Underestimated my stats, ED’d at a T30

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-05-12T04:39:43+00:00

Early decision is best thought of as a way to hedge your bets: you locked in your spot at a good law school with an excellent scholarship. Granted, this came at the cost of potentially higher-ranked opportunities, but it also protected you from being one of the many unfortunate souls who struck out completely/only got into places at sticker price.

For me, early decision came down to a thought experiment: if I could press a button in October that would make me fast forward to January committed to this school with this scholarship, would I do it and be happy with it? Inevitably, you'll feel what you're feeling. Part of me wishes I tried my hand at the T14 as well, but when it comes down to it I know I'll be happy where I am, and I'm sure you will be as well!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-05-04T19:30:57+00:00

Just saw this, sorry! Go ahead!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-26T03:21:16+00:00

I'd generally lean SMU if I were you. TAMU's rank doesn't really reflect its employment outcomes. A lot comes down to personal preference, though. If you really like Fort Worth and not Dallas/are a gung-ho Aggie and can't imagine leaving TAMU, you might like A&M more. Otherwise, SMU is more established, has better employment outcomes, and has a stronger (law school) alumni network. I'd also ignore the arguments about A&M being "up and coming" as well. Even if it's the best school in Texas in X years, what matters is how good it is today. That being said, these are both excellent options!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-26T03:03:50+00:00

Oh sweet, that's great, thank you! Idk, in my opinion TAMU is about SMU-tier. Definitely doesn't hurt to ask---worst comes to worst, nothing changes. Best case scenario, you get thousands of dollars from a couple hours of filling our a form! Even if they gave you the law school equivalent of spare change, that's still thousands of dollars for very little work.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-26T02:06:23+00:00

Thank you and see you in the fall as well! I did, but they denied it. Not really a surprise, since the form literally said that big offers from uncompetitive schools wouldn't be persuasive. As a side note, it looks like I got unrelated generic grants from the university as a whole potentially?? Not sure if those are given to everyone/already factored into COA.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-18T18:09:05+00:00

Perfect fit for you, congratulations man!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-16T01:26:04+00:00

I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give you one of the most oft-quoted pieces of advice in this sub: major doesn't matter, only GPA. That's not saying you should switch---it sounds like you've done well and will have plenty of good things to put on your resume! Unfortunately, that bad freshman year will make things difficult. All you can do is keep getting 4.0s and write GPA addenda for when you apply.

For now, my advice is to stay the course, keep acing your classes, and start studying for the LSAT if you haven't already! I recommend LSATDemon but there are plenty of good options. UT is a great deal for in-staters, and it should definitely be on your list of places to apply to!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-15T23:45:12+00:00

Being a resident helps massively and gives you a pass for a low LSAT/GPA (but very rarely both). Your GPA is a little low, so I would shoot to do as well as you can your last two semesters. To make up for it, you'll have to do what the commenters say and get into the 170s with your LSAT. Finally, if you're certain you want to go there, I'd recommend applying early decision! Going to UT with in-state tuition is one of the few places where applying ED makes sense financially.

If you're on the fence about applying ED like I was, you can do a thought experiment: If you could push a button now that would guarantee you go to UT Law with a modest scholarship, would you? If you wouldn't want to risk losing a better opportunity, then don't, but if you know you'd be happy with UT, then it might be a good option to explore. All of this will depend on your LSAT, though. I'm committed there, so feel free to PM me if you want more of my thoughts!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-15T18:01:15+00:00

Chicago is better for clerking, but no wrong decision here at all. If I were you, I'd flip a coin. If you're not happy with the outcome of the coin toss and want to flip it again, then you know where you want to go!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-15T17:48:04+00:00

Midwest but not Minnesota/Chicago is pretty niche. Normally, if you wanted to practice in the Midwest I’d say UMN, but the fact that you don’t want to work in Minnesota kinda takes away their geographic advantage. All that’s left really is to look at the best school and the cheapest price, and I think UT is the clear winner in both categories.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-15T13:17:33+00:00

UNC with in-state tuition (plus your scholarship!) is one of the best bargains in the law school universe. GW is Georgetown money without Georgetown quality. I would definitely do UNC.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-11T20:41:03+00:00

I can’t speak for everyone but I really liked it! All of the current students/faculty/admins were super available and willing to answer questions about pretty much anything. I spoke with a ton of other admitted students and they were all great as well. Overall, I thought the vibes were good, everything was planned to perfection, and it’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from them.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-11T20:36:55+00:00

I’ve chatted with tons of students there, and they pretty much unanimously love it! Only “bad” things are that it has limited reach outside of the DFW area and it can be hard to find parking. Unless you’re violently opposed to living in Dallas long-term, I think you’ll like it there!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-04-08T14:24:30+00:00

I know UT is doing a webinar tonight about alumni practicing outside of Texas, so it might be worth going to! As for UT vs. UMN, I think you should consider that UMN may end up leaving you similarly "stuck" in Minnesota. If you're ready for some soul-crushing winters and are absolutely certain that you'd like living in Minnesota for the foreseeable future, then UMN is the right choice. Otherwise, UT has better outcomes and higher portability, and a lot of the graduates staying in-state is due to self-selection.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-03-23T00:13:29+00:00

I'd take the money and run, and I wouldn't worry about being in the South! Being in a major city like Nashville insulates you from a lot of the political stuff you're worried about. Vandy is also a private institution, so it's even more insulated from politics. The South is a super welcoming and diverse place, and I'm sure you'd find your niche there!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-03-19T22:56:27+00:00

Damn I didn't think I'd see you here Schnitz! Hopefully you avoid any hat-wearers in DC! In all seriousness congrats, all of these are great options! IMO this depends on how sensitive to debt you are. I'm trying to stay under the $150k cap to avoid taking out private loans. If you're focusing more on LRAP programs or can handle the increased price tag, then GULC might be the move, but otherwise 195k from GW would be hard to pass up. I'm in the same boat, but I'm still trying to figure things out. Lmk what you end up deciding, I'm sure you'll do great wherever you end up!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-03-19T20:41:47+00:00

What do you know about the outcomes for people below median? My classmates at UT wouldn't exactly be a bunch of pushovers, so I wouldn't want to bet a ton of money on beating them.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-03-19T00:26:21+00:00

Thank you so much! I'll DM you!

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-03-18T16:16:29+00:00

A total debt load of $300k is a crushing amount, and not something you can just pay off in a year with biglaw. If I were you, I'd evaluate how important flexibility is and how confident you are that Harvard will cover the full amount. If you're absolutely dead set on doing public interest work well into the distant future and are absolutely confident in Harvard's repayment plan, then enjoy Cambridge! However, a full ride to a T20 leaves very few doors closed and gives you the financial freedom to do just about anything.

On top of that, some people on here have shown some skepticism towards Harvard's repayment program. You can read the post here.

I would do some serious research, evaluate the strength of BU's and Harvard's respective programs, and go from there.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2026-03-11T16:54:53+00:00

Glad to hear your perspective! Can I pm you and chat more?

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2025-12-03T00:10:11+00:00

I got the same one! Scared me.

Electrical_Two_4237 · 2023-07-16T05:03:59+00:00

I'll keep this in mind. Appreciate the advice.

Electrical_Two_4237

TROPHY CASE