ED plans and advice? Forum

[Celtics_fan]

3.6 GPA; 173 LSAT; 2 years full time work experience

I'm willing to take the risk of paying sticker if I can get into the best school possible. Should I consider an ED application to Penn, Duke, or UVA? Or should I just apply regular decision to all T14's from Penn/UVA down? I realize Penn and UVA are long shots with or without an ED application.

[ManoftheHour]

apply regular decision to all T14's from Penn/UVA down

[Ti Malice]

Retake to save yourself tens of thousands of dollars of high-interest debt. With just a few more points on the LSAT, you could go to NU with a $135-150 scholarship. That would be far better than any other outcome you could get with that GPA, barring your receiving a very unlikely Harvard acceptance with a lot of need-based aid.

The LSAT is likely the easiest test you will take for the rest of your life (well, excluding the MPRE). Earn six figures by studying for two more months.

[03152016]

op
if you're part of the 40% of the class at duke that doesn't get biglaw or fedclerk
how will you feel about your decision to go $285,000 into debt

when you open your first statement from the lender
and realize that this mounting debt likely won't be going away for 20 years
during which time it will eat away at your income
until finally you get hit with a big tax bomb
will you still think sticker was a good idea?

[Celtics_fan]

op
if you're part of the 40% of the class at duke that doesn't get biglaw or fedclerk
how will you feel about your decision to go $285,000 into debt

when you open your first statement from the lender
and realize that this mounting debt likely won't be going away for 20 years
during which time it will eat away at your income
until finally you get hit with a big tax bomb
will you still think sticker was a good idea?

I should have expressed this more clearly - no undergrad debt and law school will be financed by supportive family. Does this change your opinion. I'm more interested in getting into best law school possible with my current stats. Thanks for input though.

[03152016]

op
if you're part of the 40% of the class at duke that doesn't get biglaw or fedclerk
how will you feel about your decision to go $285,000 into debt

when you open your first statement from the lender
and realize that this mounting debt likely won't be going away for 20 years
during which time it will eat away at your income
until finally you get hit with a big tax bomb
will you still think sticker was a good idea?

I should have expressed this more clearly - no undergrad debt and law school will be financed by supportive family. Does this change your opinion. I'm more interested in getting into best law school possible with my current stats. Thanks for input though.

yeah if you're really going to graduate debt-free, this all sounds more reasonable
though remember you'll lose the ability to consider other offers if you apply ED
i didn't think that would be a big deal when i applied, but i ended up regretting it big time

also, if your folks are footing the bill, are you sure you don't want to bump the lsat a couple points and get ccn?
if it's not on your dime you might as well go to the best school possible

[Chrstgtr]

Retake to save yourself tens of thousands of dollars of high-interest debt. With just a few more points on the LSAT, you could go to NU with a $135-150 scholarship. That would be far better than any other outcome you could get with that GPA, barring your receiving a very unlikely Harvard acceptance with a lot of need-based aid.

The LSAT is likely the easiest test you will take for the rest of your life (well, excluding the MPRE). Earn six figures by studying for two more months.

Retake and get money. Unless your parents are just swimming in money you will be introducing significant hardship into their lives (if you're selfish read: decreasing your inheritance) for what is likely just marginally better chances at obtaining an elite outcome from a slightly lower ranked school w/$.

Either way retake.