Georgia vs. Georgia State Forum

[cavalier1138]

I'm extremely wary of any advice that involves telling someone to just get in the top 10-25% of their class. There's no way to guarantee that kind of ranking, especially when someone hasn't been in law school yet. So gambling hundreds of thousands of dollars on maybe being a really good student is not a good idea.

And I'm extremely wary of critique from a 0L unfamiliar with the Atlanta market or these schools, neither of which cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to attend for in-state residents. Nevertheless, I gave true advice across all tiers of GPA.

UGA in-state expenses are estimated at $33-37K a year. That's over $100K in debt on a gamble that someone who clearly wasn't in the top 10-25% of the applicant pool is going to place in the top 10-25% of the class.

But hey, what's life without a little bit of risk?

Also, the terrifying thing here is that it's the 0L pointing out that "do well" is not advice that gets anyone in the top 10% of their class.

[NonTradHealthLaw]

I'm extremely wary of any advice that involves telling someone to just get in the top 10-25% of their class. There's no way to guarantee that kind of ranking, especially when someone hasn't been in law school yet. So gambling hundreds of thousands of dollars on maybe being a really good student is not a good idea.

And I'm extremely wary of critique from a 0L unfamiliar with the Atlanta market or these schools, neither of which cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to attend for in-state residents. Nevertheless, I gave true advice across all tiers of GPA.

UGA in-state expenses are estimated at $33-37K a year. That's over $100K in debt on a gamble that someone who clearly wasn't in the top 10-25% of the applicant pool is going to place in the top 10-25% of the class.

But hey, what's life without a little bit of risk?

Also, the terrifying thing here is that it's the 0L pointing out that "do well" is not advice that gets anyone in the top 10% of their class.

Reread what I wrote. Carefully. All the words. Not just those you wanted to read. Nowhere did I say OP just needed to finish in top 10-25%. I gave the outcomes one can likely expect from GSU and UGA according to one's graduation placement. Both schools are perfectly acceptable options for someone who wants to stay in state. Whether it is worth sticker is OP's to answer, but in the current Atlanta and Georgia legal market there is a low likelihood of not finding a satisfying job coming out of either school. 100k is daunting, absolutely, but that's far from "hundreds of thousands" and also over estimates real life in these cities and at these schools.

[ck3]

3L at UGA. You don't have to be in the top 25% to get a job coming out of UGA especially if you are not looking for big law. Also, I think the OP has the right attitude about hustling for a job because there seems to be less public interest placement and it is really competitive. But i want to emphasize that there are a lot of outcomes in your first year that can bring success in the long run. I think that a lot of the discussion on this forum overlooks the reality of upward mobility in your career and seems to assume that whatever you do and whatever money you in your first year out of law school is what you will do and make for your entire career.

So as someone who is older and has incurred and paid off a lot of debt in my life, I would not be that afraid of borrowing 100K to at student loan interest rates to attend GSU or UGA if I was single and in my 20's. However, I would credit all the advice on here that says if you can retake and get a scholarship to make your debt less, that is a great idea. I am just emphasizing that when you are young and making career goals and pursuing those goals, everything is a risk. If you borrow 120K over 3 years to go to law school, that is a risk. A very tangible one that will have immediate and long lasting financial consequences. However, no one knows for sure what the legal market will be like in the future, but historically lawyers have made more in general than the persons with under grad degrees.

But if you have an undergrad degree in a science/tech field it would be a lot less risky to pursue employment in that area. I am assuming that you don't have that and you want to be a lawyer. So if that is the case, and you can't get a scholarship to UGA or GSU, I would say that sticker at UGA or GSU...MAY be worth the risk depending on your circumstances. All of the advice that I am giving is assuming that your alternative is to get an MBA or other non technical degree or to just go into the working world with an undergrad degree.

Also, in Athens, if you are willing to have one or more roommates, you can make the cost of living very low and in your 2nd and 3rd year, you can reduce it further by working some during the semesters. That may not seem that important but it can turn your 100K debt into 80K debt and overtime and when considering the interest, that does make a difference.

100K is a lot of money to borrow. I just don't subscribe to the general TLS advice that anybody who borrows this to go to a regional school is not going to be successful in life. I just think that even if you graduate at an age between 25 and 30 with 100K debt and in the event it takes 20 years to pay it off most people will still be better off financially at the end of that 20 year period because of the increased income and opportunities provided by a legal career. That is just based on past history and the limited info I have on current realities of legal employment. I will readily admit that the legal market/industry has changed. But the new economic realities post recession adversely effects many career fields and you have to choose some career and at this point in time, most of them are risky. So if you can reduce the risk by retaking and getting better scholarships or better schools, I agree with others that you should do so. However, I think most people who go to GSU or UGA at sticker will struggle some in their younger years, but will still end up better off than they would just going into the working world with only an undergrad degree in a non-tech field.

[atlhomie16]

Georgia Tuition is about 90k for 3 years. With CoL and loan interest, it does indeed cost six figures.

UGA Law
2015-2016
Annual Tuition & Fees

$17,218 Georgia Resident Tuition
$35,266 Non-Resident* Tuition
$2,258 Georgia Residents & Non-Resident Fees

Where are you getting the 90K+ from?

[lawhopeful10]

Georgia Tuition is about 90k for 3 years. With CoL and loan interest, it does indeed cost six figures.

UGA Law
2015-2016
Annual Tuition & Fees

$17,218 Georgia Resident Tuition
$35,266 Non-Resident* Tuition
$2,258 Georgia Residents & Non-Resident Fees

Where are you getting the 90K+ from?

So tuition for in state is 20k a year. Most people I know when you factor in rent/utilities/cable and Internet pay 750 or so a month. Some more and some less if you have roommates but I lived alone off campus and it was like 800 or so a month. So a full year lease is about 9k. Right there you are at about 30k a year or 90k for all 3 years. Then factor in food and spending costs, miscellaneous stuff and interest and you are easily over 100k when all is said and done. Hence law school transparency's figure.

Edit: just realized the post you quoted said tuition alone is 90k. Tuition alone doesn't reach that obviously.

[atlhomie16]

Georgia Tuition is about 90k for 3 years. With CoL and loan interest, it does indeed cost six figures.

UGA Law
2015-2016
Annual Tuition & Fees

$17,218 Georgia Resident Tuition
$35,266 Non-Resident* Tuition
$2,258 Georgia Residents & Non-Resident Fees

Where are you getting the 90K+ from?

So tuition for in state is 20k a year. Most people I know when you factor in rent/utilities/cable and Internet pay 750 or so a month. Some more and some less if you have roommates but I lived alone off campus and it was like 800 or so a month. So a full year lease is about 9k. Right there you are at about 30k a year or 90k for all 3 years. Then factor in food and spending costs, miscellaneous stuff and interest and you are easily over 100k when all is said and done. Hence law school transparency's figure.

Edit: just realized the post you quoted said tuition alone is 90k. Tuition alone doesn't reach that obviously.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. I was just confused by the previous poster's wording. Tuition (alone) at GSU and UGA are dirt cheap.

[Foghornleghorn]

That's my b. I looked at out of state tuition