Columbia/Duke/UCLA/UT Parents offering to pay? Forum

[jewelledhunter]

Outside of full-rides, Columbia hasn't released financial information yet. Are you assuming you'll get sticker at Columbia?

Yes, or if they do give me money, it'll be negligible. See my LSAT and GPA.

On a more cynical note, old people are all in a competition based on how well their children are doing. Don't be selfish and take those things away from your parents.

Part of me does wonder if my parents just want me to go to Columbia just because I'd be the first graduate from an "Ivy League" (i.e would they be this insistent if I got accepted by NYU) Ahhh parents.

I've read through all the posts and I've talked to a few people, including my sibling, and it's made me feel better about potentially going to Columbia and going through a lot of money. We'll see where I end up but at least that part of the decision is getting easier.

[jbagelboy]

Part of me does wonder if my parents just want me to go to Columbia just because I'd be the first graduate from an "Ivy League" (i.e would they be this insistent if I got accepted by NYU) Ahhh parents.

it's not that big of a deal (no offense of course). you should go to CLS because it places stronger in the types of jobs you want, not because the university affiliates with a group of other old universities

[unlicensedpotato]

I get the super rich parents thing, etc. but just speaking as a rational person, is Columbia really 100K better? Like, that's something you should pay for because you'll get that much extra value out of it?

Thanks for putting in words what I've been trying to ask (just couldn't figure out how to say it)

Something else I probably should have said was that I go to UT and a few things you said (wanting corporate big law, top 3rd) really hit close to home. While I think that's a good price to pay, I don't know that I would recommend UT here unless the money really starts to matter to you. There can be a pretty fine line between striking out and snagging big law at UT that seems to cluster around that top 3rdish mark you mentioned. You're going to have much, much more of a cushion at Duke/Columbia.

If the money mattered though (like, all loan financed that you're on the hook for), I'd probably say UT all the way here (with the usual caveats of be open to more modest career outcomes, etc.)

As soon as I read OP I would've put money on you recommending UT here all the way. Is the school really that risky for Texas locals who are open to practicing in Texas??

BigZ is spot on with my views. If it isn't your money, I'd go to Columbia. UT is solid but there's a clear break. The top students have great access to national markets and their pick of TX jobs. You can have people scrambling at a surprisingly high class rank though. I just think it's much riskier.

[jewelledhunter]

Part of me does wonder if my parents just want me to go to Columbia just because I'd be the first graduate from an "Ivy League" (i.e would they be this insistent if I got accepted by NYU) Ahhh parents.

it's not that big of a deal (no offense of course). you should go to CLS because it places stronger in the types of jobs you want, not because the university affiliates with a group of other old universities

Of course I don't think it is. If that's what my parents are thinking, I'm exasperated by their overwhelming need to be awesome to a person not in the know about law schools (hence why I'm wondering if they would be this insistent if I got into NYU, which is basically just as good as Columbia but doesn't have the name recognition). Columbia being an Ivy isn't factoring into my decision.

[Lawyerrr]

You should do Columbia if your parents are paying for it and it's not a big deal to them. What other people have said about Columbia is true. Top firms will go much deeper into Columbia's class. I think someone earlier said there are like five top-tier corporate firms. I'd personally say it's more like 10-15 top-tier corporate firms. Lots of kids get into these top firms with average grades. I don't think the same is true from UT. Maybe from Duke, but that median student from Duke would need some solid work experience or be a great interviewer.

[FlamingDragon]

Seems way too personal for TLS to offer much help here

I do have a serious question for Columbia voters:

Is Columbia 100K+ better than Duke for generic "I wanna do the big law corp drone thing"? Especially when it seems (although it's hard to tell from the OP) that CA/TX would be the top two choices?

I get the super rich parents thing, etc. but just speaking as a rational person, is Columbia really 100K better? Like, that's something you should pay for because you'll get that much extra value out of it?

Honest question. My knee jerk reaction is "No" but as we all know I don't really know anything about anything so I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts

Honestly regardless of parental finances I would go to Duke. The opportunities are literally almost exactly the same and Duke gives you a steep discount, lower COL, better student body, and a massively better place to live (e.g. don't have to live in that shit-hole hell of a city that is upper MH). Duke by a landslide, don't even consider Berkeley or Texas.

[FlamingDragon]

You should do Columbia if your parents are paying for it and it's not a big deal to them. What other people have said about Columbia is true. Top firms will go much deeper into Columbia's class. I think someone earlier said there are like five top-tier corporate firms. I'd personally say it's more like 10-15 top-tier corporate firms. Lots of kids get into these top firms with average grades. I don't think the same is true from UT. Maybe from Duke, but that median student from Duke would need some solid work experience or be a great interviewer.

Wait only 10-15 top corporate firms? that's the dumbest shit I've heard all day. There are at least 40-50 who do the same work for substantially the same clients, with only marginally different billing rates (outside of Wachtell). That is a typical New York centric assumption.

[MistakenGenius]

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