Northwestern ($$) vs UCLA ($$) Forum

[JDtime]

COA is equal at both schools and have aspirations of working in LA after law school preferably in entertainment law (realizing I may need to start off in Big Law). Just wondering if UCLA is going to open more doors in LA compared to Northwestern. All advice is greatly appreciated.

[favabeansoup]

COA is equal at both schools and have aspirations of working in LA after law school preferably in entertainment law (realizing I may need to start off in Big Law). Just wondering if UCLA is going to open more doors in LA compared to Northwestern. All advice is greatly appreciated.

My only hesitation with saying UCLA is that the COA should not be equal at both schools. You should be getting a more than insignificant difference in scholarship money between those too schools.

What is your GPA and LSAT?

[JDtime]

I am actually getting more money from Northwestern but considering the tuition is higher, it balances out. UCLA has already told me that they are unable to increase their offer. My numbers are 167/3.8.

[RamTitan]

Anyone feel free to bash my skull in if this isn't right, but I feel like you should go with UCLA if you want to live in LA.....with that said, I hope you're certain. Are you from LA/lived in LA before? And I'm assuming you're aware that entertainment law is an insanely incestuous area of law (not literally incestuous, but it's more than tough to get your foot in the door)?

[Clemenceau]

How do you feel about NY/maybe Chi biglaw as a backup to LA biglaw? NU will give you a better shot at this than UCLA, if you strike out in LA biglaw. Conversely, UCLA will likely give you a better shot at winding up in a smaller firm in socal.

[hipcatdaddio]

When did you apply in the cycle? I feel like you should be getting more money out of UCLA with those stats.

[ponderingmeerkat]

I like Northwestern here. Better school for the same money. A JD from NU can get LA biglaw if you have ties. Without ties, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to break into "entertainment law" anyway regardless of school.

Also, if things don't go quite as well as planned in law school (e.g., you finish below median), NU provides a little bit of insurance that you'll still be able to land a decent job in NYC or Chicago as a backup. You're kinda stuck in Southern California (maybe Arizona/Nevada) with a UCLA JD. That portability is something I view as an advantage (especially with no additional costs).

Things that would change my mind and make me choose UCLA would be finding out, I dunno, your parents live in LA and you could live at home and save COL for three years. Or, you have an uncle who's a managing partner at a litigation boutique somewhere in SoCal who's interested in hiring you after graduation. Or, your fiancee has a great job at a start up in the valley and you'd like to be driving distance for the weekends.

Absent some other info, if it truly is a complete toss up, Northwestern all the way and don't look back.

[Dcc617]

When did you apply in the cycle? I feel like you should be getting more money out of UCLA with those stats.

[JDtime]

I like Northwestern here. Better school for the same money. A JD from NU can get LA biglaw if you have ties. Without ties, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to break into "entertainment law" anyway regardless of school.

Also, if things don't go quite as well as planned in law school (e.g., you finish below median), NU provides a little bit of insurance that you'll still be able to land a decent job in NYC or Chicago as a backup. You're kinda stuck in Southern California (maybe Arizona/Nevada) with a UCLA JD. That portability is something I view as an advantage (especially with no additional costs).

Things that would change my mind and make me choose UCLA would be finding out, I dunno, your parents live in LA and you could live at home and save COL for three years. Or, you have an uncle who's a managing partner at a litigation boutique somewhere in SoCal who's interested in hiring you after graduation. Or, your fiancee has a great job at a start up in the valley and you'd like to be driving distance for the weekends.

Absent some other info, if it truly is a complete toss up, Northwestern all the way and don't look back.

I am dead set on living and practicing in LA and my parents have significant connections in the entertainment industry. That being said, those connections will still be there if I go to NW. I just think the lifestyle and opportunities in terms of classes/externships would be better in LA for what I want to do. Given this info, would I be making a mistake in turning down NW?

[BoobGoddess]

All things equal, this one's obviously NW. But I don't know how your other offers line up. You should always try to get a debt-free option... if you got into UCLA with money, you'd probably get a full scholarship at UC Irvine. It gives you so much more flexibility post graduation not to have debt hanging over your head.

[ponderingmeerkat]

I like Northwestern here. Better school for the same money. A JD from NU can get LA biglaw if you have ties. Without ties, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to break into "entertainment law" anyway regardless of school.

Also, if things don't go quite as well as planned in law school (e.g., you finish below median), NU provides a little bit of insurance that you'll still be able to land a decent job in NYC or Chicago as a backup. You're kinda stuck in Southern California (maybe Arizona/Nevada) with a UCLA JD. That portability is something I view as an advantage (especially with no additional costs).

Things that would change my mind and make me choose UCLA would be finding out, I dunno, your parents live in LA and you could live at home and save COL for three years. Or, you have an uncle who's a managing partner at a litigation boutique somewhere in SoCal who's interested in hiring you after graduation. Or, your fiancee has a great job at a start up in the valley and you'd like to be driving distance for the weekends.

Absent some other info, if it truly is a complete toss up, Northwestern all the way and don't look back.

I am dead set on living and practicing in LA and my parents have significant connections in the entertainment industry. That being said, those connections will still be there if I go to NW. I just think the lifestyle and opportunities in terms of classes/externships would be better in LA for what I want to do. Given this info, would I be making a mistake in turning down NW?

I don't think it's a mistake, per se. You could do better, you could do worse. No one on this thread (who is being honest) is going to be thrilled with the outcome of your cycle. Normally, $$ and NU means $$$ and UCLA/USC and $$$$ and UCI/UCD/etc. So, the fact you're in this weird, binary option A/option B choice is indicative that you might have had a better spectrum of options if you'd applied more broadly (also earlier in the year) and received competing offers from near-peer schools that you could then leverage for more out of UCLA.

But you know what they say about spilled milk. At this point, your cycle is your cycle. Absent a crystal ball, no one can say exactly what your outcome is going to be. I stand by my recommendation of NU (given your "significant" connections to the industry you want to work in). But, I don't think you'll be in an atrocious situation if you go to UCLA. Good luck.

[NUDad]

One definition of wealth is "having an abundance of options." I understand your stated goals of working in entertainment in the LA area, etc., so I wouldn't criticize anyone who decided on UCLA in those circumstances. However, you should have a lot more options coming out of Northwestern, and I like it for that reason. Also, I think it's good for any young person to leave home base for a few years and experience life on their own - you can always return to LA if you choose.