Harvard or Duke ($$$) Forum

[addie1412]

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[cavalier1138]

Have you tried negotiating with UVA or Cornell?

And any idea what may have affected your application? Your numbers are very similar to mine, and I had a much easier time of it last year.

[addie1412]

Have you tried negotiating with UVA or Cornell?

And any idea what may have affected your application? Your numbers are very similar to mine, and I had a much easier time of it last year.

Yes. I tried negotiating with Cornell using my Duke offer and no dice. UVA I believe is tapped out right now, but I don't believe they'd match Duke anyways starting from the $0.00 they offered me initially. One thing to note is that UVA is the only school I applied to mid-January. The rest were November

No idea what it was about my application. The only wildcard would be my LORs. No C + F issues.

[NoDayButToday]

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[proteinshake]

have you tried letting Duke know you are seriously considering them but have an H acceptance? this is tough, but I would try doing that and seeing if Duke would bite.

[existentialcrisis]

Are you from Boston?

[PB&J.D.]

It seems like you're getting low-balled by Duke because they don't think you'll come (like PS said) and the same to a greater extent with Cornell. I'd reapply and really push the LOCIs/essays unless you're set on Harvard.

[proteinshake]

any idea when you'll hear from H about fin aid?

[shadowfax]

Stats: 3.63/175

Harvard: assume sticker

Duke: 105k scholarship

Others: UVA sticker, Cornell at 30k scholly, WUSTL full, Vandy 90k

Waitlists at: Columbia, Chicago, Berk, NU, Mich

Waiting on: NYU

Obviously my cycle didn't go as well as expected, but it's not like I can retake or do anything else to significantly improve the quality of my application if HLS bit. No, I didn't apply late (pre-Thanksgiving).

Goals: fed clerk --> biglaw in a non-NYC, non-D.C. market, ideally Boston. Ultimate goal is academia.

Almost 100% loan financing, with about 10-15k in personal savings going in. Some parental contribution (health insurance, phone plan, weekly food stipend). If I choose HLS, I'd go for the on-campus dorms at around $850 a month. Duke rent would be closer to $600, but I'd need to get a car. Either way, I aim to have COL 1L year totally covered by savings/parental contributions.

I know full ride at T13 > HLS, but seeing as my Duke scholarship isn't anywhere near that, I'm having a little trouble

In no particular order.
On-campus Harvard housing is only assured for 1l. After that you will pay more most likely. There is a lottery system.
Academia is not an easy get even with a HYS JD. Might be harder than fed clerk (it might be impossible actually). Have a plan B for sure. Some argument these days about do you need to practice for a while and then refocus on academia or do you publish your butt off.
Boston is not an easy get. There are 6 law schools in the immediate area and the market isn't that large.
Your LSAT is outstanding. Congrats. Your gpa isn't. You I would guess know why. I found the atmosphere collegial and supportive. That said there are some wicked smart people you will be competing with for your specific goals.
I guess the question is would you pay 105k more for H than D. I think so.
Good luck.

[Lavitz]

Tough call. I usually pick the low debt option, but I have to say Harvard here. Clerking, Boston, and Academia all scream Harvard. Only problem is the cost difference, but I think Harvard would be worth about $100K more than Duke for achieving your long-term goals, and the debt shouldn't be completely crippling if you've at least got CoL covered.

Also I don't see anything that unusual with OP's cycle other than some of the WLs. OP's gpa is below median at every single T-14. Not surprising that there are no full rides on the table. I'm not saying don't try to exhaust negotiations, but I don't see reapplying being helpful here.

[Alexandros]

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[ambrajdurbra131313]

Congrats on the great options. To me this comes down to how academia oriented you are. I might do Duke, but that may be because I'm more risk adverse than you and would think that if you killed it at Duke you'd have a fair shot at academia- but I can definitely see how Harvard would be the call as well

[addie1412]

have you tried letting Duke know you are seriously considering them but have an H acceptance? this is tough, but I would try doing that and seeing if Duke would bite.

I'm going to try this, my only concern is I read Duke apparently requires the entire scholarship committee to come together and discuss negotiations, and I have to let them know by April 21st and withdraw from all other schools.

Also, Harvard hasn't set up my student login yet, so I'm not able to access the system to submit financial aid docs. Any amount of financial aid would pretty much result in me choosing HLS.

[proteinshake]

have you tried letting Duke know you are seriously considering them but have an H acceptance? this is tough, but I would try doing that and seeing if Duke would bite.

I'm going to try this, my only concern is I read Duke apparently requires the entire scholarship committee to come together and discuss negotiations, and I have to let them know by April 21st and withdraw from all other schools.

Also, Harvard hasn't set up my student login yet, so I'm not able to access the system to submit financial aid docs. Any amount of financial aid would pretty much result in me choosing HLS.

no clue if they'll up your offer, but I feel like they'd get to you before the 21st deadline. and if you're 100% sure you'd prefer Duke at like 150K or whatever, you could also say "I have an H acceptance but will commit to Duke if offered X amount of money." (but be careful with this and don't do it if you feel like you'd have regrets! someone else can comment if this is a good idea or not).