170/3.86 Where do I have a shot?

[hollowman988]

Do you think I have a shot at GW ED with the full ride?

Yup. I got the full scholarship offer after my first LSAT, which was 2 points less than yours, and a GPA more or less the same. I don't know what role various types of work experience and other soft factors contribute, but I'd say you've got a good shot (keeping in mind I don't have any idea how this ED program works).

[meggo]

But why commit to a full ride at GW if you're likely to get admitted and I'm guessing get pretty decent scholarship money from GULC?

[schmoo]

You have to get it into your head to aim higher.  I don't know what GW's policies concerning full rides are, but if they're in the business of giving them out, I'd think you'd be in the running. 

But don't be too myopic about money.  Yes, full rides are nice.  But you have to consider the kind of salary you'd be making afterward.  The higher ranked the school, the less you have to worry about grades, the better your chances of landing a $160K job or whatever they're paying by the time you graduate.  If you go to a lower ranked school and have the misfortune of doing poorly your first year, that closes lots of doors that could take years to reopen, if you manage to reopen them at all.

[schmoo]

Don't be myopic about money.  A full ride is nice, but the better the school you attend, the less you have to worry about your grades, the better your opportunities will be.  If you go to a lower ranked school and have the misfortune of doing poorly your first year, that will close doors that will take years to reopen, if they're reopened at all.

[GunnerDore]

But why commit to a full ride at GW if you're likely to get admitted and I'm guessing get pretty decent scholarship money from GULC?

Check the last cycle on LSN and tell me how many people you see with money from GULC. Then determine how many of those people don't have a comparable or better offer at a higher-ranked school. Additionally, bear in mind that they don't have a big IP scholarship like the other two big scholarships they offer to applicants interested in international law or some other area of law that escapes me at the moment.

OP: Berkeley, Columbia and NYU are probably going to be your best bets for reaches, but since you're interested in IP, go ahead and shoot an app Stanford's way too. Duke has a really good IP program and is probably somewhere in between a target and a safety. Here's where I'd apply:

Reach: Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU
Targets: Michigan, Duke, Virginia, GULC
Safeties: Vandy, GW, WashU

[Budlaw]

These types of posts are ridiculous. I'm pretty sure the OP already knows where he had a shot. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Also, if you do have a 170/3.86, you're obviously a smart individual, so why ask the obvious unless you want someone to stroke your ego?

 

[meggo]

I kind of agree Budlaw, but ah well.

Sorry, I know nothing about the inner workings of GULC my point was more along the lines of what schmoo was getting at. Why take a full ride from GW (I chose GULC because it seems the OP would easily get in with their numbers and it is in DC like GW) when they are likely to get in at a better school with money, though perhaps not a full ride.

[MorningYellofHorror]

Even if this kind of post is ridiculous (and it's not), posts about how ridiculous this kind of post is are necessarily more ridiculous.  You can tell what kind of thread it is without even opening it, so don't open it.

To the original poster, definitely apply in the middle of the top fourteen (Virginia, Michigan), as this is the statistical sweet spot for you.  Boalt may be the best school you have a great shot at getting into, but I'd apply at NYU, Columbia, Chicago and Stanford if application fees aren't an issue.

Also, do not apply early decision at George Washington.  Even with a full ride, its value over, say, Duke or Georgetown for IP or international law is debatable, and it'd be a real shame to pass up Michigan or Boalt. And how would you get a full ride applying ED anyway?  Does GW offer some sort special application process?  Ordinarily, ED means passing up merit aid. 

Either way, GW is a safety.  Hell, UCLA and Texas are probably safeties, too, so I wouldn't bother with American, Minnesota and company unless you have a compelling reason to attend one of those schools.

[benh2os]

Money is a real concern of mine so the offer that GW has (if you get in ED you get a full ride) is very appealing. I had an idea of where I had a shot but I guess my real question is where do I have a shot that will give me some aid. I do not have the means to pay the full tuition at any school, nor do I want to leave school with a ton of debt. Maybe you could tell me if I am over thinking the debt issue. Sorry if this post seemed like I wanted someone to stroke my ego but I am not very confident. I am only 20 and will turn 21 may before law school, my softs are good but not great, and I am unsure of taking on a ton of debt when I know I do not want to work in a huge law firm. I would prefer a clerkship, to teach, or to work in a smaller boutique firm. Again maybe I putting too much importance on debt and not enough on career prospects?

[MorningYellofHorror]

You are.

At every top 14 school, graduates below the median either get or have the opportunity to get NLJ250 jobs paying market or better.  Market is now 120K/year plus bonus and 160K+ in New York and parts of California and Texas, and it's likely to be a fair bit higher in four years.  There are also government, academic and midfirm/boutique firm jobs that pay very well at entry level, if BigLaw isn't your thing.  While it is frightening to take 100K+ in debt, it's a sound investment.  And listen, you're hardly alone.  Very few of us have the savings (or parents) to pay cash for a JD.

What's far more important is what you want to do.  International law is tough to get out of any school and much tougher outside the top fourteen.  IP is booming and pays very well even outside BigLaw, so if you've got the chops for it those loans won't be any trouble.  For clerkships (federal, which is what I imagine you want), it's important to go to a top school.  For academia, it's essential and you need to make a push for the top six.  The average career prospects are vastly different between the top fourteen and the 20-25 range you're looking at (and shouldn't be anyway-if you want big scholarships, you'll likely get them from UCLA, Texas, Vanderbilt).

Bottom line-debt should be a consideration, but with your numbers it shouldn't be the most important consideration.  If you're really worried about it, use it as a criterion when picking between top fourteen schools, but don't short sell your career for a hundred thousand bucks.