get need-based aid. Merit is seperate I believe.

I've been trying to sort all of this out too - even though my parents won't be giving me a cent of money towards law school, including their finances will knock me out of the "need-based" running. My only chance is a strictly merit-based scholarship, but I am under the impression that the strictly merit-based scholarships are offered at the time of acceptance, not later. So if I didn't receive a scholarship offer when I was accepted, is there any possibility of getting a merit-based scholarship at a later date?

is it parental info on the fasfa and the UVA SIS Finaid App? Or is it on the SIS? I only ask because of hte "both documents"

From what I understand, as a grad student, you do not include parental info on FAFSA. However, UVA does require parental info on the institutional financial aid form if you are unmarried and under the age of 26. Even if your parents don't claim you currently, it is based on which parent most recently claimed you (if they are seperated).

[YCrevolution]

..

[oneforship]

From what I understand, as a grad student, you do not include parental info on FAFSA. However, UVA does require parental info on the institutional financial aid form if you are unmarried and under the age of 26. Even if your parents don't claim you currently, it is based on which parent most recently claimed you (if they are seperated).

If it's like last year, you'll need to put parental info on the UVA institutional form, but don't need to for FAFSA.

This is consistent with what the finaid office informed me.

[dgouzoul]

Yeah, I included parent info on UVA's form and not FAFSA

Any idea on when UVA will release summer employment statistics? Im anxious to see whether 90% get biglaw or just 75%

[vanwinkle]

From what I understand, as a grad student, you do not include parental info on FAFSA. However, UVA does require parental info on the institutional financial aid form if you are unmarried and under the age of 26. Even if your parents don't claim you currently, it is based on which parent most recently claimed you (if they are seperated).

If it's like last year, you'll need to put parental info on the UVA institutional form, but don't need to for FAFSA.

This is consistent with what the finaid office informed me.

This is consistent with what I did last year and I got (minimal) scholarship $$$, so it ought to work.

Oh crap, I need to do the FAFSA again for this year about now, don't I. Hell.

[Doritos]

Yeah, I included parent info on UVA's form and not FAFSA

Any idea on when UVA will release summer employment statistics? Im anxious to see whether 90% get biglaw or just 75%

It really won't matter when we're on law review. I'm already trying to decide which V5 firm I want to be a partner at.

[vanwinkle]

Yeah, I included parent info on UVA's form and not FAFSA

Any idea on when UVA will release summer employment statistics? Im anxious to see whether 90% get biglaw or just 75%

Even in the good times they weren't doing 90% biglaw. Self-selection alone results in more than 10% of UVA students interning for PI groups or judges for a summer. I'm not even applying for any law firms for this summer, so I'm a monkey wrench in achieving your cherished 90% goal.

[dgouzoul]

(i have a dreadfully dry and subtle sense of humor)

[vanwinkle]

(i have a dreadfully dry and subtle sense of humor)

Whoops.

[joeshmo39]

Yeah, I included parent info on UVA's form and not FAFSA

Any idea on when UVA will release summer employment statistics? Im anxious to see whether 90% get biglaw or just 75%

It really won't matter when we're on law review. I'm already trying to decide which V5 firm I want to be a partner at.

Dorito you think that UVA will give us extra loans to snag a tiger or some other bad ass pet? I mean it's a lock we'll be like... bajillionaires before the age of 30 so we're clearly good for it. Also, we should get one of those 100" LED TVs like Hines Ward has.

90% does seem to be the V100 placement floor. We have to remember the other 10% of students are probably interning at some sort of international saving child refugees from Somalia by having them ride whales across the Atlantic to safety organization.

[egghead]

From what I understand, as a grad student, you do not include parental info on FAFSA. However, UVA does require parental info on the institutional financial aid form if you are unmarried and under the age of 26. Even if your parents don't claim you currently, it is based on which parent most recently claimed you (if they are seperated).

If it's like last year, you'll need to put parental info on the UVA institutional form, but don't need to for FAFSA.

This is consistent with what the finaid office informed me.

This is consistent with what I did last year and I got (minimal) scholarship $$$, so it ought to work.

Oh crap, I need to do the FAFSA again for this year about now, don't I. Hell.

I don't know if you're only talking about merit aid, but just so no one is confused - according to the website: "Please note that unmarried applicants and admitted students age 26 and under must submit parental financial information on both the FAFSA and the Law School Financial Aid Application to be considered for scholarship aid [with a need component]."
I even emailed them to make sure and the financial aid office confirmed this. I guess I have to go edit my FAFSA. They really should make this more obvious since the FAFSA tries to tell you that you don't have to enter parental info.

[vanwinkle]

I don't know if you're only talking about merit aid, but just so no one is confused - according to the website: "Please note that unmarried applicants and admitted students age 26 and under must submit parental financial information on both the FAFSA and the Law School Financial Aid Application to be considered for scholarship aid [with a need component]."
I even emailed them to make sure and the financial aid office confirmed this. I guess I have to go edit my FAFSA. They really should make this more obvious since the FAFSA tries to tell you that you don't have to enter parental info.

I was under the impression that both merit and need based scholarships require the parental information on the UVA form. I did not include any parental information on the FAFSA. They do not distinguish between merit and need based scholarships (it doesn't say "merit-based" or "need-based", I don't think) so I don't know how I'd tell either way.

[joeshmo39]

Oh wow I missed that on the website too as FAFSA did not ask for it. Good thing I just filled both forms out and saved them. Still, the UVA form did not ask for it either which I thought was strange. Maybe it comes up after you fill out the personal info?

[Doritos]

Yeah, I included parent info on UVA's form and not FAFSA

Any idea on when UVA will release summer employment statistics? Im anxious to see whether 90% get biglaw or just 75%

It really won't matter when we're on law review. I'm already trying to decide which V5 firm I want to be a partner at.

Dorito you think that UVA will give us extra loans to snag a tiger or some other bad ass pet? I mean it's a lock we'll be like... bajillionaires before the age of 30 so we're clearly good for it. Also, we should get one of those 100" LED TVs like Hines Ward has.

90% does seem to be the V100 placement floor. We have to remember the other 10% of students are probably interning at some sort of international saving child refugees from Somalia by having them ride whales across the Atlantic to safety organization.

hellz yeah. I was thinkin' a tiger/bear. I'm already typing up the email to the financial aid office...

[egghead]

I don't know if you're only talking about merit aid, but just so no one is confused - according to the website: "Please note that unmarried applicants and admitted students age 26 and under must submit parental financial information on both the FAFSA and the Law School Financial Aid Application to be considered for scholarship aid [with a need component]."
I even emailed them to make sure and the financial aid office confirmed this. I guess I have to go edit my FAFSA. They really should make this more obvious since the FAFSA tries to tell you that you don't have to enter parental info.

I was under the impression that both merit and need based scholarships require the parental information on the UVA form. I did not include any parental information on the FAFSA. They do not distinguish between merit and need based scholarships (it doesn't say "merit-based" or "need-based", I don't think) so I don't know how I'd tell either way.

Reading through the same page where that original quote was buried makes it sound like you don't need parental info at all if you just want merit money. But it's not very clear, which is one of the reasons I emailed them.
http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/prospe ... d/ufaa.htm

From the email I received in reply from the financial aid office:
"In order to be considered for need-based scholarships, you will need to provide your parent’s income data on the FAFSA if you are 26 or under and not married. When you complete our institutional financial aid application, you will also be prompted to provide your parent’s financial asset data. If you do not want to be considered for need-based aid and only want to be considered for merit based scholarships and federal loan funds, then you don’t need to submit any parental data."

It's possible they changed which forms they get the information from compared to last year so perhaps the requirements are different. Apparently the FAFSA asks for parental income and the SIS form doesn't. I'm not sure why they don't include income on the SIS form if they want it; perhaps they want FAFSA to use it in their EFC calculation.

[Cupidity]

I have enjoyed this thread, and the feeling of hope. I regret to inform you all I will be leaving all the UVA threads today. Waitlisted.

[jawsthegreat]

Vanwinkle, YC, other UVA students, etc...

how screwed are we?

http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displa ... ormat=html

[Doritos]

Vanwinkle, YC, other UVA students, etc...

how screwed are we?

http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displa ... ormat=html

This makes me feel sad inside. Maybe no tiger bear or large TV after all...

I wonder how portable a UVa law degree is in China...I hear they are doing quite well...

[frix0803]

I have enjoyed this thread, and the feeling of hope. I regret to inform you all I will be leaving all the UVA threads today. Waitlisted.

sorry to hear that, don't give up hope just yet and good luck!

[dgouzoul]

To the waitlisted one - have hope

With regards to the bad economy rumor - lol wut? 160k all day

[YCrevolution]

..

[RVP11]

Vanwinkle, YC, other UVA students, etc...

how screwed are we?

http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displa ... ormat=html

2011s are (slightly) less screwed than 2010s, many of whom got no-offered after their 2L SAs (possibly the worst thing that can happen to you). 2012s are less screwed than 2011s, because we at least know what we were getting into, and we likely won't be facing the same deferral backlog they did. 2013s are, if the economy gets better, less screwed than 2012s.

But most people, regardless of grades, wisely have some kind of backup plan. Unlike the 2010s, I don't think many 2012s will be solely relying on the DC BigLaw train to carry them to the promised land. Smaller firms and less competitive markets seem to be the way to go if you're not rocking killer grades.