Top Law Schools

I really need full scholarship and without it, I won't be able to attend law shcool

I got 165/3.79 and I am applying now.

Where should I send app. to get full scholarship beside schools in T3 and T4?

....

Anything ranked 45+ is worth applying to with a chance of a full-ride.

poslhs wrote:I really need full scholarship and without it, I won't be able to attend law shcool

I got 165/3.79 and I am applying now.

Where should I send app. to get full scholarship beside schools in T3 and T4?

I would recommend trying Wake Forest, I believe they are quite generous with scholarship money and your numbers are around their 75th percentile.

I also got into Baylor with a full ride and my numbers are lower. Although it is not ranked 45+ (someone mentioned that ITT, I don't know where they came up with that but whatever), I know some attorneys in Texas who say it has an excellent reputation. It also has the highest bar passage rate in Texas. Waco is probably not awesome but if you need a full ride then you can't be too picky!

Congratulations, you have excellent numbers. You have a lot of options ahead of you

Why do you need a full ride? With those numbers, you can get into a higher ranked school. Are you worried about not getting financial aid? The government covers all of your grad loans, so you are not stuck with a bill that is due right away. If you graduate from a top 14 school, there is a good chance of getting a high paying job. If you really want to be a lawyer, do not let finances get in your away.

You have a good shot at Iowa, okay at Indiana. Baylor for sure and SMU maybe

LoyolaLaw2012 wrote:Why do you need a full ride? With those numbers, you can get into a higher ranked school. Are you worried about not getting financial aid? The government covers all of your grad loans, so you are not stuck with a bill that is due right away. If you graduate from a top 14 school, there is a good chance of getting a high paying job. If you really want to be a lawyer, do not let finances get in your away.

A good chance, but no guarantee. A close friend is graduating from a T14. She got very lucky in that she has a job lined up with a guaranteed start date, but a lot of others don't. She took out a huge amount of debt and although I think she is happy with her decision, I think part of her is seriously freaked out by how much she will owe after graduation. Also, people are getting their start dates pushed back further and further...loans will enter repayment before a lot of people start jobs even with the lag time.

OP, you probably don't need a full ride to pay for law school but sacrificing a little prestige for some more $$ probably won't kill you. There is no guarantee for a good job ITE, but working hard and going to a strong school with strong alumni will certainly help your case. T14 doesn't guarantee anything except a shitload of debt. Maybe it will pay off, but then again, maybe it won't.

I'm an international student.
I don't have social security number and no one to cosign my loan.
And, stupidly, I just found out that without those, I don't have any tangible option.
My family gain a bare livelihood and I got about -20$ in my account.

poslhs wrote:I'm an international student.
I don't have social security number and no one to cosign my loan.
And, stupidly, I just found out that without those, I don't have any tangible option.
My family gain a bare livelihood and I got about -20$ in my account.

How are you planning on paying for living expenses?

What state are you from? If Texas, I recall Baylor giving out a few scholarships to folks with similar #'s (albeit somewhat higher GPA's).

Also, you #'s are solid to get into almost any state school (with the possible exceptions of Berkeley, UCLA, Virginia, and Michigan). Depending on the state where you reside, you might find yourself with a 1/2 scholarship and paying under $10K / year. Keep in mind that student loans are available and after assuming living expenses, walking away from law school with less than $50K in debt isn't all that bad.

Desert Fox wrote:

poslhs wrote:I'm an international student.
I don't have social security number and no one to cosign my loan.
And, stupidly, I just found out that without those, I don't have any tangible option.
My family gain a bare livelihood and I got about -20$ in my account.

How are you planning on paying for living expenses?

+1

Are you sure this is a good decision for you right now? Perhaps working for [another] year or two and saving your money would help you out more than going to law school at the moment.

Don't give up. I just PM you how I did it. You might have to consider waiting for a year because it might be late in this cycle tohope for big $.

Cheers and keep trying.

If you had applied before Jan. 1, at Miami, you would have gotten a full ride.

I'm really risk averse (and nervous about an outside chance of going bankrupt and losing my ability to get loans), and I have very similar numbers, so I'll try to give you as many options as possible. You also might receive need-based scholaships in addition to merit-based ones at some schools because of your dire financial situation. You may need to work the maximum 20 hours a week, too, to supply living expenses if you can't get some form of loan.

Not all schools offer full scholarships, even if they are ranked lower than other schools who would. So, I've compiled a list of schools you have a good, realistic shot for.

Best schools you have a good chance for a full scholarship are (ranked top to bottom):

Iowa (Cost of living is dirt cheap)
Indiana-Bloomington (cost of living also cheap)
Alabama (again cheap to live there)
Wake Forest (not that expensive to live at)
Cardozo (expensive to live at)
Tulane (cheap housing galore)
Pepperdine (if you are not a conservative Christian, though, I wouldn't recommend it)
Nebraska (cheap housing)
San Diego (expensive housing)
St. John's (expensive housing)
St. Louis U. (1843 Scholars Program, housing is very cheap in areas)

Other solid, regional schools to apply to as a backup, that you'll almost certainly receive a full-ride from:

Drexel University (they give out free rides like candy to numbers like yours)
Chapman University
Stetson University (they include partial-to-full living expenses, and the campus is great)
Michigan State University
St. Thomas - Minneapolis
Washburn University (Kansas)

Edit: Forgot to add a great option - Drake University in Des Moines, IA. Apply for the Opperman scholarship - it provides a full ride plus full living expenses ($10k/year) and has shockingly good employment statistics in the area.

Desert Fox wrote:

poslhs wrote:I'm an international student.
I don't have social security number and no one to cosign my loan.
And, stupidly, I just found out that without those, I don't have any tangible option.
My family gain a bare livelihood and I got about -20$ in my account.

How are you planning on paying for living expenses?

I think I can get some loan in my country.

And thanks to all helpful responses.