Advice: Lock in freshman year for the GPA. Don’t be a splitter.

I started fixing my grades junior year fall and have had As and A+s since. Retaking classes that I previously got Ds in, so my school GPA is higher than LSAC’s. If I could do it all over again with the knowledge I have now I’d definitely devote myself to getting stellar grades from the start, challenges aside.

Wrote all optional essays where applicable.

Fordham (Early Action) Hold 11/08
W&L A 11/12 and $$+ 11/22
Temple A ($$+) 12/16
Updated transcript sent to CAS on 12/20. 3.47->3.56
Drexel A and CONDITIONAL $$+ 01/09
W&L unprompted scholarship increase from 112,500 -> 115,000 2/6
Boston College R 2/6
Fordham EA Hold -> R 2/10
Villanova A 2/10 and $$+ 2/19
Sent aid reconsideration email 3/7, followed up via phone 3/21, heard back 3/22.
Villanova bound! Final thoughts:
W&L seems to really care about their students. They offer travel reimbursements for admitted students’ day. The school also connects admitted students with alumni based on where you’d like to work. They gave me a generous scholarship given my stats and the school’s ranking, which I really appreciated.- Villanova’s campus is beautiful. The law building is quite new and has lots of natural light and study spaces. They have a business law concentration (and others) for those interested in specializing their JD experience a tad.

• Temple with in-state tuition is an amazing deal. The only downside for me was their two law buildings felt outdated. Not sure if my experience is the truth, but I got the sense from current students that transactional program is lacking compared to the amazing trial advocacy program.
• Drexel has an annoying aid reconsideration process. You have to fill out a spreadsheet with costs (tuition, housing, food, books, transportation, etc) for each other offer you send them. This was after a detailed email that already included my net cost of attendance for each offer. Their original scholarship was conditional, too. I would avoid them if you have other options in the Philadelphia area. I did not feel Drexel valued me as a person.
• The BC and Fordham rejections hurt, but I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford them anyway. Both are great schools, however. I’d encourage everyone to apply, the employment outcomes are great.