3.51/156 Cardozo and Brooklyn? Forum

[Ferrisjso]

LSAT:156(got a 155 my first time)
GPA:3.51
Not a URM but I am half Hispanic and I identify as Hispanic

I am already planning to retake in September but just wanted to know how much money I can get from Cardozo and Brooklyn right now? I've also been looking at William and Mary(think it's possible I can get in but I'd probably pay sticker) and my dream school is Vanderbilt(but I know I don't have a chance in hell here) So how much money do you think I'll get from Cardozo and Brooklyn right now and how much do you think I need to get a full ride?

[BasilHallward]

Vanderbilt is very attainable. Study hard and shoot for 165+ and you have a decent shot with your soft URM status. I cannot overemphasize enough to stay far away from Brooklyn and, to a lesser extent, Cardozo. These schools are dumpster fires and rarely produce "success" stories. Retake and reap the benefits.

[Ferrisjso]

Vanderbilt is very attainable. Study hard and shoot for 165+ and you have a decent shot with your soft URM status. I cannot overemphasize enough to stay far away from Brooklyn and, to a lesser extent, Cardozo. These schools are dumpster fires and rarely produce "success" stories. Retake and reap the benefits.

if you don't mind me asking why exactly are Cardozo and Brooklyn considered "dumpster fires"? I live in NYC and unless I get money from Vandy or William and Mary, I'll probably be looking to stay home. According to the employment stats, Brooklyn and Cardozo place almost the same as Fordham(Fordham places considerably more in Big Law however) and I feel it'd be easier to acquire scholarship money from those schools because they have considerably lower medians.

[BasilHallward]

What are your goals? BIgLaw numbers are very relevant for NY because of the COL up there. Fordham is defensible with $$$, but BLS places terribly in BigLaw and Cardozo only slightly worse. I know students at BLS and have visited on many occasions. It's a nightmare. It's anecdotal evidence, but still evidence. Ask around and you'll come to the conclusion that BLS should be avoided under nearly all circumstances.

[Ferrisjso]

What are your goals? BIgLaw numbers are very relevant for NY because of the COL up there. Fordham is defensible with $$$, but BLS places terribly in BigLaw and Cardozo only slightly. I know students at BLS and have visited on many occasions. It's a nightmare. It's anecdotal evidence, but still evidence. Ask around and you'll come to the conclusion that BLS should be avoided under nearly all circumstances.

I'm interested in tax law. The reason I'm considering Brooklyn is because despite it's low medians according to the 509's it places similarly to Fordham and Cardozo and I could get the most money. Also with it's two year program if I got a conditional scholarship I'd only have to chance it once rather than twice everywhere else. It also seems easier to retain scholarships than at SJU or Syracuse. What did the people you know about BLS say specifically? I know it might be anecdotal but it's still helpful and a few peoples anecdotal evidence can really add upl! Also what about Cardozo? Standard 509's don't list jobs by categories like tax only by how many lawyers are in the firm, or whether you work for the government etc. Would you know if either school has any sort of reputation for tax law?

[Mikey]

I think you will probably get some money from Brooklyn, but from Cardozo you might not really get anything. You will need a 161+ or higher in order to get into full ride territory at these schools. With your GPA though, since it's median I believe at Dozo, you will probably need 163ish+ for a chance at a full ride.

Also with it's two year program if I got a conditional scholarship I'd only have to chance it once rather than twice everywhere else. It also seems easier to retain scholarships than at SJU or Syracuse.

2 year program or not, Brooklyn especially is pretty known for section stacking. So you have a good chance of losing your scholarship. SJU does the same, but I'm not sure about Cardozo or Syracuse.

Also what about Cardozo? Standard 509's don't list jobs by categories like tax only by how many lawyers are in the firm, or whether you work for the government etc. Would you know if either school has any sort of reputation for tax law?

Check out Brooklyn and Dozo's LST. It shows you how many students went into government, firms (and their sizes), etc.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... ends/2015/
http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... ends/2015/

[Ferrisjso]

2 year program or not, Brooklyn especially is pretty known for section stacking. So you have a good chance of losing your scholarship. SJU does the same, but I'm not sure about Cardozo or Syracuse.

Check out Brooklyn and Dozo's LST. It shows you how many students went into government, firms (and their sizes), etc.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... ends/2015/
http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... ends/2015/

Wow it looks this year their employment numbers really improved from their baseline(which explains why they're basically even with Fordham, despite Fordham having far better medians and overall reputation. Do you think this is the beginning of a new trend or that this years class just happened to be an aberration and that the numbers will just go back down to normal? Also according to the Standard 509's SJU and Syracuse are really bad in regards to how many people lose their scholarships in comparison to Cardozo and Brooklyn. Also my safety school is CUNY if my LSAT doesn't go up enough to go to Brooklyn, Cardozo, William and Mary or Vanderbilt. This time was really discouraging because I got the first ten questions right on every section but then as time winded down, I fell apart afterward. On RC in particular I started out 10-0 and finished 5-12.

[bmathers]

2 year program or not, Brooklyn especially is pretty known for section stacking. So you have a good chance of losing your scholarship. SJU does the same, but I'm not sure about Cardozo or Syracuse.

Check out Brooklyn and Dozo's LST. It shows you how many students went into government, firms (and their sizes), etc.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... ends/2015/
http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... ends/2015/

Wow it looks this year their employment numbers really improved from their baseline(which explains why they're basically even with Fordham, despite Fordham having far better medians and overall reputation. Do you think this is the beginning of a new trend or that this years class just happened to be an aberration and that the numbers will just go back down to normal? Also according to the Standard 509's SJU and Syracuse are really bad in regards to how many people lose their scholarships in comparison to Cardozo and Brooklyn. Also my safety school is CUNY if my LSAT doesn't go up enough to go to Brooklyn, Cardozo, William and Mary or Vanderbilt. This time was really discouraging because I got the first ten questions right on every section but then as time winded down, I fell apart afterward. On RC in particular I started out 10-0 and finished 5-12.

The first 2 pages of each section are by and large the easier questions... pages/groups 3 and 4 are when the LSAT tries to get you... it's designed that way, just something to keep in mind.

The difficulty of those last 17 questions is much harder than those first 10 in the RC.