Is Penn 73k better than Georgetown? Forum

[gobosox]

Why no YRP?

Penn for $110k likely includes YRP. Penn's contribution is only $10k, so YRP participation would effectively be a $40k/yr scholarship (~$20k max tuition/fees per year + $10k Penn YRP + $10k VA matching). That brings total COA down to $130k by Penn's estimates.

I'm sure GULC is similar, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

ETA: obviously OP can chime in and tell me I'm wrong if this isn't the case

That still doesn't account for the BAH, unless 27 months of BAH only takes off $20k at Penn.

edit: but yes, I'm all for OP settling this. Or looking into the Yellow Ribbon Program if they weren't aware it existed.

I am not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon, as you need at least a 100% GI bill. I will only have a 40%-- not enough eligible time. To be honest, most of my money is savings. I'm active duty right now, but will get a 10k bonus for the reserves as well, which I've factored in (post-tax, obviously).

[gobosox]

Are you actually committed to a PI career? I don't know you, of course, but "interested in public service" makes it sound like you're not fully committed, and my impression is that people who are interested but not committed are the ones who end up falling off the PI track and doing BigLaw.

I have zero interest in BigLaw. I am interested in clerking for a federal judge, working for the justice department, or being a district attorney. Obviously, networking in DC will help those goals a lot, but I'm not sure if the networking aspect is outweighed by the lesser stature of GULC.

Put simply: if GULC's location is more in line with my goals, is Penn's reputation worth the location? Will it be easier to be a clerk if I went to Penn, or GULC?

I'm not terribly worried about being unemployed upon graduation from really either school-- I already have a pretty good resume and I know how to network well-- coupled with the prestige of both schools, I think getting a job will be quite doable. However, those employment statistics do (IMO) show a tangible representation of how the legal community views the school overall.