OT: Final need law school advice

[8893]

This is a great point and something the New York Times wrote a piece about last year: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/law-school-grants.html?pagewanted=all

Buyer beware.

Wow. That's pretty illuminating...and scary.

I was fortunate to do very well, but I will say that law school was definitely a rude awakening for many, many students who were used to getting very good grades for most of their lives. One thing I think many fail to appreciate is that law schools are comprised largely of people who are (a) very competitive; and (b) also used to getting good grades for most of their lives. Because most classes grade on a curve, the number of very good grades is very limited; which means that you are competing not only with the material, but with each other for the best grades. I didn't get into the student-vs-student aspect, but I definitely perceived it from others. The other thing that is disconcerting for many is that most classes (and the tests for them) are not based simply on studying and regurgitating facts; they are mostly based on reasoning and analysis. Students who are accustomed to memorizing and regurgitating material start freaking out when they realize that they can't just study, memorize and get good grades.

All of which is to agree wholeheartedly that this fellow should read the fine print on any scholarship offer, as even hard work isn't always enough to guarantee good grades in law school.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Read the fine print on the Nova offer. Those things are usually for the first year and if you are not in the top x%, it goes away the last two years and you are stuck.

Interestingly, AfgHusky15's first sentence states, "Just was recently offered a full ride from Villanova law school as well as a 4k stipend my first year for living expenses." As a 1L (first-year student), is it a full ride + 4k stipend ? Or, is it a full ride for 3 years, and the 4K stipend is only for 1L? Big difference!