Negotiating post first deposit Forum

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chance79

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Negotiating post first deposit

Post by chance79 » Wed May 03, 2017 11:08 am

Hello everyone,
I have currently sent first deposits to two law schools. One being a private school and the other a state school, for which I will receive in state tuition. Both schools are offering 5k a year. I was hoping to negotiate the scholarship offer for the private school, which is my top choice, by claiming that I will be forced to attend the state school because of the lower tuition.

I recognize I might have messed up by sending deposits before negotiating scholarship. Is there a point in negotiating after I've already given a deposit? Also, if it isn't too late, would it be a bad idea to mention that I have submitted deposits to two different schools.

P.S the schools are comparable in reputation and ranking.

Thank you for your help!

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Nachoo2019

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Re: Negotiating post first deposit

Post by Nachoo2019 » Wed May 03, 2017 11:16 am

We need more information on the schools to answer your question. Without knowing the schools I can't give you anything.

chance79

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Re: Negotiating post first deposit

Post by chance79 » Wed May 03, 2017 11:23 am

Sure. The private school is Stetson. The public school is FIU. Just going to answer some questions prematurely because I'm aware how forums respond to all non t-14 people.

Yes, I am planning on staying in Florida.

I am not sure what field of law I am interested in.

I have friends and distant relatives that have graduated from both of these law schools and have gone on to find successful jobs and live comfortably so as of now, I do not wish to take a year off and reapply. I am happy with my current options just trying to alleviate some of the financial load if that is still a possibility.

Thank you.

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UVA2B

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Re: Negotiating post first deposit

Post by UVA2B » Wed May 03, 2017 11:32 am

https://www.lstreports.com/compare/fiu/stetson/

DO NOT GO SIX FIGURES IN DEBT FOR THESE OPTIONS. Your anecdotes of people graduating from these schools flies in the face of actual data. ~60% of graduates become lawyers in full time positions, and only ~5-10% will be in positions that could service that kind of debt.

Alternatively, how do you expect to pay down those debt repayments? You're looking at $1500-$2000 a month for 10 years. If you're also taking care of/supporting elderly family members, you'll be burdened even worse. Let's assume you're in the ~60% who gets a job from these schools (congrats). The majority of that ~60% are in small firms and local government type jobs that pay very, very low. You could reasonably be making <$40k/year with no absolute prospects for that ever dramatically increasing. So now you're paying $1500-$2000/month on a salary that gives you about $3000-$4000/month post-tax. There's always the option of IBR, but now you're talking about living under a debt cloud for 20 years with a huge tax bomb to reward you at the end of it.

Don't start your career this poorly. Retaking and reapplying for UF/FSU at relatively cheap is your best option if you want to stay in FL.

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btruj777

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Re: Negotiating post first deposit

Post by btruj777 » Wed May 03, 2017 11:37 am

chance79 wrote:Sure. The private school is Stetson. The public school is FIU. Just going to answer some questions prematurely because I'm aware how forums respond to all non t-14 people.

Yes, I am planning on staying in Florida.

I am not sure what field of law I am interested in.

I have friends and distant relatives that have graduated from both of these law schools and have gone on to find successful jobs and live comfortably so as of now, I do not wish to take a year off and reapply. I am happy with my current options just trying to alleviate some of the financial load if that is still a possibility.

Thank you.
Given what you have said about not being worried about the debt and that you will not retake/reapply:


To answer the original questions, I have seen/heard of people negotiating post deposits. From what I understand schools recognize that a deposit does not equal matriculation.

Now, having done my whole undergrad at FIU and having watched FIU's performance in the state and given the price differences - FIU is a clear choice here. Without fail over the last few years it has had among the highest bar passage rates in the state, multiple times being the highest. I think that they are very forward looking and are in a great position to begin to climb the rankings. I might be biased so fact check everything I said lol

In your shoes, I would pick FIU.

In answering your question, it is possible and I do not believe there is anything wrong telling the school that you believe that the cost of attendance at FIU will be cheaper and that you have also deposited there.

These are just my opinions. Remember that when school's negotiate, the best leverage is explaining honestly why school X is better than school Y FOR YOU - whether it be ties in the area, money, ranking, or goals.

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Earlskies

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Re: Negotiating post first deposit

Post by Earlskies » Wed May 03, 2017 11:51 am

I negotiated with two schools in the past week (after submitting deposits). Be respectful, but keep asking until they say no for the 5th time. PM me for details.

chance79

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Re: Negotiating post first deposit

Post by chance79 » Wed May 03, 2017 12:07 pm

Thank you everyone!

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