I want the Northeast but is BC worth it? Forum

[152]

I want the Northeast, badly. However, I am extremely skeptical of paying sticker at BC. What would you do?

[mettasutta]

Have you tried scholarship negotiation with BC, using your merit aid $$$ from Wake as leverage? That's what I would do in your case.

[3ThrowAway99]

I think if you are sure you want to be in NE it probably is worth it. BC is a very solid school, although it doesn't mean you won't struggle to find a job you like (as many law grads do these days). Can you negotiate for some money from them given your Wake offer? In terms of crushing debt, there will likely be IBR available I think, so the debt shouldn't crush you all at once in any case.. But 88k extra is a lot... You sure you don't like the SE?

[152]

I love the north. I am very unsure as to how to place this. Wake is offering a ton of $$$. BC has offered nothing. I really do not want 6 figure debt.

[Grizz]

Retake the LSAT.

[Rock Chalk]

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[handlesthetruth]

Retake the LSAT.

Perhaps the most annoying part of TLS. If op was considering this/had another year to burn she/he probably would have said so.

[uzpakalis]

retake, ED UVA

[mettasutta]

Retake the LSAT.

Perhaps the most annoying part of TLS. If op was considering this/had another year to burn she/he probably would have said so.

+1. It's credited advice in many threads (i.e. "2.6/141 What are my chances?!) but in this case, you know nothing of the OP's LSAT or UGPA; perhaps he/she had a 2.1/172 or something like that.

[Grizz]

Retake the LSAT.

Perhaps the most annoying part of TLS. If op was considering this/had another year to burn she/he probably would have said so.

+1. It's credited advice in many threads (i.e. "2.6/141 What are my chances?!) but in this case, you know nothing of the OP's LSAT or UGPA; perhaps he/she had a 2.1/172 or something like that.

Unlikely. BC almost assuredly won't take a 2.1. They are GPA heavy.

If you don't want to retake the LSAT to get more money:

1) Enjoy about a 35% shot or so of jobs that will enable OP to pay off the debt in a timely fashion.

2) Or go to Wake and give up on working in the Northeast for the foreseeable future.

[3ThrowAway99]

OP, what is your LSAT scenario? Have you considered retaking? Already taken it 3 times? Have a compelling reason to start law school right away? If you have only taken it once and don't have a strong reason to start law immediately, then I agree that 'retake' may be the best response. But I don't agree with those who say that going to BC at sticker is categorically a bad decision.

[MyManKanye]

At this point, and from my dealings with BC/BU you won't get any money from them. You can either go to Wake and hope to excel and find your way back to the NE or you can go to BC and hope you excel and get a job capable of paying down 150-200k quickly.

Personally, with the astronomical COL in the northeast as it is I would be very very debt averse. If these are your two options I'd retake. Even if you don't have a lot of room to improve on the LSAT you could get some WE and next year might be more forgiving.

[mettasutta]

Does the Wake scholarship have any strict GPA/class rank stipulations? Go to Wake only if the scholly doesn't have ridiculous stips and you're absolutely OK with working in the southeast.

If you do feel as if you underperformed on the LSAT and are very debt averse, retaking for merit aid is strongly recommended.

[Attorney]

perhaps he/she had a 2.1/172 or something like that.

Blatant trolling of Attorney...

BC almost assuredly won't take a 2.1. They are GPA heavy.

... who is going to BC with similar numbers (and with a 0.X at least one semester).

[mettasutta]

But I don't agree with those who say that going to BC at sticker is categorically a bad decision.

+1. Sticker at BC is certainly not ideal, but it's not exactly the financial suicide that folks on these boards make it out to be. Unlike similarly ranked schools like Fordham/GW/ND, it dominates its market, and its NLJ250 numbers are among the best of non-T14 schools. BC also has a solid LRAP, should you decide to go into gov't work or PI.

The credited advice to OP is to send a scholarship negotiation letter to BC (if you look at the BC 2011 applicants thread, it has worked for some people), attaching the letter of the competing offer from Wake and IF you feel like you didn't max out on the LSAT, retake in June.

[Rock Chalk]

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[sullidop]

Going to BC doesn't mean 200k in loans. Get a part-time job at the school, live lean, get a job over the summer, and/or be an RA. I've managed to keep my loans low and will hopefully graduate having borrowed approx. 128k w/o any $.

[sonervous88]

don't do it. and if their treatment of me in undergrad is any indication don't expect a cent. wakeforest is awesome though congrats!

[Blindmelon]

Going to BC doesn't mean 200k in loans. Get a part-time job at the school, live lean, get a job over the summer, and/or be an RA. I've managed to keep my loans low and will hopefully graduate having borrowed approx. 128k w/o any $.

Thats insane man and takes some serious discipline. I'm jealous.

[sullidop]

Going to BC doesn't mean 200k in loans. Get a part-time job at the school, live lean, get a job over the summer, and/or be an RA. I've managed to keep my loans low and will hopefully graduate having borrowed approx. 128k w/o any $.

Thats insane man and takes some serious discipline. I'm jealous.

I had a little money saved before going to law school, but I wouldn't be able to pull it off without a car (cheaper housing options) and an SA.

[Slevin Kelevra 2011]

This thread is interesting. Some of the trolls saying BC isn't worth going sticker but would say Georgetown is worth sticker, even though Georgetown only gives you a 10-15% or so greater shot at biglaw. It's not like you're looking at a school that doesn't place well in biglaw.

People go to BC, BU, Fordham, GW, UCLA/USC at sticker all the time and do fine. Most of the biglaw attorneys you meet that went to these schools went at sticker.

Go to BC (definitely don't go to Wake) and keep your debt down. Only take out as much as you need in loans and no more (don't take what the school says you should take out, as it is always on the high side). Use the subsidized loans to pay as much as they can, to keep your private loan debt down.

If you get a summer associate position (most 2Ls/3Ls/alums from BC on this board have obtained positions from what I can tell) save your summer associate paychecks and use that to pay for what you can your 3L year. Don't assume you'll get a position, but if you do, don't blow the money.

Study hard, keep your debt down. This is the same advice for any of the top biglaw placing schools.

[mettasutta]

This thread is interesting. Some of the trolls saying BC isn't worth going sticker but would say Georgetown is worth sticker, even though Georgetown only gives you a 10-15% or so greater shot at biglaw. It's not like you're looking at a school that doesn't place well in biglaw.

The Biglaw placement gap between BC and GULC is even smaller than that, if you go by this year's NLJ250 stats:

GULC: 37.58
BC: 33.58

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2483173162

[mettasutta]

1) Enjoy about a 35% shot or so of jobs that will enable OP to pay off the debt in a timely fashion.

NLJ250 does not include all firms that could be appropriately called BigLaw. Also, some students with a class rank that may enable them to obtain BigLaw jobs self-select in clerkships, gov't work, PI, etc.

Some T30s are not worth sticker. BC isn't one of them.

[Rock Chalk]

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[TT09]

This thread is interesting. Some of the trolls saying BC isn't worth going sticker but would say Georgetown is worth sticker, even though Georgetown only gives you a 10-15% or so greater shot at biglaw.

For the record, I would not recommend GULC at sticker, but that is irrelevant to OP's question. Again, there are very few schools worth sticker ITE.

Name them.