Veterans Thread Forum

[OtterLaw]

How friendly is William and Mary, UVA, or Wash Lee to Military - officer / academy graduate (with GPA below 25% and LSAT above 25% but slightly below median)?

I'm a 1L at UVA, prior enlisted Navy. UVA loves vets and does a lot to accommodate us and show us that they value us. I cannot speak to admission chances specifically in your case, but I was basically at 25th % LSAT and >75% GPA and got in last year. Military is a boost at UVA for sure. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on the other VA schools.

[NavyNuke]

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[usn26]

I am in for about another year. I am thinking about coming back in JAG after school. If I use the GI Bill for law school, but also take out loans to help make ends meet during the months I do not draw BAH(3 kids,wife doesn't make a ton), would I still be able to utilize the Air Force's or Navy's loan repayment programs? Having a hard time finding who is eligible for those programs.

Unless something has changed recently on the Navy side there is no loan repayment program. Just continuation pay, i.e. cash in your pocket to extend your commitment (first chance to get it is around year 6 or so).

http://www.jag.navy.mil/documents/Caree ... %20Pay.pdf

[NavyNuke]

.

[KPUSN07]

How friendly is William and Mary, UVA, or Wash Lee to Military - officer / academy graduate (with GPA below 25% and LSAT above 25% but slightly below median)?

I'm a 1L at UVA, prior enlisted Navy. UVA loves vets and does a lot to accommodate us and show us that they value us. I cannot speak to admission chances specifically in your case, but I was basically at 25th % LSAT and >75% GPA and got in last year. Military is a boost at UVA for sure. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on the other VA schools.

Thanks for the answer - very informative!

[Mcsale02]

Has anyone ever deferred and waited another year to attend law school to stay active duty an extra year?

This is a pretty common move, even outside the military. I got stuck in the army and had to do another year, my school had no problems deferring
if I committed to attending.

Thanks! Good to know. It's possible I'll need to stay in until I meet DEROS or do a school drop. I wanted to drop applications this fall, but didn't want to waste the time or cash if the school drop isn't approved (shouldn't be an issue, but...) or if I needed to stay in through DEROS, mostly to save more cash to cover expenses during law school.

[Wipfelder]

Has anyone ever deferred and waited another year to attend law school to stay active duty an extra year?

This is a pretty common move, even outside the military. I got stuck in the army and had to do another year, my school had no problems deferring
if I committed to attending.

Thanks! Good to know. It's possible I'll need to stay in until I meet DEROS or do a school drop. I wanted to drop applications this fall, but didn't want to waste the time or cash if the school drop isn't approved (shouldn't be an issue, but...) or if I needed to stay in through DEROS, mostly to save more cash to cover expenses during law school.

Yea, they are accommodating if you have good reason, I don't see them denying you (but you'll have to commit)

[Nagster5]

How friendly is William and Mary, UVA, or Wash Lee to Military - officer / academy graduate (with GPA below 25% and LSAT above 25% but slightly below median)?

UVA is super vet friendly in general, the admissions director is a former Navy JAG and the dean of admissions' brother went to USMA. Also, we're co-located with the Army JAG school, you can cross-enroll in classes there and there's people in uniform in the school all the time. I would retake if I were you, not hitting either median is a very long shot unless you have something else that really tips the scales. Feel free to PM me.

[Mcsale02]

Has anyone ever deferred and waited another year to attend law school to stay active duty an extra year?

This is a pretty common move, even outside the military. I got stuck in the army and had to do another year, my school had no problems deferring
if I committed to attending.

Thanks! Good to know. It's possible I'll need to stay in until I meet DEROS or do a school drop. I wanted to drop applications this fall, but didn't want to waste the time or cash if the school drop isn't approved (shouldn't be an issue, but...) or if I needed to stay in through DEROS, mostly to save more cash to cover expenses during law school.

Yea, they are accommodating if you have good reason, I don't see them denying you (but you'll have to commit)

I have no issues with committing to the right school. Now, with the scenario below, I just hope to be accepted at a good law school.

Has anyone been accepted to a law school with a sub-par gpa? I was looking at the LSAC website and realized that while my degree gpa is a decent 3.6, my LSAC gpa will likely blow my chances at any t14 schools. I found a LSAC calculator and my gpa will be hovering around 2.6. Man, I really screwed around for a year in college, mostly maturity issues, but then I dropped out, got married several years later, and grew up... finished my degree with good grades while deployed, on TDY's, and while out in the field. There is 20 years between the time I screwed up and the time I completed my degree. What are the odds a great law school will overlook that gpa and look closer at the lsat? I'm aiming for a 170+ score on the lsat. Anything less and I may reconsider my endeavors.

[Wipfelder]

Has anyone ever deferred and waited another year to attend law school to stay active duty an extra year?

This is a pretty common move, even outside the military. I got stuck in the army and had to do another year, my school had no problems deferring
if I committed to attending.

Thanks! Good to know. It's possible I'll need to stay in until I meet DEROS or do a school drop. I wanted to drop applications this fall, but didn't want to waste the time or cash if the school drop isn't approved (shouldn't be an issue, but...) or if I needed to stay in through DEROS, mostly to save more cash to cover expenses during law school.

Yea, they are accommodating if you have good reason, I don't see them denying you (but you'll have to commit)

I have no issues with committing to the right school. Now, with the scenario below, I just hope to be accepted at a good law school.

Has anyone been accepted to a law school with a sub-par gpa? I was looking at the LSAC website and realized that while my degree gpa is a decent 3.6, my LSAC gpa will likely blow my chances at any t14 schools. I found a LSAC calculator and my gpa will be hovering around 2.6. Man, I really screwed around for a year in college, mostly maturity issues, but then I dropped out, got married several years later, and grew up... finished my degree with good grades while deployed, on TDY's, and while out in the field. There is 20 years between the time I screwed up and the time I completed my degree. What are the odds a great law school will overlook that gpa and look closer at the lsat? I'm aiming for a 170+ score on the lsat. Anything less and I may reconsider my endeavors.

There are a shitload of people with sub-3.0 GPAs in the lower T-14. They almost all have 170+ LSAT scores.

[Kimmysradscreenname]

Forgive me if this is somewhere else; I've burned through most of this thread and haven't seen it yet:

If I'm 100% Post-9/11 eligible and either going to a state school or full YRP private school AND have both lots of savings and O-3 spouse income, is there any reason for me to file a FAFSA?

[CenterFringe]

Forgive me if this is somewhere else; I've burned through most of this thread and haven't seen it yet:

If I'm 100% Post-9/11 eligible and either going to a state school or full YRP private school AND have both lots of savings and O-3 spouse income, is there any reason for me to file a FAFSA?

You only need to file a FAFSA if you're applying for need based grants or loans. You're not doing either so, no, there is no reason to fill it out.
Also, you are expected to spend all of your savings in Law School, so I'm sure applying for need based aid is a wasted motion, even if you didn't have YRP.

[Dcc617]

Forgive me if this is somewhere else; I've burned through most of this thread and haven't seen it yet:

If I'm 100% Post-9/11 eligible and either going to a state school or full YRP private school AND have both lots of savings and O-3 spouse income, is there any reason for me to file a FAFSA?

You're ineligible for need based aid, but you can get the 20K/year loan if you want it.

[Kimmysradscreenname]

Question answered, thanks! It just feels weird to NOT do paperwork.

[BNA]

I am in for about another year. I am thinking about coming back in JAG after school. If I use the GI Bill for law school, but also take out loans to help make ends meet during the months I do not draw BAH(3 kids,wife doesn't make a ton), would I still be able to utilize the Air Force's or Navy's loan repayment programs? Having a hard time finding who is eligible for those programs.

Be careful with your expectation of reentering as a JAG. The military has a funny way of shitting on prior service folks trying to come back. More importantly, JAG is extremely competitive. Last figures I saw showed around 7-12% of applicants actually made the cut [edit: depending on the branch]. Not trying to be a downer, just want you to research and make your decisions well informed.

[ponderingmeerkat]

Hey guys...does anyone have SA about what happens with the GI Bill when it's used up in the middle of a semester?

My circumstances: Just got my VA letter which says I've got 13 months and 9 days remaining with 100% benefits. Public math warning: looks like a "year" at UVA is about 7.5 months (give or take a handful of days). So, it would appear three semester should be covered in full--which is super cool. But, in the middle of that fourth semester, I will max out the benefit. Will I owe a prorated fractional amount for tuition during that semester, or is the rumor going around that "one day of eligibility left at the beginning of the semester = the whole semester's tuition covered" accurate/confirmed?

Thanks for the assist!

[AJordan]

Pretty sure that if it covers 1 day it covers the entire semester. I know I've heard/read that anecdotally.

[NavyNuke]

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[usn26]

Pretty sure that if it covers 1 day it covers the entire semester. I know I've heard/read that anecdotally.

I have heard this many times from vet-specialist financial aid people, but never personally confirmed.

[CenterFringe]

Except BAH right? Because I thought that was pro-rated to the day.

[Cobretti]

Has anyone ever deferred and waited another year to attend law school to stay active duty an extra year?

This is a pretty common move, even outside the military. I got stuck in the army and had to do another year, my school had no problems deferring
if I committed to attending.

Thanks! Good to know. It's possible I'll need to stay in until I meet DEROS or do a school drop. I wanted to drop applications this fall, but didn't want to waste the time or cash if the school drop isn't approved (shouldn't be an issue, but...) or if I needed to stay in through DEROS, mostly to save more cash to cover expenses during law school.

Yea, they are accommodating if you have good reason, I don't see them denying you (but you'll have to commit)

I have no issues with committing to the right school. Now, with the scenario below, I just hope to be accepted at a good law school.

Has anyone been accepted to a law school with a sub-par gpa? I was looking at the LSAC website and realized that while my degree gpa is a decent 3.6, my LSAC gpa will likely blow my chances at any t14 schools. I found a LSAC calculator and my gpa will be hovering around 2.6. Man, I really screwed around for a year in college, mostly maturity issues, but then I dropped out, got married several years later, and grew up... finished my degree with good grades while deployed, on TDY's, and while out in the field. There is 20 years between the time I screwed up and the time I completed my degree. What are the odds a great law school will overlook that gpa and look closer at the lsat? I'm aiming for a 170+ score on the lsat. Anything less and I may reconsider my endeavors.

Basically my same story. After I got out I finished up undergrad with a 3.86 degree GPA, but my 2 yrs before enlisting brought me to a 3.0. Like the above poster said, plenty of people get into lower T14 with those GPAs and 170+ LSATs, but I just wanted to be blunt that you will be treated as a 2.6 GPA and unfortunately there is no GPA addendum that will make them treat you like a 3.6.

There are still great options out there, I went to NU with my GPA, but you need to plan on being treated like an extreme splitter. Target known splitter friendly schools and you'll do great.

[Cobretti]

Pretty sure that if it covers 1 day it covers the entire semester. I know I've heard/read that anecdotally.

I have heard this many times from vet-specialist financial aid people, but never personally confirmed.

When my GI Bill ran out mid semester they covered the whole semester.

[ponderingmeerkat]

Pretty sure that if it covers 1 day it covers the entire semester. I know I've heard/read that anecdotally.

I have heard this many times from vet-specialist financial aid people, but never personally confirmed.

When my GI Bill ran out mid semester they covered the whole semester.

Perfect. Thanks man.

[MichiganHoosier]

Hey guys!

Just got back from Afghanistan so I'm jumping into LSAT prep. I'm shooting for the December 2017 test. The earliest I feel I would apply is fall 2019 however. I just figured I would get one in while I can. My contract is up in may 2018, but my wife is in optometry school until spring 2020. So I see no reason in getting out before then due to financial reasons. Supppsedy we're deploying to the Middle East again in winter/spring of 2018, but who knows nowadays. That's another reason I'd like to knock it out in December, then maybe take the February and June 2018 tests once i get back.

I just did a diagnostic....and it was pretty bad. Timing wasn't a problem as I finished most sections with 3-6 minutes to spare. I crushed one LR section with 21/25 and then bombed another with 12/25. I scored 9/23 on LG and 20/27 on RC. I have all the power score books so I'm just looking for a starting point as it is somewhat overwhelming. Do I start with LG and do those until I master them or do I do that with LR? Or both? Is a tutor worth it? I'm heading to RSLC in a month, but aside from that I'm coming off the line and moving into the S2 position, so I should have a lot more time.

My LSAC GPA is a 3.41 from a Big 10 school. I'd love to go to a T14 like everyone else, but definitely need to get my LSAT up. Thanks in advance for any help, gentlemen.

[Dcc617]

Hey guys!

Just got back from Afghanistan so I'm jumping into LSAT prep. I'm shooting for the December 2017 test. The earliest I feel I would apply is fall 2019 however. I just figured I would get one in while I can. My contract is up in may 2018, but my wife is in optometry school until spring 2020. So I see no reason in getting out before then due to financial reasons. Supppsedy we're deploying to the Middle East again in winter/spring of 2018, but who knows nowadays. That's another reason I'd like to knock it out in December, then maybe take the February and June 2018 tests once i get back.

I just did a diagnostic....and it was pretty bad. Timing wasn't a problem as I finished most sections with 3-6 minutes to spare. I crushed one LR section with 21/25 and then bombed another with 12/25. I scored 9/23 on LG and 20/27 on RC. I have all the power score books so I'm just looking for a starting point as it is somewhat overwhelming. Do I start with LG and do those until I master them or do I do that with LR? Or both? Is a tutor worth it? I'm heading to RSLC in a month, but aside from that I'm coming off the line and moving into the S2 position, so I should have a lot more time.

My LSAC GPA is a 3.41 from a Big 10 school. I'd love to go to a T14 like everyone else, but definitely need to get my LSAT up. Thanks in advance for any help, gentlemen.

I used the Blueprint LSAT online pretaped classes because they let me study on my own schedule while still getting help. I really sucked at LG when I started.

I studied and retook while I was in command, so it's definitely possible to improve while working.