Top Law Schools

Hello:

I was wondering what you guys would do in my situation. I got a full scholarship to Hofstra Law (contingent on me staying in the top 40% of the class) and an offer of admission to GW Law (with no scholarships).

I would be happy practicing in either NYC or DC, so the location is not really a consideration for me. What is a consideration is the cost. At GW Law, I'm looking at at least $120k in loans, whereas with Hofstra I got the aforementioned scholarship.

Which school would you pick and why?

Much depends on what you want to do for a career. At $120k in tuition loans plus cost of living, you're going to need Biglaw or LRAP to cover the debt. On the other hand, a 40% stip is a little harsh.

If I had to pick between the two, I would take Hofstra, and drop out if I lost the scholarship, but I'm pretty debt averse.

There's no middle ground here?

Is housing covered for you at GW because if not you are looking at closer to $210k of debt...Also, is there really no middle ground in this situation because I feel like there should be

jwgames2 wrote:Hello:

I was wondering what you guys would do in my situation. I got a full scholarship to Hofstra Law (contingent on me staying in the top 40% of the class) and an offer of admission to GW Law (with no scholarships).

I would be happy practicing in either NYC or DC, so the location is not really a consideration for me. What is a consideration is the cost. At GW Law, I'm looking at at least $120k in loans, whereas with Hofstra I got the aforementioned scholarship.

Which school would you pick and why?

full scholarship to Hofstra Law is more for its benefit than your benefit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/busin ... rants.html

Assuming there is no middle ground...it now comes down to your career goals and debt aversion. Can negotiate with Hofstra to remove your stips.? If you want to work in NYC and want to minimize debt, then Hofstra has to be the choice.

If there is a middle ground...its probably the more reasonable choice

Hello:

First, thank you to everyone who's commented so far. It's been helpful. Here's the info people were wondering about.

At this point there is no middle ground. I applied last fall to law school and based on where I was accepted, I decided to go to Hofstra. At the time, Hofstra made the most sense financially and in terms of comparative rankings, hence I turned down all the other offers I had. When I found out I got just got into GW off the waiting list, the picture was changed for me. GW is the highest ranked law school I got into (next highest was American), and I don't know if it's worth going to GW without significant financial aid and turning down the offer from Hofstra.

Also, I'm getting some help with my living expenses, so I'm likely looking at having to take out $40k to $50k in loans per year to the JD degree at GW.

Thanks again!!!!

Career goals? IP background? If you have the IP background and want a shot at DC biglaw GW would be your best option but is still risky at that price. If you do not want Biglaw or prefer NYC then minimize debt and take Hofstra. No debt >>>>>>> $120K debt

Neither option is too appealing. With that being said, the debt of GW is life ending unless you get a BigLaw job. Odds of that happening are 25%. Take Hofstra, that way, if you suck you can easily move on.

No. I have no IP background. I'm going into law school straight out of undergraduate school where I was a business major. I'm looking to get into corporate law.

oh man, wish I would have seen this earlier. As someone who goes to Hofstra I would have told you GW AINEC

Hofstra. GW is piece of shit.

Don't go to law school if these are your only options. Seriously.

You're fucked with either hth

WSJ_Law wrote:You're fucked with either hth

You must be a joy in real life.

Also remember that Hofstra at least location wise is not as close to the city as everyone makes it out to be. You're looking at an hour train ride with an ever rising LIRR ticket price. As far as Hofstra's legal connections in the city, I have no idea.

You have to have another offer elsewhere. If you can get GW you can get something with a good scholarship in the area.

Grizz wrote:

Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 8:05 pm

I was wondering when people were gonna notice this...

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