NYU or USC? Forum

[03152016]

and your gpa would be helpful to know too

also, i agree with your general point bagel, but i do think there are more decent neighborhoods price-wise that are good for commuting to nyu

it seems a lot of nyu kids end up in willyb/bushwick, or jersey city/hoboken, or downtown brooklyn/park slope, or astoria/lic
all pretty expensive

but sunset park, ridgewood, and jackson heights are cheaper neighborhoods that would be great for nyu students imo
sunset park is a family neighborhood right outside park slope, only 22 minutes from nyu by train (D/N/R)
if you like bushwick's fun scene but are priced out, ridgewood is minutes away, and the M goes to west 4th on weekdays
jackson heights is super cheap, super diverse, and has four trains (E/F/M/R) on the same platform that all go to nyu, two of them express

[03152016]

of course, none of them are hip/trendy/young
which is prob why people overlook them

also, op, in no way should my post be construed as advocating nyu at sticker

[tlsusernames]

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[tlsusernames]

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[runinthefront]

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[tlsusernames]

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[sinfiery]

NYU sticker is 300k+ in loan debt at graduation at sticker

I'm guessing you calculated USC wrong too

(Unless you have savings/parent help)

I am not categorically opposed to taking out sticker for a T14 school as some other people here are, but its 300k person. 300k. Really ask yourself why you want to be a lawyer and what else you could do if you didn't be a lawyer because 300k debt is absurd.

Though if you want PI, fuck it. Use the government and pray to your god they don't alter the IBR plan before your 10 years are up (caution: they already have a bill in the works to do this)

Given these posts

my goal is eventually the un or icc and then after that to become a law professor.
i love nyu and new york. but i also have ties in ca.

I know those are hard to reach goals...but that is how i live my life and who i am! so i set those goals and do everything i can to achieve them. but yes, i have backup plans.
I've always known nyu is where i want to be..it's just the extra approx 100k loans that Im thinking about.
but in the end, i feel like nyu will keep my options open...whereas usc will limit me to practicing in ca. so maybe the extra 100k is worth it after all?

You should not go to law school
because that is fucking ridiculous

[BigZuck]

Thanks for the info. But isn't sitting out and reapplying too risky? I have these two great acceptances now and I don't want to give them up merely hoping that ill get them back next year with more money.
To be honest, NYU is my dream law school. It's just the money. Well it's always the money.
I've been accepted to all of the T14s to which I've applied. The scholarships i got from them ranged from 55,000-80,000 for the three years. I didnt think the loans were worth it for the lower t14s. Thats why I settled on USC. But now that I have nyu...

I'd almost certainly roll with whoever gave you 80K over NYU at sticker all day, every day

Also, you need to readjust your career goals. If you go to a T14 you'll most likely become a big law drone like everyone else, in which case you'll appreciate the significantly lower debt. And if you really do get PI it'll probably be much more modest than what you're thinking IMO.

Eta: scooped

[Mal Reynolds]

I think it's pretty risky to sit out and save money from a regular income. Much better to saddle up with 300k in debt without knowing what a lawyer does.

[tlsusernames]

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[sinfiery]

I've calculated them both correctly with adjustments for my specific situation.
Making assumptions won't get us far in the legal profession, sinfiery, even with JDs from NYU.

I will go to law school, because that is what I want. I have my career goals. I have my plans. Law school is what i've always wanted.
So i'd appreciate it if you would keep the critiques, such as "you should not go to law school", to yourself, as they aren't helpful in my nyu vs usc decision making process.

my bad
enjoy your false dichotomy

[tlsusernames]

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[detlefschrempf1]

Guys there is no need to argue.
I just simply wanted some opinions to help me decide.

WE ARE GOING TO ARGUE AND YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE IT

[tlsusernames]

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[Nomo]

But isn't sitting out and reapplying too risky? I have these two great acceptances now and I don't want to give them up merely hoping that ill get them back next year with more money.

Reapplying next year is not risky. LSAT's have declined for every administration except a tiny bump last February. Applicants will be down again this year. This cycle will be less competitive than the last. There is no reason to think your options will be worse.

And these are not great options. If you go to NYU at that price you could absolutely work work 3 years, get burned out, and still have 150k in debt - and that's if you did a really good job of living more frugally than your peers and paying down your loans. USC could leave you unemployed with significant debt. These would have been great options at sticker price for your parents generation. These are not great options for our generation.

[runinthefront]

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[dixiecupdrinking]

I would take the LSAT one more time and reapply as early as possible in the fall. If you're as dedicated to shooting for the stars as you say, then you shouldn't settle for these suboptimal options.

Your career goals are completely unrealistic from USC and only marginally realistic from NYU, and the debt you take out to go to NYU will hang over you like a curse for a decade.

If you're gonna go this year, then I'd go to USC, but you'll need to readjust your expectations accordingly.

[Swimp]

Dude, that's just patently bullshit. You may have managed to live cheaply and congratulations on doing so, but every source out there will tell you differently.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... cago%2C+IL

Here, for instance, is the cost of living difference between Chicago and NY.
Groceries: 20% cheaper in Chicago.
Rents: 43% lower in Chicago.
Restaurants prices: 25% lower in Chicago.

I think that's a pretty reasonable comparison of cities. Now lets look at OPs question, LA
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... York%2C+NY

Indices Difference
Consumer Prices in Los Angeles, CA are 27.11% lower than in New York,
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Los Angeles, CA are 33.70% lower than in New York
Rent Prices in Los Angeles, CA are 40.78% lower than in New York
Restaurant Prices in Los Angeles, CA are 21.79% lower than in New York
Groceries Prices in Los Angeles, CA are 29.61% lower than in New York
Local Purchasing Power in Los Angeles, CA is 27.53% higher than in New York

One example:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1 ... reno64-wsj

Here's the paper:
http://www.nber.org/papers/w17067.pdf