NW $150K vs. T6 Forum

[lurk king]

Longtime lurker, finally going to post for advice. Just trying to gauge what would be worth turning down the $ at Northwestern
Currently in NW w/ $150K a year, and NYU and Columbia with $0. Trying to negotaite for more $.

I figure if I only want to do Biglaw, it would be crazy to turn down the Northwestern $ since they both place pretty well. I have $10-$20k in savings I can put toward school so I can graduate NW with a very manageable amount of debt. My savings would make no practical difference at NYU or Columbia.

It gets trickier if I think I want to do PI or clerkships. Right now I'm thinking it would take about $25k/year from NYU/Columbia to be worthwhile. Definitely more PI and clerkship options from those schools. I Like NYU better after visiting, but if Columbia gives the $ and NYU doesn't I don't have a problem going there.
If I want to do PI should I just go NYU b/c of their placement and LRAP?
Is a clerkship such a crapshoot that it's not even worth considering the differences in placement?

TLDR: How much $ do NYU/Columbia need to drop to make them worth choosing over $150k at Northwestern for each 1) Biglaw, 2) PI, 3) Clerkship goals?

Thanks

[dingbat]

Take the money

[Greenandgold]

Take the money

+1

[nshapkar]

Take the money and run.

[lurk king]

That's my current plan. I'm more curious how much you think it would take from NYU/Columbia to make it worthwhile to go there instead.

Thanks for your input so far.

[Blessedassurance]

That's my current plan. I'm more curious how much you think it would take from NYU/Columbia to make it worthwhile to go there instead.

Thanks for your input so far.

For what, BigLaw?

[dingbat]

That's my current plan. I'm more curious how much you think it would take from NYU/Columbia to make it worthwhile to go there instead.

Thanks for your input so far.

That's something only you can decide.
I can tell you that neither school is worth $150k more than NU. How much more they're worth depend on a lot of things (how badly do you want biglaw? do you want to be end up in NYC, Chicago, or somewhere else? etc.)

[Sirius]

NW --> do not be an idiot.

[dixiecupdrinking]

I figure if I only want to do Biglaw, it would be crazy to turn down the Northwestern $ since they both place pretty well.

Yup.

If I want to do PI should I just go NYU b/c of their placement and LRAP?

Probably not. If you're about to deposit at a school and talking about hypothetically wanting to do PI, you're 95% likely to go to a firm. It is the path of least resistance and if you aren't coming in with a solid idea of what kind of work you specifically want to do and why, you are very unlikely to figure it out before OCI.

Is a clerkship such a crapshoot that it's not even worth considering the differences in placement?

Yes.

I go to NYU and I think this is a complete and utter no-brainer unless NYU/CLS get within about $50-60k of NW.

[bk1]

If I want to do PI should I just go NYU b/c of their placement and LRAP?

It would be stupid to turn down the money just to rely on LRAP. What happens if you change your mind? It would be stupid to forego a full ride at a slightly weaker school.

Is a clerkship such a crapshoot that it's not even worth considering the differences in placement?

Yes. Unless the school you are considering is HYS, your chances of getting a clerkship are so low that they aren't worth factoring in.

That's my current plan. I'm more curious how much you think it would take from NYU/Columbia to make it worthwhile to go there instead.

I think it would take at least 100k before the options became close. Even at a 50k difference I'd probably still take the money. But less than 50k difference between them and I think the T6 starts to become reasonable.

[JasonR]

Either move the tl;dr part to the top or just delete the remainder of the post entirely. That should help you get more of the answers you're looking for.

For BigLaw, CLS and NYU would need to get within $60K to even merit a sniff, imo.

Do you really think you would do PI, btw? People who say "maybe PI" almost invariably go BigLaw. Anyway, your opportunities in PI would be better at CLS or NYU, both because of the schools and the location. Your own debt tolerance becomes a bigger factor here.

[2014]

Currently in NW w/ $150K a year

Take the 100k stipend and never look back.

[Dany]

If I want to do PI should I just go NYU b/c of their placement and LRAP?

It would be stupid to turn down the money just to rely on LRAP. What happens if you change your mind? It would be stupid to forego a full ride at a slightly weaker school.

Is a clerkship such a crapshoot that it's not even worth considering the differences in placement?

Yes. Unless the school you are considering is HYS, your chances of getting a clerkship are so low that they aren't worth factoring in.

That's my current plan. I'm more curious how much you think it would take from NYU/Columbia to make it worthwhile to go there instead.

I think it would take at least 100k before the options became close. Even at a 50k difference I'd probably still take the money. But less than 50k difference between them and I think the T6 starts to become reasonable.

As usual, I agree with BK.

I've never really understood the relying on LRAP argument unless both schools are super expensive. When you're choosing between T14s and you have one that will GREATLY minimize your debt, I think it's almost always the smarter choice for someone considering PI.

Agreed on clerkships.

And I'm with BK in that it'd be about $100k in scholarships necessary from CCN to make me even consider them over NU. I think CCN schools usually only go up to about $90k in scholarships (aside from their own full rides) though, and that's not enough to justify them over a full ride at NU, in my opinion. And this is coming from a CCN 1L who's pretty happy about job prospects at her school, FWIW.

[top30man]

Currently in NW w/ $150K a year

Take the 100k stipend and never look back.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Take the money.

-To maximize my chances at big law and clerkships I might take Columbia at 20-25K a year (well maybe more like 30K a year).
-If considering PI, chose NU easy.
-If absolutely sure about PI (as in you already know what you want to do, what organizations would be a perfect fit for you, and the path is a viable one (you know you will be able to work at one of these places right after law school))--then consider NYU and try to figure out which school (NYU or NU) will help you more with your plan.

From what you've described your interest in PI to be, take the money at NU. Then you can waffle back and forth between firm and PI until 2L OCI without worrying about having a crushing debt hanging over your head if you decide PI is not for you.

[thisiswater1488]

.

[juju96]

Currently in NW w/ $150K a year

Take the 100k stipend and never look back.

[SaintFond]

NW --> do not be an idiot.