Temple Vs. Villanova with a full ride Forum

[thisguy456]

Thanks for the input.

I just talked to a professor from Temple that I met through an acquaintance. Very nice person whose done a lot of PI work in the city.

I told her the situation and she said that I would hands down get a better education at Temple.

You'll get the exact same education at Villanova as you would at Temple, as you would at pretty much every other law school. That's not an issue. Take the money.

[WithGrace23]

Temple is not giving me any money. I already told them about my scholarship offer but it made no difference.

I don't like the sound of that. I'm in a similar situation and am hoping to get something, even like 5k a year from Temple. I only have a 15k offer from Nova and am not really considering it, but have asked them to up the offer. Mirroring the majority of the sentiment here, I don't see how you can turn down a no-strings full ride, I may consider it if Nova comes up with an offer that would make them the cheaper option, but I really do like Temple a lot better for many of the reasons already mentioned.

I started off with a $5k nonrenewable scholarship. I showed them my other scholarship offers and they made it renewable for all 3 years...(plus I have in-state tuition).
Did you send them an actual copy of your scholarship offer?...that may sway them. But even so they probably won't give you a free ride. I'd go with Villanova. Think about it...you could graduate with virtually the same education, with zero debt.

18K a year for 3 years adds up. Take the free ride, you won't be paying back $600 a month in loans for the next 7 and half years....

[JOThompson]

Thanks for the input.

I just talked to a professor from Temple that I met through an acquaintance. Very nice person whose done a lot of PI work in the city.

I told her the situation and she said that I would hands down get a better education at Temple. They have a much better Trail Ad program and I would have far more connections in Philly for Public Interest (considering that they run the whole town when it comes to that). I would also probably like the professors and students a whole lot more.

BUT she said that even given all of that she would still recommend going to Villanova hands down. She said that the money is a big deal when it comes to PI work. She said that I might be pretty unhappy at Villanova's campus but that in the long run it would be helpful to suck it up for three years and avoid the debt. It will make it a whole lot easier to do what I want to do afterwards.

One more weekend to mull it over and then I decide. But how can I choose Temple now? She pretty much sold me. I guess I am going to take the plunge????

Did you speak to her about the possibility of using IBR?

Don't chase the money unless you could be moderately comfortable at the school. Your performance at law school could hinge on that. While it's true that Temple is generally not going to surpass Villanova career prospects (except in the city), that doesn't mean that the skills you pick up in Temple Trial Ad won't be valuable.

[bigben]

MONEY.

[JOThompson]

Is income based repayment + public interest work such a difficult concept to grasp here? If there's much of a chance that the OP would choose a traditional legal career, then by all means, take the full ride at Villanova. Otherwise, go to the school that you're most comfortable with, especially if it positions you for a job in Philly PI.

[Not-A-Teabagger]

Go where you will feel most comfortable. What will matter most, as I would assume Temple and Nova place about equally in Philly, is 1) your grades 2) the people you meet and become friends with during law school. When it comes time to ask for donations for that Non-Profit you start, who will you go to for money? Who will you become close to? Who will you want to know post-grad? Networking and friendships matter....If you go to a school where the student body is younger/older, more conservative/liberal than you are comfortable with, then it may not be the right school for you regardless of the debt.

[qazwsxedc]

This thread has been pretty helpful.

Here's another (similar) scenario. I do not qualify for in-state tuition at Temple, so it will cost me about 27k a year. Villanova has offered me a 25k scholarship, which is renewable provided I maintain a 3.25 GPA. All in all, if I maintain the GPA requirement at Villanova, it turns out to be 50k cheaper than Temple (when comparing only tuition).

This is where it gets interesting: I have locked down free housing in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia. The apartment is about a 5 minute drive from Temple, and about a 30-40 min drive (depending on traffic) from Villanova. Another consideration is that Temple is much more my speed socially, and I have always lived in the city - not the suburbs. Finally, I plan on going into patent prosecution and litigation - so paying down my debt will probably be easier than someone doing PI.

What does everyone think?

[NYVA311]

This thread has been pretty helpful.

Here's another (similar) scenario. I do not qualify for in-state tuition at Temple, so it will cost me about 27k a year. Villanova has offered me a 25k scholarship, which is renewable provided I maintain a 3.25 GPA. All in all, if I maintain the GPA requirement at Villanova, it turns out to be 50k cheaper than Temple (when comparing only tuition).

This is where it gets interesting: I have locked down free housing in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia. The apartment is about a 5 minute drive from Temple, and about a 30-40 min drive (depending on traffic) from Villanova. Another consideration is that Temple is much more my speed socially, and I have always lived in the city - not the suburbs. Finally, I plan on going into patent prosecution and litigation - so paying down my debt will probably be easier than someone doing PI.

What does everyone think?

Definitely Temple.

[JOThompson]

This thread has been pretty helpful.

Here's another (similar) scenario. I do not qualify for in-state tuition at Temple, so it will cost me about 27k a year. Villanova has offered me a 25k scholarship, which is renewable provided I maintain a 3.25 GPA. All in all, if I maintain the GPA requirement at Villanova, it turns out to be 50k cheaper than Temple (when comparing only tuition).

This is where it gets interesting: I have locked down free housing in the Fairmount area of Philadelphia. The apartment is about a 5 minute drive from Temple, and about a 30-40 min drive (depending on traffic) from Villanova. Another consideration is that Temple is much more my speed socially, and I have always lived in the city - not the suburbs. Finally, I plan on going into patent prosecution and litigation - so paying down my debt will probably be easier than someone doing PI.

What does everyone think?

Definitely Temple.

+1