Cycle is finished.
I received my final decision the other day. All in all, I was surprised by some of my admits and very much surprised by my waitlists. I've kept myself on the waitlists at a few of the higher-ranked schools, such as W&M, Wisconsin, and IU Maurer. It would be cool to get in, but I understand that getting decent aid is unlikely anyway.
I am now in the difficult position of deciding between my alma mater, MSU, at 65% tuition, and Toledo, which offered a full ride. I paid the first deposit at MSU as a sort of negotiating tactic, but Toledo's deposit deadline is on the 15th, so I really need to make a decision. I am planning to email MSU for the last time on Monday to see if there is any more money available.
My goal is public interest law, preferably in a non-profit/public defender role within Michigan (my home state). I currently work in a district court in my hometown in Michigan that has two judges who attended Toledo. (One of whom thinks I should attend Toledo because, as he says, graduating debt-free is incredibly underrated.)
MSU tuition cost - $46,440 + fees/books (no CoL/commuting)
Toledo - $0 + CoL/Fees
I have a little nest egg of savings from working these last couple of years that would leave me with about $14k in total cost at MSU, but that doesn't account for other expenses such as books, vehicle maintenance, etc. My mother has offered to cover food and gas wherever I choose to attend. (If that is MSU, my rent would be free.) However, at MSU I would also have a 40-minute commute with an added 10-minute bike ride from the commuter lot.