I'm inclined to agree with this. Especially since you mentioned academia.

If you had just said that you wanted firms, then I would have said the Hamilton without a doubt.

I'm in the same position (minus Yale) and the decision can definitely depend from person to person. I think (now that you have Yale) Harvard should probably be out as I would view it as Hamilton v. Y/H v. Stanford. I personally am leaning Stanford because I got a pretty good financial aid offer from there, but I have to admit that without that offer my decision would be far more difficult. The Hamilton offers up-front financial security whereas YHS offer greater flexibility and insurance when it comes to employment (to somewhat different degrees of course), plus COAP/LIPP/LRAP aren't too shabby either. Campus visits made a big impact for me: I was impressed by Harvard and enjoyed (to a lesser extent) Columbia, but Stanford to me was in a league of its own. Are you attending Yale's/Stanford's ASWs? Maybe that would help a little.

+1

U seem mad, and dumb, and you possibly haven't heard of analogies before.

Ya, I liked Columbia's ASW more than I expected and didn't like Harvard's. I'm visiting Stanford next week, but I won't get to visit Yale's. Luckily I'm familiar with Yale's campus and some students because of undergrad, but I still wish I could visit.

.

Egregious pro-Stttanford anti-Harvard trolling itt.

What didn't you like about Harvard?

I chose Yale over a full ride at NYU for similar reasons as Elston. I really want to clerk, and my current long-term career goals make Yale stand out to me more since I know I don't want to just stay in the private sector at a firm. Plus, I loved the environment at Yale, and with their need-based grant, I did the calculus, and to me, Yale was worth the difference.

Completely agree with this.

Agreed.

Sticker at HS is $250K or more including interest, not $200K. Without interest, it is $210K ($70K X 3). Folks forget the interest is substantial.

I'm in the same position as the OP and change my mind about it pretty much once every four hours. I had mostly decided to take the Hamilton over H/S, but then I got into Yale and received a much bigger than expected financial aid package (about 20k for 1L). So now Yale would be approximately twice as expensive as Columbia instead of three times as expensive (not taking into account salary from summer associate positions). How do you quantify the added value of a Yale degree over a Columbia degree (with Hamilton on the resume)?

1) Withdraw from Harvard and Stanford [Pretty please?]
2) Decide on career goals
3) If academia or fedgov, Yale
4) If biglaw or PI, think about Columbia
5) Go to Yale.

If you end up in biglaw, Columbia will have been the better choice. Otherwise, Yale.

No stips on the scholly right? I'm a debt-hater so Hamilton all the way. Top dog at CLS is better than being part of the crowd at HLS.

Guchster, I really respect your honesty and candidness. All too often on TLS, I see people hiding behind facades to mask their inner insecurities. I really respect that you are open about the inferiority complex that is apparently even at a school such as CLS (I would KILL to get in there! Actually it's definitely a goal school of mine, although HLS is my ultimate reach).

That being said, aren't HLS and SLS silver medal schools in themselves? Yale has always been #1 since the rankings began, and I bet a ton of HS are upset that they didn't get into Yale. So don't feel too bad, since there are students in Harvard and Stanford who I'm sure feel the same way as you do. Just trying to put this into perspective....

A bit surprised by all the Hamilton love ITT. If that's true, then why shouldn't people who get into CCN take the full rides at the lower-T14, and so on.

Anyway...

I think people don't realize how awful the debt load is until you actually have the debt load and have entered repayment; it's easy to "run the numbers," but it's not 'real' until you are actually working and realize that, after taxes and loan payments, you're working 80 hours a week for $40k a year for ~4-5 years. $40k after-tax is nothing whatsoever to scoff at, but the loans are still incredibly painful.

I'd take the money without looking back, if I had the choice.

Maybe because they should and just don't?

But also I very much doubt that more than a tiny handful of people at CCN had full-ride options at lower T14 schools. Those scholarships are very competitive, a bit of a crapshoot, and often directed at HYS quality people. I'm sure it is far easier to get into Columbia than it is to get a Darrow or w/e.

EDIT: Oh also I think I should point out that if you do know people at CCN who turned down lower T14 full-rides then they are probably the types of people who also got substantial partial scholarships $$ from the T6. Doubt they're paying sticker. Also thanks Bronck .

Spot on.

Your typical CCN student is not going to be offered a full ride to any t-14

could be wrong, but I think Guchster trolled y'all, and effectively at that.

This. It just doesn't work that way. You can get into CCN without even getting serious money from schools like UCLA, BU, Fordham, etc. People with 3.5-3.7 GPAs and 170-175 LSATs are good enough to get in almost everywhere but not impressive enough to get huge scholarships from anywhere.

mess w/ da best, die like da rest


sup kwais, how's it going? i'm sick our TTT's examtime already. taking naps in the library and fucking around on the interbuttz is awesome.