USC vs. Fordham Help Forum

[11law01]

I'm sitting on 4 T14 law school waitlists but for the time being I need to decide on a law school to make my deposit. I have been accepted to every school outside T14 that I applied to (no UCLA, Vandy, or Texas) . Purely based on avoiding debt I have narrowed it down to Fordham and USC. Fordham has offered me $40k a year (total cost of 3 year tuition around 41k), USC offered me 35k a year (total cost of 3 year tuition around 78k). Is USC a good enough school to pay 35k more for it? Also, I am from the NYC area but have absolutely no problem moving to LA permanently. Location is not the issue here, I want to attend the best school while also being knowledgeable that no non-T14 school s worth the sticker price. All schools are done negotiating with me. (162 LSAT, 3.85 GPA, great softs, also only took the lsat once)

I would appreciate all advice.

side note: I am on preferred waitlist at GULC, deffered at Cornell (which is similar to a preferred waitlist), waitlisted at Michigan and Duke

[Hand]

you already know the answer to all your questions starts with an "r" and ends with "etake"

[fliptrip]

First, the Commodore was a boy, so Vandy, not Vandi. lol

Second, it is very odd to be choosing between USC and Fordham. These are both regional schools and in general you should let your goals dictate your school choice, not the other way around.

Third, since you will need to remain alive during your time in law school, you should always use your three year total cost of attendance (tuition+fees+living expenses) to determine your costs. If you'd be living at home with parents while you go to Fordham it makes the school even less expensive than USC.

Fourth, and you've already gotten this advice. The answer for you between these schools really should be c)neither and retake. You have a great GPA and if you spend it now with a 162 LSAT, you'll be basically taking all the work you put into earning such a stellar GPA, dousing it with gasoline and setting it ablaze. You've only taken the LSAT once, so you should benefit greatly from additional exposure and better preparation. You would only need to get to 168 to see dramatically improved options and if you get to and beyond 170 you'll be in excellent shape.

[11law01]

Would it be smart to retake the LSAT in June and hopefully get myself off one of those wait lists? That way I do not need to wait another year to start law school. I am graduating this year and have no job prospects because I planned on going to law school.

[Hand]

Would it be smart to retake the LSAT in June and hopefully get myself off one of those wait lists? That way I do not need to wait another year to start law school. I am graduating this year and have no job prospects because I planned on going to law school.

You do have job prospects, fairly decent ones at that probably, even if you haven't thought about them. You have a 3.85 GPA, so someone will give you an entry-level job. This will not only give you the time to prepare adequately for your retake, it will also give you invaluable experience, a resume boost, and something to talk about in interviews for jobs and internships when you're in school. It's a win-win, trust me.