<p>Hi,
I’m a senior at Northwestern, 3.66 GPA, 169 LSAT, and I’ll be on a Rotary Fellowship next year to South Africa to get my masters in environment and development. I want to start law school when I get back from that, and will be applying this fall to defer a year ( so I don’t have to try to apply while I’m in SA) What are my chances of getting into Boalt? Does having a masters help? and are there any disadvantages/complications with trying to apply to defer?
Thanks</p>
<p>oh, also, I want to do environmenta/public interest law, are there any other schools people would recommend?
Thanks again</p>
<p>I think u have an excellent opportunity. Also look at Stanford</p>
<p>I don’t understand your message…are you doing something for a year in the US before going to South Africa? You say you are a senior…If you are applying next fall…won’t you be in South Africa then? Or does South Africa have a different academic year? If you apply in the fall of 2005 and defer a year, you will start law school in the fall of 2007. Is that your intent? </p>
<p>Anyway, as you can see for yourself by checking the Law School Admissions Council’s calculator, Boalt accepted between 10 and 25% of applicants with your stats who applied for admission to begin in the fall of 2003. It’s PROBABLE that your odds will be a bit worse than that. (Of course, if the economy improves, they may be a bit better, as fewer people will apply to LS then…or at least, historically, that’s been the case.) You won’t have the master’s and/or any grades when you apply, if I understand your message, so I doubt it will help much. (Generally, master’s do next to nothing to boost your odds, but the year in South Africa and the fact you won a Rotary might help a bit.) </p>
<p>You find out whether you get in and THEN ask for a deferral. It has no impact on whether you get in. However, it may have an impact financially. The non-tuition portion of your Rotary scholarship is taxable income. Remember that you will have to come up with the money to pay taxes on it. (Caution: I am not purporting to give you legal advice. It’s just my understanding.) Also, it could, depending on other income, have some impact on the amount of money you can borrow on a subsidized basis. </p>
<p>I don’t know if Boalt gives need-based financial aid and/or merit money, but SOME law schools–again, I don’t know about Boalt–will not promise the same financial aid or merit money if you defer. You have to reapply for financial aid. Thus, you may put yourself in a position in which you have to choose among law schools without being able to compare the actual aid packages you will receive. (They are USUALLY about the same–but merit scholarships sometimes can not be deferred, and the person who receives one one year may not receive it the next, if X number are given out each year.) </p>
<p>In any event, it’s sounds as if, unless you can afford to pay for LS without borrowing any money, you’ll have to fill out the FAFSA and any other loan/financial aid forms from abroad…at least if I understand your message. Just keep that in mind.</p>