UGA c/o 2019 Applicants (2015-2016) Forum

[Maplesyrup]

.

[gtechlaw]

waitlisted with 160 3.2

[lawlawlaw22]

waitlisted with 160 3.2

When did you submit?

[gtechlaw]

I submitted early november, and i was waitlisted in the first wave of waitlists i believe which was jan 7.

[unsweetened]

Looks like the class of 2019 will no longer have year-long classes. Kind of lucky, because you get done with property, con law, and some other classes all in the spring and can get started taking classes in the practice area you want.

Also heard that the JD/MBA program is going from 4 years down to 3...

[law_dawg18]

waitlisted with 160 3.2

I'm at 160/3.36 and haven't heard anything :/

[law_dawg18]

Looks like the class of 2019 will no longer have year-long classes. Kind of lucky, because you get done with property, con law, and some other classes all in the spring and can get started taking classes in the practice area you want.

Also heard that the JD/MBA program is going from 4 years down to 3...

at Georgia or everywhere?

[unsweetened]

Looks like the class of 2019 will no longer have year-long classes. Kind of lucky, because you get done with property, con law, and some other classes all in the spring and can get started taking classes in the practice area you want.

Also heard that the JD/MBA program is going from 4 years down to 3...

at Georgia or everywhere?

Georgia Law. No idea how it's done anywhere else, but those are some of the major changes that the incoming class will be looking forward to enjoying.

[njkga]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

[bdb90]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Received a separate letter in the mail roughly 1-2 weeks later that had scholarship information.

[The Abyss]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

[didgeridoo92]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

My scholarship info was in my spam folder as well

[njkga]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

My scholarship info was in my spam folder as well

Sure enough, there it was in the spam folder. Came today in fact. Thanks folks.

Do instate and out of state typically get offered different amounts? I feel like maybe they low-balled me based on my numbers, but maybe they don't usually offer much to state residents anyway since their instate tuition is so cheap, relatively speaking? Anyone know?

[The Abyss]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

My scholarship info was in my spam folder as well

Sure enough, there it was in the spam folder. Came today in fact. Thanks folks.

Do instate and out of state typically get offered different amounts? I feel like maybe they low-balled me based on my numbers, but maybe they don't usually offer much to state residents anyway since their instate tuition is so cheap, relatively speaking? Anyone know?

I'm instate and felt like my scholarship was really low considering my numbers too. Really odd because I've received way more $$$ from higher ranked schools even when considering differences in tuition. PM me if you want to compare stats and scholarships.

[bdb90]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

My scholarship info was in my spam folder as well

Sure enough, there it was in the spam folder. Came today in fact. Thanks folks.

Do instate and out of state typically get offered different amounts? I feel like maybe they low-balled me based on my numbers, but maybe they don't usually offer much to state residents anyway since their instate tuition is so cheap, relatively speaking? Anyone know?

I think they really low ball in-state residents. I think their main goal is to try and provide a cheaper tuition rate than Emory. That coupled with the lower cost of living in rural Georgia should outweigh Emory's prestige and/or better big law placement. Honestly, and I am sure a few out-of-state students will be upset by this comment, however, I am going to make it all the same...maybe if UGA didn't give out tuition equalizers like candy then UGA would have higher LSAT stats, a higher ranking, and have more high-stats-Georgia residents attending. I mean it is our tax dollars that go into funding the parent institution for UGA law. I know for a fact that unless Georgia ups their scholarship offer by at least $10,000/yr for me (as an in-state resident) there is no way that I am attending. PM me if you want specifics regarding the scholarship I was offered.

[njkga]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

My scholarship info was in my spam folder as well

Sure enough, there it was in the spam folder. Came today in fact. Thanks folks.

Do instate and out of state typically get offered different amounts? I feel like maybe they low-balled me based on my numbers, but maybe they don't usually offer much to state residents anyway since their instate tuition is so cheap, relatively speaking? Anyone know?

I think they really low ball in-state residents. I think their main goal is to try and provide a cheaper tuition rate than Emory. That coupled with the lower cost of living in rural Georgia should outweigh Emory's prestige and/or better big law placement. Honestly, and I am sure a few out-of-state students will be upset by this comment, however, I am going to make it all the same...maybe if UGA didn't give out tuition equalizers like candy then UGA would have higher LSAT stats, a higher ranking, and have more high-stats-Georgia residents attending. I mean it is our tax dollars that go into funding the parent institution for UGA law. I know for a fact that unless Georgia ups their scholarship offer by at least $10,000/yr for me (as an in-state resident) there is no way that I am attending. PM me if you want specifics regarding the scholarship I was offered.

That makes sense, I figured that's whatus be going on. I'm shooting for emory or a decent offer from the t14 as well. I live in the atl area, so likely emory, but we'll see.

[OLitch]

Those who have been accepted and received scholarships - when did you get scholarship info? I've received my acceptance letter (via e-mail) but heard nothing else yet. That was a week ago now.

Check your spam folder. My email with scholarship info was in my spam box.

To answer your question, I received my scholarship offer the day after I was accepted.

My scholarship info was in my spam folder as well

Sure enough, there it was in the spam folder. Came today in fact. Thanks folks.

Do instate and out of state typically get offered different amounts? I feel like maybe they low-balled me based on my numbers, but maybe they don't usually offer much to state residents anyway since their instate tuition is so cheap, relatively speaking? Anyone know?

I think they really low ball in-state residents. I think their main goal is to try and provide a cheaper tuition rate than Emory. That coupled with the lower cost of living in rural Georgia should outweigh Emory's prestige and/or better big law placement. Honestly, and I am sure a few out-of-state students will be upset by this comment, however, I am going to make it all the same...maybe if UGA didn't give out tuition equalizers like candy then UGA would have higher LSAT stats, a higher ranking, and have more high-stats-Georgia residents attending. I mean it is our tax dollars that go into funding the parent institution for UGA law. I know for a fact that unless Georgia ups their scholarship offer by at least $10,000/yr for me (as an in-state resident) there is no way that I am attending. PM me if you want specifics regarding the scholarship I was offered.

Negotiate.

[gregfootball2001]

Some new schollys for y'all. Full tuition plus stipend, and a trip to meet Clarence Thomas, it sounds like. A fun little sweetner.

http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/di ... s-program/

[bdb90]

After reading about this full-tuition plus a stipend scholarship, I am going to tell UGA that's what I want. Haha

[unsweetened]

UGA has a minimum % of in-state students to receive tax payer funding. The tuition equalization scholarship helps attract well qualified students from out of state. Tuition equalization is only for the first year, giving time for out of state students to become residents of Georgia. I don't see the correlation of a program designed to attract students from out of state decreasing the number of quality in-state applicants. There is a significant portion of students at UGA that turned down larger scholarship offers. At the end of the day, it comes down to your own CoA, goals, and ability to negotiate.

[bdb90]

UGA has a minimum % of in-state students to receive tax payer funding. The tuition equalization scholarship helps attract well qualified students from out of state. Tuition equalization is only for the first year, giving time for out of state students to become residents of Georgia. I don't see the correlation of a program designed to attract students from out of state decreasing the number of quality in-state applicants. There is a significant portion of students at UGA that turned down larger scholarship offers. At the end of the day, it comes down to your own CoA, goals, and ability to negotiate.

That definitely makes sense, considering there are plenty of Georgia residents on TLS alone that have 167+ LSAT scores that are being extremely lowballed by UGA. Considering this fact, and the fact that UGA's LSAT stats have been dropping substantially every year, it seems like that $18,000 spent to give "well-qualified" out-of-state students in-state tuition the "chance to gain residency", something that shouldn't be allowed in the first place, as they are moving to the state for educational purposes (this is stated in the State of Georgia's residency policy as something that disqualifies someone from changing residency classification), has definitely not been working. What is most concerning, however, is the fact that on LSN (and assuming LSN is correct), that many less-qualified out-of-state students are receiving larger scholarship packages after the tuition equalizer than many more highly qualified in-state residents. I understand that UGA is predominantly made up of out-of-state individuals, if one looks at where someone is really from, as just demographically the majority of Georgia is made up of out-of-state individuals (see metro-Atlanta), maybe it is because of this that the faculty and staff feel no real obligation to Georgia residents (the people for whom the school was founded), and maybe UGA feels the need to be a "national school" by "attracting" "qualified students" from all over the country. Maybe UGA is trying to appear to be more "national" in terms of job placement, hoping that many of the attending students will return to their home states to practice. I would agree with you in your statement regarding Georgia's tuition equalizer scholarship being used to attract and retain "well-qualified" out-of-state students if UGA was ranked in the top 20 with a median LSAT higher than Emory's and had better job placement. As of right now, I just see it as an abuse of the system to be paying less-qualified out-of-state students $18,000, when that $18,000 could be used to retain Georgia residents who actually are "well-qualified".

Quote from the University System of Georgia detailing that out-of-state students are not to be reclassified for tuition purposes regardless of whether they are dependents or independent:

"No student shall gain or acquire in-state classification while attending any postsecondary educational institution in this state without clear evidence of having established domicile in Georgia for purposes OTHER THAN attending a postsecondary educational institution in this state."

In fact, even UGA Law's reclassification of out-of-state students (the majority, not all) as in-state students their second year is against state regulations, and UGA's website misguides individuals as to their ability to be reclassified. I am not sure what UGA is doing to get them reclassified, but it definitely does not seem legitimate.

From UGA's website:

"Please note that there is no exact formula to ensure reclassification for independent students. Each case is evaluated according to its particular facts. The following actions, although not exhaustive or necessarily conclusive, support a claim for in-state status:

Living in Georgia for at least 12 months immediately preceding the first day of classes in the term for which you seek in-state classification for tuition purposes.
Remaining in Georgia during periods when not enrolled as a student. For law students, this means that your petition is stronger if you are able to stay in Georgia for the summer after your first year of law school. If you accept summer legal employment outside of Georgia, you are not automatically disqualified from being granted in-state status if, looking at all of the facts and circumstances, it is still clear that you intend to make Georgia your permanent home.
Showing that you are an independent student and demonstrating financial independence by relying on sources of financial support from within the state of Georgia for more than 50% of your total cost of attendance. For 2015-2016, the cost of attendance is $54,486 for nonresidents living off campus. Scholarships, including Tuition Equalization Scholarships and Tuition Reduction Scholarships, and law student loans in your name are independent financial support within the state of Georgia for purposes of determining legal residency. Financial support from someone outside of Georgia, from loans based on the credit of others or from trust funds created by others for your support are not normally included as independent financial support.
Paying income and property taxes as a Georgia resident, including taxes on income earned outside of Georgia. You are not an independent student and, except in rare cases, will not be able to establish Georgia residency if you are claimed as income tax deduction by your parents or any other individual for the tax year preceding the term for which you are requesting resident classification.
Obtaining a Georgia driver’s license and registering your vehicle in Georgia at least 12 months prior to the first day of classes for the term in which you seek in-state classification for tuition purposes.
Registering to vote in Georgia.
Opening a bank or savings account in Georgia in your name. (i.e. not a joint account with someone out-of-state)
Leasing or purchasing living quarters in Georgia in your name."

From University System of Georgia website about reclassification as in-state (this is the graduate students sections of the page):

" B. Independent Students
Independent students providing clear and convincing evidence that they, or their spouse, relocated to the state of Georgia to accept full-time, self-sustaining employment. The relocation to the state must be for reasons OTHER THAN enrolling in an institution of higher education and appropriate steps to establish domicile in the state must be taken. The employment upon which the relocation was based must be held at the time the waiver is awarded."

[unsweetened]

What is most concerning, however, is the fact that on LSN (and assuming LSN is correct), that many less-qualified out-of-state students are receiving larger scholarship packages after the tuition equalizer than many more highly qualified in-state residents. I understand that UGA is predominantly made up of out-of-state individuals...

links?

[bdb90]

What is most concerning, however, is the fact that on LSN (and assuming LSN is correct), that many less-qualified out-of-state students are receiving larger scholarship packages after the tuition equalizer than many more highly qualified in-state residents. I understand that UGA is predominantly made up of out-of-state individuals...

links?

Last year:

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/kkrunner

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/CraigTucker

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/rebecker

This year:

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/janderson821

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/nzl10_10

It's hard to find more examples because many users on LSN do not disclose their state of residence. It should also be noted that I am not saying that these applicants are not or were not competitive for admission, just that they have received more scholarship money than in-state students that were more qualified. I am not going to name specific applicants from this cycle or their tls usernames, but I have received numerous PM's from applicants with 167+ stats and competitive GPA's, most 3.3+ that have all received substantially less scholarship money than these out-of-state applicants. I understand that this is a small sample size, however, I could have posted a few more links based on scholarship dollars posted alone and using common sense to deduce that they were out-of-state but I decided to only post links to applicants that were confirmed on LSN as out-of-state.

The point is, a state school has a duty to the citizens of that state first and foremost. UGA law was founded in 1859 so that Georgia residents would not have to go up to UVA or UNC for a decent law school education. Now, instead of an institute to better the people of Georgia, the school is an institute to give handouts to less-qualified out-of-state residents. It would be different if the school was using state funds to attract applicants that brought the median LSAT up to a 167 or 168, but the funds aren't being used that way. I firmly believe that UGA could be a top 20 law school, hell with how Georgia has the strongest economy in the South, UGA could probably be a top 17 school, I mean Texas is haha. But it starts with giving Georgia residents with high LSAT scores full-ride scholarships. Look at WUSTL, they give nearly everyone at their 75th percentile and above (LSAT scores) close to full-tuition scholarships, and they have done nothing but surpass their more frugal competitors. UGA could save a shit ton of money, provide Georgia residents with LSAT scores of 167+ with full-tuition scholarships, and improve their employment statistics greatly. This would happen because UGA would be giving scholarships to people who have the highest likelihood of success in law school and the highest likelihood of finding gainful employment upon graduation because they went to school in a region where they have ties. Then, Georgia could save all of that money to improve its facilities or provide out-of-state students with extremely good stats (170+ LSAT) with full-tuition scholarships plus stipends.

[unsweetened]

Someone in the admissions office is more qualified that I am to speak about subjectively qualified v. unqualified students and scholarship tiers. It doesn't seem to make sense why UGA would discriminate against highly qualified in-state residents - what would be the point of that?
I find it hard to put too much stock in data points that are quantitatively and qualitatively sparse. If you are unhappy with the scholarship amount you have been offered, let admissions know your situation with regard to other scholarships and negotiate.

FWIW, a couple of my classmates that were 168+ LSATs were WL'ed or flat out rejected at state flagship universities in their home state. Who knows what the reasoning was behind that?

Regardless of whether or not the points you've assembled are accurate, UGA has announced improvements to the scholarship program this year, so that's good for your cycle. As far as anecdotal evidence goes, I can unequivocally say that Georgia Law isn't predominantly out of state students - that's something everybody finds out on the first day of orientation.

[OLitch]

Someone in the admissions office is more qualified that I am to speak about subjectively qualified v. unqualified students and scholarship tiers. It doesn't seem to make sense why UGA would discriminate against highly qualified in-state residents - what would be the point of that?
I find it hard to put too much stock in data points that are quantitatively and qualitatively sparse. If you are unhappy with the scholarship amount you have been offered, let admissions know your situation with regard to other scholarships and negotiate.

FWIW, a couple of my classmates that were 168+ LSATs were WL'ed or flat out rejected at state flagship universities in their home state. Who knows what the reasoning was behind that?

Regardless of whether or not the points you've assembled are accurate, UGA has announced improvements to the scholarship program this year, so that's good for your cycle. As far as anecdotal evidence goes, I can unequivocally say that Georgia Law isn't predominantly out of state students - that's something everybody finds out on the first day of orientation.

UGA Law seems to be making a lot of positive changes. I wouldn't be surprised if their rankings get a big boost in the next few years.