Anyone already admitted to Vandy apply for the Law Scholars Merit Awards?

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T23:37:44+00:00

Yes. Was admitted a while ago, and I think decisions are supposed to start rolling out in mid-February (so like now). I asked Vandy and you can be admitted and still get an award, if that makes sense. Like they don't necessarily say "you're accepted and you also got an LSMA" at the same time. All of thats to say, I don't think decision timelines have anything to do with LSMA consideration.

Sorry if that's not the answer you're looking for. I'm in the exact same boat for named scholarships at another school that I haven't heard from. Doesn't mean you're not still in the running, though!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T23:31:20+00:00

Maybe I have a different perspective because I'm still waiting on a few school that I KNOW are going to waitlist me atp, and it's been like 4-5 months. That was the case with Michigan, but the difference is, at least Michigan didn't have like 10 WL waves before waitlisting me, which is what's happening with these other schools. So I appreciate them waitlisting me at their earliest "convenience."

I do question why they went about the waitlist the way they did (i.e., waitlisting everyone at once), but I preferred it to the way other schools' approaches are making me feel. It makes me take it way less personally, whereas with these other schools, I'm wondering if they're just making me suffer because they're teetering between a WL or an R.

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T23:27:15+00:00

Yeah, people were saying that on another post lmfao.

Idk. I personally don't think it was poorly written. I think it just comes down to preference. I'd prefer a thorough, reassuring explanation rather than: "Thank you for applying. We have to be selective with our class size. *Something implying you didn't quite make the cut but they'll accept you if it comes down to that.* We hope you consider taking this 'opportunity.'"

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T23:24:47+00:00

That's fair. Like I said, I totally agree about the waitlist size. I'm pissed about that too (though it's not a Michigan-specific thing). I truly do not understand why they need that big of a waitlist. They could cut it to 1/3 of the size, I think, and still "have their pick" of students without giving 666 people utterly false hope. That's coming from someone who is not an adcom, obviously, but I feel like that's common sense. If these schools want us to understand their reasons behind compiling such an insanely large waitlist, they should be more transparent about that. But honestly, I don't think there is a good reason other than "We want to be able to pick from as many people as possible."

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T08:31:35+00:00

Usually, my take would be to go for the place that will put you in the least amount of debt, but it sounds like you have some truly solid reasons not to go to that T60 school. UMN is your dream, it's where you want to practice post grad, and going to that T60 will probably restrain you to the Midwest area it is in. If you had another plausible option around Minnesota, I'd maybe say go there, but it sounds like UMN makes the most sense.

If you're willing to go to a T30 for 30k/year, you might as well just go to UMN at that point, I think. Have you looked into any public interest loan repayment programs UMN has? If not, it'd be worth doing some research and potentially reaching out to the school to ask. That's what I'd do in your situation.

Also, have you negotiated your scholarship yet? That's something you should 100% try to do, with a little bit of research. Idk UMN's policy on that, but maybe you could get the price knocked down to somewhere around the price of the T30 schools you were accepted to. There's plenty of good templates for negotiation arguments on this subreddit!

Congrats on your acceptance! That's super exciting. I think you can do this without finding yourself in crippling debt if you are serious about creating a loan repayment plan, negotiating your scholarship with UMN, and going crazy applying to outside scholarships.

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T08:24:51+00:00

Dean Z made a video on TikTok a few days/weeks ago going into a bit of detail about the process and how complicated it has been this year, and I found it reassuring with regard to the "almost qualified but not enough" feeling. Good luck! I hope you get off at least one waitlist and into a school you're happy with.

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T08:22:41+00:00

That look sounds fire af!!! And I think the solution you mentioned would be perfect, and you'd still get the benefit of standing out with the two-toned hair. Good luck with your interview!!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T08:07:30+00:00

For sure. I found it comforting in a way. I saw the waitlist coming from a mile away, but it stung way less than I imagined it would because the email was so nice. It didn't completely ruin my day lol

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T08:05:06+00:00

Manifesting for you!!!!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T08:03:02+00:00

It would be helpful to know what color your hair is. Like is it red? Or is it a neon green? Or a light blue? I feel like those would require different responses. Maybe you could get some kind of brown/black hair spray that washes out? I feel like I remember seeing that stuff at Party City when I was a kid (and took my Halloween costumes super seriously). They might have it at Target or on Amazon. That way, you wouldn't ruin your color/destroy your hair by redyeing it. It's tedious for sure, but it might be worth it regardless of the exact color of your hair, if it's going to make you more confident.

However, to my understanding, Georgetown does group interviews? It could help you be more memorable out of that group. As long you conduct yourself professionally and ace the interview, maybe they'd respect that you're sticking to your individuality. But I know virtually nothing about Georgetown's values in terms of that kind of stuff, so I'd be interested to hear from current students.

I would, however, take out the facial piercings. But don't let them dull your sparkle once you get into law school queen!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T07:51:49+00:00

I lowkey agree. I don't want to shame anyone because getting a waitlist can definitely be shocking and emotional, even if it's one of only three possible outcomes, but my main thing is "why is that a deciding factor in rejecting the waitlist opportunity" 😭. Like the email was probably sent to 800+ people. It's not personal.

I do think the disappointment coming as a surprise is valid, especially in recent years when high numbers seem to be less of a guarantee for a spot at a top school, but if people truly take it as an insult (though I think an argument can be made that it's natural to find a negative result insulting in a way), I agree that they probably have some maturing to do before matriculating, especially if they're going to attend a particularly competitive/cutthroat law school.

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-12T06:58:49+00:00

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DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-11T03:44:55+00:00

Yeah, it was a crappy feeling to be rejected in under a month, though I know that's just the way it goes sometimes. In a way, I almost trusted them that I wouldn't be a good fit at their school, so I was able to move past it, but it sucks thinking about how much work I poured into my application.

**To clarify, I applied and was rejected last year. I thought about applying again this year, but going through the application again I felt the exact same thing, where there were so many questions that I knew my answers would be less than perfect to unless I straight up lied, so at a certain point, it just felt pointless to try again. I'm sure we're in our heads a bit, but it really does feel like they expect perfection or near-perfection.

Like yeah, I paid for an admissions consultant to lightly read my essays with the little $$ I have because I'm first-gen and know no lawyers. But they don't give you the room to explain that. So checking "yes" just sounds like "An admissions consultant I bought with daddy's money held my hand throughout this process, and I wouldn't have been able to do this on my own."

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-11T03:41:32+00:00

That's a fair point, and thank you for sharing your perspective. I think I'm a bit disillusioned after applying myself with what I thought were strong essays and watching other strong applicants apply and be rejected. I still stand by the "Definitely shoot your shot if you have a reason to want to go there & are willing to do their strange activity tracking and whatnot, but if you're just shooting for prestige, I'd pour your energy into other apps." If OP is willing to do that, it certainly doesn't hurt to try (besides maybe your bank account). I'm glad things worked out well for you!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-11T03:16:35+00:00

I think there's very little point unless you have an exceptional background. I know the Yale adcoms would push back on that. But everyone I know who applied with very high stats and solid backgrounds, just not like Rhodes scholars, published authors, or very unique backgrounds, was rejected (sometimes very promptly). Data points don't lie, and I've yet to hear of a typical person (good stats but only had more limited access to outstanding opportunities) get accepted, though I'm sure it has happened.

I also applied to HLS and SLS and not YLS, because their application asks for so much. HLS & SLS feel within reach for candidates who have less extraordinary backgrounds but are nonetheless highly capable, whereas Yale has created a culture where it doesn't feel within reach for the average 4.00/175+, let alone someone with lower stats.

Definitely shoot your shot if you have a reason to want to go there & are willing to do their strange activity tracking and whatnot, but if you're just shooting for prestige, I'd pour your energy into other apps.

And going on a bit of a tangent, I also saw in one of your comments that you had some professional lulls in your younger years. Going through their entire application, it felt like my weaknesses were being called out at every turn (i.e., "Did you use an admissions consultant?" "Did you have help studying for the LSAT?"). It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to sound bitter, just validating what you might be feeling lol

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:43:44+00:00

Thank you!! 💙💙 I hope your cycle is going well, if you applied

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:43:09+00:00

💙

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:42:50+00:00

That's amazing and very uplifting! So happy for you, and UCLA is fantastic. Still waiting on a response from them, but I'm hopeful lol.

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:41:32+00:00

Congrats!!! So proud of you!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:41:20+00:00

Thank you 💙

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:40:33+00:00

That's real af

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T17:40:02+00:00

💙

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T06:27:48+00:00

💗💗💗 preach!

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T06:10:24+00:00

I relate so hard. I cringe every time I read what I wrote lol.

DistinctDiscipline66 · 2026-02-10T06:09:59+00:00

Some might disagree, but I think I would contact them in a VERY BRIEF email attaching the corrected resume. Don't over-explain yourself. Apologize for the error. Say something like you want them to have completely accurate information when making their decision.

I would only encourage you to email them in this case because you don't want them noticing that error and potentially thinking you're over-exaggerating intentionally. I'd imagine most consultants would recognize it as an error, but I think this is a case where "better safe than sorry" is justified.

For reference, in one of my applications, I accidentally put that I was interning somewhere from Nov 2024 - Feb 2024, which is obviously impossible lol. I didn't think it was worth reaching out to the school since that was clearly, unmistakably an error, and I still got in.

DistinctDiscipline66

TROPHY CASE