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UCLA ($$) vs. UCI ($$) for not-Biglaw

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:54 pm
by twenty
(Not posting this for me, posting this for a friend. Can answer questions and stuff.)

Stats are 173 LSAT | No GPA.

Like my cycle, my friend's cycle has been enormously sh*tty. With a 173 LSAT, he was dinged at all the T14 except for GULC and Cornell, where he was waitlisted and reserved respectively. We're pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that almost all of our classes were taken P/F at a college slightly more prestigious than University of Phoenix. UCLA, GULC and UCI all requested interviews where they reamed him for the perceived lack of rigor in his studies.

With a 173, RETAKE is probably not the solution to this problem.

He's tried negotiating scholarships with both schools with no success.

Career objectives are pretty much anything public interest-y: In preferential order, a local DA's office first, a city attorney's office, JAG, a non-profit/NGO, etc. He'd rather go for PMF and get killed by the full force of his debt than do biglaw.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.

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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:06 pm
by Myself
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Re: UCLA ($$) vs. UCI ($$) for not-Biglaw

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:10 pm
by sinfiery
UCLA but UCI with no COL is so fricken cheap that I wouldn't be too off put by picking UCI given the goals


ETA: After reading how little school name means for PD/PA offices, I change my vote to UCI graduating with, what, 30-50k debt?

Re: UCLA ($$) vs. UCI ($$) for not-Biglaw

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:11 pm
by twenty
sinfiery wrote:I'm guessing the COL is living at home and not school sponsored?
You guess correctly. ;)

Re: UCLA ($$) vs. UCI ($$) for not-Biglaw

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:20 pm
by Master Tofu
Assuming you are absolutely committed to public interest, then I guess debt doesn't really matter as much to you since you will have PSLF. In the event there is a risk you might decide to not do public interest (if you get jaded for instance), you might want to avoid debt and attend the least expensive school. UCI.

As an aside, we need more law schools like CUNY School of Law rather than more state schools that cost the same as private schools.

Tuition is half of UCI if you're out of state and a little more than a quarter of UCI if you are instate.

http://www.law.cuny.edu/admissions/tuition.html