Another ranking vs. $$ poll - NU v. WUSTL Forum

[2013esq]

WashU has offered me 33k/year. Northwestern has offered me NOTHING. I'm not sure exactly what I want to do after graduation but am interested in public interest and federal clerkships (although I don't want to rule out firm work) and don't have a preference of location. I visited NU and didn't LOVE it but certainly didn't hate it. I haven't visited WUSTL and won't be able to. I'm nervous about going so much more into debt (especially considering the low COL in STL). Advice?!?!

[SaintClarence27]

WashU has offered me 33k/year. Northwestern has offered me NOTHING. I'm not sure exactly what I want to do after graduation but am interested in public interest and federal clerkships (although I don't want to rule out firm work) and don't have a preference of location. I visited NU and didn't LOVE it but certainly didn't hate it. I haven't visited WUSTL and won't be able to. I'm nervous about going so much more into debt (especially considering the low COL in STL). Advice?!?!

NU is great for biglaw, but if you don't know what you want to do, it would be best to absorb the significantly less debt that WUSTL affords.

[nowinGA]

I am fairly certain if you visit WashU you will love it. There is not much NOT to like. It is one of my top choices too. I hadn't thought much of it, visited, and was blown away. The school is gorgeous and comfy...and it is VERY cheap to live there. Like, crazy cheap.

Since you do not know what you want to do...I would say WashU. That said, I know how hard it is to say no to a top 10 school...

[Styrofoam]

I respectfully disagree with the previous posters. If you don't know what you want to do, go to the best law school possible. In this case, that is clearly NU.

[RayFinkle]

I respectfully disagree with the previous posters. If you don't know what you want to do, go to the best law school possible. In this case, that is clearly NU.

Wouldn't a better statement be, if you don't know what you want to do, go to the law school that puts you in the least amount of debt? I mean, if the individual ends up despising any job that would garner the amount of money needed to pay off debt, wouldn't that make choosing the "best law school possible" a huge mistake?

[2013esq]

I respectfully disagree with the previous posters. If you don't know what you want to do, go to the best law school possible. In this case, that is clearly NU.

Wouldn't a better statement be, if you don't know what you want to do, go to the law school that puts you in the least amount of debt? I mean, if the individual ends up despising any job that would garner the amount of money needed to pay off debt, wouldn't that make choosing the "best law school possible" a huge mistake?

This is the $64 million question. NU will most likely give me more "options" but I will be shackled by my debt. WashU may give me limited options but I'll be more free to do what I want since I will be almost $130k less in debt. I have NO idea what to do.

I am fairly certain if you visit WashU you will love it. There is not much NOT to like. It is one of my top choices too. I hadn't thought much of it, visited, and was blown away. The school is gorgeous and comfy...and it is VERY cheap to live there. Like, crazy cheap.

Since you do not know what you want to do...I would say WashU. That said, I know how hard it is to say no to a top 10 school...

I have heard this from just about everyone, which is making my decision that much harder! Are you going to WashU?

[jonas]

If you're serious about clerking, Northwestern is the clear winner. If you're interested in national mobility, Northwestern. If you're interested in elite nonprofit and government jobs, Northwestern.

Also, if you're committed to a PI career, make sure you're comparing the schools' LRAPs, not just tuition. NU might not end up costing you all that much more than WashU. See http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissi ... /lrap.html.

[2013esq]

If you're serious about clerking, Northwestern is the clear winner. If you're interested in national mobility, Northwestern. If you're interested in elite nonprofit and government jobs, Northwestern.

Also, if you're committed to a PI career, make sure you're comparing the schools' LRAPs, not just tuition. NU might not end up costing you all that much more than WashU. See http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissi ... /lrap.html.

Great point. I think to qualify for WashU's LRAP you have to make under 30k. That's basically the poverty line.

[20160810]

I'm pretty conservative on this kind of stuff, so I say follow the money.

[stratocophic]

I'm pretty conservative on this kind of stuff, so I say follow the money.

+1 Also, aren't diversity initiatives liable to make up some of the difference for hiring? Granted, it'd be applicable at both places, but I'd guess it would tend to lessen the large difference rather than increase it b/c there's only so much benefit you can derive from it at a school near the top. Pretty sure I'll take WUSTL over one of NU's peers if they offer sticker off of the WL.

[2013esq]

I'm pretty conservative on this kind of stuff, so I say follow the money.

I think I will end up doing just that. Hard to turn down NU, but I didn't love the campus and it's SOOOOO much debt. It's not like I want Chicago/NY big law right out of school. I don't mind living in STL for a few years. Your point is well taken.

[meddlingkid]

Hey I visited WUSTL (as you know), and the campus is really beautiful. The law building is amazing. I can't compare it to NUs campus because I've never been, but the university and the surrounding areas were really, really nice. It's definitely not "big city living." It feels like a small town. The downtown area near the baseball stadium and Arch felt deserted. Not sure if stuff like that matters for the purposes of your decision.

I agree with the previous posters that NU is a better option for national mobility, but that's massive debt to take on. If you can't get any money out of NU, I'd say WUSTL.

[rayiner]

Figure out what you want to do. If you want public interest or biglaw, go to NU. For public interest IBR+LRAP will negate the cost difference. If you want small/medium firm work go to WUSTL.

[09042014]

Figure out what you want to do. If you want public interest or biglaw, go to NU. For public interest IBR+LRAP will negate the cost difference. If you want small/medium firm work go to WUSTL.

Ray as always knows his shit.

[CanadianWolf]

If the information in your posted profile is correct, then the clear choice is WashUStL.

[DerrickRose]

IBR on 200k+ would suck, a lot. I'm a pretty risk averse person, so I see WUSTL as a no-brainer here.

There isn't an Illinois full ride or a big Vandy scholly or something else lurking around here is there?

[09042014]

IBR on 200k+ would suck, a lot. I'm a pretty risk averse person, so I see WUSTL as a no-brainer here.

There isn't an Illinois full ride or a big Vandy scholly or something else lurking around here is there?

IBR is based on your income, not your debt. If the OP is doing PI, NU is the only choice. Hell she'll pay LESS at NU because NU actually has a functional LRAP.

[CanadianWolf]

Intentions of a college senior are not necessarily set in stone, thus the sure money beats out the possibility of a long term loan repayment program. This concern is heightened by the OP's desire to pursue a federal (judicial, I presume) clerkship opportunity when the entering stats raise concerns as to the reasonableness of that ambition.

[Rock Chalk]

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[2013esq]

If you don't know what you want to do, go to the best law school possible.

Wouldn't a better statement be, if you don't know what you want to do, go to the law school that puts you in the least amount of debt?

I don't think there is a real aswer to this question, it's more like a risk/reward thing that has more to do with self awareness than with probability. Many people would say "higher rank = more debt with a higher salary to match, lower rank = less debt with a lower salary to match," but this varies so much from one applicant to the next that it's often unhelpful.

There's no doubting NU will give you better opportunities (according to every major placement survey), but keep in mind the average NU grad has more work experience and qualifications than the average Wash U grad. How do you feel about your chances out of each school?

I know people are probably going to contend that one should never expect a higher class rank out of a lower ranked school, but LSAT scores correlate closely enough with law school success for it to be considered. Add that to the student body that Northwestern targets and you're looking at a steeper hill, but with a higher peak.

Don't take finding a decent job for granted ITE though, even out of NU, and even with your best effort.

I think you have very good options, so congrats. But I understand your dilemma. That said, I'm so afraid of debt ITE that my cutoff for paying sticker has significantly raised since the beginning of the cycle, and I'd take the money at WUSTL.

Edit: How interested are you in PI? I don't know much about either LRAP, but others ITT cite that of NU as superior. Do some research on these - if you really want PI, it should be a huge factor in your decision IMO.

Great advice.

Intentions of a college senior are not necessarily set in stone, thus the sure money beats out the possibility of a long term loan repayment program. This concern is heightened by the OP's desire to pursue a federal (judicial, I presume) clerkship opportunity when the entering stats raise concerns as to the reasonableness of that ambition.

I'm not a college senior - I'm 29. I had one bad semester of undergrad 11 years ago so I think some of my "stats" should be overlooked just a bit when determining the reasonableness of my ambitions.