Encouragement Forum

[HopefulSplitter0000]

Stats: 177/3.4

Waitlisted almost everywhere and waiting on one school (13 apps, all T13/T20). I applied in November and had my materials reviewed by several people.

I am considering foregoing law school altogether because even if I reapply, I cannot afford tuition without 200,000+ in loans, and this year's results lead me to believe I may not get any scholarships. I make okay money now, but I have personal freedom. I'm not sure that I want to trade that for a higher paycheck even if I think (because who ever truly knows right?) that I want to be a practicing attorney.

I guess I'm here because I want to know if any of you guys ever had similar thoughts after applying. What did you do, or what do you wish you had done, in my position?

[UVA2B]

Don't take out $200k when you have a 177/3.4.

Reapply after thoroughly reevaluating your entire application. Even in this uncertain admissions environment, you're unlikely to do worse.

[AdieuCali]

Stats: 177/3.4

Waitlisted almost everywhere and waiting on one school (13 apps, all T13/T20). I applied in November and had my materials reviewed by several people.

I am considering foregoing law school altogether because even if I reapply, I cannot afford tuition without 200,000+ in loans, and this year's results lead me to believe I may not get any scholarships. I make okay money now, but I have personal freedom. I'm not sure that I want to trade that for a higher paycheck even if I think (because who ever truly knows right?) that I want to be a practicing attorney.

I guess I'm here because I want to know if any of you guys ever had similar thoughts after applying. What did you do, or what do you wish you had done, in my position?

1) I think you're approaching this with an appropriate amount of skepticism. Enrolling in law school without scholarships will mean taking on a life-altering amount of debt that may shackle you to a career in which you have little interest (whether that means biglaw, LRAP frugality, or being a lawyer in general).

Unless a w/l offer comes with some serious $$, you should sit out this cycle and take stock of your situation. You should do some more introspection and research to determine whether law school would be a worthwhile investment for you. What are your career goals as an attorney? Try to find people with similar roles and reach out. Lawyers love talking about themselves and their career path and it's easier to get advice than you'd think. Biglaw firm websites make it easy to search for lawyers by background. Find people who went to your undergrad in your desired market at and try to set up a phone call.

This is obviously a strange time, and some are predicting lower yields this year. Targeted letters of continued interest to NYU, M, V, P, and D may make it more likely than usual that you'll get admitted in the next couple months. You're >75 LSAT at every law school in the country, so you could really help out a school trying to preserve its median. You should not accept an offer without negotiating a substantial scholarship, though.

2) You're a super-splitter which can lead to some strange outcomes. With such a high LSAT, you may be getting yield protected even at schools that are traditionally splitter-friendly. It might be worth hiring an admissions consultant (like Spivey) to look over your materials and help you craft targeted "Why X's" for the schools where you're most likely to get admitted w/$$$ (UVA, UM, NYU). Might not be a terrible idea to hire a consultant now to help you make moves on the waitlists. https://mylsn.info/nj1k8q/

3) Others are probably more knowledgeable about this than me, but you might be a good candidate for Northwestern's ED scholarship. Even though you might have better schools admit you next year, it's likely $120k is the best scholarship offer you'll get. Unless you have some unicorn career goals, Northwestern will get you NYC biglaw or other markets with a mix of hustle, ties, and luck. http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissi ... ision.html