DrPasta '23–'24 app cycle

Reapplicant from 2022-2023 cycle (LSD doesn’t have an option to have multiple cycles in the tracker and I wanna keep my old data there for my splitter friends).
After some family things, my applications weren’t great and it just wasn’t a good time for me to do law school. Between cycles, I’m working full time and really thought about what I want my future to look like. I did submit extra statements explaining why I was reapplying. Only applying to a handful of schools in NYC because I don’t want to move, I love the city and my community here. Top choice NYU. Applying to NYU and Columbia bc they have good LRAP programs and I’m looking for that unicorn PI job sooooo prestige would have its plusses. Fordham not as ideal for me bc their LRAP is abyssmal for nyc salaries, and even with their top scholarship (which I was offered both cycles) it’s really $$.

23-24 Apps:

NYU - ED - Deferred to RD - Hold 2/6 - Waitlist 4/30
Columbia - RD - Accepted! Got the WL from CLS last year so shocked and pleasantly surprised ATTENDING with 70k grant.
Fordham - RD - Accepted with $135k scholarship
CUNY - RD - Accepted a couple days after applying

Overall thoughts: I’m bummed that I didn’t get accepted to NYU as that was my top choice. But I’m having one of those “everything happens for a reason moments”. Columbia has some fantastic study abroad/dual LLM degree options that I only recently became interested in. NYU doesn’t have anything similar so I’m very grateful that I’ll now have this opportunity at Columbia. Columbia is expensive as h*ll but the LRAP is truly unmatched (except by nyu lol) so I don’t feel as anxious about all of the loans. I am SO SO glad I didn’t enroll anywhere last year. Yes, I was accepted to a higher ranked school, which is great, but more importantly I feel ready to attend now and I get to stay in the city I love.

So if anyone is still reading my rambling, be specific and honest with yourself about what you really want. Don’t rush for the sake of wanting to get it done, law school will still be an option in a year, two years or even five. <3