University of Washington School of Law c/o 2019 Applicants (2015-2016) Forum

[forlornhope]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

It is worth mentioning again that UW does not follow a discounted tuition model like many other universities. They do not have a huge discretionary budget for giving out scholarships for attracting high-scoring applicants. Rather, they have a lower tuition rate than most schools and a proportionally lower merit aid budget. It sort of balances everything out (at least it did for me) and really demonstrates a level of transparency that is lacking in similar institutions' admissions practices.

[OtterLaw]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

I suppose I understand that mentality to a degree, but it still doesn't really seem to make sense if you're essentially weeding out good admits by offering them nothing when they should know they are getting good offers from peer schools. Why not tell your admits that they matter enough to give them some well-earned scholarship money? Instead, they're sending this somewhat pretentious message that if you really want to be at UW, you should give up other offers and hope for the best. Given UW's falling rankings and poor placement outside of the Seattle area, I would think they would instead be trying to entice students who are on the fence.

I moved on because I did have better offers and couldn't roll the dice for a maybe from UW. I hope those of you who did roll the dice win the bet.

[CJRpnw]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

I suppose I understand that mentality to a degree, but it still doesn't really seem to make sense if you're essentially weeding out good admits by offering them nothing when they should know they are getting good offers from peer schools. Why not tell your admits that they matter enough to give them some well-earned scholarship money? Instead, they're sending this somewhat pretentious message that if you really want to be at UW, you should give up other offers and hope for the best. Given UW's falling rankings and poor placement outside of the Seattle area, I would think they would instead be trying to entice students who are on the fence.

I moved on because I did have better offers and couldn't roll the dice for a maybe from UW. I hope those of you who did roll the dice win the bet.

I wouldn't have had a problem with UW's reasoning here -- I agree with the ultimate conclusion of lower tuition + proportionally lower aid offers -- but it did bother me that they were the only school to require a whole new essay to even be considered. After all, as you say, the people who deposit with a $0 merit offer have already more than proven their dedication to the school -- you don't need to make them jump through a whole other hoop.

[forlornhope]

Fair enough. Plus, I've done enough applications in 2 years that all of my essay's probably seemed so rote and artificial.

Though I actually did put a lot of thought into this one, my essay energy was likely running out.

[pacnw1234]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

It is worth mentioning again that UW does not follow a discounted tuition model like many other universities. They do not have a huge discretionary budget for giving out scholarships for attracting high-scoring applicants. Rather, they have a lower tuition rate than most schools and a proportionally lower merit aid budget. It sort of balances everything out (at least it did for me) and really demonstrates a level of transparency that is lacking in similar institutions' admissions practices.

Is there any indication of the likelihood of us $0-ers receiving anything? I'm absolutely okay with a lower relative scholarship value in proportion to lower tuition, especially given that I'll get the in-state price. Any word from those who have heard past the second wave, or current UW students who survived a $0 first offer to go on to receive something?

[redtalun]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

It is worth mentioning again that UW does not follow a discounted tuition model like many other universities. They do not have a huge discretionary budget for giving out scholarships for attracting high-scoring applicants. Rather, they have a lower tuition rate than most schools and a proportionally lower merit aid budget. It sort of balances everything out (at least it did for me) and really demonstrates a level of transparency that is lacking in similar institutions' admissions practices.

Is there any indication of the likelihood of us $0-ers receiving anything? I'm absolutely okay with a lower relative scholarship value in proportion to lower tuition, especially given that I'll get the in-state price. Any word from those who have heard past the second wave, or current UW students who survived a $0 first offer to go on to receive something?

WL -> A (no money) -> $15k -> significantly more.

Go get 'em tiger.

[forlornhope]

.

[pacnw1234]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

It is worth mentioning again that UW does not follow a discounted tuition model like many other universities. They do not have a huge discretionary budget for giving out scholarships for attracting high-scoring applicants. Rather, they have a lower tuition rate than most schools and a proportionally lower merit aid budget. It sort of balances everything out (at least it did for me) and really demonstrates a level of transparency that is lacking in similar institutions' admissions practices.

Is there any indication of the likelihood of us $0-ers receiving anything? I'm absolutely okay with a lower relative scholarship value in proportion to lower tuition, especially given that I'll get the in-state price. Any word from those who have heard past the second wave, or current UW students who survived a $0 first offer to go on to receive something?

WL -> A (no money) -> $15k -> significantly more.

Go get 'em tiger.

Maybe it's the end of semester mental lag, but I don't understand. Can you explain?

[redtalun]

I was waitlisted, accepted off the waitlist with no scholly, negotiated $15k, and then re-negotiated a larger scholarship.
tl;dr: yes, $0-ers can still get $$$

[pacnw1234]

I was waitlisted, accepted off the waitlist with no scholly, negotiated $15k, and then re-negotiated a larger scholarship.
tl;dr: yes, $0-ers can still get $$$

Great. Thanks for clarifying that. It sounds as if this is for a previous year--are you a current student? Additionally, negotiating offers is something I've never felt comfortable with trying. How did you go about it?

[OtterLaw]

@pacnw1234

Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks. A vast majority of admissions to UW do not include much in merit aid, so $0 is pretty much the norm before April 15. The intent for this was to weed out those who were only planning to go to Seattle if they received substantial $$$ (which is a fair enough practice as far as I'm concerned). All of us in the $0 desert just have to see what trickles down over the next few weeks. UW tries to make sure that everyone *really* wants to be there. Considering the small class size and tightly-knit nature of the Pacific NW, it's understandable.

A lot of this was covered in the ASD, but it is certainly worth mentioning for those who couldn't make it, too.

I suppose I understand that mentality to a degree, but it still doesn't really seem to make sense if you're essentially weeding out good admits by offering them nothing when they should know they are getting good offers from peer schools. Why not tell your admits that they matter enough to give them some well-earned scholarship money? Instead, they're sending this somewhat pretentious message that if you really want to be at UW, you should give up other offers and hope for the best. Given UW's falling rankings and poor placement outside of the Seattle area, I would think they would instead be trying to entice students who are on the fence.

I moved on because I did have better offers and couldn't roll the dice for a maybe from UW. I hope those of you who did roll the dice win the bet.

I wouldn't have had a problem with UW's reasoning here -- I agree with the ultimate conclusion of lower tuition + proportionally lower aid offers -- but it did bother me that they were the only school to require a whole new essay to even be considered. After all, as you say, the people who deposit with a $0 merit offer have already more than proven their dedication to the school -- you don't need to make them jump through a whole other hoop.

I also hate that they wait to even consider an admit for scholarship until March 15th. Part of the advantage of applying early is that you normally get a better consideration for scholarship. It seems to reward late applicants while holding others back.

[redtalun]

I was waitlisted, accepted off the waitlist with no scholly, negotiated $15k, and then re-negotiated a larger scholarship.
tl;dr: yes, $0-ers can still get $$$

Great. Thanks for clarifying that. It sounds as if this is for a previous year--are you a current student? Additionally, negotiating offers is something I've never felt comfortable with trying. How did you go about it?

Yes, I'm a 3L. Like you, I was a bit apprehensive about asking for money, but you have nothing to lose by asking so why not go for it?

I got my initial scholarship offer by calling the admissions office and telling them (paraphrased) "hi, I really like UW, want to attend, but it's financially impossible for me to attend, is there any way for me to get some help?"
The re-negotiation was leveraging a full-tuition scholarship from another school to get more $$$ from UW.

[pacnw1234]

I was waitlisted, accepted off the waitlist with no scholly, negotiated $15k, and then re-negotiated a larger scholarship.
tl;dr: yes, $0-ers can still get $$$

Great. Thanks for clarifying that. It sounds as if this is for a previous year--are you a current student? Additionally, negotiating offers is something I've never felt comfortable with trying. How did you go about it?

Yes, I'm a 3L. Like you, I was a bit apprehensive about asking for money, but you have nothing to lose by asking so why not go for it?

I got my initial scholarship offer by calling the admissions office and telling them (paraphrased) "hi, I really like UW, want to attend, but it's financially impossible for me to attend, is there any way for me to get some help?"
The re-negotiation was leveraging a full-tuition scholarship from another school to get more $$$ from UW.

Great to know. If you don't mind me asking, is the $15 over all three years or for each year?

[forlornhope]

I got my initial scholarship offer by calling the admissions office and telling them (paraphrased) "hi, I really like UW, want to attend, but it's financially impossible for me to attend, is there any way for me to get some help?"
The re-negotiation was leveraging a full-tuition scholarship from another school to get more $$$ from UW.

I wish my case was that easy. But, alas, it was a non-starter. Something tells me that this year is tougher than the last few.

[Draconem]

Does anyone know the largest scholarship UW gives besides the Gates and Gregiore?

[redtalun]

I got my initial scholarship offer by calling the admissions office and telling them (paraphrased) "hi, I really like UW, want to attend, but it's financially impossible for me to attend, is there any way for me to get some help?"
The re-negotiation was leveraging a full-tuition scholarship from another school to get more $$$ from UW.

I wish my case was that easy. But, alas, it was a non-starter. Something tells me that this year is tougher than the last few.

between the Gregoire Fellowships and MacDonald gift I would have expected the opposite.

[redtalun]

Does anyone know the largest scholarship UW gives besides the Gates and Gregiore?

http://washington.lawschoolnumbers.com/ ... cholarship
(ignore the guy who got $150k, he meant WUSTL)

[forlornhope]

With the MacDonald Gift, I was expecting a decent year, as well. At least for those whom I met at the ASD, of roughly 50 folks I spoke with, I think about 5 said they received anything. This may not really mean anything (being incredibly unscientific data points), but the general feeling I sensed was one of frustration and concern about finances. Merit aid questions were on the tips of everyone's tongues.

[pacnw1234]

With the MacDonald Gift, I was expecting a decent year, as well. At least for those whom I met at the ASD, of roughly 50 folks I spoke with, I think about 5 said they received anything. This may not really mean anything (being incredibly unscientific data points), but the general feeling I sensed was one of frustration and concern about finances. Merit aid questions were on the tips of everyone's tongues.

Your profile says that you were accepted to Irvine. If I may ask, how much did they offer you, and why did you choose to pursue UW instead? I was offered $25,000 there and declined with the belief that I would receive at least a token amount at UW.

[forlornhope]

@pacnw1234: PM'ed

[keezmasterflex]

Dean Testy called me this afternoon letting me know that I was selected as a Gregoire Fellow. Very excited! Has anyone else received any news?!!

Did you also interview for the Gates Scholarship? If so, go you!

I noticed they removed the dollar amount from the Gregoire info page. Was yours lower than the $25,000/yr. they did last year?

Yes I did interview for the Gates, but was unfortunately not selected. Very competitive group. But, happy to be a Gregoire. And yes, the offer was lower this year.

[Slipinandslidin]

@pacnw1234
Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks..

What makes you think this? I've cross referenced applicants' data on this board with law school numbers, since applicants use the same user id for both forums. I don't know what UW's scholly criteria is, but it's not mostly based on high LSAT+GPA. Most of the scholly is going to middle of the road applicants with a surprisng # of of LSAT/GPA <25% actually getting good scholly, not necessary URM. Check it out. If the scholly amount quoted is true, this is the most scholly $ UW has ever doled out. For example, someone with GPA<25% getting $45,000..but not sure if that's x3.If so, that's basically a full ride through law school + stipend.

[keezmasterflex]

@pacnw1234
Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks..

What makes you think this? I've cross referenced applicants' data on this board with law school numbers, since applicants use the same user id for both forums. I don't know what UW's scholly criteria is, but it's not mostly based on high LSAT+GPA. Most of the scholly is going to middle of the road applicants with a surprisng # of of LSAT/GPA <25% actually getting good scholly, not necessary URM. Check it out.

I agree. My LSAT is well below the 25%. GPA is average.

[forlornhope]

@pacnw1234
Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks..

What makes you think this? I've cross referenced applicants' data on this board with law school numbers, since applicants use the same user id for both forums. I don't know what UW's scholly criteria is, but it's not mostly based on high LSAT+GPA. Most of the scholly is going to middle of the road applicants with a surprisng # of of LSAT/GPA <25% actually getting good scholly, not necessary URM. Check it out.

I agree. My LSAT is well below the 25%. GPA is average.

Gregoire isn't a stats-based scholarship, though.

@slipinandslidin: What numbers are you looking at? Many of the LSNs show upwards of of 3.5s and high 160s-170s on the LSAT. There's certainly a fair spread, but considering a lot of them are listed as "withdrawn" I imagine these are people getting a lot of good offers from other schools (perhaps able to negotiate UW). I've only looked at last year's, though, and I'm just going by statements I've heard from administration at UW.

Not much has been posted for this year, so it didn't help much.

[Slipinandslidin]

@pacnw1234
Due to a number of circumstances and conversations with Dean Le, the information leads me to believe that most initial offers this year went to the LSAT+GPA >75% folks..

What makes you think this? I've cross referenced applicants' data on this board with law school numbers, since applicants use the same user id for both forums. I don't know what UW's scholly criteria is, but it's not mostly based on high LSAT+GPA. Most of the scholly is going to middle of the road applicants with a surprisng # of of LSAT/GPA <25% actually getting good scholly, not necessary URM. Check it out.

I agree. My LSAT is well below the 25%. GPA is average.

Gregoire isn't a stats-based scholarship, though.

@slipinandslidin: What numbers are you looking at? Many of the LSNs show upwards of of 3.5s and high 160s-170s on the LSAT. There's certainly a fair spread, but considering a lot of them are listed as "withdrawn" I imagine these are people getting a lot of good offers from other schools (perhaps able to negotiate UW). I've only looked at last year's, though, and I'm just going by statements I've heard from administration at UW.

Not much has been posted for this year, so it didn't help much.

When I say middle of the road, I mean UW's middle of road, which is relatively high for most law schools.