Real Madrid wrote:Ok, so I'm undecided on what type of law I want to practice, but for this thread let's say
Big Law (as PI seems like it'd be a no-brainer in favor of Boalt with their LRAP).
I've been awarded a small scholarship at UMich (think ~$10k/year), and nothing so far at Boalt (though I will try the matching scholarship program and see if they'll match it).
Some considerations:
-I'm out-of-state for both.
-I have no undergraduate debt.
-I have about $80k stored away that I can use to mitigate the debt.
-SLIGHT preference for California, though I recognize that the legal market there is not great these days (understatement of the year).
Please advise. Thanks.

This was a decision I had to make last cycle (lots of $$ at Mich, etc).
First off, I chose Boalt and just finished my first semester.
Second, you'll be in great shape at either school. They're both phenomenal institutions and any minutia of difference that TLS loves to focus on, won't make a difference in practical life. Your decision should really come down to where you want to be and what kind of culture you want around you.
I'm a small town kind of guy and I would have had a great time in Ann Arbor. Further, I really liked the people at Mich. I thought the culture of the law school had a little bit more of an undergrad feel, which can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for.
That said, San Francisco is great to live near (for instance I just took BART into the city to interview with a firm today).
I ended up choosing Boalt for several reasons. The students at Berkeley simply care about making the world a better place. That's not a knock against Mich, I got that vibe there too, but not to the same degree. That attitude really translates into the second reason I chose Boalt, which is that students at Boalt want experiential learning immediately and there are all kinds of opportunities for that. This semester I worked on two journals and participated in a student run clinic. Ultimately, I think Boalt students are really interested in putting their learning to work.
Again, you'll be great either way.