UGA vs Texas

[IgnatiusJ]

I'm a resident in Georgia and currently my best options are going to UGA with a scholarship for 10g a year or Texas with 45k over 3 years but still paying the out of state tuition. I'm not sure where I want to practice when I get older, but i would like to keep my options open to returning to Atlanta at some point (due to personal reasons and all that good shit). Basically what I'm wondering is if a Texas degree has enough clout to travel throughout the Southeast and if the difference in quality between it and UGA is enough to merit paying the higher price. Thanks for the advice.

[Pricer]

Bump

I'd like to see the TLS input on this one. I am curious about a similar situation.

[005618502]

I'm a resident in Georgia and currently my best options are going to UGA with a scholarship for 10g a year or Texas with 45k over 3 years but still paying the out of state tuition. I'm not sure where I want to practice when I get older, but i would like to keep my options open to returning to Atlanta at some point (due to personal reasons and all that good shit). Basically what I'm wondering is if a Texas degree has enough clout to travel throughout the Southeast and if the difference in quality between it and UGA is enough to merit paying the higher price. Thanks for the advice.

168, 3.8 and these are your options? What about one of the many T14's that you could likely have gained admission to.

Did you apply very late? Those are solid numbers

[Pricer]

I'm a resident in Georgia and currently my best options are going to UGA with a scholarship for 10g a year or Texas with 45k over 3 years but still paying the out of state tuition. I'm not sure where I want to practice when I get older, but i would like to keep my options open to returning to Atlanta at some point (due to personal reasons and all that good shit). Basically what I'm wondering is if a Texas degree has enough clout to travel throughout the Southeast and if the difference in quality between it and UGA is enough to merit paying the higher price. Thanks for the advice.

168, 3.8 and these are your options? What about one of the many T14's that you could likely have gained admission to.

Did you apply very late? Those are solid numbers

I know this is his thread, but I was 169, 3.7, and I didn't get into any T14s. I am waiting to hear back from Cornell, but UVA WLed me and Michigan isn't very eager to give me a decision, so I am fully expecting WL. I think I will get into Cornell, but I am not paying $50k a year just in tuition. I didn't apply to Berkeley, and I didn't see me having a shot at other T14s. I also got WLed at Vandy and Texas, but I have spoken to Dean Ingram, and she said I should be able to get off of the Texas WL and be eligible for possible in state equalization. I am in state for Georgia, and UGA Law offered me $10k a year, so I have narrowed it down to that and Texas (if Dean Ingram was being truthful).

[lonestar]

So given your choices total cost of attendance is about 60K at UGA versus 135K at UT. In my mind you have a better shot at BigLaw out of UT since it's the primary school for both Dallas and Houston, but UGA is no slouch when it comes to Atlanta. That said, at 60K in debt we're talking roughly half the loan payment, so there is quite a bit more flexibility in what you do for a career post school. All of this leads me back to the same question. What is your goal? If BigLaw, I think the edge is to UT, with a focus on Alston Bird or other Atlanta firms, if not BigLaw UGA seems better for debt reasons.

[Pricer]

So given your choices total cost of attendance is about 60K at UGA versus 135K at UT. In my mind you have a better shot at BigLaw out of UT since it's the primary school for both Dallas and Houston, but UGA is no slouch when it comes to Atlanta. That said, at 60K in debt we're talking roughly half the loan payment, so there is quite a bit more flexibility in what you do for a career post school. All of this leads me back to the same question. What is your goal? If BigLaw, I think the edge is to UT, with a focus on Alston Bird or other Atlanta firms, if not BigLaw UGA seems better for debt reasons.

You have stated my conundrum perfectly. I think at this point, especially with the WL at Texas and there being no guarantee of a scholarship offer should I get admitted, UGA is safer. I wouldn't mind working in Atlanta, and although biglaw is a goal I would like to achieve, paying off my debt is my primary goal. I think I would be better off busting my ass at UGA for debt that would be a joke for biglaw salary and manageable for small and midlaw salaries rather than busting my ass at UT with biglaw being the only way to really manage my debt. Plus I am going to try to get a couple more thousand a year from UGA before I commit.

[kalvano]

I think UT probably has the clout, but I think the cost is too much.

[IgnatiusJ]

Well, I'm still waiting to hear from Michigan and UChicago, but I'm not optimistic about either, and, yes, I did apply rather late in the process because my first LSAT score was well below my standards and had to retake.

I'm also still waiting on UCLA, USC, and Emory, but I think I would go to Texas over those unless one comes through with a substantial scholarship.

Anyway, tough shit for us eh Pricer?

[bartleby]

go to Texas

[Pricer]

Well, I'm still waiting to hear from Michigan and UChicago, but I'm not optimistic about either, and, yes, I did apply rather late in the process because my first LSAT score was well below my standards and had to retake.

I'm also still waiting on UCLA, USC, and Emory, but I think I would go to Texas over those unless one comes through with a substantial scholarship.

Anyway, tough shit for us eh Pricer?

Ha, you said it.

[Pricer]

Bumping to see if anyone else has any input. I'm in at Texas now, and I have narrowed it down to these two schools.

[rapstar]

IMO, both of you should come to uga. i'm a 1L at uga right now and last cycle i turned down significant money from duke, uva, vandy, emory, gtown, etc. to take a full scholarship here. for both of you, it's going to cost so much less to come to georgia than texas. less debt won't force you into biglaw, which in the end may not even be an option out of either school. but, if you want to work biglaw in atlanta then i think that with good grades georgia can get you there. if you have any specific questions, i'd be happy to try to answer them for you.

[bartleby]

UT all day. UT owns Texas. Quality of life in Austin is incredible, too. So many hot girls.

[CanadianWolf]

Texas, unless you are set on staying in Georgia, then it becomes a toss up.

P.S. I love A Confederacy of Dunces

[IgnatiusJ]

Well I'm still hoping lightning strikes and I get into Chicago to make this whole thread moot, but thanks for the advice. I definitely have to visit Austin first before I make a decision, as I've heard

UT all day. UT owns Texas. Quality of life in Austin is incredible, too. So many hot girls.

from everyone I've told that I got into UT.

[Pricer]

IMO, both of you should come to uga. i'm a 1L at uga right now and last cycle i turned down significant money from duke, uva, vandy, emory, gtown, etc. to take a full scholarship here. for both of you, it's going to cost so much less to come to georgia than texas. less debt won't force you into biglaw, which in the end may not even be an option out of either school. but, if you want to work biglaw in atlanta then i think that with good grades georgia can get you there. if you have any specific questions, i'd be happy to try to answer them for you.

I know that UGA is the most reasonable choice financially, but I would really like to work biglaw for a few years. I know I have a better shot going to UT. Also, I am interested in possibly doing environmental litigation, and I know there are clinics, programs, and journals to help with this at UT and plenty of companies that need these lawyers in Texas. That said, I also know that UGA would not require a biglaw salary to pay the debt, while UT would.

UT all day. UT owns Texas. Quality of life in Austin is incredible, too. So many hot girls.

The quality of life in Athens is great, as well. I have lived here five years and love it. I have heard many of my friends say that Austin's QoL is about the same, so I figure this is a toss up. Everyone keeps saying Austin and Athens are great places to live, and I can definitely agree with the latter.

As far as UT owning Texas, that is why I was initially interested in UT. If I go to UGA, I will be competing against grads from Duke, UVA, Emory, UNC, Wake Forest, GA State, Mercer, etc. for jobs in Atlanta. If I go to UT, my main opposition will be SMU in Dallas and U Houston in Houston.

Texas, unless you are set on staying in Georgia, then it becomes a toss up.

P.S. I love A Confederacy of Dunces

I am not set on staying in Georgia. In fact, the whole reason I applied to other law schools was to possibly get out of Georgia for a while. I have lived here for 23 years. I wouldn't mind working in Atlanta, but I think I would be equally as happy in Dallas, Houston, or Austin. I would like to come back to Georgia and work in Atlanta when my parents are older so that I can be closer to them, but by then I hope I will have built up a strong enough resume that coming back shouldn't be a problem.

[IgnatiusJ]

No Emory application for you Pricer?

[005618502]

UT all day. UT owns Texas. Quality of life in Austin is incredible, too. So many hot girls.

This guy must have low standards

[IgnatiusJ]

LAXBRO

[TheFactor]

UT all day. UT owns Texas. Quality of life in Austin is incredible, too. So many hot girls.

TIC

[Pricer]

No Emory application for you Pricer?

I don't care for Emory too much. I don't know anyone personally who went there for law school, but I have several friends who went there for undergrad and hated it. Most transferred to UGA, one actually got his degree then moved to Athens because he didn't want to be anywhere around Emory ever again. I asked for a fee waiver and received it, but I never sent in the application. Plus, I don't see a big enough difference in employment prospects or prestige between Emory and UGA to justify the huge price difference.