BU vs. Fordham vs. W&M Forum

[Jhey216]

I narrowed my choices down to William & Mary, Fordham and BU and because I applied late in the cycle and was accepted later, my deposit deadlines are today/next week and would really appreciate outside perspective. I am from Long Island and have no real ties to the Boston or Williamsburg areas and would eventually like to be in NYC, though I am open to living elsewhere for 5+ years first. While I am not sure of what area of law I want to study, I would like to go into public interest (opening up the possibility of LRAP and loan forgiveness). I received 25k/yr from W&M making their COL ~100k, Fordham 20K/yr with a COL ~170 and because I so recently was accepted to BU I haven't heard anything about scholarship yet so COL ~200. My GPA/LSAT is 3.6/164. Thanks!

[Dr. Nefario]

this is gonna be a rough cycle for you applying so late. Are you k-JD? I would explore the option of sitting out a cycle/retaking next year if that is possible. Not knowing what you want is gonna be very difficult going into law school. A lot of people don't know but you really should know. You could get a year of WE in a field you might be interested in then come to school with much better sense of your goals. Relying on LRAP can be a very difficult life if you aren't completely dedicated to the cause you are fighting for.

Onto actually addressing your question: Fordham at that cost is almost certainly not worth it. Maybe if you'd be willing to commute into law school from home and save yourself the COL someone might say that's okay. W&M is a regional in a region you don't want to be in, so I would strike it off unless Fordham will negotiate with them. Not knowing what BU will offer makes it tough to judge on them, but I wouldn't expect more than what W&M offered. There's no odds on favorite here. I'd say if you can commute to Fordham from Long Island, that'd be your best option at this point.

[cavalier1138]

In addition to what was already offered, look at the LRAP programs. If you want to go into PI, the support the school offers you on the back end is just as important as the scholarship on the front.