Top Law Schools

I'll make this short and sweet. I've been actively going through threads on here for my entire cycle. I have done quite a bit of research and would like to think that I am aware of the short comings of the schools which I am considering. With that said there is obviously no formula to finding the correct answer in any given situation. I have a 2.7X and a 171 so, although I could definitely score higher on the LSAT if taken again, it probably would not do much for me.

I am currently on the WL at UCLA, "Held" at NU (hold seems to be a nice way for them to word WL this semester?), and waiting on responses from NYU, Penn and USC. I am starting to doubt any of these being viable options at this point and assuming the worst.

With that said, I am choosing between GW with a 60k scholarship and 2.5 stip, Emory with a "good academic standing stip" and Cardozo with a full tuition scholarship and a top 80% stip. My estimated post-graduation debt (not counting interest) based on a combination of the schools estimated COL and my own imaginary, slightly thought out, adjusted COL are as follows:

GW- ~150 [90k tuition after scholarship + 75k COL - 15k(selling my car)]
Emory- ~150 [75k tuition after scholarship + 75k COL]
Cardozo- ~75k [no tuition, 90k COL- 15k (selling my car)]

My plans for after law school are essentially to find a job in a city which I do not hate. I'm from Florida so in the outside chance that I want to return to work in Florida after graduation, I guess Emory would give me the best opportunity to do so. I just visited Cardozo and absolutely loved the city and loved the campus. I get the feeling that if finances weren't an issue GW would be the best option for me as far as employment statistics. I guess I am essentially hung up on how much the full ride from Cardozo should influence my thinking (I am loving the idea of only paying to live, which, I would obviously have to do whether I go to law school or not, granted maybe not in one of the more expensive areas of NYC).

Basically, everything seems so straight forward until you have to start qualifying the worth of random scholarship amounts with the knowledge of the schools employment statistics! I'm just looking to hear a few opinions on my options and what people would do in my situation.

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I withdrew my applications from FSU and UF (Went to FSU and couldn't stand the idea of going back to Tallahassee for three more years, never really liked Gainesville). Maybe a bad decision but, I just couldn't come to grips with the idea of living in either city for three years right now.

4thquarterclutch2012 wrote:I withdrew my applications from FSU and UF (Went to FSU and couldn't stand the idea of going back to Tallahassee for three more years, never really liked Gainesville). Maybe a bad decision but, I just couldn't come to grips with the idea of living in either city for three years right now.

Yeah that was a bad call dude

I'd call em up, tell em you have a change of heart, and ask them to re-review.

FSU should give you $

hey there clutch!

saw your screen name and had to come comment as I saw you over at lawschoolnumbers and with your similar numbers (I'm a 2.77/170) I added you to my watch list to gauge my own chances. I too was accepted by GW and am weighing it versus UGA (much lower tuition,COA, still a great school, not a great location for networking) I will put some consideration into American and W&L if they give me a good money offer, but I'm leaning strongly toward GW. As much as I'd love your 60K to be freed up, I think you should really strongly consider GW.

Here's my thinking.

As far as pure quality of education, outside of USC GW is far and away the best from those you listed. Yes, it's a financial risk, but the potential is so darn high, both financially and as far as making a difference, that it trumps those concerns. You got a 171, which means you have a mind wired for law. It's true that if you don't finish in the top 1/3rd at GW your finances will suffer.... but with a little drive that shouldn't be a problem for you. Hell if you don't think you can finish in the top 1/3rd of your class you might as well not go to law school at all. find something you're better at.

Besides all that, all federal loans have the option of being repayed as a %of income, 15% of discretionary income to be exact. If they aren't paid off with payments at that level after 25 years, the remainder of the loan is forgiven, ten years if you work in public service. Personally, I'm likely to go even at sticker price. it's a huge risk, and most on these boards would deem me crazy, but I've decided to bet on myself, on my success. Outside of maybe NY, DC is the best place to crack into meaningful law. A degree from GW will translate easily to Florida since it's a much better school than any in the state.

Good luck in your decision and if you choose to withdraw from GW PLEASE let me know so I can use that fact in negotiating to repurpose your scholarship for my benefit.

fLaw School Bound wrote:hey there clutch!

saw your screen name and had to come comment as I saw you over at lawschoolnumbers and with your similar numbers (I'm a 2.77/170) I added you to my watch list to gauge my own chances. I too was accepted by GW and am weighing it versus UGA (much lower tuition,COA, still a great school, not a great location for networking) I will put some consideration into American and W&L if they give me a good money offer, but I'm leaning strongly toward GW. As much as I'd love your 60K to be freed up, I think you should really strongly consider GW.

Here's my thinking.

As far as pure quality of education, outside of USC GW is far and away the best from those you listed. Yes, it's a financial risk, but the potential is so darn high, both financially and as far as making a difference, that it trumps those concerns. You got a 171, which means you have a mind wired for law. It's true that if you don't finish in the top 1/3rd at GW your finances will suffer.... but with a little drive that shouldn't be a problem for you. Hell if you don't think you can finish in the top 1/3rd of your class you might as well not go to law school at all. find something you're better at.

Besides all that, all federal loans have the option of being repayed as a %of income, 15% of discretionary income to be exact. If they aren't paid off with payments at that level after 25 years, the remainder of the loan is forgiven, ten years if you work in public service. Personally, I'm likely to go even at sticker price. it's a huge risk, and most on these boards would deem me crazy, but I've decided to bet on myself, on my success. Outside of maybe NY, DC is the best place to crack into meaningful law. A degree from GW will translate easily to Florida since it's a much better school than any in the state.

Good luck in your decision and if you choose to withdraw from GW PLEASE let me know so I can use that fact in negotiating to repurpose your scholarship for my benefit.

You realize they aren't exactly "forgiven" in 25 years -- you are going to have a half a million tax bomb hit...

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