S5E3: Conditional Scholarships: The Hidden Gamble in Law School Funding

Not all scholarships are created equal.

In this episode, Shana (Founder and CEO, Ginsburg Advanced Tutoring) and Trudel (Yale Law '25) break down conditional scholarships—those tantalizing tuition discounts that aren’t guaranteed to last. If you're relying on one to fund your legal education, you need to know the fine print.

🎙️ Understanding the Risk Many law schools offer merit-based scholarships that seem like a golden ticket—until you realize you must maintain a certain GPA or rank in a specific percentile to keep the funding. And here’s the kicker: grading curves in law school are brutal.

Even top-performing students in undergrad can struggle when faced with the reality that not everyone can meet the renewal requirements—because the school simply doesn’t allow it. We unpack why this system exists, how law schools benefit from it, and what students should consider before accepting these offers.

📌 Strategic Decision-Making If you’re weighing a scholarship offer, consider: ✅ How realistic is it to meet the renewal requirements? ✅ What happens if you lose the scholarship—can you afford tuition without it? ✅ Should you pick a school with lower tuition instead of a risky scholarship?

💡 Takeaways Conditional scholarships can be powerful tools or potential traps depending on how they’re structured. We explore real stories from students who have lost their funding and what they wish they had done differently.

Hosted by Shana Ginsburg, Founder of Ginsburg Advanced | Cohost: Trudel Pare | Music by Taha Ahmed | Editing by Podcast Doctors  | Enroll in LSAT Boss classes for the anything-but-average student!: https://www.ginsburgadvancedtutoring.com/lsat-boss-live-classes  Get $100 off a live LSAT BOSS class with code MAYBOSS100