UNLV (3/4 tuition) vs Hastings

[Link4prez]

Hey guys new to the forums and just looking for some advice. I am graduating with a ugpa of 3.8 and I got a 160 on my LSAT. Really wishing i would have studied more for it. I am a Nevada resident and would have a place to live for free if I went to UNLV. They are also offering to pay 3/4 (15k in my case for my first year) tuition per year as long as I maintain top 33% of my class. If tuition stayed around where it is now that would mean I could graduate with only about 15k in debt. I would not mind staying in Vegas after I graduate to practice, I grew up in the city and love it. However, I was also recently admitted into Hastings and as far as I know I didn't recieve any scholarship funds. I also have apps out to Loyola and Davis that I'm waiting on. I don't expect to get into Davis but Loyola is realistic. If I were to get accepted to Davis would it be worth it to pay sticker price? Thanks for your input, and I would happy to answer any questions that would help you make a recommendation.

[YourCaptain]

A. Retake the LSAT (A 3.8 deserves better than a 160)

B. Scholarships with stipulations are bad, do not take them.

C. None of the schools mentioned are worth sticker, but were you to retake and get a better score, you'd likely have better options with more money to play around with.

D. Did you see (A)?

[constitution23]

That's so weird! I'm in exactly the same boat: 3.82 GPA cumulative (it's largely weighed down by some B's in community college) and a 160 score, with the 3/4 scholarship at UNLV. Myself, I'm waiting on responses from BYU Law and Arizona State, but I really think I'm gonna take the 15k debt option. I went to high school in Vegas though, so it's partly because I'd like to go back. I'll be putting in the $500 seat deposit at the end of this week, and be going to the admitted student meeting on April 2nd.

The way I see it, it's the best offer I've gotten so far, and if somehow something better comes up, it'll be worth the cost of losing the $500 seat deposit to pursue that better offer. Plus, being the only law school in Nevada, UNLV has the best connections to begin a Nevada legal career. Being in your same situation, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

[FuManChusco]

If you like Vegas and want to practice there after graduation, then UNLV is not a bad option. I would negotiate like hell to get rid of that 33% stipulation though. Even median is reasonable in my mind. with free housing and 15k, even if you lose the scholly, you could drop out and save yourself from financial burden. Hastings or Davis at sticker are bad choices. Same goes for Loyola without significant money.

[Hannibal]

A. Retake the LSAT (A 3.8 deserves better than a 160)

D. Did you see (A)?

Seriously?

[NVResident]

As someone who has a very similar choice (UNLV 3/4 vs. Davis), who is also a Nevada resident, and who also plans to practice in Nevada, I can tell you that hands down your best bet is to take the UNLV offer.

I'll be attending law school this fall as a non-traditional mid-career (age 41) student. In my career (as a lobbyist and land-use consultant) I have actively worked with attorneys from the top law firms in the state. In my own personal quest for a law education I consulted with many of the partners at these firms as well as judges and government lawyers and to a person they recommended UNLV. The close second (for northern Nevada) was McGeorge. While not true for all states, and certainly not if your plans are to join a biglaw firm out of state, in Nevada there is actually a bit of a bias against the elitist ivy league type attitudes. Most of the practicing lawyers and judges in this state attended the "mid-majors" like Boyd and McGeorge (including our current NV Supreme Court Chief Justice) and prefer to deal with those with similar backgrounds. This does not mean that a degree from a top 20 school is necessarily a handicap, only that it does not provide the heightened status that one might expect.

Also, I would not fret about the contingent nature of the scholarship. I really don't understand how anyone can quibble with a scholarship based on performance. In the post-graduation real world your compensation will most certainly be based on your performance. Better to get used to it now. Also, even if you were to lose the scholarship full-tuition at UNLV is still about 1/2 of the cost of most California schools. There's really no risk. One theme that ran through the advice I received from the legal professionals I consulted is that there is very little relationship between cost of attendance and quality of education. To a person they recommended attending the least expensive top 100 school available.

One final note, while UNLV and McGeorge are two of the primary recruiting schools for NV firms, due to the Mormon influence in the state BYU and Utah grads are also very highly sought after and in southern Nevada the Arizona schools are also highly respected. One ranking where UNLV did come out #1 was the Mormon Times ranking of schools friendliest to Mormon students (BYU and Utah were excluded from the ranking). Ironic that a school in "sin city" is considered such a haven for LDS kids.

Look forward to seeing you at Boyd this fall.