Brooklyn Law School C/O 2015 Forum

[DTDT]

Shrinking size class is by no means positive, considering how much money Cardozo has been throwing around I'm wondering if both schools are having the same problem$$$$ with getting quality students.

[sd5289]

2012-2013 BLS Tuition and Fees

FT students: $49,630 (t) + $346 (f) = $49,976.

Additional "mandatory" fees

1st yr registration (fall only): $25
Feil Hall technology fee: $380*
Other res. properties technology fee: $180*
Housing damage deposite fee (one time): $1000*

*I'm assuming these do not apply to students living off-campus.

2012-2013 Cost of Attendance (FT students only)

Books: $1300
Housing: $17,200
Living & Misc expenses: $5880
Loan fees: $205
Transportation: $950*
Total: $25,535

*Sure to increase when MTA increases our fares yet again in 2013...

Source: BLSConnect website for all admitted students.

[Eve0000]

I am another one of those people who wrote off Brooklyn Law and was actually set on attending Seton Hall, which gave me a very generous scholarship offer. Just received an email from BLS though with a tremendous increase to my scholarship and am now torn between the two schools.

[Mike Pib]

I am another one of those people who wrote off Brooklyn Law and was actually set on attending Seton Hall, which gave me a very generous scholarship offer. Just received an email from BLS though with a tremendous increase to my scholarship and am now torn between the two schools.

Having been in the exact same position, I decided on Brooklyn mostly because Newark is a sewer.

[blsingindisguise]

Since there's a lot of speculation about the scholarship offers here, I just wanted to add some insight as someone who attended a while back -- last minute scholarship upgrades have always been their strategy. It's just their tactic for picking students off from similarly ranked schools without having to offer as much money up-front. The last-minute offer entices a lot of people and prevents competing schools from matching the offer (other schools had "already allocated their funds" when I got mine).

As for Brooklyn being desperate to "keep the lights on" -- I wouldn't worry. Most law schools have their extra revenues siphoned off by the universities they're attached to, whereas brooklyn is independent and gets to keep it all. Plus, BLS is wealthy as hell now thanks to skyrocketing Brooklyn Heights real estate prices (its housing was all bought pretty cheaply and is now hugely valuable).

Keep in mind that scholarships really represent a flexible pricing scheme, and that they are carefully budgeted for.

[ashen]

Called after being admitted off waitlist a few weeks back and was told that I would not be receiving any scholarship money due to my numbers being too low despite having been offered significant amounts by higher ranked schools, to which I promptly responded by telling the advisor that I would not be attending and would be retaking instead.
Just received an email with ~19k (won't know if it is per year or just a one time award until I receive the award letter via mail).
Interesting turn of events but unless the money is per year and has no stipulations attached, there is no way I could be swayed from a retake.

[Eve0000]

I am another one of those people who wrote off Brooklyn Law and was actually set on attending Seton Hall, which gave me a very generous scholarship offer. Just received an email from BLS though with a tremendous increase to my scholarship and am now torn between the two schools.

Having been in the exact same position, I decided on Brooklyn mostly because Newark is a sewer.

Location of the school - while important, is still not important enough for someone to turn the school down, especially considering that many schools are located in not such great areas. Brooklyn is located in downtown Brooklyn and living in Brooklyn my entire life, downtown is certainly nowhere close to being the best area, definitely not somewhere you should be walking around at night by yourself. Where BLS is located IS close (walking distance) to the really nice and rich area of Brooklyn - Brooklyn Heights but it's a walk from the school to Brooklyn Heights and the school is not located in that neighborhood but rather a few blocks away where the neighborhood is the total opposite of Brooklyn Heights.

Since there's a lot of speculation about the scholarship offers here, I just wanted to add some insight as someone who attended a while back -- last minute scholarship upgrades have always been their strategy. It's just their tactic for picking students off from similarly ranked schools without having to offer as much money up-front. The last-minute offer entices a lot of people and prevents competing schools from matching the offer (other schools had "already allocated their funds" when I got mine).

As for Brooklyn being desperate to "keep the lights on" -- I wouldn't worry. Most law schools have their extra revenues siphoned off by the universities they're attached to, whereas brooklyn is independent and gets to keep it all. Plus, BLS is wealthy as hell now thanks to skyrocketing Brooklyn Heights real estate prices (its housing was all bought pretty cheaply and is now hugely valuable).

Keep in mind that scholarships really represent a flexible pricing scheme, and that they are carefully budgeted for.

Thank you for your input.

Called after being admitted off waitlist a few weeks back and was told that I would not be receiving any scholarship money due to my numbers being too low despite having been offered significant amounts by higher ranked schools, to which I promptly responded by telling the advisor that I would not be attending and would be retaking instead.
Just received an email with ~19k (won't know if it is per year or just a one time award until I receive the award letter via mail).
Interesting turn of events but unless the money is per year and has no stipulations attached, there is no way I could be swayed from a retake.

Usually these scholarship offers are on a per year basis. However, your email should have stated the terms of the scholarship. Mine for example stated that the scholarship will be renewed in the following years as long as I stay in the top 80% of my class. I also received a letter from them, which was exactly the same as the email they sent to me a few days before.

[sd5289]

Since there's a lot of speculation about the scholarship offers here, I just wanted to add some insight as someone who attended a while back -- last minute scholarship upgrades have always been their strategy. It's just their tactic for picking students off from similarly ranked schools without having to offer as much money up-front. The last-minute offer entices a lot of people and prevents competing schools from matching the offer (other schools had "already allocated their funds" when I got mine).

I suspected this when it happened to me, and I think the other schools are learning from this because I was just drawn back to my original choice when they matched Brooklyn's offer after originally telling me they were out of scholarship money.

[blsingindisguise]

Location of the school - while important, is still not important enough for someone to turn the school down, especially considering that many schools are located in not such great areas. Brooklyn is located in downtown Brooklyn and living in Brooklyn my entire life, downtown is certainly nowhere close to being the best area, definitely not somewhere you should be walking around at night by yourself. Where BLS is located IS close (walking distance) to the really nice and rich area of Brooklyn - Brooklyn Heights but it's a walk from the school to Brooklyn Heights and the school is not located in that neighborhood but rather a few blocks away where the neighborhood is the total opposite of Brooklyn Heights.

I hate to take issue with a lifer on this, but the neighborhood has changed a lot in your lifetime and especially in the last few years. It's not only steps from Brooklyn Heights, but close to Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill which is now extremely desirable and very expensive. It's true that the Fulton Mall area is a little more sketchy but that's changing too, with the Shake Shack, Panera, higher-end stores coming in etc, with all the huge new luxury highrises in downtown, and with the development around the arena. I wouldn't suggest walking around at 2am waving your iphone around, but it's not exactly scary there. As someone who's spent a fair amount of time in Newark, I can tell you that there's no comparison. And muggings/purse-snatching/petty crime still can and does happen pretty much anywhere in NYC.

[blsingindisguise]

Also even immediate vicinity of the school includes Cadman Plaza park, the courthouses and a Mariott hotel, a few other colleges, and Brooklyn Heights is literally less than two blocks away (I think most people would agree that Court St. is the boundary).

[keladry]

Called after being admitted off waitlist a few weeks back and was told that I would not be receiving any scholarship money due to my numbers being too low despite having been offered significant amounts by higher ranked schools, to which I promptly responded by telling the advisor that I would not be attending and would be retaking instead.
Just received an email with ~19k (won't know if it is per year or just a one time award until I receive the award letter via mail).
Interesting turn of events but unless the money is per year and has no stipulations attached, there is no way I could be swayed from a retake.

Even if it's 19k a year, retake. Estimated cost of attendance is about 75k/year, knock 19k/year off that and you're looking at 168k in debt *before* interest. That's insanity for BLS.

[ashen]

Called after being admitted off waitlist a few weeks back and was told that I would not be receiving any scholarship money due to my numbers being too low despite having been offered significant amounts by higher ranked schools, to which I promptly responded by telling the advisor that I would not be attending and would be retaking instead.
Just received an email with ~19k (won't know if it is per year or just a one time award until I receive the award letter via mail).
Interesting turn of events but unless the money is per year and has no stipulations attached, there is no way I could be swayed from a retake.

Even if it's 19k a year, retake. Estimated cost of attendance is about 75k/year, knock 19k/year off that and you're looking at 168k in debt *before* interest. That's insanity for BLS.

I have room and board and other living expenses guaranteed so really I'm looking at ~90k but that still is more than I would ever want to take on in debt for a BLS JD.
Retaking regardless

[sardanapalian]

Hey, you guys!
I was just admitted off the wait-list to the PT program (2.8/160, female, non-URM).
I just visited and I'm kind of concerned about safety. I've never been in Brooklyn at night but it seems like some of the streets might be kind of sketchy at night.

I'm trying to get housing in Feil and I just want to make sure I'll be able to get from class to my room safely when class is over at night.

Do any of you know how safe it is at night?
Are any of you PT students living in Feil or know if there are other evening students that live there and/or how safe they feel walking at night?


Thanks!

[Eve0000]

By the way, this is a bit off topic and should probably go in another section of the forum but I did not find information anywhere else on this...has anyone attended any of the most recent admitted students days at BLS or is anyone going to attend the one they have tomorrow? Please let me know. I signed up for the one they have tomorrow as I am strongly considering attending BLS now but just wanted to hear if anyone else was going or went and their thoughts on it.

Thanks in advance!

[sd5289]

Just withdrew. Good luck everyone!

[sardanapalian]

Just got confirmation of submitting my deposit.

See you you in the fall!

[Hova]

Recently been accepted PT! Anybody know the transfer policy for PT students going FT? Is it difficult? Thank you!

[apslaw1031]

Recently been accepted PT! Anybody know the transfer policy for PT students going FT? Is it difficult? Thank you!

Email them. The admissions office already has a packet of info about that. I think they'll send it to you as a PDF.

[bstefans1]

Whatsup guys, does anyone know of a Facebook group for the class of 2015?

After we all move in, before classes start, we should get a happy hour going and have some fun before we starting having no lives lol

[Poonam]

how are you notified when you have been taken off the wait list? I've been waiting for almost two months and still haven't heard anything!

[The Fiend]

withdrew a while back - 48,000 + 5,000 back in da pot

[minnie832]

Haven't heard anything either...been on the WL since May...

[sardanapalian]

Whatsup guys, does anyone know of a Facebook group for the class of 2015?

After we all move in, before classes start, we should get a happy hour going and have some fun before we starting having no lives lol

I didn't find one either...
Does anyone know if there is a group or not?

[zor]

There's no official Facebook group but if someone creates one let the board know, I'll join it.

[keladry]

There's no official Facebook group but if someone creates one let the board know, I'll join it.

Ditto