My decision is getting harder and harder Forum

[lawman2010]

Please help me with my decision! I started out this cycle really really wanting to get into Hastings or Davis but haven't heard from either. I have a sub 3.0 gpa and mid 160s lsat but have lots of work experience and a very high graduate gpa. Also, I'm a URM. Ultimately, I'd like to work in San Francisco.

Oh, and to make things tougher to decide, my daughter lives in Davis. However, I will only have my daughter every other weekend (Davis is about an hour from San Francisco on a weekend).

Please tell me where you would go and why. Alternatively, you can tell me to holdout for Davis or Hastings

Edit: I understand I won't be able to see my daughter much if going to East Coast. Highly unlikely I would go to any school outside of NorCal, but wanted to get a gauge of what ppl think.

[krispykitten]

.

[lawman2010]

Oops. Corrected. That should read $15K per year at Drexel, not $45K.

[Mosca]

If you want to see your daughter every other weekend you should eliminate Drexel, George Mason, and Minnesota. I would hold out for Davis or Hastings. Davis has admitted very few people so far and you have a decent shot

[im_blue]

IMO the only reasonable choices are USF, SCU, or Davis/Hastings.

[lawman2010]

Oh, and I'm a URM. I updated my first post...

[Mosca]

Any scholarship requirements at USF?

[lawman2010]

Any scholarship requirements at USF?

"Good Standing" requirement at USF and Top 25% requirement at Santa Clara.

[totebags]

If you want to see your daughter every other weekend you should eliminate Drexel, George Mason, and Minnesota. I would hold out for Davis or Hastings. Davis has admitted very few people so far and you have a decent shot

+1

[Cale39]

Lawman, is the SCU scholly an "emery" scholarship. I also got one, but no indication as to any requirements for maintaining the scholly (aka top 25%)

I'm in the same predicament as you. Holding out for Hastings/Davis, I really hope I get into Hastings.

[lawman2010]

Lawman, is the SCU scholly an "emery" scholarship. I also got one, but no indication as to any requirements for maintaining the scholly (aka top 25%)

I'm in the same predicament as you. Holding out for Hastings/Davis, I really hope I get into Hastings.

Yes, I got the Emery scholly. I guess I just assumed it was with requirement just like everyone else with $ there...

[lawman2010]

Can anyone who voted Minnesota let me know why Minnesota over $27K per year at USF considering I want to work in the city? Does rank really matter so much that Minnesota would give me better job prospects than USF in the city?

Any thoughts on this by anyone would be appreciated.

[eth3n]

What URM are you?

- edit -

Minnesota wont get you SF unless you DESTROY 1L and write amazing letters why you want/need to live in SF, if you end up going to Minnesota make sure to apply to the kind of jobs you want in SF during 1L, they won't hire you, but leave a trail you can refer to later during 2L and beyond showing that you are dedicated to the area but it was unfeasible for you to attend USF over Minnesota with money.

[lawman2010]

What URM are you?

Mexican

[annapavlova]

First of all, if you're getting that much $$ at USF and SC, you can get WAY MORE money out of Pacific McGeorge.

I had a less than fabulous LSAT (good GPA though), and I got them to offer me $15K. IF you're in the mid-160s, they will give you at least $15K if not more.

Maybe if you did McGeorge on the cheap, you could transfer to Davis 2L? I would hold out for Davis, but if you really want to keep cost of living loans down and have an easier time seeing your daughter, I would say maybe keep McGeorge at the top of the list and only bounce if Davis gives you a call. Hastings would be sweet, but like you said SF will require a longer drive and it will cost you mad dough to live there.

[eth3n]

While UCs (even D/H) really prefer their soft-splitters not to have below 3.0, your URM status makes you a decent shot at either school, definitely postpone as long as possible, Davis is notoriously slow.

Also, Hastings/Davis are transfer friendly, then again, never never never assume you can transfer from your 1L school.

[lawman2010]

First of all, if you're getting that much $$ at USF and SC, you can get WAY MORE money out of Pacific McGeorge.

I had a less than fabulous LSAT (good GPA though), and I got them to offer me $15K. IF you're in the mid-160s, they will give you at least $15K if not more.

Maybe if you did McGeorge on the cheap, you could transfer to Davis 2L? I would hold out for Davis, but if you really want to keep cost of living loans down and have an easier time seeing your daughter, I would say maybe keep McGeorge at the top of the list and only bounce if Davis gives you a call. Hastings would be sweet, but like you said SF will require a longer drive and it will cost you mad dough to live there.

I actually expected more $ from McGeorge. I might just give it a try.

[BobSacamano]

Can anyone who voted Minnesota let me know why Minnesota over $27K per year at USF considering I want to work in the city? Does rank really matter so much that Minnesota would give me better job prospects than USF in the city?

Any thoughts on this by anyone would be appreciated.

There is almost no reason for you to go to Minnesota, IMO (combo of career aspirations, debt, daughter is pretty damn convincing). I'm pretty sure the people voting for Minnesota just didn't read your post and instead voted based on the poll choices.

[Borhas]

Please help me with my decision! I started out this cycle really really wanting to get into Hastings or Davis but haven't heard from either. I have a sub 3.0 gpa and mid 160s lsat but have lots of work experience and a very high graduate gpa. Also, I'm a URM. Ultimately, I'd like to work in San Francisco.

Oh, and to make things tougher to decide, my daughter lives in Davis. However, I will only have my daughter every other weekend (Davis is about an hour from San Francisco on a weekend).

Please tell me where you would go and why. Alternatively, you can tell me to holdout for Davis or Hastings

Edit: I understand I won't be able to see my daughter much if going to East Coast. Highly unlikely I would go to any school outside of NorCal, but wanted to get a gauge of what ppl think.

I hope to see you at Hastings next year. If you are a URM with mid 160's you should have a good shot, just hold on for a bit longer. Davis will probably take longer to respond but they are slow as molasses in February, so you have a lot of waiting left to do for them.

[T14_Scholly]

If ever there was a good source to help you make this very important personal decision, it was random people on the internet answering a poll.

[lawman2010]

If ever there was a good source to help you make this very important personal decision, it was random people on the internet answering a poll.

I value the opinion of those with similar aspirations who have perhaps thought about this stuff before. It's either ask you guys or ask my mom who thinks anything I decide is the golden choice.

[UCInfo]

There's no reason not to wait for Davis or Hastings. Even if you face scholarship deadlines, you can always call schools and ask for an extension. If they value you enough to offer you money, they will give you more time to make a decision.

As others have said, Davis is notoriously slow. Definitely the slowest of the UCs, maybe the slowest of any T1 school. You just have to wait. The fact that you're a URM with work experience very well could offset your sub-3.0 GPA. With a daughter in Davis, it seems like a no-brainer among the options you mentioned.

[sanpiero]

No reason to consider Minnesota with a daughter in Davis. USF scholarship is a good one. I'd say go to UCH/D if you get into either and you want GOV'T/PI. If you want firm work and you get into UCH/D, i think those two schools at sticker and usf w/scholly are all good choices.

[lawman2010]

As an update... have been waitlisted at Hastings and now "Evaluation in Progress" at Davis. Still interested in what ppl think if you all have any additional thoughts...

[lawlife2010]

Please help me with my decision! I started out this cycle really really wanting to get into Hastings or Davis but haven't heard from either. I have a sub 3.0 gpa and mid 160s lsat but have lots of work experience and a very high graduate gpa. Also, I'm a URM. Ultimately, I'd like to work in San Francisco.

Oh, and to make things tougher to decide, my daughter lives in Davis. However, I will only have my daughter every other weekend (Davis is about an hour from San Francisco on a weekend).

Please tell me where you would go and why. Alternatively, you can tell me to holdout for Davis or Hastings

Edit: I understand I won't be able to see my daughter much if going to East Coast. Highly unlikely I would go to any school outside of NorCal, but wanted to get a gauge of what ppl think.

Since you want to work in SF and stay close to your daughter...I would say either Santa Clara or USF. I got a 25k/year offer from McGeorge and have around the same LSat as you, while my GPA is higher. I'm sure you can use the scholarships to try to ask for more from McGeorge. I went to the Legal Scholars Day there recently and it really is an amazing campus with what seem like very accessible professors and great resources...this would also be very close to your daughter and allow you to live somewhere much cheaper than SF. However, Santa Clara is probably more respected in the city name-wise which would give you a possibly greater chance of getting hired but i am unsure if it would make that much of a different impact.
I have interned in the courts in SF before and know that USF has a great reputation in the city. WHile it is lower ranked than hastings i found it was respected among everyone in the court and you would definitely be able to say you went there and be proud. Also, the benefit of it being a jesuit school would probably help if you find yourself in a situation involving others who went to Jesuit schools. However, SF is very expensive so you'll have to ask yourself if it's worth the extra money each month to work here. And Santa Clara may have just as good of a reputation here, but i mainly saw students from USF and Hastings come into the courtrooms. Hopefully that helps your decision a bit.