1st Deposit Deadline & Scholarship Negotiation

LAWYERED

Hi all,

I received a full-tuition scholarship from a 100+ ranked school that I have little intention of attending. However, I would like to continue leveraging this scholarship as I negotiate with other schools. I understand that May 15th is the "First Deposit Overlap Report" and I know that schools will see which offers I am still holding on to. Do you think it's necessary for me to put the 1st deposit ($300) on a school that I don't really want to attend in order to continue utilizing it as a tool for scholarship negotiation?

I don't want to tell schools that I am "considering a full-tuition scholarship from X school" and request a scholarship offer "more in line with X school", only to have them be able to call my bluff on May 15th...

Let me know what you all think!

Thank you,

LAWYERED

LAWYERED

@"selene.steelman" would love to hear your insight! I'm sure this is a unique, but not uncommon concern for other 7sagers!

CantStopWontStop

I would pay $300 for the leverage

Selene Steelman

I think honesty and transparency is generally the best policy when discussing scholarship requests or reevaluations. You will likely have to provide proof of all competing awards, and your target school will see what your options are. I think your chances of received additional merit awards depend on (1) how much your target school wants you and your stats in their incoming class, (2) if money is available in their scholarship budget at this point, and (3) how sincerely interested the target school feels you are in attending that school. The only thing you can control is (3). If you can convey to your target school that it is your dream school but your current financial situation makes attendance impossible, and (1) and (2) are in your favor, then you might be able to get an increase in your award. Putting down a seat deposit at a school offering a full tuition discount could support your position that avoiding debt is a top priority as you make a final decision. Good luck!

Leah M B

I would heavily avoid being not fully truthful with a law school. It’s not a good look - if for some reason they discovered that you had already lapsed on that offer but were pretending it was still in play, it could be seen as a negative in your character. That’s not a good gamble to take.

Many schools will consider you for a deadline extension though, if you have a good reason. Hopefully it is something like: you were presented with new information (an acceptance, a scholarship etc) recently, you will be traveling during the deadline or have impending school visits, etc. but if you haven’t tried already, it is worth a shot to request an extension rather than paying $300 at a school you won’t attend, or being less than truthful with other schools.