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jaybp20382

Joined: Apr 2025
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Admissions · Need help deciding on a school!

jaybp20382

Monday, Apr 10 2017

@ Thank you! I really enjoyed NY. Columbia is in a quieter neighborhood away from the hustle and bustle of downtown NYC, so I definitely appreciated that. I got great vibes from the professors and current students. I was also told that the student culture is not super competitive since nearly everyone there gets a great job after graduation. I feel like there would be less pressure to be at the top of my class than at say, Vanderbilt.

I'm interested in business law, but I really wanted to use law school to explore all my options, as I'm not currently set on any one path.

Admissions · Need help deciding on a school!

jaybp20382

Monday, Apr 10 2017

@ No, I had a really strange cycle. I applied to the entire T20 minus Yale, NYU, and UVA. I was waitlisted at most schools and haven't heard back from 5.

Reasons I might have had a strange cycle:

I have a mid-160s LSAT and a 3.8

Hispanic, so that definitely gave me a little bump

Applied mid-January

I thought maybe there was something wrong with my essays, but my Columbia acceptance and Harvard interview/waitlist says otherwise. I had many people look over my app materials to provide feedback and feel I submitted my best work.

I have one LSAT take left. I'm thinking of taking the June test. I could deposit at Columbia in the meantime. If I score higher (high 160s+), I could sit out this cycle and reapply early in the fall. Thoughts?

Admissions · Need help deciding on a school!

jaybp20382

Monday, Apr 10 2017

@ Vandy wouldn't negotiate. Sucks because I visited Nashville last month and absolutely loved the school/city. I'd feel terrible negotiating with Cornell since I said they were my top choice in my "Why Cornell." Plus, I can't really make a debt argument with the Columbia acceptance since I'm receiving zero merit aid there.

Admissions

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Monday, Apr 10 2017

jaybp20382

Need help deciding on a school!

Hello, all! I've been agonizing over this decision the past few weeks and would like some help deciding which school to attend. My narrowed-down options are:

Half-tution at Vanderbilt

1/3 tuition at Cornell

Columbia, likely with only a little need-based aid

My family is unable to make any contribution, I don't have a spouse, and my savings are minimal (only a few years out of undergrad). I'll be financing law school on my own. I'm a Texan, but I'm not set on practicing law in the south. I see myself working in the private sector. I haven't explored PI much, but I would like to have that as an option as well.

My heart is set on Columbia, but is it truly worth the crippling debt? I attended their ASD, and it seems the most common path is big law for 2-5 years to pay the loans down.