I have some exciting news to share with you all, and I have some not-so-exciting news. First, the not-so-exciting, my father recently lost his job at the international financial company ING. With the current, tough economic times, this has created a small roadblock on my road to law school; mostly, this adds the stress of finding substantial financial aid to allow me to not be too buried in debt after graduation. I’ve been on the hunt for scholarships, grants, and loans.
Which leads me to some other not-so-exciting news; after contacting the Admissions Director at Drexel Law, she has informed me the school will be unable to offer me any scholarships. This was quite a blow. It makes my decision process increasingly more difficult. I’m left wondering: do I suck it up, pay the thirty-two grand and go to a school I strongly believe in, or do I go to a less established school and accept the scholarships they are offering? It is becoming slightly problematic for me to make any decisions. But enough with the unexciting news, let us move to something more uplifting!
I have received my acceptance package from Widener University. Luckily, I was accepted to both their campuses (Harrisburg and Delaware). Now comes the very, very exciting news. If I accept the offer from the Harrisburg campus, I am eligible for the Dickson Scholarship. The scholarship itself is offered to Pennsylvania state school alumni, who scored within the top 50% of both the LSAT and their graduating class. The only flaw in the equation is that the scholarship is only offered at the Harrisburg campus, which is the slightly less prestigious between the too.
What to do, what to do.
So here I sit, waiting, contemplating, and analyzing. I am still waiting to hear from Rutgers and Penn State and whether or not Baltimore will offer me any scholarship money. Mostly, what I have gathered from my research so far is that most scholarships are awarded at the time of acceptance, and a few grants are given out after the FAFSA is filled out. I am still trying to decipher the messy world of financial aid and promise to deliver a future post detailing it fully.
Keep checking.
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Sorry to hear about your dad getting laid off. I hear ING let a lot of people go. I wish him good luck.
ReplyDeleteAs for your decision...take you time, prioritize and sort your options...do lots of research...call the school's financial aid offices, admissions folks, department heads, profs, etc. Start a communication track with them. Their responses will give you a sense of who you like beyond just facts and data in a viewbook. You will start to get to know who they are and how they operate. The personal impressions will mean a lot. Good luck to you too.
Good advice Scott. Yes, lots of people are being downsized these days. That is why it is probably good that you are planning to attend law school. Rough time to be in the job market. Hopefully, in three years the economy will have bounced back.
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