Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN Forum

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Where should I go?

Cornell
22
48%
Georgetown
14
30%
GW (75,000)
7
15%
IUB/UMN (Full)
3
7%
 
Total votes: 46

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breadbucket

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Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:16 pm

Its that time of year, where Prospective law students pester the TLS community about where they should go. I have some options on the table and am not sure what to do.

Sticker (likely, as I have heard nothing back about fin aid, and the "class of" threads seem fairly bleak):
Cornell
Georgetown

Money:
GW: 75,000
IUB: Full
UMN: Full

LSN: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/breadbucket

I am SoCal native, but am comfortable moving and adapting to any city/market post graduation except the Midwest. I really have no desire to live in any Midwestern states.

My true desire is to be a prosecutor for the Government, likely an ADA etc. However, I would like to clerk, and I am not opposed to doing BigLaw for some part of my career in order to pay off loans/make money/hate myself.

Questions:
While I know Schools like IUB and UMN are regional, if you have ties somewhere (like SoCal) can you bring the degree back to that area in any way at all? i.e. government jobs, PI, etc? not necessarily for BigLaw. It is a nearly free law degree.

Are Georgetown or Cornell worth Sticker?

Is GW a good compromise between prestige/portability and cost/regionalism?

Feel free to look at my LSN for all the infos.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by bk1 » Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:23 pm

GW with that scholly is 170k+ debt at graduation. I wouldn't consider that a compromise.

IUB/UMN are automatically off the table since you don't want the midwest.

That leaves Cornell/GULC. Honestly you should retake since 1 point would make a huge difference, but if you had to I'd pick your favorite of Cornell/GULC. Are they worth sticker? Maybe. There's a lot of risk with taking a T14 at sticker but T14's line up with your goals far more than any lower ranked school does.

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Doorkeeper

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by Doorkeeper » Fri Mar 23, 2012 3:04 pm

If you don't want biglaw, study the LRAP of Cornell and Georgetown to see which is better.

IUB and UMN are out because you don't want midwest. GW is secondary in its own market...and still a ton of money.

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Chucky21

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by Chucky21 » Fri Mar 23, 2012 3:32 pm

If you want government work then GULC has the edge. TBH this decision boils down to Cornell and GULC even at sticker. Both have good LRAP programs and both can get you biglaw. Cornell is more of a lock on biglaw in NYC though.

At sticker these two schools are still worth it.

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quiver

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by quiver » Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:02 pm

Doorkeeper wrote:If you don't want biglaw, study the LRAP of Cornell and Georgetown to see which is better.

IUB and UMN are out because you don't want midwest. GW is secondary in its own market...and still a ton of money.
This. And, if it's a possibility, this:
bk187 wrote:Honestly you should retake since 1 point would make a huge difference

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breadbucket

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:58 pm

bk187 wrote:GW with that scholly is 170k+ debt at graduation. I wouldn't consider that a compromise.

IUB/UMN are automatically off the table since you don't want the midwest.

That leaves Cornell/GULC. Honestly you should retake since 1 point would make a huge difference, but if you had to I'd pick your favorite of Cornell/GULC. Are they worth sticker? Maybe. There's a lot of risk with taking a T14 at sticker but T14's line up with your goals far more than any lower ranked school does.
If I could negotiate George Washington up to 35,000 or 40,000, and that's a big if, would that be an option worth my consideration?

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romothesavior

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by romothesavior » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:06 pm

I agree with what everyone else has said. If you don't want the Midwest and have no ties there, then UMN and IUB (while solid with a full ride) are out. GW is also way too expensive at the current price tag you're looking at, so it comes down to Cornell and Georgetown. A retake would also be a great option, since you'd only need like another point or two to drastically change the game.

ETA: Any idea why your cycle has gone so poorly? You should be getting money at Cornell, and you should easily be in at USC/UCLA. I also think you should be competitive at some higher ranked T14 schools. Your LSAT is very good and your GPA is outstanding. What is it that is holding you back?

I would wait out some of these waitlists. Your stats are very solid, you should have better options.
Last edited by romothesavior on Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by HeavenWood » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:09 pm

bk187 wrote:GW with that scholly is 170k+ debt at graduation. I wouldn't consider that a compromise.

IUB/UMN are automatically off the table since you don't want the midwest.

That leaves Cornell/GULC. Honestly you should retake since 1 point would make a huge difference, but if you had to I'd pick your favorite of Cornell/GULC. Are they worth sticker? Maybe. There's a lot of risk with taking a T14 at sticker but T14's line up with your goals far more than any lower ranked school does.
Seriously. A 170 will open up the entire lower T14 (and make you scholly-competitive to boot).

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:19 pm

romothesavior wrote:I agree with what everyone else has said. If you don't want the Midwest and have no ties there, then UMN and IUB (while solid with a full ride) are out. GW is also way too expensive at the current price tag you're looking at, so it comes down to Cornell and Georgetown. A retake would also be a great option, since you'd only need like another point or two to drastically change the game.

ETA: Any idea why your cycle has gone so poorly? You should be getting money at Cornell, and you should easily be in at USC/UCLA. I also think you should be competitive at some higher ranked T14 schools. Your LSAT is very good and your GPA is outstanding. What is it that is holding you back?

I would wait out some of these waitlists. Your stats are very solid, you should have better options.
I'm really not sure, I applied December 4th, so not early but not overly late, and my P.S. was very good IMO. However, my Uni doesn't have great prestige but it is very small, which means I had excellent letters of Rec ( I didn't read them but I would be astonished to learn otherwise). Two of my professors even went to UCLA for some portion of their education so I am not sure what the issue is here. My softs are decent, only a few softs, but very successful/focused at them, and consistent WE.

As for the LSAT, my Diagnostic was 152, and for the three other proctored exams I received a 157, 160, 160 respectively. My overall average for PT's dropping the low and high (152, 171) was only 164. So my test day score was 5 points higher than my average and 9 points higher than my more relevant proctored exams. To be honest, I am not sure I could get a 169 again, let alone a 171 or 172. Thus, retake isn't a reasonably safe option or bet IMO because I could end up worse for it.

Maybe I'll have to settle for the Midwest, or pray to some amorphous being that I get off a waitlist somewhere.

TBH the USC waitlist was beyond baffling to me, they even invited me to apply for the Rothman :shock:
Last edited by breadbucket on Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by HeavenWood » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:20 pm

breadbucket wrote:
romothesavior wrote:I agree with what everyone else has said. If you don't want the Midwest and have no ties there, then UMN and IUB (while solid with a full ride) are out. GW is also way too expensive at the current price tag you're looking at, so it comes down to Cornell and Georgetown. A retake would also be a great option, since you'd only need like another point or two to drastically change the game.

ETA: Any idea why your cycle has gone so poorly? You should be getting money at Cornell, and you should easily be in at USC/UCLA. I also think you should be competitive at some higher ranked T14 schools. Your LSAT is very good and your GPA is outstanding. What is it that is holding you back?

I would wait out some of these waitlists. Your stats are very solid, you should have better options.
I'm really not sure, I applied December 4th, so not early but not overly late, and my P.S. was very good IMO. However, my Uni doesn't have great prestige but it is very small, which means I had excellent letters of Rec ( I didn't read them but I would be astonished to learn otherwise). Two of my professors even went to UCLA for some portion of their education so I am not sure what the issue is here. My softs are decent, only a few softs, but very successful/focused at them, and consistent WE.

As for the LSAT, my Diagnostic was 152, and for the three other proctored exams I received a 157, 160, 160 respectively. My overall average for PT's dropping the low and high (152, 171) was only 164. So my test day score was 5 points higher than my average and 9 points higher than my more relevant proctored exams. To be honest, I am not sure I could get a 169 again, let alone a 171 or 172. Thus, retake isn't a reasonably safe option or bet IMO because I could end up worse for it.

Maybe I'll have to settle for the Midwest, or pray to some amorphous being that I get off a waitlist somewhere.
Even if you don't improve, I think if you applied early in the cycle and wrote a good app, you'd be in for sure at M and put VPBDN solidly in play.

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breadbucket

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:23 pm

HeavenWood wrote:
breadbucket wrote:
romothesavior wrote:I agree with what everyone else has said. If you don't want the Midwest and have no ties there, then UMN and IUB (while solid with a full ride) are out. GW is also way too expensive at the current price tag you're looking at, so it comes down to Cornell and Georgetown. A retake would also be a great option, since you'd only need like another point or two to drastically change the game.

ETA: Any idea why your cycle has gone so poorly? You should be getting money at Cornell, and you should easily be in at USC/UCLA. I also think you should be competitive at some higher ranked T14 schools. Your LSAT is very good and your GPA is outstanding. What is it that is holding you back?

I would wait out some of these waitlists. Your stats are very solid, you should have better options.
I'm really not sure, I applied December 4th, so not early but not overly late, and my P.S. was very good IMO. However, my Uni doesn't have great prestige but it is very small, which means I had excellent letters of Rec ( I didn't read them but I would be astonished to learn otherwise). Two of my professors even went to UCLA for some portion of their education so I am not sure what the issue is here. My softs are decent, only a few softs, but very successful/focused at them, and consistent WE.

As for the LSAT, my Diagnostic was 152, and for the three other proctored exams I received a 157, 160, 160 respectively. My overall average for PT's dropping the low and high (152, 171) was only 164. So my test day score was 5 points higher than my average and 9 points higher than my more relevant proctored exams. To be honest, I am not sure I could get a 169 again, let alone a 171 or 172. Thus, retake isn't a reasonably safe option or bet IMO because I could end up worse for it.

Maybe I'll have to settle for the Midwest, or pray to some amorphous being that I get off a waitlist somewhere.
Even if you don't improve, I think if you applied early in the cycle and wrote a good app, you'd be in for sure at M and put VPBDN solidly in play.
Understood, but what are the chances I would be even worse off, or not be accepted into the same universities like Cornell and Georgetown? How do they view reapplying?

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by HeavenWood » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:23 pm

breadbucket wrote:
HeavenWood wrote:
breadbucket wrote:
romothesavior wrote:I agree with what everyone else has said. If you don't want the Midwest and have no ties there, then UMN and IUB (while solid with a full ride) are out. GW is also way too expensive at the current price tag you're looking at, so it comes down to Cornell and Georgetown. A retake would also be a great option, since you'd only need like another point or two to drastically change the game.

ETA: Any idea why your cycle has gone so poorly? You should be getting money at Cornell, and you should easily be in at USC/UCLA. I also think you should be competitive at some higher ranked T14 schools. Your LSAT is very good and your GPA is outstanding. What is it that is holding you back?

I would wait out some of these waitlists. Your stats are very solid, you should have better options.
I'm really not sure, I applied December 4th, so not early but not overly late, and my P.S. was very good IMO. However, my Uni doesn't have great prestige but it is very small, which means I had excellent letters of Rec ( I didn't read them but I would be astonished to learn otherwise). Two of my professors even went to UCLA for some portion of their education so I am not sure what the issue is here. My softs are decent, only a few softs, but very successful/focused at them, and consistent WE.

As for the LSAT, my Diagnostic was 152, and for the three other proctored exams I received a 157, 160, 160 respectively. My overall average for PT's dropping the low and high (152, 171) was only 164. So my test day score was 5 points higher than my average and 9 points higher than my more relevant proctored exams. To be honest, I am not sure I could get a 169 again, let alone a 171 or 172. Thus, retake isn't a reasonably safe option or bet IMO because I could end up worse for it.

Maybe I'll have to settle for the Midwest, or pray to some amorphous being that I get off a waitlist somewhere.
Even if you don't improve, I think if you applied early in the cycle and wrote a good app, you'd be in for sure at M and put VPBDN solidly in play.
Understood, but what are the chances I would be even worse off, or not be accepted into the same universities like Cornell and Georgetown? How do they view reapplying?
Zero chance you'd be worse off. Plenty of people repeat cycles. The only way I could possibly see it hurting you is if you reneged on an ED agreement.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:25 pm

So is it like a 100% lock that I would be in at Cornell and Georgetown again? or is there some play there depending on how strong the applicant pool is that year?

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by HeavenWood » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:26 pm

breadbucket wrote:So is it like a 100% lock that I would be in at Cornell and Georgetown again? or is there some play there depending on how strong the applicant pool is that year?
Pretty much.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:30 pm

HeavenWood wrote:
breadbucket wrote:So is it like a 100% lock that I would be in at Cornell and Georgetown again? or is there some play there depending on how strong the applicant pool is that year?
Pretty much.
This might be something to think about, do schools reissue waivers?

I just wish things had erred on the side of a slightly better cycle, instead of a lightly worse one :(

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by HeavenWood » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:31 pm

breadbucket wrote:
HeavenWood wrote:
breadbucket wrote:So is it like a 100% lock that I would be in at Cornell and Georgetown again? or is there some play there depending on how strong the applicant pool is that year?
Pretty much.
This might be something to think about, do schools reissue waivers?

I just wish things had erred on the side of a slightly better cycle, instead of a lightly worse one :(
I'm almost 100% certain.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by romothesavior » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:55 pm

^ Agree with HW. I also think you should ride those WLs (write some LOCIs and all that good stuff) and push Cornell for money. 3.96/169 should be getting some solid offers.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:53 pm

romothesavior wrote:^ Agree with HW. I also think you should ride those WLs (write some LOCIs and all that good stuff) and push Cornell for money. 3.96/169 should be getting some solid offers.
Is there a particular school where I was waitlisted at that I should be targeting more than the others?

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by romothesavior » Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:55 pm

breadbucket wrote:
romothesavior wrote:^ Agree with HW. I also think you should ride those WLs (write some LOCIs and all that good stuff) and push Cornell for money. 3.96/169 should be getting some solid offers.
Is there a particular school where I was waitlisted at that I should be targeting more than the others?
Chicago on down.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by breadbucket » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:34 pm

FWIW, Cornell gave me 75k so I happily made my decision, thought I'd give this thread some closure, seems to be rare on these forums

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by romothesavior » Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:35 pm

breadbucket wrote:FWIW, Cornell gave me 75k so I happily made my decision, thought I'd give this thread some closure, seems to be rare on these forums
Did you withdraw from the other schools? That's a good offer at Cornell, but I really think you should stay on the WLs and see what happens. Your numbers are solid.

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Re: Cornell/Georgetown/GW/IUB/UMN

Post by HeavenWood » Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:19 pm

romothesavior wrote:
breadbucket wrote:FWIW, Cornell gave me 75k so I happily made my decision, thought I'd give this thread some closure, seems to be rare on these forums
Did you withdraw from the other schools? That's a good offer at Cornell, but I really think you should stay on the WLs and see what happens. Your numbers are solid.
+1

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