Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston Forum

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Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$)

Michigan
34
83%
BU/BC
7
17%
 
Total votes: 41

04102014

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Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by 04102014 » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:52 am

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to decide between Michigan and BU/BC with about equal $$. I know that normally the obvious answer is Michigan, but I really want to end up in Boston after graduation. I have strong ties (as in I grew up/went to college/have lived in the Boston area my whole life), but NALP indicates that many of Boston's top firms don't even recruit at Michigan, and, according to their site, only six or eight Michigan graduates ended up in Boston last year. It's also worth noting that BU and BC are about $7k cheaper per year, so they would presumably end up being about $21k cheaper in the end, even with equal scholarships.

So, is Michigan still the obvious choice here?

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Grazzhoppa

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by Grazzhoppa » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:19 am

Yes.

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somewhatwayward

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by somewhatwayward » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:29 am

Why can't you take the Michigan $ back to BU/BC and ask for more? If you could basically get a full ride to one of those and you don't mind forfeiting the greater chance of big law from Michigan (not as much greater as it should be /Michigan dig), then BU/BC would be good. What are your aspirations?

Also, it is hard to advise without the actual numbers. If they all cost like $150K, they are all too expensive, and you should retake/reapply. If it is like they all cost $120K, that seems to be objectively too much to spend for BU/BC and right on the edge to spend for Michigan. If it is like they all cost $75K, that'd be all right for BU/BC although passing up Michigan for $75K is painful for everyone else to watch.

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Blindmelon

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by Blindmelon » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:35 am

From a BU grad, take Mich. If it was BU/BC $$ v. full fare at Mich, I'd take the former - but at equal $, Mich is the clear winner.

hephaestus

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by hephaestus » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:40 am

How much are the scholarships?

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04102014

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by 04102014 » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:57 am

Michigan is offering $17.5k per year, BU/BC offering $20k per year. Working on the negotiation process. Considering my numbers are normally borderline for BU/BC but got me money at Michigan, I'm curious to see how they respond.

I'm a big fan of Michigan, but I'm just worried about their ability to place in Boston. Numbers are reverse splitter-y (3.9x, low 160s, non URM). Hoping to work for a firm upon graduation, but I'm not biglaw or bust.

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Samara

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by Samara » Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:46 am

Boston is hard to get from Midwestern schools. Since you prefer Boston non-biglaw to biglaw elsewhere, I would take the Boston schools.

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bruinfan10

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by bruinfan10 » Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:05 am

somewhatwayward wrote:Why can't you take the Michigan $ back to BU/BC and ask for more? If you could basically get a full ride to one of those and you don't mind forfeiting the greater chance of big law from Michigan (not as much greater as it should be /Michigan dig), then BU/BC would be good.
Sigh...you realize Dean Z is a lot more transparent about the school's numbers than a lot of the other T14s, right? And that UM doesn't self-employ jobless grads to juke the stats UVA-style? And that apparently Mich kicks the shit out of Columbia, Cornell, and Northwestern in clerkship placement (LinkRemoved)? Michigan's numbers could be better, but the TLS echo-chamber hate is a little overblown.

The relevant question is what percentage of the class these Boston regionals place into Boston biglaw. If that number isn't really high, you're a lot safer going to Michigan given your debt level. If your class rank isn't killer, you've got much better access to the (comparatively larger and more forgiving) NYC legal market. I'm also not sure what percentage of Michigan's student body has ties to Boston in any given year, so that may skew its Boston placement stats to some extent. Definitely worth checking out.

04102014

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by 04102014 » Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:46 pm

Thanks for the input everyone.

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AllTheLawz

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by AllTheLawz » Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:54 pm

The fact that you have lifelong ties makes this an easy call for Michigan. With a market like Boston, the number of people who end up in the city isn't an indicator of "ability to place." Even if firms don't recruit at your school, it's easy to just send in your resume and come into town to interview.

A number of students at Boston firms come from random schools all over the place (Tulane, UNC, Berkeley, UCLA, etc.) and it has nothing to do with the school's "placement power."

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by BigZuck » Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:00 pm

To answer your question: Michigan.

To address the real issue here: retake.

Harvard is within reach given that GPA. Time to get an LSAT worthy of that GPA.

PRgradBYU

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by PRgradBYU » Sun Apr 14, 2013 3:15 pm

Michigan wins this one by a landslide.

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somewhatwayward

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by somewhatwayward » Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:58 pm

bruinfan10 wrote:
somewhatwayward wrote:Why can't you take the Michigan $ back to BU/BC and ask for more? If you could basically get a full ride to one of those and you don't mind forfeiting the greater chance of big law from Michigan (not as much greater as it should be /Michigan dig), then BU/BC would be good.
Sigh...you realize Dean Z is a lot more transparent about the school's numbers than a lot of the other T14s, right? And that UM doesn't self-employ jobless grads to juke the stats UVA-style? And that apparently Mich kicks the shit out of Columbia, Cornell, and Northwestern in clerkship placement (LinkRemoved)? Michigan's numbers could be better, but the TLS echo-chamber hate is a little overblown.
The "/Michigan dig" was intended to signal to not take it t Po o seriously but since you did....notice that I specifically said big law placement not general placement. It is an objective fact that Michigan' big law has been pretty poor for the past few years. I think they have been second worst in the T14 for the past few years.... if not that definitely not in line with the T10. Michigan is still a great (although like most schools not worth sticker) but that doesn't change is mediocre big law stats.

Protip: defensiveness usually indicates a kernel of truth.

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04102014

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by 04102014 » Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:05 pm

somewhatwayward wrote:
bruinfan10 wrote:
somewhatwayward wrote:Why can't you take the Michigan $ back to BU/BC and ask for more? If you could basically get a full ride to one of those and you don't mind forfeiting the greater chance of big law from Michigan (not as much greater as it should be /Michigan dig), then BU/BC would be good.
Sigh...you realize Dean Z is a lot more transparent about the school's numbers than a lot of the other T14s, right? And that UM doesn't self-employ jobless grads to juke the stats UVA-style? And that apparently Mich kicks the shit out of Columbia, Cornell, and Northwestern in clerkship placement (LinkRemoved)? Michigan's numbers could be better, but the TLS echo-chamber hate is a little overblown.
The "/Michigan dig" was intended to signal to not take it t Po o seriously but since you did....notice that I specifically said big law placement not general placement. It is an objective fact that Michigan' big law has been pretty poor for the past few years. I think they have been second worst in the T14 for the past few years.... if not that definitely not in line with the T10. Michigan is still a great (although like most schools not worth sticker) but that doesn't change is mediocre big law stats.

Protip: defensiveness usually indicates a kernel of truth.
Off topic, but I love your avatar.

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Redamon1

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by Redamon1 » Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:52 am

ohpobrecito wrote: NALP indicates that many of Boston's top firms don't even recruit at Michigan
Just because a firm doesn't attend Mich's OCI doesn't mean they won't recruit you. You can go back to Boston over Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break, weekends, summer and hustle to get interviews at Boston-based firm. Do it.

04102014

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by 04102014 » Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:53 am

Well, everyone's optimism about Michigan --> Boston makes me feel a bit better.

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by BigZuck » Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:58 am

BigZuck wrote:retake

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Gunnar Stahl

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by Gunnar Stahl » Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:13 am

BigZuck wrote:
BigZuck wrote:retake

04102014

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by 04102014 » Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:14 am

BigZuck wrote:
BigZuck wrote:retake
I love that you quoted yourself.

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Kalinda

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Re: Michigan ($$) or BU/BC ($$) for Boston

Post by Kalinda » Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:56 am

Redamon1 wrote:
ohpobrecito wrote: NALP indicates that many of Boston's top firms don't even recruit at Michigan
Just because a firm doesn't attend Mich's OCI doesn't mean they won't recruit you. You can go back to Boston over Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break, weekends, summer and hustle to get interviews at Boston-based firm. Do it.

I know the Boston market is all about supporting their own, but I would pick Michigan. You have ties to Boston. This is anecdotal, but I have several friends who went to law schools outside New England and were able to get back to Boston because they either went to high school there, college, or did a little post grad work (all of these schools were atleast T20).

Michigan! :D

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