Appyling for bargaining?

[Skallagrim]

It's morally questionable to apply to a school which you are 100% sure you would not even attend even if it were the only school you were accepted to. Everything else is fair game.

[RockyMarciano]

I would say go for it RUMike. In the previous cycle, I was able to bargain with schools in the same ranking range. Worst case scenario is that you will have to turn down a school that gave you scholarship money. Cast a wide net and you may even go to a school that gives you no $$$. All you can really do is spin the wheel and let it go. I think you should shot an application over to Cornell. 

[RUMike]

dude I wish...glancing at LSN, the only people who made it in with my LSAT had a 4.0 or were URMs...

[nukelaw]

Based on your numbers RUMike, you probably are going to have a hard time getting money at those schools. Your best bet is to get your application and FAFSA in as early as possible. This way the pot of money will still be there to go around. A good rule of thumb for merit aid is to be at or above the 75th% on LSAT and GPA, or several points above the 75th% LSAT at a school.

As to the larger philosophical question of applying to multiple schools based on a negotiation strategy, it worked well for me and I was able to parlay a BU offer into a larger BC offer. Some of the kiddies around here might not like to hear it, but the strategy works and has worked for a long time. The truth is, when you're paying for school on your own, and staring down the possibility of $150k+ in loans, merit aid goes a long way in your decision-making.