Tulane vs. Fordham Forum

[zxbn579]

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[Wingtip88]

Have you actually sat down and calculated your prospective monthly loan payments with each of these? Fordham for that price is looney tunes.

[zxbn579]

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[zombie mcavoy]

Right now I am considering Tulane, Fordham and Pepperdine (as a more distant third)

I know it sounds like a bizarre medley of a school list, but I have good personal reasons for going to either of these three schools.

-Tulane's COA would be $115,302 ($73,434 COA -$35,000 scholarship/year)
-Pepperdine's COA would be approximately $130,000 since I would do the two-year JD ($77,000-$28,000 scholarship/year)
-Fordham's COA would be $209,022 ($79,674-$10,000 scholarship/year)
-I will be financing all of the above through federal loans
-Not sure what exactly my career goals are, but definitely want to make above 90k out of law school.
-I am international (European) but have a green card; not sure where exactly I want to work in the US since my family is back in Europe; however, my boyfriend will be in LA so that's why I am considering Pepperdine. I am personally open to move to the location where the best opportunity for me is.
-My GPA is 3.65 from a top 3 liberal arts college and my LSAT is 161 (first take)

Any thoughts on choosing between the three will be highly appreciated.

None of the above. You're main struggle at any of these schools will be to find any job, and if you are lucky it will pay 60K. Fordham has pretty good biglaw placement, but there's an equal chance you'll be unemployed, and 200K is an obscene price to pay for it. Tulane and Pepperdine are indefensible at those costs. I wouldn't go to Tulane, period, unless I was from Louisiana and wanted to practice there forever, too.

You shouldn't go to law school at all though because you don't even have a vague idea of what you want to do as an attorney other than make money. Recipe for disaster.

Retake or find another career path. Debt financing these options would be incredibly irresponsible and misguided, and you should be able to find a good job of some kind from your undergrad -- a much better job than the average graduate of these law schools gets, at least w/r/t wage, which seems to be what you care about.

Don't do it.

[BigZuck]

None of the above if the goal is making 90K+. You've got to aim higher. USC/UCLA at a minimum.

[Wingtip88]

Use the financial worksheets on Law School Transparency.

[Hand]

None of the above if the goal is making 90K+. You've got to aim higher. USC/UCLA at a minimum.

Yeah, this. Retake. You have a decent GPA and really only need a high 160s to get in at these schools, probably even with some $$; get a 170 and you'll be looking at a fairly solid discount.

[zxbn579]

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[Hand]

Yeah, I guess you guys are right. I also applied pretty late in the cycle. I was scoring high 160's before my LSAT but had a bad day, so I could work on getting it up to 170 for the June LSAT and applying early in the 15-16 cycle. I am really obstinate and was trying to convince myself that I should just go to law school this year no matter what since I feel so old (I'll be turning 25 soon), but I am going to listen to all of you and as much as I don't want to go into an LSAT mode again, I also don't want to let one score have an awful rippling effect on my life for the next 50 years.

This is the right move. Best of luck. If you still don't get the score you want in June, retake in Sept/Oct. There is really no reason to settle for anything less than UCLA/USC with a good scholarship. And oh, what I'd give to be only 25 again!

[zombie mcavoy]

Yeah, I guess you guys are right. I also applied pretty late in the cycle. I was scoring high 160's before my LSAT but had a bad day, so I could work on getting it up to 170 for the June LSAT and applying early in the 15-16 cycle. I am really obstinate and was trying to convince myself that I should just go to law school this year no matter what since I feel so old (I'll be turning 25 soon), but I am going to listen to all of you and as much as I don't want to go into an LSAT mode again, I also don't want to let one score have an awful rippling effect on my life for the next 50 years.

This is the right move. Best of luck. If you still don't get the score you want in June, retake in Sept/Oct. There is really no reason to settle for anything less than UCLA/USC with a good scholarship.

+1, good move and best of luck.

[BigZuck]

I was in my late 20s when I decided to retake/reapply and go for a second cycle, wasn't a big deal. 25 definitely isn't too old.

Take advantage of the LSAT subforum on here if you haven't, lots of great stuff there

[chuckbass]

25 is around the average age for 1Ls, you won't be too old next year don't worry.

[zxbn579]

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[zombie mcavoy]

this warms my icy heart greatly

good luck. we're all counting on you.

[withoutapaddle]

Would Tulane place well in Texas? I know the deep south views Tulane as a southern IVY

[BigZuck]

Would Tulane place well in Texas? I know the deep south views Tulane as a southern IVY

Nah, not really

If you crush it and have pre-existing ties you might get some nibbles

[chuckbass]

Would Tulane place well in Texas? I know the deep south views Tulane as a southern IVY

Nah, not really

If you crush it and have pre-existing ties you might get some nibbles

Plus a lot of these geographic views don't extend to the law school. Tulane UG degree is a lot better than Tulane law degree for example.

[zombie mcavoy]

Would Tulane place well in Texas? I know the deep south views Tulane as a southern IVY

Nah, not really

If you crush it and have pre-existing ties you might get some nibbles

Plus a lot of these geographic views don't extend to the law school. Tulane UG degree is a lot better than Tulane law degree for example.

Kinda like UT in reverse

[zxbn579]

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[chuckbass]

The worry you face finding a job right now will be exponentially worse after three years at Pepperdine with debt and no job, so no.

[zombie mcavoy]

So I've been thinking… Is Pepperdine really that bad…if I resign myself to the fact that I'll be stuck in the LA area and unable to find a job anywhere else in the US? Is it really a joke of a school? The timing of the two-year JD and the school's location just fit so snugly into my life right now - with the boyfriend moving to the LA area and me not having to worry about finding a summer job and then a permanent (semi-permanent) one-year job. And of course the drag of studying for the LSAT again. Yes, I am aware of the 'right now' mode in my statement, but I am sure you've all been in a position similar to this and damn, is it hard to decide when something is dangled right in front of you and is so damn easy to take. I am only human.

No (or to answer your question of 'is pepperdine really that bad?": yes).

You're much better served sitting on your ass in LA for a year, not working, and retaking for UCLA. For real.

[Mullens]

So I've been thinking… Is Pepperdine really that bad…if I resign myself to the fact that I'll be stuck in the LA area and unable to find a job anywhere else in the US? Is it really a joke of a school? The timing of the two-year JD and the school's location just fit so snugly into my life right now - with the boyfriend moving to the LA area and me not having to worry about finding a summer job and then a permanent (semi-permanent) one-year job. And of course the drag of studying for the LSAT again. Yes, I am aware of the 'right now' mode in my statement, but I am sure you've all been in a position similar to this and damn, is it hard to decide when something is dangled right in front of you and is so damn easy to take. I am only human.

Yes Pepperdine is that bad. You will be paying $130,000 for a coin flip's chance at even becoming a lawyer

[zombie mcavoy]

So I've been thinking… Is Pepperdine really that bad…if I resign myself to the fact that I'll be stuck in the LA area and unable to find a job anywhere else in the US? Is it really a joke of a school? The timing of the two-year JD and the school's location just fit so snugly into my life right now - with the boyfriend moving to the LA area and me not having to worry about finding a summer job and then a permanent (semi-permanent) one-year job. And of course the drag of studying for the LSAT again. Yes, I am aware of the 'right now' mode in my statement, but I am sure you've all been in a position similar to this and damn, is it hard to decide when something is dangled right in front of you and is so damn easy to take. I am only human.

Yes Pepperdine is that bad. You will be paying $130,000 for a coin flip's chance at even becoming a lawyer

and if you win that coin flip you're going to be making 60K tops good luck servicing that debt on that salary.

if you lose that coin flip, well, lol

[Hand]

It is that bad. Trust your initial judgment.

[zxbn579]

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