asking for fin aid

[lah05]

I am currently an out of state student with no scholarship dollars at my law school.  This is expensive.  Although my school does not rank 1Ls 1st semester, judging by the past three year's stats, I should fall in the top 10% of my class and possibly the top 5%.  Has anyone ever heard of people attempting to get fin aid money for the 2nd and 3rd years, and if so, how should one go about it?  Also, is this a subject to bring up with the Dean of Admissions or the Dean of Students?           

[lah05]

Is this just a really stupid idea, or do you all have zero opinion on the subject?  Any response would be appreciated, if only to save me from the shame of having no one reply to my topic.   

[GwenK]

I totally disagree, you will not be totally embarassing yourself if you go looking for options of financial aid! You are going to be a lawyer for God's sake and negotiation/persuasion is something that you should be practicing. If finding ways to help offset costs based on your solid performance isn't a reason to go discussing this, then I don't know what is. It is not like your are last in your class and hanging on by a thread. Then, you might be fighting a losing battle.

By the way, you need to learn how to do this sooner or later as you will be negotiating your salaries with partners or executives as long as you work for someone else.

I see no problem in professionally presenting the facts and asking if there are opportunities to help fund your education. What's the worst that can happen - they say 'no'. Now, I wouldn't suggest begging, pleading or whining about how great you are and how you're getting no respect. Treat this as a professional discussion and you are no worse for you efforts.

[Alamo79]

I'd say go for it, BUT don't start counting your chickens yet - you're only through one semester.  You've proven that you can do well, but that doesn't mean you will .

First, congrats on your grades.  Whatever your school, that is no small achievement.

Assuming you keep up your current pace, I'd ask as soon as you get your second semester grades.  I think it depends in large part on your school's administration, and on your school's ranking.  I would hypothesize that a lower ranked school would be more likely to give you aid to prevent you from transferring than a higher ranked school.  If you're going to a school like Michigan, they probably aren't as worried about you transferring as they'd be if you went to Michigan State.  And I'd wager heavily that if you apply for transfer and are accepted to a higher-ranked school, the acceptance would give you a lot of leverage with your current school.

[lah05]

Thanks to all for the advice.  I'll wait out this semester's grades and see where I stand.  Transferring up is a possibility (I'm not at a T14) and something I am considering if my class rank is high, so using it in negotiations is a good idea.