<p>Hey everyone. I'd like someone to read the following and tell me what you think.
What are my chances??
Until about 3 months ago I had NO idea about how US colleges admissions worked. After my research, here are my stats and the colleges I want to apply to :</p>
<p>I'm half Swiss half Japanese, I have lived in France for the past year and I have my French Baccalaureate Mention Tr</p>
<p>You are clearly an excellent student, with impressive statistics and interesting background. </p>
<p>However, you are applying to the most selective schools, so the chances for you – LIKE FOR EVERYONE – are against you. There are simply too many brilliant students from around the world applying for too few places these universities create for international students. </p>
<p>Have you considered widening your search and applications? For example, women’s colleges? Or schools like Vassar, Colby, Williams, - not Ivy League but highly respected and still very selective colleges?</p>
<p>By the way, from what I’ve read, it seems that you will get in NYU-Abu Dhabi. But really, do you WANT to live in Abu Dhabi?</p>
<p>
Where do you want to go to law school? Law school in the US is expensive and there’s very little financial aid, practically none. If you don’t have at least $150,000 at your disposal or access to loans in that amount, I would strongly encourage you to set your eyes on a different goal.</p>
<p>I really mean that. You can probably secure financial aid for college if you want, but you most likely won’t get financial aid for law school in the US.</p>
<p>Would excellent test scores <em>and</em> GPA not secure one a substantial scholarship? </p>
<p>[TLS</a> Stats - Law School Application Statistics](<a href=“Top Law Schools - Information”>http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/stats.php?school=duke)</p>
<p>Looked at a few of the top schools there and it would appear that such students have <em>a</em> chance at getting in with scholarships.</p>
<p>There’s also <em>a</em> chance that you’ll win $50 million in the lottery. Doesn’t mean that you should bet your future on it…</p>
<p>It’s extremely unlikely that you’d be offered a “substantial” scholarship to law school, especially as a foreign applicant. Since you linked to Duke’s admission outcomes, let’s take a look at Duke. The average scholarship for those few who got one seems to be $60,000. That’s $20,000 per year. Their estimated cost of attendance is $70,000 per year. Could you pay the remaining $50,000? If not, that scholarship wouldn’t help you at all. </p>
<p>I won’t stop you from applying to law school. It won’t hurt to try. However, I urge to you have a backup plan. It’s extremely unlikely that you can find employment in the US as a foreigner with a liberal arts degree. (Sponsoring a foreigner for a work visa is so inconvenient that employers prefer to give generic entry-level positions to domestic students.)</p>
<p>First, thank you all for quick responses (I’m in love with CC!!)</p>
<p>@katliamom : (“You are clearly an excellent student, with impressive statistics and interesting background.” Yay! Means a lot thank you :D) Why choose "la cr</p>
<p>“Only top Ivies give out generous financial aid for internationals” – not true. Just ask b@r!um.</p>
<p>
“Need-based financial aid” for law school usually means “loans.” From Yale’s financial aid policies: </p>
<p>
[How</a> We Determine Your Financial Aid | Yale Law School](<a href=“http://www.law.yale.edu/about/finaid_assessment.htm]How”>http://www.law.yale.edu/about/finaid_assessment.htm)</p>
<p>
Ummm… That sounds more like your best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario is that you won’t be able to afford law school and also won’t find a job in the US. (And let’s be realistic: no American employer is going to go out of their way to hire a liberal arts major from Abu Dhabi with no work experience.) What are your options then?</p>
<p>
I can confirm that from first-hand experience! :)</p>
<p>hunbun, you have great grades and scores, but so do literally THOUSANDS of top students from around the world applying to the very same schools. If you’re serious about wanting to study in the US, you should apply to schools other than the Ivies in order to increase your odds.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies.
I know my chances are low. I’m actually considering Cambridge/Oxford. And the odds of getting accepted there are much higher for me, from what I read.</p>
<p>b@r!um : can you tell me what other schools give out financial aid to internationals? I’m really interested.</p>
<p>and wow I didn’t know you had to take loans at Yale Law School… Hmmm well the NYUAD path is the only way then. But someone please tell me : are they ANY US law grad school that give out grants and not loans (apart NYU for AD students) ?</p>
<p>Most 'professional" (as opposed to academic) graduate programs – law, business, medicine – have very limited FA. The student is expected to cover the (substantial) rest of it. </p>
<p>So if you’re set on law school in the USA, accept the reality of a huge price tag. That’s simply the way things work here. Unfortunately.</p>
<p>PS. An example of how a ‘normal’ – not rich – people pay for their education in the US: President Obama and his wife Michelle finished paying off their educations (Ivy league undergraduate and Harvard Law school) only a few years before he ran for President.</p>
<p>So all these stories about educationnal loans in the US are indeed true… After scrumbling through Ivies websites and seeing the word “need-based financial aid” appear everywhere, I was really excited to know that loans were out of the picture. Na-ah : that would be good to be true wouldn’t it?
Yup, I gotta see if it’s worth it or not. And how hard it is to get into an Ivy Law grad school after, say, a Cambridge bachelor degree? Do you have ideas on that?</p>
<p>B@r!um, sure, that’s the average scholarship. It is not, however, the average scholarship money for successful applicants having a 3.7+ GPA and 175+ LSAT. </p>
<p>Having said that, it’s still a huge gamble, and as you say, one should have a backup plan. Joint JD-PhD programs funded usually, aren’t they? They do take a while to complete but that’s an option. (edit: actually, those are for people who intend on pursuing an academic career within law/related fields) </p>
<p>Also, the OP may want to consider <em>why</em> they would want to be a lawyer in NYC as opposed to being a lawyer anywhere. If it’s money, NYC, intense work atmosphere…then there’s other things they could consider, like investment banking.</p>
<p>I also don’t understand the logic behind applying to NYU-AD early if one wants to be NYC. You’d have more luck working in NYC coming from Williams. (educated guess; no numbers to back this up)</p>
<p>PhDs in economics/finance, math, science and engineering are usually funded. Hard to get into (for econ/finance and science fields like theoretical high energy physics) but funded. Usually, tuition is waived and one is awarded a stipend for living expenses, which more often than not, is not much but enough to live on. B@r!um will know more on the subject. I believe she’s doing a math PhD. :-)</p>
<p>As for colleges which offer financial aid, look into the top 60 liberal arts colleges. Again, courtesy of b@r!um. ;)</p>
<p>I should start my own fan club. Who would wear a b@r!um t-shirt? :D</p>
<p>Sign me up :)</p>
<p>Add in a 56 somewhere and I’m in.</p>
<p>BUMMMMMMMP : can someone else tell me my chances? I’d appreciate it!</p>
<p>Oh and I have a new list of colleges I’m applying to :</p>
<p>NYUAD (ED)
Harvard
Yale
Brown
Penn
Cornell
University of Chicago
Cambridge University
Duke
Tufts
University of Toronto</p>
<p>Well I’m not so good at chancing or stuff but I’d say you’d have a decent chance at colleges like duke, cornell And penn. Even at NYUAD. Harvard and Yale are high reach for everyone. Other then that I’d say you’d easily get into atleast 3-4 colleges from your list.</p>