Long term advantage to a degree from Y? Forum

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thanks for the responses. I have a conversation later with financial aid at my current school, any advice on negotiating a higher scholarship? I'm pretty sure he's just going to politely inform me that the scholarship program doesn't allow for increased aid to rising 2L's/tell me to fuck off.

[sflyr2016]

Yeah, just be forward. Say you got into Yale and because of your current scholarship, it wouldn't be much more expensive to go. Tell them you will happily stay if you're considered for additional merit-based aid.

[Paul Campos]

Yeah, just be forward. Say you got into Yale and because of your current scholarship, it wouldn't be much more expensive to go. Tell them you will happily stay if you're considered for additional merit-based aid.

No, tell them you'll stay if they give you a full scholarship for your last two years.

I assume you're at the top of the class, which means you're valuable to your school because you pay tuition and you're going to get a good job. If you leave they don't get either your tuition money or your job stats. If you stay with a full at least they get the latter. Since your current scholarship is so small this is a perfectly credible negotiating position.

[Pulsar]

A lot of people are posting about the usual cost/prestige tradeoffs but I think you also gotta think about whether uprooting your life is worth it and also where you want to end up after law school. If you're a southerner and are at Duke right now then be more inclined to stay. And wherever you are, starting over and having to make new friends/etc is a cost.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I would be absolutely insane to turn down Yale if I would actually end up with less debt, right?

[nothingtosee]

OP here. I would be absolutely insane to turn down Yale if I would actually end up with less debt, right?

Yeah

Eta: I wouldn't say insane. But if your goal is corporate, it seems to make sense to go for less debt.

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but the point was raised and I have a question. Where can you find information about asking for additional aid from your current school post transfer acceptance?

I'm at a lower t14 as well and applied to transfer somewhere for serious personal reasons (family emergency type concern). I only applied to Columbia and NYC (b/c NYC is where my family is), and I got into both. I'm currently on 75% scholarship and locked in a V10 offer. The family concern is no longer a serious concern, so staying at lower T-14 is doable. I'd like to explore the prospect of additional aid if I can.

Separately, I haven't heard from judges yet, but I am confident I will have a district clerkship lined up (I have obscure connection through a mentor whose best friend is on the bench. He requires 4 semesters of grades). The point I'm working toward, is do I lay all this out there basically saying Columbia will give me the best shot at a 2nd circuit clerkship, school x, can you increase me to 100%?

Like do I really have any leverage? Top 30% + Law Review + early v10 offer

[#NotACop]

You could easily have a life-changing view towards which city has the best pizza in the country.

[PeanutsNJam]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but the point was raised and I have a question. Where can you find information about asking for additional aid from your current school post transfer acceptance?

I'm at a lower t14 as well and applied to transfer somewhere for serious personal reasons (family emergency type concern). I only applied to Columbia and NYC (b/c NYC is where my family is), and I got into both. I'm currently on 75% scholarship and locked in a V10 offer. The family concern is no longer a serious concern, so staying at lower T-14 is doable. I'd like to explore the prospect of additional aid if I can.

Separately, I haven't heard from judges yet, but I am confident I will have a district clerkship lined up (I have obscure connection through a mentor whose best friend is on the bench. He requires 4 semesters of grades). The point I'm working toward, is do I lay all this out there basically saying Columbia will give me the best shot at a 2nd circuit clerkship, school x, can you increase me to 100%?

Like do I really have any leverage? Top 30% + Law Review + early v10 offer

Yes you have leverage, and definitely ask for a scholarship increase. To be honest though, I wouldn't transfer even if they didn't increase.

Why take on like what 100k in debt just for a de minimis increase in chances of district clerkship in 2nd circuit.

[trebekismyhero]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but the point was raised and I have a question. Where can you find information about asking for additional aid from your current school post transfer acceptance?

I'm at a lower t14 as well and applied to transfer somewhere for serious personal reasons (family emergency type concern). I only applied to Columbia and NYC (b/c NYC is where my family is), and I got into both. I'm currently on 75% scholarship and locked in a V10 offer. The family concern is no longer a serious concern, so staying at lower T-14 is doable. I'd like to explore the prospect of additional aid if I can.

Separately, I haven't heard from judges yet, but I am confident I will have a district clerkship lined up (I have obscure connection through a mentor whose best friend is on the bench. He requires 4 semesters of grades). The point I'm working toward, is do I lay all this out there basically saying Columbia will give me the best shot at a 2nd circuit clerkship, school x, can you increase me to 100%?

Like do I really have any leverage? Top 30% + Law Review + early v10 offer

Yes you have leverage, and definitely ask for a scholarship increase. To be honest though, I wouldn't transfer even if they didn't increase.

Why take on like what 100k in debt just for a de minimis increase in chances of district clerkship in 2nd circuit.

Exactly. OP at least sounds they don't have a great scholarship so it makes sense to look at transferring. You already have a good scholarship and job lined up. No harm in trying to get more money from your school, but would be stupid to actually transfer and take on a lot more debt.

[Anonymous User]

I agree with you both. I only applied to transfer b/c the situation. Makes little sense now.

[Grond]

I was not aware that the YMCA had degree programs.

Ah, Yale...yeah that could be good.

Of course the Y had a law school. It's called the Nashville School of Law now though.

[XxSpyKEx]

OP is interested in doing corporate work at a big firm and not clerking. If the cost difference is pretty negligible, Yale would probably be worth it. But if Biglaw corporate work is the main goal, and OP is already at the top of his/her class at a T14, it doesn't seem like the areas in which Yale is the strongest (clerking / academia) are worth the transfer to the OP if Yale costs significantly more.

Just because OP is interested in doing corporate work at a big firm now doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to be (or wants to be) doing corporate work at a big firm 5 or 10 years from now. It's completely possible he may change his tune and want something completely different out of his career at that point. Going to YLS might make that thing easier. It also might not, depending on what that thing is. Point is that he doesn't really know what that thing is now, and can't until he's actually practicing law for some time. And the biggest driving factor, I think, that suggests transferring makes sense is that it sounds like the cost difference is going to be negligible (OP said he only had a "really small" scholarship at his current school and that his total debt load will be "less than ideal"). Assuming that the cost is going to be about the same and that OP will have a realistic shot at getting onto Yale's LR (based on how Yale apparently still does law review for transfers--see the above post), there's not a lot of very good reasons to stay.

[kalvano]

OP is interested in doing corporate work at a big firm and not clerking. If the cost difference is pretty negligible, Yale would probably be worth it. But if Biglaw corporate work is the main goal, and OP is already at the top of his/her class at a T14, it doesn't seem like the areas in which Yale is the strongest (clerking / academia) are worth the transfer to the OP if Yale costs significantly more.

Just because OP is interested in doing corporate work at a big firm now doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to be (or wants to be) doing corporate work at a big firm 5 or 10 years from now. It's completely possible he may change his tune and want something completely different out of his career at that point. Going to YLS might make that thing easier. It also might not, depending on what that thing is. Point is that he doesn't really know what that thing is now, and can't until he's actually practicing law for some time. And the biggest driving factor, I think, that suggests transferring makes sense is that it sounds like the cost difference is going to be negligible (OP said he only had a "really small" scholarship at his current school and that his total debt load will be "less than ideal"). Assuming that the cost is going to be about the same and that OP will have a realistic shot at getting onto Yale's LR (based on how Yale apparently still does law review for transfers--see the above post), there's not a lot of very good reasons to stay.

Absolutely, if the cost difference is negligible then pack up and move. But if it's not, then it sounds like OP is already in a great position, and chasing Yale prestige at this point may not be worth it.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Just heard back from fin aid at my current school. Thanks to Yale's super generous offer, i'll actually end up being 15-20k less in debt if I leave - I have a 1L SA which they took into account so I don't think my aid will decrease significantly next year. Is there any valid reason not to go?

[Dcc617]

OP here. Just heard back from fin aid at my current school. Thanks to Yale's super generous offer, i'll actually end up being 15-20k less in debt if I leave - I have a 1L SA which they took into account so I don't think my aid will decrease significantly next year. Is there any valid reason not to go?

Congrats on getting to go to Yale!

[kalvano]

OP here. Just heard back from fin aid at my current school. Thanks to Yale's super generous offer, i'll actually end up being 15-20k less in debt if I leave - I have a 1L SA which they took into account so I don't think my aid will decrease significantly next year. Is there any valid reason not to go?

Enjoy Connecticut.

[jnwa]

OP what was your class rank if you dont mind me asking

[Anonymous User]

OP what was your class rank if you dont mind me asking

Not sure, but i'm guessing top 3% or so. Not #1 or 2 overall.

[quiver]

OP here. Just heard back from fin aid at my current school. Thanks to Yale's super generous offer, i'll actually end up being 15-20k less in debt if I leave - I have a 1L SA which they took into account so I don't think my aid will decrease significantly next year. Is there any valid reason not to go?

Enjoy Connecticut.

Agreed. Transfer and enjoy. Also, congrats!

[lavarman84]

OP here. Just heard back from fin aid at my current school. Thanks to Yale's super generous offer, i'll actually end up being 15-20k less in debt if I leave - I have a 1L SA which they took into account so I don't think my aid will decrease significantly next year. Is there any valid reason not to go?

Transfer.

[Anonymous User]

I didn't read the whole thread, but did your first school offer you more money? I posted earlier about getting in to transfer from a lower T14 into a higher one (not HYS), and I got denied additional merit aid. I emphasized having an early job offer, etc. Nada. Did your first school buck up, or did you not try since Yale was a better deal?

[postard]

I was not aware that the YMCA had degree programs.

Ah, Yale...yeah that could be good.

Of course the Y had a law school. It's called the Nashville School of Law now though.

Golden Gate Law started as a night school run by the YMCA. Soooo...

[Anonymous User]

What is an example of a door open for a 5+ year corporate lawyer from YLS that's not open to a 5+ year corporate lawyer who's top 2% from Duke?

Looks like OP already made his/her decision, but I just wanted to throw out an answer to this. I transferred to YLS from a T10 school <5 years ago and I was interested in corporate law but I am now hoping to make a move into business or banking. I've had multiple conversations with people that have said that they only look at resumes from HYS. Anecdotal of course, and I haven't made the jump yet, but I am convinced that I am better situated than I would have been if I had stayed at my first school.

That said, I think I actually took a hit at OCI as a transfer. It's easy to stand out from your peers when you're at the top of the class but how do they compare you to people with 3 grades and generally incredible pre-law school resumes? I think I can say unequivocally that none of the transfers think that they did better at OCI than they did at their initial school.

[Anonymous User]

several coworkers at my summer firm go to Y and literally despise the school and their classmates. I work with many more folks from H, all of whom know several people at Y, and the secondhand reports from their Y friends are consistently negative about the experience, so take all that into account I guess. i assume there's a lot of sniffing one's own farts at a school like Y?

good luck, OP. you sound smart enough to make the right choice, whatever it is

This. I just graduated and absolutely hated it. I will never ever go back. Even just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.