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Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:16 pm
by japes
167/3.8
Admit at Texas, in-state tuition (tx resident) [COA ~$140k]
Admit at Cornell [COA ~$210k]
WL @ UMich/CLS
Ding @ HLS, Berkeley

Dead set on PI, no regional preference, would like not to limit my options. Pipe dream would be international humyn rights, barring that I'd like to do some sort of PI work, maybe policy advocacy. Also considering JD/MPA for advocacy purposes, which both UT and Cornell offer.

I've got significant (>$50k) UG debt, and I doubt I'll get aid at Cornell to get the tuition cost down close to Texas'.

I'm mildly worried about debt, but feel like it's almost a given that I'll be doing LRAP+IBR+Public Service Loan Forgiveness. In that case, I'm unsure as to how significant relative debt burdens would be. I'd jump off the WL at Mich or Columbia and pay sticker in a heartbeat.

Texas:
- pros: by far the cheapest option, I love Austin, I have connects in the local non-profit community
- cons: less portable (though to what degree I am unsure), less prestigious (again, to what degree I am unsure), LRAP capped at $50k salary

Cornell:
- pros: ivy league prestige, good PI programs/career services, better LRAP
- cons: $70k more debt than TX, very few fellow PI students in my class (6 members of c/o2010 in PI according to LSAC)

Retake:
- pros: significant likelihood of higher score, more admits, better schollies, potential for great work/volunteer experience
- cons: no current long-term job (my employment ends mid-August regardless of whether I go to school or not), I'll need to begin loan repayments for UG debt for which my parents won't be able to help pay, emotional aversion to waiting a year

Basically, I think a retake would be the clear smart choice if I had a job or a volunteer opportunity lined up for the next year. Unfortunately, I don't, and the odds of me finding something in the interim don't look good - I spent a good couple months on the job market before I got my current temporary position. I'm in a financial situation where I can't reliably make loan payments and can't count on my parents to cover my ass. Outside of the Peace Corps (which isn't an option) or re-entering school, I don't know of any ways to put off student loan repayments.

Thoughts?

Also, a few questions on waiting a year:
- Any suggestions on volunteer opportunities or internships, particularly overseas?
- Is there any way to put off loan repayments outside of joining the peace corps or going back to school?

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 6:07 pm
by Arbiter213
humyn
I know it's not a typo, but really?

And:
I'm in a financial situation where I can't reliably make loan payments and can't count on my parents to cover my ass. Outside of the Peace Corps (which isn't an option) or re-entering school, I don't know of any ways to put off student loan repayments.
So the obvious solution is go into a career where you KNOW you won't be able to make the loan payments? You do realize that LRAP won't cover your UG debt, right?

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:32 pm
by japes
Arbiter213 wrote:
humyn
I know it's not a typo, but really?
yup.
arbiter213 wrote: And:
I'm in a financial situation where I can't reliably make loan payments and can't count on my parents to cover my ass. Outside of the Peace Corps (which isn't an option) or re-entering school, I don't know of any ways to put off student loan repayments.
So the obvious solution is go into a career where you KNOW you won't be able to make the loan payments? You do realize that LRAP won't cover your UG debt, right?
This really isn't why I made this thread, but:
I don't know where you get that I know I'm going into a career where I know I won't be able to make loan payments. IBR will cap UG+LS loan payments together, and LRAP will help. No matter how much debt I incur, IBR means I'm making the same payments no matter what. That's a lot easier with a JD and LRAP than it would be with a liberal arts BA.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:28 pm
by bigkahuna2020
Don't go to law school...instead enjoy a career in mynual labor or studying the works of Immynuel Kant.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:49 pm
by japes
bigkahuna2020 wrote:Don't go to law school...instead enjoy a career in mynual labor or studying the works of Immynuel Kant.
thanks for taking issue with my spelling instead of responding to my request for productive input on one of the most important decisions of my life, much appreciated

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:06 am
by swc65
I would defer at Cornell and retake, if you think you can do better.

You can do hardship deferral (assuming your loans are all fed or FFEL) on your loans for up to three years , but you are limited to the amount of time you can use this option over the life of the loan. So if you use one year now you will only have two years left you can use later.

--LinkRemoved--

I would defer, find a job (maybe even a paralegal job or something similar) and retake. Just a few more correct answers and you could be looking at money in the lower T14 since you have a great GPA.

Also, what's with the spelling police on TLS??

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:21 am
by HeavenWood
japes wrote:
Arbiter213 wrote:
humyn
I know it's not a typo, but really?
yup.
People like you make me laugh and cry at the same time.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:23 am
by ogurty
japes wrote:Is there any way to put off loan repayments outside of joining the peace corps or going back to school?
It's not hard to get a forbearance for a year if you don't qualify for deferment. If I remember correctly, the only real requirement for forbearance is that you're not currently delinquent on the payments. Only drawback is all your loans continue to accrue interest - which they probably will anyway unless you got subsidized loans.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:28 am
by Richie Tenenbaum
No way Cornell is worth 70k more than UT unless you want to work in New York and maximize your shot at biglaw.

Retaking might be your best option if you can figure out a way to handle your UG debt. Could you enroll as a full-time student at a local community college and continue with the job you're at to pay current COL? I put off law school for a year after getting a significantly higher score on the June LSAT. I enrolled as a fulltime student at a local community college to take some classes I was interested in (and also to have the big benefit of remaining on my parents' health insurance), worked for a prep test company, and did some volunteer work. I enjoyed the year and though I ended up at the same school where I would have attended the previous year (UT), I managed to get 10K more per year (and also the huge benefit of thinking through the decision as much as possible, visiting other schools I hadn't gotten into the previous year, and never having to wonder "what if...?").

If enrolling in community college continues to delay your loan repayments, that would be my recommendation.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:32 am
by buckilaw
Go with UT. Unless you are fairly confident that you can score at least 2-3 points higher on your LSAT.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:32 am
by japes
swc65 wrote:I would defer at Cornell and retake, if you think you can do better.

You can do hardship deferral (assuming your loans are all fed or FFEL) on your loans for up to three years , but you are limited to the amount of time you can use this option over the life of the loan. So if you use one year now you will only have two years left you can use later.

--LinkRemoved--

I would defer, find a job (maybe even a paralegal job or something similar) and retake. Just a few more correct answers and you could be looking at money in the lower T14 since you have a great GPA.

Thanks for the info! This is super helpful. Looks like there's a non-profit deferment too.
Also, what's with the spelling police on TLS??
my guess would be that law students are a fairly patriarchal community and are intimidated by challenges to the patriarchy inherent in our language. shrug.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:34 am
by HeavenWood
japes wrote: my guess would be that law students are a fairly patriarchal community and are intimidated by challenges to the patriarchy inherent in our language. shrug.
:lol:

Apply to Liberty and Regent while you still can.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 1:05 am
by bigkahuna2020
japes wrote: my guess would be that law students are a fairly patriarchal community and are intimidated by challenges to the patriarchy inherent in our language. shrug.
Yes, because language evolution from weapman to man and wifman to woman because of the development of the word wife is patriarchy.

Your women's study major taught you a lot about linguistics right?

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 1:35 am
by japes
bigkahuna2020 wrote:
japes wrote: my guess would be that law students are a fairly patriarchal community and are intimidated by challenges to the patriarchy inherent in our language. shrug.
Yes, because language evolution from weapman to man and wifman to woman because of the development of the word wife is patriarchy.

Your women's study major taught you a lot about linguistics right?
philosophy and rhetoric, actually. and i don't really give a damn about linguistics or etymology (unless it involves horses) so much as i'm interested in the social systems they shape.

and i'm not going to engage in this argument. i'm not interested in a flamewar about language. if you find my small linguistic acts of resistance annoying, that's cool, whatever, start a thread about it in a different forum and maybe someone who thinks arguing on the internet is a useful way to spend their time will respond. i don't really even understand why everyone seems to be so up in arms about it. i made this thread to solicit input on an important life decision. i'd appreciate if the focus stayed on that, kthx.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:26 am
by bigkahuna2020
japes wrote:
bigkahuna2020 wrote:
japes wrote: my guess would be that law students are a fairly patriarchal community and are intimidated by challenges to the patriarchy inherent in our language. shrug.
Yes, because language evolution from weapman to man and wifman to woman because of the development of the word wife is patriarchy.

Your women's study major taught you a lot about linguistics right?
philosophy and rhetoric, actually. and i don't really give a damn about linguistics or etymology (unless it involves horses) so much as i'm interested in the social systems they shape.

and i'm not going to engage in this argument. i'm not interested in a flamewar about language. if you find my small linguistic acts of resistance annoying, that's cool, whatever, start a thread about it in a different forum and maybe someone who thinks arguing on the internet is a useful way to spend their time will respond. i don't really even understand why everyone seems to be so up in arms about it. i made this thread to solicit input on an important life decision. i'd appreciate if the focus stayed on that, kthx.
I am up in arms because it is patently stupid and empirically false. Learn some herstory, it isn't like the most restrictive regimes arose from a bizarre reinterpretation related to a false assumption of compunding. Your use of words to try to make a point while remaining willfully ignorant about their evolution and makeup is hilarious though.

Please retake---I don't want any chance of you being in my classes.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:22 am
by Arbiter213
bigkahuna2020 wrote:
I am up in arms because it is patently stupid and empirically false. Learn some herstory, it isn't like the most restrictive regimes arose from a bizarre reinterpretation related to a false assumption of compunding. Your use of words to try to make a point while remaining willfully ignorant about their evolution and makeup is hilarious though.

Please retake---I don't want any chance of you being in my classes.

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:50 am
by Flips88
A) please put that you are interested in "humyn rights litigation" on all your cover letters for summer jobs. I bet it will go offer just splendidly.

B)I'd say Texas, especially considering your extra UG debt. Do you really want to go to Cornell and graduate with a total debt upwards of $275,000?

Re: Cornell (?) v. Texas (in-state) v. Retake (also, retake ?s)

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 4:18 am
by PinkCow
Holy eff.

I read this thread like 4 times trying to figure out why everyone was jumping on this dude's case for a stupid typo. And then someone pipes up about feminism and linguistics?

Needless to say, I learned a new "word" today.

Thanks google :oops: