It’s time to talk dollars…you’ve worked hard to submit your admissions application.  Now it’s time to concentrate on your financial aid application.  There are two categories of financial aid: scholarships and loans. 

Scholarships are "free money" that you do not need to repay.  Some schools may require you to submit forms to be considered for scholarships; other will not.  Be sure to verify the process for every school to which you’re applying.  For many schools, you will not need to apply for scholarships.  Once you are accepted to that law school, the Admissions Committee automatically reviews your application for scholarship potential.  Generally, scholarships are merit based.  Scholarship amounts vary from school to school. 

I suggest that you research other scholarship avenues such as your church or synagogue, and organizations including the Hellenic Bar Association, the Justinian Society of Lawyers, the Hispanic Lawyers Association, the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, and the American Bar Association, just to name a few.  Check out each school’s website as it may include a listing of other potential sources.  Search online for foundations that may provide scholarship support, as well as websites providing scholarship opportunities.  It will take effort on your part and will be worth it. 

Applying for loans is a much more intensive process.  I strongly recommend applying for financial aid right after the first of the year.  Do not, and I repeat, do not wait to be accepted to a law school before applying for financial aid.  Your goal should be to complete your financial aid application before you’ve been accepted so that you will receive a financial aid award letter before your first deposit is required.  If you wait to apply for financial aid, you may need to place your first deposit without knowing your financial aid status. 

The first step is to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as the FAFSA, to the U.S. Department of Education.  I encourage you to submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1.  FAFSA applications can be found at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.  You can also pick up a hard copy of the FAFSA in the law school’s Financial Aid Office.

Some schools may require an additional form called the Need Access Form which can be found at http://www.needaccess.org. 

Each law school’s website has a section on Financial Aid with complete instructions in applying for aid.  The financial aid process varies from school to school; do not assume the process at one school is the same for another. 

Also review the Law School Admission Council website (www.lsac.org).  Click on "Financing Law School" on the home page.

Start now…and good luck.

The application asks for you to indicate for which division you wish to apply: full time or part time (for those schools that offer part time).  For the majority of the applications, you are allowed only to check one or the other.  But some schools allow you to check both.

I’ve learned from working with my clients that most of you prefer the full-time program.  However, I’ve always considered it my job to make you aware of all of your options, and I leave it up to you to make the best decision that meets your interests.

If a school permits you to apply to both divisions, I encourage you to do so.  Why not increase your chances of being accepted?  Generally – and you’ll wish to verify this with the Admissions Office – after you complete your first year of law school, as long as you are not on probation, you should be able to switch divisions.  You can finish your degree as a full-time student, but be aware that there is a sequence of classes that you’ll need to fulfill with your original part-time cohort.  It also may take you an additional semester to graduate, but be sure to verify this with the Registrar’s Office.

If you receive a defer decision or be put on the waitlist, the Admissions Committee might give you the option of being considered for the part-time division as well as the full-time division to which you originally applied.  Once again, please think about the advice above.

Now, for those of you who have already applied to law school, if the law school gives you the opportunity to request admission to both divisions – and you have yet to hear a decision – call the Admissions Office and ask if you can send in an additional letter requesting to be considered for both.

As always, the decision stands with you, but you owe it to yourself to explore all your options.