Congratulations! You have been accepted to law school! Now you need to make some choices! If you are accepted to more than one law school, it can be difficult to figure out how to decide where to go.
Note any and all deadlines: The very first thing you should do after receiving an offer of acceptance is to note any and all deadlines associated with that offer. Please note that such deadlines are generally VERY firm and if you do not comply, your seat will be offered to another student.
Make sure you understand your financial aid package and any conditions that apply: Make sure that you understand any conditions that go along with scholarship offers. Questions to make sure you know the answer to about scholarships include:
- Is the scholarship guaranteed for all three years of law school and if not, under what conditions will it be renewed?
- Do you need to maintain a certain GPA to retain the scholarship?
- Does the school offer more first year scholarships than they can renew in the second year?
Consider Negotiating Your Scholarships: Not every applicant will be in a position to attempt to negotiate scholarships, but we have had many students successfully do so in the past. Generally, to successfully renegotiate a scholarship offer, you need to either have an offer of admission from a school significantly higher ranked than the school you are asking to increase your award or you need to have a higher scholarship offer from a peer-school (similarly ranked school) or a higher ranked school. Be prepared to back up any claim you make with documentation (ie, if you say another school has offered you a higher scholarship, you will need to provide the award offer from that school showing that what you are asserting is accurate). Make sure to do your due diligence about scholarship negotiation best practices before you contact law schools.
Scholarship Negotiation Resources:
Financial Aid and Scholarships for Law School (2021) (7Sage)
Law School Scholarship Negotiations (Purdue University)
How Should You Negotiate a Law School Scholarship? (JD Journal)
Attend Admitted Student Days/Visit the Schools: Take advantage of opportunities to visit the schools to which you have been admitted and get a sense of culture and environment. Talk to as many current students as you can to learn about their experience in class, finding internships, and participating in on- and off- campus opportunities like study abroad, clinics, and student organizations.
Additional Resources:
How to Choose a Law School (Princeton Review)
7 Steps to Choosing the Best Law School for You (National Jurist)
How to Weigh Competing Law School Acceptances (U.S. News)
