Accepted/Waitlisted Decision Making Conundrum
I'm in that no man's land of accepted to a school I'd definitely attend, but waitlisted at my #1. Thing is, I am also a non-trad student, and my backup school has a lot of lifestyle benefits. I am seeking some advice on how/when to make a decision.
- Currently admitted to my backup, McGeorge (Sacramento)
- Waitlisted at my #1, Southwestern (LA)
There are big pros and cons to each school for my lifestyle, but I am falling more and more in love with McGeorge every time I visit. I have paid half of the seat deposit, and the other half is due soon. I sent SWLA a letter of cont interest like 2 weeks ago, and attended another admissions event... still nothing.
I feel like I will have more success at McGeorge (it's a night program, I'm old, building a family, have a neuro condition that makes night easier than morning, has a 98% pass rate free BAR study program, etc), but will obvs gain far more at SWLA, which has best Entertainment Law program in the nation (my field of interest, in the city I plan to settle down), compared to McGeorge which has none.
Now, what I am trying to figure out is when I should set myself a deadline. I have lived half my life in both cities, have lots of close fam/friends in both so moving at the drop of a hat is no issue. I scored poorly, so won't be getting lots of scholarship money in either place. I know that SWLA could send an offer as late as orientation week, and while I could get there, I would not have time to seek additional grants/scholarships. I am disabled after surviving a stroke, and my story getting to law school is something of a miraculous recovery, so I feel like I should be finding private scholarships for people like me.
Am I too late to be seeking out such funds already? If not, when is too late?
Should I already be seeking private loans for a Fall26 start date? Do you need to be enrolled to do so?
I already filled everything out, but should I be communicating with FAFSA about enrollment status already? How quickly do they release funds once enrolled, quickly enough to put money down on an apartment?
I am sure I'm missing stuff, but these are the things currently making planning hard. When should I decide to just sh*t or get off the pot?
Posting here instead of the other sub because ppl are much more supportive here rather than "start over and try to get a 195 LSAT score and get a full ride or quit"
Thank you!