UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$ Forum

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ehhh

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UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:30 pm

I am considering UCLA at sticker or WUSTL with $40k/year. My GPA is a 2.9 and my LSAT is a 173 on one take.

WUSTL CoA: ~$70k
UCLA CoA (in-state): ~$200k

I know the forum would almost certainly say to take the money at WUSTL, but I am fortunate enough to have a substantial trust fund that would be financing my school costs. It is not so large that the $130k discrepancy is insignificant, but it is less so than if I were taking out loans.

I am from California originally and live there now. While I am comfortable enough with working elsewhere, I would prefer CA and plan on ending up there eventually. I attended UCLA for undergrad, and I think that my familiarity with the university and the surrounding area would have a small but tangible effect on my law school performance (as well as my personal enjoyment). I would also be much closer to my family, and with a sick dad, this is not insignificant.

I plan on working for the government; while I'd love to clerk for a federal judge, I'd also be happy with the more realistic goal of finding work in a DA's office. I have no interest in biglaw.

As you can see, WUSTL seems like the better offer on paper, but there are a number of soft factors that are making me think twice. I'd love some guidance from TLSers, especially any who have experience with either school. Thanks in advance.

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sublime

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by sublime » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:31 pm

..

ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:35 pm

sublime wrote:Is the trust fund enough to cover entire COA? Does it have to be used on education expenses?
Yes, the trust fund would be able to cover all $200k, and significantly more if there were unforeseen expenses. There aren't any limitations on where the money can be spent.

cyj43

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by cyj43 » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:37 pm

Have you tried negotiating with UCLA with that WUSTL offer?

If so and still no match, $40k/yr seems like the safer bet here. 3 years will fly by, and you'll be glad you won't have to pay off a significant amount over the course of 5-10 years.

ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:47 pm

cyj43 wrote:Have you tried negotiating with UCLA with that WUSTL offer?

If so and still no match, $40k/yr seems like the safer bet here. 3 years will fly by, and you'll be glad you won't have to pay off a significant amount over the course of 5-10 years.
I'm in at UCLA off the waitlist, so I don't think negotiating is on the table. I wouldn't have to take out any loans to finance either school, so loan repayments aren't a factor.

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somethingElse

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by somethingElse » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:48 pm

ehhh wrote:
cyj43 wrote:Have you tried negotiating with UCLA with that WUSTL offer?

If so and still no match, $40k/yr seems like the safer bet here. 3 years will fly by, and you'll be glad you won't have to pay off a significant amount over the course of 5-10 years.
I'm in at UCLA off the waitlist, so I don't think negotiating is on the table. I wouldn't have to take out any loans to finance either school, so loan repayments aren't a factor.
It's absolutely on the table. Maybe unlikely, but you should for sure give it a shot.

curry1

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by curry1 » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:50 pm

ehhh wrote:I am considering UCLA at sticker or WUSTL with $40k/year. My GPA is a 2.9 and my LSAT is a 173 on one take.

WUSTL CoA: ~$70k
UCLA CoA (in-state): ~$200k

I know the forum would almost certainly say to take the money at WUSTL, but I am fortunate enough to have a substantial trust fund that would be financing my school costs. It is not so large that the $130k discrepancy is insignificant, but it is less so than if I were taking out loans.

I am from California originally and live there now. While I am comfortable enough with working elsewhere, I would prefer CA and plan on ending up there eventually. I attended UCLA for undergrad, and I think that my familiarity with the university and the surrounding area would have a small but tangible effect on my law school performance (as well as my personal enjoyment). I would also be much closer to my family, and with a sick dad, this is not insignificant.

I plan on working for the government; while I'd love to clerk for a federal judge, I'd also be happy with the more realistic goal of finding work in a DA's office. I have no interest in biglaw.

As you can see, WUSTL seems like the better offer on paper, but there are a number of soft factors that are making me think twice. I'd love some guidance from TLSers, especially any who have experience with either school. Thanks in advance.
Did you apply broadly to all of the T14's - HYS?

ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:56 pm

curry1 wrote:Did you apply broadly to all of the T14's - HYS?
I hit all T14s outside of HYS. Kind of surprised that I was shut out (waitlisted at UVA and no response yet but likely a waitlist from Northwestern), but it's the hand I've been dealt.
somethingelse55 wrote:It's absolutely on the table. Maybe unlikely, but you should for sure give it a shot.
Gotcha--I'll open up a dialogue with them then, thanks for the advice.

futago

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by futago » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:17 pm

Tough call. I tend to think that Wustl will get you back to where you have ties. That being said, it will probably mean spending your summers in California. I personally don't think UCLA is worth sticker, but the trust fund issue makes it something you'll have to decide for yourself. Personally I think 200k is still 200k and could be put to much better uses than sticker at UCLA when you can go to Wustl for such a discount. Did you look at any other California schools?

Note: I know nothing about how DA hiring works so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Disclaimer: Wustl student.

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buggiebug

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by buggiebug » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:20 pm

I am so sorry to be off topic, but when did you get off the UCLA waitlist? Did you interview before being accepted? Really sorry, I'm wait listed at UCLA and it is my first choice.

ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:35 pm

futago wrote:Tough call. I tend to think that Wustl will get you back to where you have ties. That being said, it will probably mean spending your summers in California. I personally don't think UCLA is worth sticker, but the trust fund issue makes it something you'll have to decide for yourself. Personally I think 200k is still 200k and could be put to much better uses than sticker at UCLA when you can go to Wustl for such a discount. Did you look at any other California schools?

Note: I know nothing about how DA hiring works so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Disclaimer: Wustl student.
Thanks for the input! I'm definitely leaning towards WUSTL at the moment... I guess I'm just trying to talk myself into the more comfortable option. I also applied to Berkeley (denied, unsurprisingly) and USC (still waiting but I doubt I'd go there over WUSTL). I wasn't interested in Davis or Irvine.
buggiebug wrote:I am so sorry to be off topic, but when did you get off the UCLA waitlist? Did you interview before being accepted? Really sorry, I'm wait listed at UCLA and it is my first choice.
Sent you a PM.

ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:34 pm

Leaning WUSTL--giving this a solitary bump before I pull out at UCLA.

sprezz

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by sprezz » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:29 pm

responding on my gut alone while waiting for partner to finish his conf call but i would not go WUSTL. i get why others would. between the two options you're presenting. opportunity cost of $130k of unrestricted use trust fund money is big. but you're trading a chunk of change for a professional credential that doesn't leave you in the hole and fuck with your perception of the value of your degree. so the downside of higher costs is partially mitigated in that respect. and things like spending more time with sick family members are unquantifiable but (at least hypothetically) having excess cash reserves available from prior family's success doesn't demand an unending focus on maximizing financial gain. having the financial freedom to look at two options, concede that one is more justifiable in a vacuum, but choose the other option that will be more personally fulfilling (especially along family axes where the damn $$ probably came from in the first place) is.....kind of the point of passing down family wealth. or at least, that is a defensible worldview imho.

more importantly (the way i would look at it) it's not a 2 choice question. if you prefer WUSTL to UCLA because its a low cost option then why wouldn't you prefer something else even cheaper than WUSTL? that school doesn't have prestige waves that carry outside a couple state radius. i'm sure there's some alumni network in CA so it's better than, idk, SLU in that respect. but you can't really expect to use your time in LS to build relationships with peers that will end up in your network for the rest of your career if you're in st friggin louis. i don't see that you have much to gain for your desired career path by going to a school in the wrong region that "ranks" equivalently well overall by virtue of its performance in the wrong regions. if $130k in opp cost is a deterrent, $70k should be to some extent too, especially for such an odd fit of your goals and that school.

stick the value of your trust fund less WUSTL cost and less UCLA cost in a compound interest calculator to be sure. but i think you could justify giving that $130k up depending on family situation, remainder in account, personal preference etc etc etc. and if not, i'd still probably stay in or near CA through some cheaper option, and use your 3 years to load up on clinics and internships, network like hell and kickstart your career in the area where you want to end up. take a year off and roll the dice again in october if it comes to that. you have a financial cushion, can get some kind of experience/savings, and can spend more time with family. man, this conf call just will not die.

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emkay625

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by emkay625 » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:36 pm

Def try to get some $ out of UCLA. Worst thing they can say is no. And it only takes 5 minutes to write the email.

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TheRealSantaClaus

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by TheRealSantaClaus » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:54 pm

.
Last edited by TheRealSantaClaus on Tue Jun 28, 2016 1:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Draconem

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by Draconem » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:55 pm

emkay625 wrote:Def try to get some $ out of UCLA. Worst thing they can say is no. And it only takes 5 minutes to write the email.
UCLA has made it clear they are out of funds, even after the deposit deadline.

ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Wed Apr 27, 2016 6:06 pm

TheRealSantaClaus wrote:I'm not one to always advocate spending money on application services, but I think that hiring someone like Mike Spivey to look over your materials before applying next cycle would be useful to you. With your LSAT, you should be aiming to get at least something from UCLA, even more from USC, and full tuition from WUSTL. There should also be at least one T14 option for you (though likely at sticker price).
Yeah, I thought I'd be able to crack the T14 and probably would've benefited from some professional help with my application, but I think my materials were in respectable shape by the time I submitted. I didn't send out apps until mid-January, so that didn't help my case. I was also dismissed from my undergrad for poor grades nearly a decade ago, so that combined with the sub-3.0 GPA might have scared schools off.

In a perfect world I'd just reapply everywhere come September 1st, but my LSAT expires this fall and I'm on the older side so that's not much of an option at this point.

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ehhh

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by ehhh » Wed Apr 27, 2016 6:11 pm

sprezz wrote:
Appreciate the heartfelt food for thought--I think I'm going to have to continue to meditate on this. Hope your conference call has ended by now.

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Roundhill

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by Roundhill » Thu Apr 28, 2016 11:23 am

I would take the free ride and stash the savings in an s&p 500 index fund.

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thexfactor

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by thexfactor » Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:03 am

Would it help the op if he sits out a year and takes 1 semester of classes to try to bump that gpa to 3.0? Is there a huge difference between 2.9 and 3.0?

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Re: UCLA sticker vs. WUSTL $$

Post by tsujimoto74 » Fri Apr 29, 2016 11:01 am

thexfactor wrote:Would it help the op if he sits out a year and takes 1 semester of classes to try to bump that gpa to 3.0? Is there a huge difference between 2.9 and 3.0?
Doesn't work like that. LSAC GPA counts only the courses taken prior to the conferral of your 1st bachelor's. Taking more classes after graduating wouldn't have any impact on your GPA for law school purposes.

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