Need to Pick Today Forum

[nickb285]

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[Micdiddy]

Ok bud. I just spent 20 minutes reading every single post in this thread and have thought about this decision before, but never this hard.
You have two bad choices in front of you. You have committed yourself to making one of them. One of these choices will lead you down a road of living in a place you don't like, being stuck there for the foreseeable future and possibly not finding a good job, but have serviceable debt.
The other one will take you to a fantastic little town where you will definitely fit in. You will work your ass off and have fun doing it. Then after three years there's the very real chance your life as an adult with good credit and a bright future is doomed. Davis here is the only option that can realistically ruin you if things Go south. However, Davis is also the only option with a legitimate "upside" (assuming any job you find in Utah will make you miserable).
I'm a poker player, and I've gambled for a fair chunk of money in the past, but this is a gamble you simply do not have to make. There are two evils and you do not have to take either of them.
With that said, Davis is objectively unreasonable. If you can find the right people in Utah, who cares about fitting in with mainstream culture? You can find your group, find your way, and still have an exit plan once you're an experienced lawyer and have marketable skills. Yes I am talking out my ass, maybe that doesn't really exist, but it seems more likely to find cool people in Utah than for Davis' employment prospects to get any better. Find a great place to live LATER, make the best financial decision now, IMO. Utah or don't go.

[WisemanAEKDB]

^ thank you. That sounds like the most honest and reasonable thing I've heard here. It definitely sums up my thoughts. Literally it's all correct. I'm gonna go chat with admissions at Utah this afternoon for some last second choices, but I will update. P.S. burgers and brew was A+

[Micdiddy]

^ thank you. That sounds like the most honest and reasonable thing I've heard here. It definitely sums up my thoughts. Literally it's all correct. I'm gonna go chat with admissions at Utah this afternoon for some last second choices, but I will update. P.S. burgers and brew was A+

So glad you went! I decided against creepy asw stalking. It was a tough call, but the important thing is you went to B & B.

[WisemanAEKDB]

The town was really vibrant and alive. I really dug the feel. In the long run, yeah, I'd have a kickass three years at Davis with awesome people and everything would be cool. But that debt. It's just most likely not justifiable. Even though I love Davis, everyone's right. It's not practical in the slightest bit.

[BigZuck]

The town was really vibrant and alive. I really dug the feel. In the long run, yeah, I'd have a kickass three years at Davis with awesome people and everything would be cool. But that debt. It's just most likely not justifiable. Even though I love Davis, everyone's right. It's not practical in the slightest bit.

These threads rarely have a happy ending. I am so glad this one did.

I think you made the right choice, by far!

[20141023]

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[nickb285]

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[BigZuck]

These threads rarely have a happy ending. I am so glad this one did.

I think you made the right choice, by far!

I don’t know man… I wouldn’t really call this a “happy ending.” Under normal circumstances I would say that what Tom Joad said is absolutely correct, but I think that he is vastly underestimating how stressful it can be for a non-Mormon family to live in Utah. The outdoors are great there, and the LDS Church just put in the biggest fuggin mall you’ve ever seen, so there is definitely lots of stuff to do. However, as the OP has mentioned, raising a non-Mormon family in a Mormon culture can be very difficult. For example, the Church’s leaders have said things about having family get-togethers where Mormons invite non-Mormons over for dinner and have non-intrusive “cottage meetings,” but whose real purpose is to draw closer and eventually convert them. Even the LDS youth are taught that good friends are Mormon friends; I remember Church leaders saying when I was a youth that someone isn’t your “real friend” if they won’t at least listen to your message (about religion) before rejecting it. Of course, by no means are all Mormons like this (we’ve got a lot of cool guys and gals on TLS who are LDS); unfortunately, the problem is that there are a ton of people like this in Utah, and it is difficult to live in a society where there are lots of social events going on around you all the time that are put on by local LDS wards/stakes… many of the children in your kid’s school will be there, and your kid will feel left out if they don’t attend. This in turn will pressure your kids to convert, and if they do, you will unlikely be unable to attend their wedding in the future unless you also convert; sadly, it isn’t a very inclusive religion (unless you’re already Mormon). Anyway, enough rambling… to make a long story short, I think that it is naïve to so easily recommend that OP spend their entire career in a region that they obviously don’t want to be in, and justify it with the fact that “1L versus 0L so stfu,” yet obviously most of the 1Ls know absolutely nothing about this particular situation.

Also, are you current students not aware of IBR and PAYE? You keep saying things like “soul-crushing debt,” but there are beginning to be more ways to service massive loans other that getting (and staying in) biglaw or PSLF.

OP, the only real "happy ending" in this situation is to sit out, work, and retake.

Agreed on the very last sentence. And turning down Davis was the first step toward that. Might its not quite the ending, but turning down Davis is at least a thing to be happy about.

[WisemanAEKDB]

I really appreciate all of the time taken by people here to respond and give feedback today. It was very nice.

I have chosen to put my seat deposit at Utah for a variety of reasons. Mainly, I realized that I need to be very "ready" to go to school. Not ready in the "I read books" but ready in the sense of not stressed out, and having a kick ass summer. I won't have to move (I live two blocks from the law building), I won't have to stress about making new friends, and I won't have to stress out about money. I can focus on my schooling and my education. I can focus on doing the best I can academically and giving myself the best shot to succeed and really garner some great clinical experience here in Salt Lake. I still have goals that reach beyond Utah, and I won't give up on those. I feel as if I have a better shot to be in a better position and to be happy if I'm stuck with only a bit of debt. I feel as if I have the tools I need to succeed at Utah and I'd be foolish to pass them up. I won't have 150 really cool law buddies who like to drink awesome beer in Davis, but hey that's life.

Regulus, you know what's up. Thanks for helping and assisting. I'm also young and have perfect amount of time to GTFO when necessary.

I promised myself I would be 100% content with a choice, and I am. I'm gonna make the most of all of this and go for it. Also, UW/USC via waitlist? Who knows?

[20141023]

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[WisemanAEKDB]

No, you are absolutely right that SLC is different. However, the OP might go to school and live in that area during law school, but when he graduates and starts his family (most likely in Utah, because as I stated previously, 71% of grads end up there, with the next highest place being 3% in Colorado), there is a decent chance that he will move to one of those towns or live in the suburbs – basically wherever there is a job, because Utah doesn’t offer the best options of picking where you work.

I'd move to Park City, yo. Now that's a place to be!

[20141023]

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[Dr. Dre]

listen to rad lulz

[GM544]

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[ManoftheHour]

^ thank you. That sounds like the most honest and reasonable thing I've heard here. It definitely sums up my thoughts. Literally it's all correct. I'm gonna go chat with admissions at Utah this afternoon for some last second choices, but I will update. P.S. burgers and brew was A+

Davis is a shithole of a town. Don't go. If you have to, Utah all the way.

[Dr. Dre]

Davis is a shithole of a town. Don't go. If you have to, Utah all the way.

[Micdiddy]

Wtf? I know TLS gratuitously bashes shit all the time, but Davis is a great city.

[BigZuck]

I think Davis is pleasant enough but it does literally smell like shit. I don't think I've ever been there when it didn't smell like manure.

[Dr. Dre]

Wtf? I know TLS gratuitously bashes shit all the time, but Davis is a great city.

nope. middle of no where. boring and lacks school spirit. It's not a Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor.

[Rahviveh]

Wtf? I know TLS gratuitously bashes shit all the time, but Davis is a great city.

nope. middle of no where. boring and lacks school spirit. It's not a Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor.

This. I bet its even worse as an grad student.

[WisemanAEKDB]

Oh come on, Davis was way nice and I really loved the town. Get real...

[ManoftheHour]

Wtf? I know TLS gratuitously bashes shit all the time, but Davis is a great city.

I can see the appeal to SOME people. It's not my cup of tea and I'm not just saying that because I dated someone there and it ended badly. Lol.

My previous statement was hyperbolic. If you like the small college town charm, it's nice. I found it depressing. The closest big city is Sac town and it's pretty boring. I'm a city guy and I need exciting things around the area. I knew people that went to Davis that drove to RENO for their 21st. Guess where I was during mine? Partying in a top notched club in VEGAS. For the record, my ex girlfriend was super depressed all the time while she was there. She kept calling me late nights telling me how much she misses home (SoCal).

Regardless, the area of which a law school resides in is irrelevant. Going to a school for a good social feel is a ship that has sailed once undergrad ended.

[ManoftheHour]

Wtf? I know TLS gratuitously bashes shit all the time, but Davis is a great city.

nope. middle of no where. boring and lacks school spirit. It's not a Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor.

This. So much this.

You'll see me attending UC Davis when Dr. Dre goes to TTT Yuu See Eye.

[Dr. Dre]

lulz^


i guess people think davis is a good choice because it's in california. When, unbeknownst to those people, california is sucking major cock.