USC (90K)
Cornell(Haven't received financial aid decision yet)
Illinois (60K)
IU (Full Scholarship)

Waitlist- Duke, Penn, Chi, NU, Mich, UVA, GULC, NYU

3.95/170 weak undergrad institution and major

I am not sure what to do. I am interested in the Corporate/Business Law, Dispute Resolution, Sports/Entertainment Law in the Chicago or LA markets, but preferably the Chicago market. I am leaning right now towards USC. I haven't heard back from UCLA yet, but I figured if I got accepted I would choose between the two based on money. Also, which school(s) should I go to if I get off a waiting list at most likely the sticker price? I need some help here....

make a poll. it is very useful. you can find the poll form underneath the big white text box in the first post when you edit. BTW I vote either USC even though their admissions committee are a bunch of shitheads in my opinion or ride out the waitlists. I am a bit puzzled though, why wouldn't your grades and LSAT get you into top 14? Did you write a bad personal statement?

I mean... I'd do Cornell here with those goals. I wouldn't go to USC hoping to get back to Chicago. If you're cool with California, USC is really a solid choice though. And in that case, I don't think any of the waitlists at sticker are going to be better options. Either take Cornell (or one of the waitlists at sticker) for geographic mobility or go to USC for California or IU for midwest.

You can try to leverage your other offers with Cornell though. It's worth a shot.

I am surprised by your cycle. You definitely underperformed your numbers. How poor is this undergrad institution of yours? Also, did you apply late in the cycle or early? Are you up for waiting a year? You should have better options than this.

Retaking the LSAT is dangerous with a 170 but I think you should consider it. Your GPA is baller despite whatever your weak undergrad and major were. Even without a new LSAT, you're leaving money on the table if you take any of these options. IMO, you should:

1. Take a year off and gain some work experience and re-take LSAT (even if you score lower, the schools you're looking at will take the highest score).
2. Take a year off and gain some work experience, don't re-take LSAT

Either option puts you in a better place than you are now. Good luck.

I agree with everything except the last bit: Illinois places far better in Chicago than Indiana and, given your goals, it's worth the extra money. That being said, You should probably decide between Cornell/waitlists and the LA schools (assuming Chicago doesn't outpace LA in your mind by a really long ways...)...Or, if you can take a year off and reapply...do that.

You could also try negotiating with Illinois. Supposedly a lot of people have successfully negotiated with them this year. They might bump you up to 75%.

If they aren't giving him a fullride who are they giving one to?

Amen. As a current student, I'm annoyed that they're not.

If you get off the waitlist, Chicago is worth sticker price since Chicago is your target market.

You should have better options on the table. Any idea why your cycle went the way it did? Did you apply late? I feel like you should be competitive from CCN on down, and you should have T14 with big money. I'm also shocked you don't have a full ride from Illinois.

Assuming no major changes (like getting in at Chicago) I would do another cycle. Maybe even retake, because a few points would make you pretty much a CCN lock and you would be competitive at Harvard. But even assuming no retake, I think you could have a better cycle. A little work experience would likely also make you competitive at Northwestern, which is a great option if you want Chicago.

If you look at OP's other post it looks like this was his third retake. He got a 161 the first two times. So retake is likely not an option. Is it possible that taking the LSAT 3 times is the reason he has so many waitlists?

I took 3 times and I performed exactly as my numbers always do. I think it's more a symptom of applying late. OP, you can do so much better. Would you sit a year out and reapply for 100000 dollars at a t14? Of course.

Doubtful to the bolded, along with the fact that UG institution or major had anything to do with it. I would guess a poorly written app.

Either way, reapply for sure. You should be accepting no less than MVPD with $, although if Cornell gave you a solid scholly offer and you wanted NYC, that would probably be worth considering.

Lol to the bolded. Why the BCN(G) hate?

I went to Eastern Illinois University and my undergrad major was Sports Management with minors in Pre-Law and Business Administration. A few reasons why my cycle didn't go so well.

1. Multiple LSATS- 161, 161, and then finally got my 170.
2. Had to apply mid-late January because I took the LSAT in Jun, Oct, and then again in Dec.
3. Three years out of college, lets just say my post-grad work experience is sub-par at best.

OP, I PM'd you.

One and three are practically irrelevant, but applying late probably did make a difference. You should definitely consider trying again.

No h8. The lack of BN was an accidental oversight. CG lag behind a bit in placement.

If I were you, I might consider waiting a year and doing the new Northwestern Full Ride Early Decision. If you want Chicago, You almost cannot beat Northwestern for free.

So is there anyone that thinks I shouldn't wait a year? The multiple LSATs being two 161s not hurt as much as I think? How much risk is there in waiting a year with a similar application except my job experience and personal statement?

1) No
2) It won't matter
3) Precisely none

It won't hurt you. Plenty of people do it every year. At the very worst, you'll be in this position again next year (although I think we all highly doubt it). The risks of waiting are minimal. The rewards of waiting could be tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to much better schools, which in turn could lead to hundreds of thousands (maybe millions?) in added income over the course of your life.

Tell that to a Ruby

Shit brah you underperformed. You need to reapply early.

Well, you nabbed Cornell which is not known to be much of a number whorey school. So I'm thinking that it really isn't your application package (e.g., personal statement) that tanked your cycle as much as it is your late application.

I'd really think about writing Cornell (which is your best bet at the moment) and explicitly ask them for some financial assistance. If they come back with some sizable money, then you're potentially in the position you'd be in if you chose to wait out a cycle anyway.

You have nothing to lose by doing the above, but if you don't think you can get down with Cornell, then yeah, withdraw your applications and reapply EARLY. Highly probably that you'll have some offers that are more appealing to you.