Scholarship Negotiations
[Editor's Note: You can submit your questions here.]
Submitted Question:
|
My law school “plan” has always been to attend Vanderbilt Law. My home and life are in Nashville. I applied to the University of Texas during a “what if I don’t get into Vanderbilt” panic. Now not only did UT accept me, but they offered me a full scholarship. Vanderbilt accepted me, but I don’t know the status of any aid. What do I do? - GPA: 3.7 LSAT: 168 |
Corey:
Vanderbilt scholarship news should begin hitting mailboxes in the next two weeks. Based on last year, you are in line to receive some scholarship money but nothing near what UT gave you. While you will save a lot of time and stress staying in Nashville, the cost savings at UT will be very difficult to turn down. To make staying in Nashville more financially feasible, you will need to contact the Vandy admissions office and attempt to have your scholarship increased.
I have found that the best scholarship negotiation approach is a casual email to the Director of Admissions. First, tell the director that you appreciate your acceptance and, hopefully, your scholarship. Next, fully disclosure your situation, that your life is in Nashville and that you want to attend Vandy more than any other school. Then, inform them of your full tuition scholarship at the University of Texas. Ask if there are any additional scholarship funds available that would allow you to make a sound financial decision and still attend Vanderbilt. Conclude with some more appreciation.
If you are unsuccessful and your Vandy scholarship is less than $50k combined, go to UT.
Jane:
First, congratulations on your success thus far. It sounds as though your family is in Nashville and that no matter what happens you will be at Vanderbilt next year. A good support network is worth all the scholarship money in the world. Don’t be afraid to follow Corey’s advice, the Vandy admissions office receives hundreds of scholarship negotiation requests each year, this is just another part of the law school admissions process. My only addition to the advice is to make sure you inform Vanderbilt that any additional scholarship would be extremely helpful. Good luck and keep us informed!
