Splitter -- ED? Forum

[sd812]

I have a sub-3.5 GPA and got a 176 on the December LSAT, which makes me a fairly heavy splitter. My top choice is one of V/P, but I see on LSN that they generally prefer splitters who have a slightly lower LSAT (via RD at least). ED seems to be safer given my numbers, but I'm still on the fence. I want T14, and would probably go to a lower-ranked T14 with money over V/P at sticker, but I'm not sure if the possibility of getting money at a lower T14 given my GPA is realistic, and if I'm paying sticker either way, I'd obviously rather go to a higher-ranked school.

The small sample size of people with my numbers on LSN skews heavily toward waitlists at MVP and around a 50% admit rate for some of the other schools I'm interested in, so I worry about being shut out of the T14 altogether. Should I ED to V/P, or is that a bad idea? I'll be financing law school primarily with loans, so money is a consideration - but ultimately, I've made peace with paying sticker if necessary.

[floatie]

UVA cares a lot about interest, and I'm not so sure that Penn cares as much - so at least strategically, UVA might be the better chocie for playing the ED card. That being said, your GPA will probably put you out of the running for any substantial scholarships at V/P, and I wouldn't take that lightly since you'll be financing with loans. Even with biglaw, paying back $250k+ means monthly payments of $2000+ for at least ten years. If I were you, I wouldn't apply ED anywhere - but make sure you have a really strong "why UVA" and/or "why Penn" and try to visit those schools if you can. Your LSAT could net you a decent scholarship at a lower t-14 school and I would strongly advise you not to discount that.

[Cogburn1984]

http://mylsn.info/jamiw4/

I think you'll have better options than you realize. This looks pretty good to me.

[covfefe]

I mean, I'm not an admissions officer or anything, but with a 176, you should have some options. I think it really depends on your other factors:

- Do you have work experience or are you trying to go straight through? If you get a couple years between your GPA and when you're applying, you could probably net a great letter of rec from an employer and show an adcom that there's reason for them to put a little less weight on your GPA
- Do you have any reason at all for a lower GPA? STEM major? Illness or something that tanked a couple grades? If you can write a GPA addendum that doesn't read like an excuse, but rather reads like "I made a mistake, and here's what I learned from it," you might be in good shape.
- Strong personal statement?
- URM?

Basically, I think if you have some combination of work experience and/or a not totally shit reason why your gpa is sub 3.5, plus a strong statement, you could be in contention throughout most of the T14. With a 176, you're a splitter for literally every T14. It's not crazy to think you could get in (probably very late in the cycle or even off a waitlist, but still in) at CCN or even HYS. My general understanding is also that if you apply ED, you're unlikely to get money anyway, so I'd recommend that you just roll the dice and don't apply ED.

[cavalier1138]

176/3.5 is not a "heavy" splitter. You're a splitter, but you'll likely get some money at CCN on down.

Do not ED anywhere, and do not get comfortable with paying sticker.

[sd812]

Thanks for the advice! I do have WE (~3 years) and a strong recommendation from work, and I'm not URM or otherwise diverse. My GPA is actually enough lower than a 3.5 that there's a drop-off in outcomes between a ~3.5/176 and [my GPA]/176 (sorry for being cagey about the exact numbers, I'm just paranoid about anonymity), though it is still well above 3.0. Not sure if that changes anything.

[Mikey]

I think you're going to have some good options. don't ED.

[Cogburn1984]

Something to note, is there any reason why you'd have to apply this cycle?

January is pretty late to be submitting apps, one factor that does seem to have a definite impact on splitter-cycles is applying early. So it might be worth it to hold out until next year and apply in September if it's at all feasible.

[sd812]

Something to note, is there any reason why you'd have to apply this cycle?

January is pretty late to be submitting apps, one factor that does seem to have a definite impact on splitter-cycles is applying early. So it might be worth it to hold out until next year and apply in September if it's at all feasible.

You're right, and I wish I had submitted earlier. For a number of personal reasons, I'd really prefer to go this year, even if that means I have more limited options than I might if I waited. Honestly, I was not expecting a 176 (got high 160s last time) and was just hoping for a 170/171 so I could ED/ED II to V or P and have a decent chance of getting in. I figured with my GPA and a 170, I wouldn't get any money from a T14 RD, so I was prepared to pay sticker. I thought the 176 changed the prospect of money enough that it might not make sense to ED anymore. Regardless, I'm planning to submit this week.

[albanach]

You're right, and I wish I had submitted earlier. For a number of personal reasons, I'd really prefer to go this year, even if that means I have more limited options than I might if I waited.

Please give this some more thought. You're not looking at limiting your options - acceptance to a t-13/14 school is still likely and your options won't change that much based on those schools. What you're talking about is potentially leaving tens of thousands of cash on the table. Most schools have distributed large proportions of their scholarship money. They'd love to have you, but with a <25th percentile GPA you're unlikely to have much of a shot at that remaining pot. Apply next year when the pot is replenished and your chance increases.

Even at the best schools, not everyone will land biglaw. And of those who do, some will hate it enough to want out before they can repay their loans. Minimizing debt makes sense.

You can use the time between now and applications reopening to visit some of your reach schools during their quiet time. Try and get some one on one time with admissions along with a tour of the school. Try not to go outside of class time, or you'll have no opportunity to speak with students. Then when you submit your app, you can mention the impact of your visit, and drop the admissions officer an email letting them know your paperwork is in.