zor2 (2022-2023)

Received distinctions on both theses, graduated magna cum laude.

Socioeconomic disadvantage.

Paralegal for small firm.

Worked 15-20 hrs/wk during school, tons of theater and other extracurriculars.
President of small student organization.

Volunteer for public interest project. Application moderately PI focused.

You can look above for complete/admission dates, but here are additional complete dates:

Fordham: 12/4, 1/9. Admitted by email. Would not negotiate scholarships.

Temple: 1/21. Admitted via email $7500/yr. Negotiated $15k, then finally $30k.

Cardozo: Admitted by phone and offered $35k scholarship. Negotiated to $38k and then finally $44k. After I withdrew they offered me a full scholarship.

Brooklyn: 1/17. Offered $35k, negotiated up to $48k. Negotiated again to full scholarship plus $5k/year stipend. Awarded Sparer Fellowship after application and interview.

Boston College: 1/18, 2/2, 2/24. Offered $20k in need scholarship. Negotiated to $22k, then $25k.

Boston University: 1/10, 1/11, 2/3, 2/15. Admitted by phone. Rejected for PI scholarship by snail mail on 3/13. Offered $20k in need scholarship. Negotiated it to $23k, then $24k.

Northwestern: Held 2/2. Sent in two optional essays, an additional letter of rec, two LOCIs, and did an on-campus hold interview. Waitlisted 5/9.

Scholarship amount is per year.

I applied last year to only top-tier schools (see profile "zor") and was soundly rejected. Worked hard to retake the LSAT, and despite consistently practice testing around 172-176, bombed completely with another 164. Ugh.

Only applying to a handful of schools and may or may not attend law school at all, given my LSAT score, the current job market, and my chosen field (PI).

10/31 - Submitted most applications.

11/22 - Northwestern finally put me as "complete" after three weeks. Weird, since I submitted everything at the same time. So now I just wait!

12/5 - Fordham updated the date on my completion to 12/4, a Sunday. No idea what that means... maybe I'll get a decision soon?

12/6 - Waitlisted from GW via e-mail. Pretty disappointed in that. I should note that a month later my status checker remains unupdated.

12/13 - On a whim decided to apply to Brooklyn Law.

12/19 - Casting the net a little wider by applying to BC. I'm also going to apply to BU (pending completion of their PI Scholars essay) and Temple (fee waiver) hopefully before the end of the week.

12/28 - Sent my BU application with public interest scholars essay. I need to send a similar essay to BC for their program, along with an additional letter of recommendation, and then I should be done.

1/3 - Just received a voicemail from the assistant dean of Cardozo, admitting me to their school and offering me a scholarship. What a great way to start the new year!! Does anyone know if it is customary to return the call? The status checker updated on 1/5 to say "Decision rendered and sent."

1/10 - Fordham status checker has been updated, again, now with the date of 1/9/12.

1/13 - Boston U gave me a complete date on 1/10, and then another one on 1/11. Not sure if that means anything.

1/17 - A new "in review" date for Brooklyn Law School. Several hours later, admitted via status checker! Looking forward to my acceptance package and hoping they offered me some $$...

1/18 - New "in review" date for Boston College.

1/21 - New "Complete" date for Temple. I also got my snail mail Brooklyn Law acceptance package, with separate scholarship envelope, today.

1/23 - Admitted to Temple via status checker. I knew it was weird to go complete on a Saturday...

1/30 - Received the Temple admit package over the weekend, with scholarship letter for $7500/yr. Seeing as how comparable schools (Brooklyn, Cardozo) offered me $35k/year, that's just not going to happen. I'm very disappointed. Temple was among my top choices and I had hoped to get enough money to attend. I suppose I can try negotiating once I get a few more answers from schools.

2/1 - Another whim, another application. I've been seeing a lot of massive scholarships come out of Villanova so I sent off an application since I had a fee waiver.

2/2 - "Held" at Northwestern. Not exactly a waitlist, more of a non-decision decision. They said they'll review my application in May. Also got a second complete date from Boston College.

2/3 - Third complete date for BU.

2/7 - In at Fordham! Super pleased about this. I really, really hope they can offer me some scholarship money.

2/15 - Fourth (!) complete date from BU.

2/17 - Into Villanova by status checker! Really looking forward to the packet to see what kind of scholly I get. No word on money from Fordham (yet, I hope).

2/21 - In at BU via phone call! I am totally thrilled. Here's hoping for a scholarship!

2/24 - Received the BU and Villanova packets in mail today; no scholarship information on either, but the BU one had a really nice note. BC status checker updated to a new in review date for today.

2/27 - In at BC!! Very happy. I've also decided to do a hold interview at Northwestern, and it's about time to do my LOCIs.

3/13 - Was rejected for the BU PI scholarship by snail mail, and heard through the grapevine that I didn't get BC's either, as they've finished interviewing. Villanova (which has now dropped in rankings to TTT status, yikes) won't let me know about their PI scholly until after the deposit deadline. So I guess all I can do now is wait and hope to hear on some merit aid from BU/BC, or get off Northwestern's waitlist, otherwise it looks like I will not be going to law school.

3/16 - I can't believe it, just in time I got a letter from BU offering me a scholly!! SO HAPPY. I really hope I can get them to negotiate up a little as that's still an extraordinary amount of money to take out, but I'm really thrilled, and hoping that BC follows suit. I also got a call today from Villanova selecting me as a finalist for their PI Scholar award.

3/19 - Leveraged my Cardozo and Brooklyn offers for Temple, who doubled my offered scholarship to $15k. Still not enough, but I would looove to go to Temple, so I hope that once I hear from BC I'll have some BU/BC leverage.

4/11 - Denied Villanova PI scholar thing, and with zero scholarship I am not going. Successfully negotiated many scholarships, see left-hand column.

5/9 - Waitlisted at Northwestern, after all that.

6/5 - Negotiated a full scholarship, plus $5k/year stipend from Brooklyn. With the Sparer Fellowship, I've made my decision.

6/14 - Accepted off the Northwestern waitlist. Unfortunately they are out of money and I am not willing to commit a quarter of a million dollars. Withdrew.