Ep 169: Exploring Law School Financial Aid with Brooklyn Law School
We are joined by Dean Eulas Boyd, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Brooklyn Law School. We cover a comprehensive overview of law school financial aid, including merit-based and need-based aid, the financial aid process at Brooklyn Law School, and crucial tips on managing law school debt. Dean Boyd also shares important advice on building a list of target schools, the timing and application for financial aid, and navigating scholarships and loans. This episode is essential for prospective law students seeking to understand the financial landscape of law school education.
Eulas Boyd
Eulas Boyd is the Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Brooklyn Law School. He practiced commercial litigation in New York for 9 years before transitioning to careers in workforce planning, talent acquisition, and law school admissions. Dean Boyd combines experience in corporate environments, financial institutions, non-profits, and law schools to inform his perspective on law school admissions, legal education, and the legal profession. He joined Brooklyn Law School in 2015 and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Cornell University.
Episode Highlights
Dean Boyd discusses the importance of understanding the different types of financial aid available, including merit-based and need-based aid.
Merit aid is often awarded based on LSAT scores and the reputational value a student brings to the school. Schools automatically consider admitted students for merit aid.
Need-based aid is determined by the financial need of the student and their family.
Dean Boyd emphasizes the importance of the ABA's 509 report, which provides detailed information about admission statistics, financial aid, and enrollment. This report helps students understand the financial aid landscape of different law schools.
He also acknowledges that law school is expensive and advises students to consider the average student debt of graduates when choosing a school.
Early application submission is beneficial for securing merit scholarships. Applications typically go live on September 1st, and early submissions are encouraged.
Students should create a list of dream, target, and safety schools, considering the financial aid each school offers.
Dean Boyd shares that Brooklyn Law School offers a public service fellowship for entering students, in addition to merit and need-based scholarships.
Dean Boyd’s last advise is for students to research schools thoroughly, ask questions, and ensure they are comfortable with their financial decisions.
Tweetable Quotes
“Try to understand the schools, not just in some absolute sense of best school to worst school, but in a sense of best school, to slightly less good school for me, based on the value proposition that the school is offering me, its ability to get me into the career I want and at a price I’m comfortable paying.”
“Everything that you’re doing in terms of making yourself competitive as a law school applicant is also going to make you that much more competitive for merit based aid.”