stanford v mich (intl student interested in public intst) Forum

lordgower · Post by **lordgower** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:53 pm

hey guys! i've looked around but not really found a satisfactory answer, so i'm asking it here. i've been offered 26k/year at stanford; 20k/year at nyu, and waiting on columbia (can't see it being any different or more, though). i've been offered 40k/year at michigan, and obs the coa at michigan is so much lesser than at stanford or anywhere in new york, making the possible debt in attending michigan less than 90k, especially if my parents pay some of it.

i'm really, really not into being controlled by debt, and i'm an international student, so it'll have to be private loans. i really also am not interested in biglaw, corporate law, or anything other than labour/sexual assault/social justice/public interest law, and i don't want to be coerced by debt into making choices to enter fields i wouldn't chose otherwise. i'm also just a very relaxed, noncompetitive person, a little terrified of law school stress, and not really into cutthroat atmospheres with big money prospects blah blah. basically, i kind of just want to get a good job in a field i believe in that'll let me live comfortably and live a life outside of studying and a job.

THAT SAID. i'm a little sand dragon and the weather of cali, as well as the whole idea of california, appeals tremendously to me, and for a number of personal reasons i would love to move there and might be a bit depressed somewhere like michigan. i'm also not going to deny that the prestige of stanford is tremendously appealing to me, and the loan repayment assistance program is also tempting. my family is also pressuring me a lot to do stanford, and might cover more of the costs if i chose that, though i don't want to put that sort of financial burden on them.

what do people think?

Mack.Hambleton · Post by **Mack.Hambleton** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:01 am

public interest =/= living comfortably (esp. in expensive cities), with very few exceptions

AReasonableMan · Post by **AReasonableMan** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:04 am

Does Stanford offer need based aid?

Mack.Hambleton · Post by **Mack.Hambleton** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:07 am

AReasonableMan wrote:Does Stanford offer need based aid?

yes... they only offer need based aid. in this case 26k/yr

Rigo · Post by **Rigo** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:17 am

You may want to ask mods to move this to the Choosing forum where more people will see it and likely offer advice.

Personally, I'd probably go Stanford since that's a decent chunk of need-based aid, but Michigan can also be justified. NYU and (probably) Columbia don't/won't make sense when Stanford is offering you more money.

lordgower · Post by **lordgower** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:48 am

how do i ask mods to move the topic? do i have to message someone? HELP ME I HAVEN'T USED A FORUM SINCE MY 8TH GRADE LINKIN PARK FAN DAYS i'm miserable at this.

re: living comfortably: just want to say, my standards for what constitutes living comfortably are pretty low; i literally made the decision two months ago to law school instead of graduate school in political science, where i was looking at pretty much poverty for the next 5 years, possibly 10, so. like whatever public interest is going to give me is going to be solid comparatively, i feel. a shared apartment that's not a dump, enough money to not be in a panic over anything, occasional travel, and minimal debt pressure.

and yes, stanford's offer was need based aid: they said my need was 77k, of which they'd give me 26k in fellowships and 51k as "graduate loan", which i'm assuming means i have to seek my own loan?

A. Nony Mouse · Post by **A. Nony Mouse** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:56 am

moved to the Choosing forum

(I think that when Stanford says 51k "graduate loan," that means they are going to loan you the money, since you can't take out US federal loans. But someone wiser in the ways of Stanford should correct me if I have that wrong.)

buckiguy_sucks · Post by **buckiguy_sucks** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:23 am

Post removed.

AReasonableMan · Post by **AReasonableMan** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:40 am

I would definitely go to Stanford. The 42k + say add'l COL difference may make it 70k. It's not a small amount of money, but I think the investment is worth it. It will give you an advantage in terms of being able to lock in PI jobs, especially if you're concerned with grades. Michigan is a good school, but you still have to perform well. Being a 50th percentile Michigan grad might well not cut it where as you will be in a great position coming from Stanford. Long term if you ever decided to switch into private practice or even if you're thinking long term when you have children, there is a prestige attached to Stanford that will always have value. It's even possible that merely having the Stanford degree may give you some leverage when you're negotiating with opposing counsel. My experience is that PD's and court appointed lawyers aren't always as prepared as law firm partners, and sometimes settle based off of a quick summary of the facts and the reputation of opposing counsel.

jbagelboy · Post by **jbagelboy** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:02 pm

Stanford

croissantlover · Post by **croissantlover** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:24 pm

Stanford.

lordgower · Post by **lordgower** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:21 pm

thanks guys-- leaning towards stanford now, more than earlier.

BizBro · Post by **BizBro** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:27 pm

Stanford easily.

Arboreal · Post by **Arboreal** » Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:56 am

lordgower wrote:hey guys! i've looked around but not really found a satisfactory answer, so i'm asking it here. i've been offered 26k/year at stanford; 20k/year at nyu, and waiting on columbia (can't see it being any different or more, though). i've been offered 40k/year at michigan, and obs the coa at michigan is so much lesser than at stanford or anywhere in new york, making the possible debt in attending michigan less than 90k, especially if my parents pay some of it.

i'm really, really not into being controlled by debt, and i'm an international student, so it'll have to be private loans. i really also am not interested in biglaw, corporate law, or anything other than labour/sexual assault/social justice/public interest law, and i don't want to be coerced by debt into making choices to enter fields i wouldn't chose otherwise. i'm also just a very relaxed, noncompetitive person, a little terrified of law school stress, and not really into cutthroat atmospheres with big money prospects blah blah. basically, i kind of just want to get a good job in a field i believe in that'll let me live comfortably and live a life outside of studying and a job.

THAT SAID. i'm a little sand dragon and the weather of cali, as well as the whole idea of california, appeals tremendously to me, and for a number of personal reasons i would love to move there and might be a bit depressed somewhere like michigan. i'm also not going to deny that the prestige of stanford is tremendously appealing to me, and the loan repayment assistance program is also tempting. my family is also pressuring me a lot to do stanford, and might cover more of the costs if i chose that, though i don't want to put that sort of financial burden on them.

what do people think?

I wouldn't go to any law school, even Stanford at a discount, if you're serious about the bolded.

Think very intentionally about what you're getting yourself into, and be acutely aware of the fact that debt can lock you into a path that, while appealing from arm's length, does not cater to the things in life that matter most to you. Law is fraught with stress and competition and blah blah.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:07 am

Stanford appears to be the best choice for you.

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