Top 10-15% T30. Forum

[Anonymous User]

Just got my final grades back and it looks like my GPA dropped .1 from the first semester. Historically, top 10% has been at around 3.72; I'm sitting at a 3.69. Is it worth doing any transfer applications if for the sole reason to get my scholarship upped at my current school? I don't think I'd want to transfer out and pay sticker somewhere else and my grades (I assume) aren't good enough to get me anywhere WORTH paying sticker for.

Are school typically receptive to upping scholarship awards in these situations or is my rank probably not high enough to have any leverage?

Thanks for your input!

[DoveBodyWash]

WUSTL flat out refuses to up our scholarships, but i've heard it happening at other schools, so i would definitely still apply if you think it'll give you some leverage, worst that can happen is that they say no right?

[transferror]

I don't know what region you're in, but apply to GULC/Michigan/Northwestern. Spending a couple hundred bucks for the potential return of thousands in money saved is worth it, but you should prob check with a few upperclassmen and see if they have any info on whether the school will increase scholarships.

Also, I straight up told one of my professors that I was torn over whether to transfer, but that I could at least use an acceptance to bargain for more money if I ended up staying. He immediately offered to approach the dean and help negotiate when the time came, so be frank when you ask for LORs.

[eastcoast_iub]

If you're at IUB, which sounds likely since the numbers you give are exactly the same percentile cutoffs that I remember, definitely apply to the schools mentioned by the prior poster (except maybe GULC). Top 15% will make you competitive. Any schools higher than that, you will almost definitely need top 10% to be accepted and an app fee is likely a waste of your money.

At top 12%, I got accepted to NU and UM (didn't apply to GULC, arguably not worth it) and was rejected by NYU, Columbia, and Penn.

IU will not negotiate scholarship funds, but paying sticker at UM and probably NU is worth it, as long as you are flexible as to where you are willing to work (and especially if you have Chicago ties at NU). IUB is a BigLaw graveyard, so if you're BigLaw or bust I would definitely apply to those schools.

[shock259]

Different schools have different policies. My T40 offered me an extra $5k/year in scholarships after I had transfer acceptances in hand. Wasn't enough to convince me to stay. You can try and talk to transfers from the prior years to see what your school does, but I'd recommend just putting the apps out there. It's worth the application fees.