Top 20 at sticker v. Top 50 for free Forum

[rmp]

This isn't a pressing issue since I'm waitlisted at the top 20 schools, but if I am accepted off the WL, I'm curious as to what others would do given my situation.

Davis or Hastings w/ full tuition paid vs. NYU or USC at sticker

Ideally, I want to remain in California to practice, but I'm also drawn to NY and DC. Most likely going to try for big law in the beginning.. would love to aim for a clerkship. May want to eventually work for one of the agencies in the administration, but not anytime soon. It's a vast difference in ranking and in price and I'm pretty debt-averse.... but I also know that ranking is crucial. I've visited all schools and would prob choose Hastings over Davis, but I also fell in LOVE NYU and USC. (NYU more so than USC..) I'm happy with all options, but in the event I have to choose....Opinions?

[Rahviveh]

*paging hutz and goodman*

[John_rizzy_rawls]

NYU and USC are great schools but sticker + COL is an incredible amount of debt. Around a quarter of a million.

Absolutely do not go to Davis or Hastings.

You seem to be on the cusp of snagging some $ from NYU/SC. Retaking in June for some negotiation leverage is probably your best option here.

[Elston Gunn]

This has been covered a lot recently. Search around for the Northwester v. U Houston thread. Hastings/Davis for free is IMO way better than USC at sticker, but NYU is a much different question. That would be a very personal decision. Granting that you absolutely will not wait a year and retake (which you probably should), I would rather go to NYU at sticker. At NYU you have a high chance of a job you might hate that will pay you very well and set you up for a great career, but having very high debt; and a small chance of getting a shitty job with huge debt.
At Hastings/Davis you have a high chance of getting a shitty job with low debt, and a small chance of getting a job you might hate etc with low debt.

[Micdiddy]

How did you get full tuition at Davis? Honestly curious, they gave me 11k merit and have max 30k need (didn't wait to see what they actually offered). Did they give you 20k merit and full need?

[unclepete]

How did you get full tuition at Davis? Honestly curious, they gave me 11k merit and have max 30k need (didn't wait to see what they actually offered). Did they give you 20k merit and full need?

[Elston Gunn]

How did you get full tuition at Davis? Honestly curious, they gave me 11k merit and have max 30k need (didn't wait to see what they actually offered). Did they give you 20k merit and full need?

EDIT: stupid comment.

[rmp]

How did you get full tuition at Davis? Honestly curious, they gave me 11k merit and have max 30k need (didn't wait to see what they actually offered). Did they give you 20k merit and full need?

hello -- the full tuition wasn't granted by the school. i get it @ all state/public universities. it's a waiver i receive through veteran's affairs because of my father's military history/service-connected disability. i thought i would be accepted at LA, but not even a waitlist, and i'm ITCHING to go back to school now. i can't imagine having to prepare for the LSAT again.. the waiver is a sweet deal but i can always utilize is should i decide to pursue a phd or otherwise at a UC. i also used it for undergraduate, so it's not like i let the benefit lay idle. BUT, to give you more perspective on my situation, i am extremely fortunate/grateful that my parents will likely absorb my COL, so my loans should only be tuition should i decide on nyu/usc..

[Elston Gunn]

How did you get full tuition at Davis? Honestly curious, they gave me 11k merit and have max 30k need (didn't wait to see what they actually offered). Did they give you 20k merit and full need?

hello -- the full tuition wasn't granted by the school. i get it @ all state/public universities. it's a waiver i receive through veteran's affairs because of my father's military history/service-connected disability. i thought i would be accepted at LA, but not even a waitlist, and i'm ITCHING to go back to school now. i can't imagine having to prepare for the LSAT again.. the waiver is a sweet deal but i can always utilize is should i decide to pursue a phd or otherwise at a UC. i also used it for undergraduate, so it's not like i let the benefit lay idle. BUT, to give you more perspective on my situation, i am extremely fortunate/grateful that my parents will likely absorb my COL, so my loans should only be tuition should i decide on nyu/usc..

Oh, Dude, you have GOT to retake and get UCLA/Berkeley if you can. Are you above their GPA floors?

[rmp]

not sure exactly what their GPA floors are, but if anything, my cumulative is prob only slightly above LA's 25th if not right below. i had a terrible first 2 quarters but have attached a strong addendum to explain, and an clear upward grade trend to follow. i'm a double major and both my major GPAs are above their medians, but that doesn't count for much. regarding the LSAT: i was testing so much better on my diagnostic/practice tests than when i actually performed. i even took it twice and received the same score both times! this doesn't look great on my app, and a third retake would prob not be too appealing either. i truly believe i'm riding on strong softs/LORs.. another option i was considering was doing a first year at hastings, (hopefully) performing well, and transferring to boalt or LA. i recognize that this is incredibly risky though. a few people who have chosen a lower ranked with minimal cost and transferred have advised me not to go into law school with this mindset, so i'm quickly moving away from this option..

How did you get full tuition at Davis? Honestly curious, they gave me 11k merit and have max 30k need (didn't wait to see what they actually offered). Did they give you 20k merit and full need?

hello -- the full tuition wasn't granted by the school. i get it @ all state/public universities. it's a waiver i receive through veteran's affairs because of my father's military history/service-connected disability. i thought i would be accepted at LA, but not even a waitlist, and i'm ITCHING to go back to school now. i can't imagine having to prepare for the LSAT again.. the waiver is a sweet deal but i can always utilize is should i decide to pursue a phd or otherwise at a UC. i also used it for undergraduate, so it's not like i let the benefit lay idle. BUT, to give you more perspective on my situation, i am extremely fortunate/grateful that my parents will likely absorb my COL, so my loans should only be tuition should i decide on nyu/usc..

Oh, Dude, you have GOT to retake and get UCLA/Berkeley if you can. Are you above their GPA floors?

[Micdiddy]

not sure exactly what their GPA floors are, but if anything, my cumulative is prob only slightly above LA's 25th if not right below. i had a terrible first 2 quarters but have attached a strong addendum to explain, and an clear upward grade trend to follow. i'm a double major and both my major GPAs are above their medians, but that doesn't count for much. regarding the LSAT: i was testing so much better on my diagnostic/practice tests than when i actually performed. i even took it twice and received the same score both times!

Every comment you've made has made retaking a better a choice. Retake.

[boblawlob]

You are only 1 year out of college and you have a good job at a law firm currently (according to your past post). Retake.

I mean Hastings and Davis are not bad options at full ride, but seems like an awful waste if you only took the LSAT once.

Retake LSAT, get 170 and get Berkeley or UCLA full ride.

[nickb285]

.

[Elston Gunn]

not sure exactly what their GPA floors are, but if anything, my cumulative is prob only slightly above LA's 25th if not right below. i had a terrible first 2 quarters but have attached a strong addendum to explain, and an clear upward grade trend to follow. i'm a double major and both my major GPAs are above their medians, but that doesn't count for much. regarding the LSAT: i was testing so much better on my diagnostic/practice tests than when i actually performed. i even took it twice and received the same score both times! this doesn't look great on my app, and a third retake would prob not be too appealing either. i truly believe i'm riding on strong softs/LORs.. another option i was considering was doing a first year at hastings, (hopefully) performing well, and transferring to boalt or LA. i recognize that this is incredibly risky though. a few people who have chosen a lower ranked with minimal cost and transferred have advised me not to go into law school with this mindset, so i'm quickly moving away from this option..

If you're above their 25ths, you're well above their floors (a lot of people have trouble with CA schools because they really don't like very low GPAs). They also really won't care about three LSAT scores; they just take the highest. Your life will be so much better with a full ride at Berkeley than sticker at NYU or Davis for free. Trust me.

[Mr. Jones]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

[Doorkeeper]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

Retake and enjoy the T14 or USC/UCLA for free.

[Elston Gunn]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

Are you employed?

[Mr. Jones]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

Are you employed?

Yes (JAG), if I waited a year I would not be employed, I would still be in school.

OP, if you're "itching" to go back to school, don't waste a year of your life waiting to be a lawyer. Just go to law school and get it over with. If, however, you are still unsure if you want to be a lawyer then retake and reapply. Don't get me wrong law school is plenty of fun, but three years + bar study is a long time to train for your profession. Might as well start sooner and get your career sooner, rather than wallowing about for a year.

[Elston Gunn]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

Are you employed?

Yes (JAG), if I waited a year I would not be employed, I would still be in school.

So you had an excellent outcome, unlike the 40% of Davis grads who could not get a JD-required job last year. Going to a good school is easily worth a year off.

[romothesavior]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

Are you employed?

Yes (JAG), if I waited a year I would not be employed, I would still be in school.

OP, if you're "itching" to go back to school, don't waste a year of your life waiting to be a lawyer. Just go to law school and get it over with. If, however, you are still unsure if you want to be a lawyer then retake and reapply. Don't get me wrong law school is plenty of fun, but three years + bar study is a long time to train for your profession. Might as well start sooner and get your career sooner, rather than wallowing about for a year.

This is downright idiotic.

[cinephile]

There is a world of difference between NYU and USC.

Full tuition is nice, but if you strike out (which is quite possible from Davis/Hastings) you're still in debt for COL and wasted a few years. And since you love New York and want to open up other possibilities in the future ... I think you should retake and try again fro NYU with $. Sticker's pretty scary.

[Cobretti]

A lot of people here will tell you to retake. I say don't retake and just go for free. I am graduating in a week and I couldn't imagine having waited another year.

Are you employed?

Yes (JAG), if I waited a year I would not be employed, I would still be in school.

OP, if you're "itching" to go back to school, don't waste a year of your life waiting to be a lawyer. Just go to law school and get it over with. If, however, you are still unsure if you want to be a lawyer then retake and reapply. Don't get me wrong law school is plenty of fun, but three years + bar study is a long time to train for your profession. Might as well start sooner and get your career sooner, rather than wallowing about for a year.

This is downright idiotic.

[romothesavior]

Retake.

[sublime]

..

[hephaestus]

not sure exactly what their GPA floors are, but if anything, my cumulative is prob only slightly above LA's 25th if not right below. i had a terrible first 2 quarters but have attached a strong addendum to explain, and an clear upward grade trend to follow. i'm a double major and both my major GPAs are above their medians, but that doesn't count for much. regarding the LSAT: i was testing so much better on my diagnostic/practice tests than when i actually performed. i even took it twice and received the same score both times!

Every comment you've made has made retaking a better a choice. Retake.

Seriously.