WUSTL(135K)vs Vandy(84K)vsCornell(sticker) ?

[findafish]

Here comes the poll.
Myself is international, science background. Willing to do IP law, aiming at big laws.

[180orbust]

Don't be afraid of the debt. Definitely take vandy over wustl. And I think Cornell over vandy is an easy call if you are able to do IP biglaw. Maybe for the first 10 years you will wish you had gone to Vanderbilt, but your legal career will be a lot longer than 10 years, and you only have one legal career to live. It will be very hard to do well at either cornell or vanderbilt, so you might as well give yourself more options at cornell. 84k is not that big of a deal.

[romothesavior]

I strongly disagree with the above. If anything, I wish I had been more afraid of the debt as a 0L. Unless you really want NYC, I'd vote for Vandy or WUSTL. 84k is nothing to sneeze at (and neither is the 50k difference between WUSTL and Vandy). Unless you can get into biglaw and stay in biglaw for a number of years, 200k+ in debt will take a long, long time to pay off. I don't think the difference between Cornell and Vandy is worth 84k (more like 100k factoring in interest).

Also, I'm guessing you aren't going to be eligible for federal loans, right? Even more reason to take the lower debt and go to WUSTL or Vandy.

My vote is for Vandy.

[Grizz]

I strongly disagree with the above. If anything, I wish I had been more afraid of the debt as a 0L. Unless you really want NYC, I'd vote for Vandy or WUSTL. 84k is nothing to sneeze at (and neither is the 50k difference between WUSTL and Vandy). Unless you can get into biglaw and stay in biglaw for a number of years, 200k+ in debt will take a long, long time to pay off. I don't think the difference between Cornell and Vandy is worth 84k (more like 100k factoring in interest).

Also, I'm guessing you aren't going to be eligible for federal loans, right? Even more reason to take the lower debt and go to WUSTL or Vandy.

My vote is for Vandy.

Agree with the above. No govt. loans = no IBR = no safety net if you miss biglaw.

[BrianGriffintheDog]

I said Cornell. If you're an international student and if you want to do big law, I think prestige is something you'll need on your resume, and I think Cornell might just do that. And I think T-14 is almost always worth the sticker.

[dpk711]

unless u have a strong preference for NYC or you have a biglaw or bust mentality, I would choose Vandy...

[dpk711]

unless u have a strong preference for NYC or you have a biglaw or bust mentality, I would choose Vandy...

and of course if you do then Cornell...

[BruceWayne]

If you cannot get federal loans it would almost be foolish to attend Cornell. Frankly, if you can't get federal loans I would be afraid of going to Vandy with only 84K. That said sometimes it's worth it to take a bit of a risk, so go for Vandy. You shouldn't even consider Cornell.

[findafish]

No, no federal loans for me. But I guess I can get institutional loans from Cornell and Vandy..

[findafish]

Also，I think I've made a mistake. Vandy gives an extra 5k for the 1L summer or 2L tuition. So Vandy is actually 89K.

[drylo]

I strongly disagree with the above. If anything, I wish I had been more afraid of the debt as a 0L. Unless you really want NYC, I'd vote for Vandy or WUSTL. 84k is nothing to sneeze at (and neither is the 50k difference between WUSTL and Vandy). Unless you can get into biglaw and stay in biglaw for a number of years, 200k+ in debt will take a long, long time to pay off. I don't think the difference between Cornell and Vandy is worth 84k (more like 100k factoring in interest).

Also, I'm guessing you aren't going to be eligible for federal loans, right? Even more reason to take the lower debt and go to WUSTL or Vandy.

My vote is for Vandy.

I would say Vandy or WUSTL. But to clarify (the bolded), Cornell's tuition is $8k+/year more than Vandy's. So this $84k scholarship to Vandy actually makes Vandy $110k cheaper than Cornell without even figuring interest into that.

[CanadianWolf]

OP: You have three great choices. My primary concern is your awkwardness with the English language based on your posts on TLS. With a 170 LSAT, one should be fluent in English. Law school & the practice of law require mastery of the language. In light of this concern & your inability to obtain US gov't backed educational loans, you might want to consider seriously taking the largest scholarship offered.

P.S. If I may ask: What is your primary language ? Where did you take the LSAT exam ? Thanks !

[thexfactor]

basically.. pay 50k for a 10-20% increase in your chances of biglaw/midlaw and better clerkships....
I would take vandy over wustl. Not sure about cornell.
My 3L friend at wustl told me only 30% of his class has a job lined up right now.....

[Peg]

Go to Cornell and enjoy your shiny future career.

[findafish]

Thanks for the suggestion. I am an Asian, so English is of course not my primary language. I took the LSAT in the U.S (Does this matter?). There might be some awkwardness in my language as you can see, but I expect to learn more English in law school.

OP: You have three great choices. My primary concern is your awkwardness with the English language based on your posts on TLS. With a 170 LSAT, one should be fluent in English. Law school & the practice of law require mastery of the language. In light of this concern & your inability to obtain US gov't backed educational loans, you might want to consider seriously taking the largest scholarship offered.

P.S. If I may ask: What is your primary language ? Where did you take the LSAT exam ? Thanks !

[2011Law]

Thanks for the suggestion. I am an Asian, so English is of course not my primary language. I took the LSAT in the U.S (Does this matter?). There might be some awkwardness in my language as you can see, but I expect to learn more English in law school.

OP: You have three great choices. My primary concern is your awkwardness with the English language based on your posts on TLS. With a 170 LSAT, one should be fluent in English. Law school & the practice of law require mastery of the language. In light of this concern & your inability to obtain US gov't backed educational loans, you might want to consider seriously taking the largest scholarship offered.

P.S. If I may ask: What is your primary language ? Where did you take the LSAT exam ? Thanks !

I would definitely do my best to master English before law school. Seriously, if I were in your position I'd get a tutor if at all possible.

Anyway, I chose Vandy. I think it would give you the most bang for the buck.

[Eagles_Legendz]

I strongly disagree with the above. If anything, I wish I had been more afraid of the debt as a 0L. Unless you really want NYC, I'd vote for Vandy or WUSTL. 84k is nothing to sneeze at (and neither is the 50k difference between WUSTL and Vandy). Unless you can get into biglaw and stay in biglaw for a number of years, 200k+ in debt will take a long, long time to pay off. I don't think the difference between Cornell and Vandy is worth 84k (more like 100k factoring in interest).

Also, I'm guessing you aren't going to be eligible for federal loans, right? Even more reason to take the lower debt and go to WUSTL or Vandy.

My vote is for Vandy.

[bk1]

I strongly disagree with the above. If anything, I wish I had been more afraid of the debt as a 0L. Unless you really want NYC, I'd vote for Vandy or WUSTL. 84k is nothing to sneeze at (and neither is the 50k difference between WUSTL and Vandy). Unless you can get into biglaw and stay in biglaw for a number of years, 200k+ in debt will take a long, long time to pay off. I don't think the difference between Cornell and Vandy is worth 84k (more like 100k factoring in interest).

Also, I'm guessing you aren't going to be eligible for federal loans, right? Even more reason to take the lower debt and go to WUSTL or Vandy.

My vote is for Vandy.

Not only that but Vandy does place a lot of people in NYC (I think it's the second biggest market for Vandy grads after TN?).

I really see no reason to take Cornell over Vandy in this situation.

[2011Law]

I strongly disagree with the above. If anything, I wish I had been more afraid of the debt as a 0L. Unless you really want NYC, I'd vote for Vandy or WUSTL. 84k is nothing to sneeze at (and neither is the 50k difference between WUSTL and Vandy). Unless you can get into biglaw and stay in biglaw for a number of years, 200k+ in debt will take a long, long time to pay off. I don't think the difference between Cornell and Vandy is worth 84k (more like 100k factoring in interest).

Also, I'm guessing you aren't going to be eligible for federal loans, right? Even more reason to take the lower debt and go to WUSTL or Vandy.

My vote is for Vandy.

Not only that but Vandy does place a lot of people in NYC (I think it's the second biggest market for Vandy grads after TN?).

I really see no reason to take Cornell over Vandy in this situation.

Oh, forgot OP might not be able to get federal loans. What's the interest rate on the private loans? Depending on how high it is, I might choose WUSTL over Vandy.

[Grizz]

Not only that but Vandy does place a lot of people in NYC (I think it's the second biggest market for Vandy grads after TN?).

Yes