The Perfect Holiday Gift for Parents of Law School Applicants? A Sound Financing Strategy for Their Students' Juris Doctor Degree

MALIBU, CA--(Marketwire - December 18, 2009) - 'Tis the season in which applicants across the country are busily preparing their applications to the nation's leading law schools, marking a time when many parents are struggling to answer the question: "How will we pay for law school if my child gets in?" To this end, Veritas Prep, a leading law school admissions consulting firm, today released a white paper outlining best practices to help parents and law school applicants alike navigate the graduate school financial aid process and secure sound financing strategy for the increasingly costly Juris Doctor degree.

"Law school applicants tend to be younger -- many of whom are college seniors or recent graduates -- and tend to rely on their parents more for financial assistance when pursuing a post-graduate legal education," explains Adam Hoff, Director of Admissions Consulting at Veritas Prep. "If parents do not foot the tuition bill directly, many at least hope to serve as a resource for their child when exploring financial aid and other financing options."

Now available for download at http://www.veritasprep.com/whitepapers/VP_Financial_Aid.pdf, the white paper offers best practice approaches for the graduate school financial aid process, including:

-- Start early, and stay organized. While separate from admissions, the financial aid process is concurrent and equally important. Deadlines should be placed on the calendar and prioritized similar to admissions deadlines, and checklists can be very valuable in keeping everything organized.

-- Doggedly search for outside funding. Searching for outside scholarships is often something that slips past graduate school applicants compared to their undergraduate counterparts. Scholarships, fellowships and writing competitions for graduate students are often listed on school websites, while independent websites also collate these opportunities.

-- Carefully review the financial aid opportunities at every school of interest. While applicants generally apply to multiple schools, most applicants do not perform a thorough search of the scholarships and fellowships offered at each of the schools to which they are applying. This simple step of due diligence may reveal students qualify for a cost-savings they were otherwise unaware of.

-- Emotions aside, consider the bottom line. Be willing to briefly consider the enrollment decision in purely financial terms. It sounds overly rigid, but considering how emotionally most students make their decisions, it will help balance things out to take a short period of time to consider the enrollment decision the way an accountant would.

For more information on financial aid for law school or other graduate programs, download Veritas Prep's complimentary white paper at http://www.veritasprep.com/whitepapers/VP_Financial_Aid.pdf.

About Veritas Prep

Veritas Prep is the world's fastest-growing test preparation and admissions consulting provider, offering industry-leading programs to help applicants improve their test scores and gain admission to the world's best graduate schools. Founded in 2002 by graduates of the Yale School of Management, Veritas Prep now offers live GMAT prep instruction in more than 80 cities worldwide, as well as interactive online courses available everywhere. Additionally, Veritas Prep offers industry-leading admissions consulting services for applicants seeking admission to the most competitive business schools, law schools, and medical schools in the world.

Contact Information: Contact: Lisa Weiner 303 433 7020