.

[IAFG]

That doesn't tell the whole story. AA doesn't have the diversity of housing stock that Chicago does. In places like AA either rent is pretty high or you need a car (considerably increasing your living expenses). You can more easily bargain shop for rents in Chicago (which is a pretty cheap city to start with).

[bdubs]

Yeah, it covers a monthly housing allowance; but it's proportional to the CoL wherever you go to school. Here's the housing allowance they give you at a couple schools:
NYU/Columbia - $3,258 / month | $87,966 for 27 months
Chicago - $1,740 | $46,980
Michigan - $1,374 | $37,098
UVA - $1,365 | $36,855
Boalt - $2,409 | $65,043

It shouldn't be hard at all to live comfortably on $1,740/mo in Chicago.

I wasn't specifically referring to COL, more to your specific QOL. School is not more work than a full-time job, so you will have a chance to enjoy the city or area you live in.

I do agree with IAFG though that being able to not have a car is a major COL savings for Penn/NU relative to UVA/Michigan (and maybe Boalt).

[HeavenWood]

Take a full-ride still.

[somewhatwayward]

If I'm reading this right (http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=penn) it looks like Penn has a 67% chance of favorable outcomes (fed clerkship or Biglaw). Compare that to 48% at UVA (http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=uva).

You're not counting the large number of UVAers who self-select into PI. Placement in biglaw does not equal ability to place in biglaw.

For the c/o 2009, 52.8% of UVA's class went to NLJ 250 firms...for c/o 2011, 37% went to firms of 100+ (which includes more firms than the NLJ 250)....are you saying that all of a sudden, the c/o 2011 had a change of heart and masses of them chose PI, or, worse, school-funded positions, over firms? I don't doubt that some UVAers, just like some students at all T14s, want PI and gun for it. I don't think that explains the c/o 2009 and c/o 2011 #s or the discrepancy between UVA's firm placement and Penn's or NW's. UVA places less well than Penn or NW because of a combination of an unnecessarily large class, a grading system and an OCI system that favors the top students, and a very competitive home market.

However, the lower cost of UVA/Mich/Boalt changes the analysis. I think taking either those schools at full rides or Penn or NW at 50K is reasonable (you mean 50K total cost, right?). 50K isn't much to pay for law school these days. I don't know if the 30% greater chance of a good outcome at Penn is worth an extra 50K, but Penn for 50K is a pretty good deal.