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Hey y'all

I have narrowed my list down to U. Houston (in-state) and Emory (sticker price)

This is what I am taking into consideration....
-I want to end up working in Houston/Texas
-I am interested in public interest/criminal law but not absolutely sure

I will have to take out loans either way... is it worth going to Emory if I know I want to practice in Texas? I know Emory is ranked much higher but does that matter if I am going to be practicing in Texas? ADVICE PLEASE!

Houston

U of Houston by far.

Just for the sake of conversation, what are the COAs at each?

UH- 28k year in state
Emory- 41k year

kjames511 wrote:UH- 28k year in state
Emory- 41k year

What's your LSAT/GPA? You should retake+reapply and try to get into UT. Neither UH nor Emory is worth the debt you'd have to pay.

Edit: Your profile says you have a 3.9 GPA. Don't waste that awesome GPA on a school not in the T14 or Texas. Retake.

.

kjames511 wrote:UH- 28k year in state
Emory- 41k year

for three years, adding in living expenses, that is:
UH- $133,000 COA
Emory- $207,000 COA

the right answer is "neither"

retake or go somewhere cheaper that can get you criminal and PI in Texas

Houston, and try to find a job now so school is not the only gig you have going on

UH.

Retake if you're willing to wait a year for scholarship possibilities (assuming you have the score improvement to garner scholarships). And, if you ever decide that biglaw is what you want, UT opens more doors there.

UH is a great school and is relatively well-priced; it also gives you a great shot in Houston for PI/Criminal. Just take note of what your loan payments will be and what salaries are offered in those areas.

Another thing to take into consideration... parents will be loaning me tuition/living money interest free. I will obviously need to pay them back down the road but I won't be paying interest.

Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

kjames511 wrote:Another thing to take into consideration... parents will be loaning me tuition/living money interest free. I will obviously need to pay them back down the road but I won't be paying interest.

Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

Well there goes PSLF.

UH if you want to stay in TX. Emory if you want southeast and some more portability with your degree

kjames511 wrote:Another thing to take into consideration... parents will be loaning me tuition/living money interest free. I will obviously need to pay them back down the road but I won't be paying interest.

Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

Then there's no question (I think); still, I would want to keep the amount my parents would be paying/what I would have to pay back to a minimum.

Tiago Splitter wrote:

kjames511 wrote:Another thing to take into consideration... parents will be loaning me tuition/living money interest free. I will obviously need to pay them back down the road but I won't be paying interest.

Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

Well there goes PSLF.

+1

Tiago Splitter wrote:

kjames511 wrote:Another thing to take into consideration... parents will be loaning me tuition/living money interest free. I will obviously need to pay them back down the road but I won't be paying interest.

Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

Well there goes PSLF.

Not interested in PSLF

Retake, Break 179, with gpa enjoy hys

I think retake might be the best advice to give you. There are many schools out there that provide better opportunities in the PI world than UH will. (Emory is not one of those schools.)

Do you have time to study for a retake in June? That could give you the opportunity to swing for the fences and, if you score high enough, sit out a year and reapply. If you don't improve too much, then all it cost you was the hours spent studying and you can just attend the school you were planning on attending.

Between UH and Emory, UH is the better choice for you considering you want to work in Houston and you want to do PI work.

kjames511 wrote:

Tiago Splitter wrote:

kjames511 wrote:Another thing to take into consideration... parents will be loaning me tuition/living money interest free. I will obviously need to pay them back down the road but I won't be paying interest.

Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

Well there goes PSLF.

Not interested in PSLF

Yeah I mean why would you be?

Why would you not be interested in PSLF if you want a PI job?

I don't think I want to spend 10 years in public sector. I will probably end up in the private sector before then

kjames511 wrote:I don't think I want to spend 10 years in public sector. I will probably end up in the private sector before then

So to be clear, your parents are loaning money so it is interest free, but we're still talking 130k+ in total COA, correct? Or are you living at home or something?

Houston is the far better choice if you're from there and want to work there, but that is still way too expensive for that degree.

Your first job decides a lot. You may not be going to the private sector after a certain amount of time in the public sector. Most firms want associates right out of school.

kjames511 wrote:Also I Got dinged at UT. I've spent summers taking classes in Austin and didn't love it there so don't think UT would be place for me, even if I retook LSAT and was accepted.

UT is leaps and bounds better than UH, and would be a far better option. Also, Austin is (by all accounts) an awesome city for law school. Why didn't you like it? Either way, the placement difference between UH and UT is big enough to make up for the difference in "city experience."

romothesavior wrote:

kjames511 wrote:I don't think I want to spend 10 years in public sector. I will probably end up in the private sector before then

So to be clear, your parents are loaning money so it is interest free, but we're still talking 130k+ in total COA, correct? Or are you living at home or something?

Houston is the far better choice if you're from there and want to work there, but that is still way too expensive for that degree.

Still talking 130k+ COA. All this money talk is depressing

Emory is very unlikely to get your back to TX. If you wanna work in Houston, UH is a good option. I agree it's expensive but I think Emory at sticker would be even worse.