Cornell ($) v. WUSTL ($$$$) Forum

[CanadianWolf]

Because you're targeting NYC & Philly, Cornell is the better choice.

[chuckbass]

WUSTL 1L here: take Cornell. You have a shot at NYC biglaw here, but you also have a 70-80% chance of not doing well enough to get it.

[Big Dog]

not seeing how a higher LSAT would do anything, except open a couple of doors at sticker (NYU, for example). Otherwise, already over the median/75th for those offering $$, so they have no reason to buy you with more money.

Cornell.

[downbeat14]

.

[Lavitz]

WUSTL person here. One advantage of WUSTL is that you'll be competing with fewer classmates to get into your preferred markets, especially Philadelphia, than at Cornell.

At Cornell, we have maybe 3 people in any given year who actually want to work in Philadelphia. So does WUSTL have 1 person interested in Philly every year or something? This seems completely inconsequential.

We're also just plain better at NYC, unless you're trying to suggest that people at WUSTL self-select out of NYC biglaw and that it's easier to get than the numbers indicate, which isn't what your fellow classmates are saying.

[chuckbass]

WUSTL person here. One advantage of WUSTL is that you'll be competing with fewer classmates to get into your preferred markets, especially Philadelphia, than at Cornell.

At Cornell, we have maybe 3 people in any given year who actually want to work in Philadelphia. So does WUSTL have 1 person interested in Philly every year or something? This seems completely inconsequential.

We're also just plain better at NYC, unless you're trying to suggest that people at WUSTL self-select out of NYC biglaw and that it's easier to get than the numbers indicate, which isn't what your fellow classmates are saying.

I personally will be shooting for Philly and no of no one else my year that wants it/has ties, but even so I'd feel more comfortable trying to get Philly out of Cornell than WUSTL. From anecdotal evidence it is apparently possible to get bites in Philly from here with good grades and ties, but I don't see how this is a +1 for WUSTL over Cornell.

[Broncos847]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm still nervous about the debt but after being able to get it down to a more manageable level I'm going to go with Cornell!

[lawdoggy]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

[BigZuck]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

If the plan is NYC/Philly big law I don't see why the OP would need to be in the top 20-30%

I'll be way easier to get big law from Cornell

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[Lavitz]

What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half?

Then you get a less prestigious firm.

There is no magical cutoff at median, especially since the firms don't even know where our median is. Approximately bottom 25%, you can start worrying about striking out because of grades, but we don't even know where that line is. And if you're at the bottom of the class at Cornell, you definitely wouldn't have gotten biglaw from WUSTL. With no ties to Midwest, I'm not sure what else OP would be interesting in doing with that degree. If this were full ride at WUSTL v. near-sticker at Cornell, it would be different; I wouldn't advise paying full price. But the parents financing part of it changes things.

I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU.

No. Just no.

[lawdoggy]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

If the plan is NYC/Philly big law I don't see why the OP would need to be in the top 20-30%

I'll be way easier to get big law from Cornell

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I fail to see how that answers the question of what happens if he strikes out with big law. Easier is far from a guarantee. A top academic performance is still required.

What do debt repayment plans on such a huge pile of debt look like for someone making 100k in NY vs 160k?

[BigZuck]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

If the plan is NYC/Philly big law I don't see why the OP would need to be in the top 20-30%

I'll be way easier to get big law from Cornell

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I fail to see how that answers the question of what happens if he strikes out with big law. Easier is far from a guarantee. A top academic performance is still required.

What do debt repayment plans on such a huge pile of debt look like for someone making 100k in NY vs 160k?

If he strikes out I guess he hopes to PAYE it off like everyone else

You could get big law from Cornell with a (comparatively) mediocre academic performance

Not sure I understand the 100K vs 160K thing, if the OP doesn't get a 160K job then he'll probably get like a 60-70ishK job as a best case scenario.

I'm not really a fan of 165K debt at Cornell but what are you gonna do? It's not unconscionable IMO. Each and every individual only lives once, if they really want to do the big law drone thing that's on them.

[chuckbass]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

Yeah, gonna be so much easier to beat the kids at WUSTL b/c the students there have such awful entering stats relative to Cornell!

[lawdoggy]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

Yeah, gonna be so much easier to beat the kids at WUSTL b/c the students there have such awful entering stats relative to Cornell!

I was really more alluding to relative class sizes and the curves.

[lawdoggy]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

If the plan is NYC/Philly big law I don't see why the OP would need to be in the top 20-30%

I'll be way easier to get big law from Cornell

W
A
Y

E
A
S
I
E
R

I fail to see how that answers the question of what happens if he strikes out with big law. Easier is far from a guarantee. A top academic performance is still required.

What do debt repayment plans on such a huge pile of debt look like for someone making 100k in NY vs 160k?

If he strikes out I guess he hopes to PAYE it off like everyone else

You could get big law from Cornell with a (comparatively) mediocre academic performance

Not sure I understand the 100K vs 160K thing, if the OP doesn't get a 160K job then he'll probably get like a 60-70ishK job as a best case scenario.

I'm not really a fan of 165K debt at Cornell but what are you gonna do? It's not unconscionable IMO. Each and every individual only lives once, if they really want to do the big law drone thing that's on them.

60k living in NY with 170k in loans sounds like a disaster.

[Tiago Splitter]

A top academic performance is still required.

What do you mean by top? Have you seen Cornell's stats? When you look keep in mind that a significant portion of the top half of Cornell's class transfers up.

[chuckbass]

Either way you're banking on putting yourself in the top 20-30% of your class. I would think that is a lot tougher at Cornell than WashU. What happens if after 1L at Cornell you're in the bottom half? Can you manage the loan payments if you don't get big law coming out of Cornell?

I don't agree with the notion that a retake won't help here. I think a retake and early app next cycle would absolutely help to get more money out of Cornell.

Yeah, gonna be so much easier to beat the kids at WUSTL b/c the students there have such awful entering stats relative to Cornell!

I was really more alluding to relative class sizes and the curves.

Lol uh a smaller class size doesn't decrease your chances of being in the top 20-30% of the class and WUSTL's curve is more generous, but that doesn't change your rank so what in the world are you talking about?

[Broncos847]

lawdoggy I appreciate your input but honestly as an 0L I don't think it has much merit. Plus you seem very wrong about many of your assumptions. Maybe you should do a little research about career prospects from the schools in question and then come back if you have anything of value to add. Thank you again to everyone else. Having TLS mega posters tell me my choice is defensible makes me a little more confident I'm not making a horrible mistake tbh.