Final Decision, would appreciate input Forum

[jbing21]

I believe that my cycle will yield no more surprises. My LSN account can be found at http://lawschoolnumbers.com/jbing/jd

I would like to live on east coast from DC to Miami, or in the southeast extending to Texas (excluding Alabama and Mississippi). I would also like to practice in a big law firm, but not necessarily under the label 'Biglaw'. I am married and will be able to have our living expenses paid for during law school, hopefully. Here are the schools I'm considering with their 3 yr debt totals, assuming the tuition remains constant, which it will not.

W&M $57,000 (in-state 2nd and 3rd years with scholarship)
UGA $43,500 (with 1st yr in-state equalizer)
SMU $49,500 (with dean's scholarhip)
GM $77,500 (no scholarship)
GW $132,000 (no scholarship, assuming the unlikely that I even get off their waitlist)

I do not currently carry any type of debt, but I am worried about its implications on my career prospects, i.e. having to work in a big firm for more money even if I don't want to in order to pay off debt.

Thanks a bunch!

[LSATfromNC]

UGA. Minimal debt, well respected, affordable and has Atlanta.

[cardnal124]

William and Mary or UGA, depending on where you want to practice more. Not much difference in debt or rank, and both place well regionally.

[pjo]

OP, just wondering how you calculated GMU to be 77,500 at sticker OOS. B/C I thought it was more like 105,000 OOS sticker.

[TarHeel2010]

UGA or W&M. So really question is to you....,live in VA or GA?

[jbing21]

Sorry, assuming I get instate at GM the 2nd and 3rd years. For different reasons it will be much less difficult for me than others.

[pjo]

ic ic. just wondering what your circumstances are that makes you think you'll get instate 2L and 3L at gmu? i only ask b/c i'm interested in GMU but i'm OOS.


-OP i looked at your LSN, why did you exclude WF from your decision?

-and for all the other ppl responding..., is W&M that much better than GMU for VA?

[jbing21]

My wife has a job lined up there for the summer if she wants it, my permanent address for GM and W&M is instate, and some of my personal information says I live there. I was told by the school that these aspects will greatly increase chances. Thanks

[cardnal124]

ic ic. just wondering what your circumstances are that makes you think you'll get instate 2L and 3L at gmu? i only ask b/c i'm interested in GMU but i'm OOS.



and for all the other ppl responding..., is W&M that much better than GMU for VA?

I would say they are similar, but the OP would have 20k less debt from W&M

[ram jam]

It is nearly impossible to get instate tuition at GMU unless you are VA resident, or you buy property in Va.

Leave the figure at 105K for GMU.

Athens is cheap and UGA is a great school. But you will be stuck in Georgia.

Tough decision. I say, William & Mary. Good luck!

[baboon309]

I believe that my cycle will yield no more surprises. My LSN account can be found at http://lawschoolnumbers.com/jbing/jd

I would like to live on east coast from DC to Miami, or in the southeast extending to Texas (excluding Alabama and Mississippi). I would also like to practice in a big law firm, but not necessarily under the label 'Biglaw'. I am married and will be able to have our living expenses paid for during law school, hopefully. Here are the schools I'm considering with their 3 yr debt totals, assuming the tuition remains constant, which it will not.

W&M $57,000 (in-state 2nd and 3rd years with scholarship)
UGA $43,500 (with 1st yr in-state equalizer)
SMU $49,500 (with dean's scholarhip)
GM $77,500 (no scholarship)
GW $132,000 (no scholarship, assuming the unlikely that I even get off their waitlist)

I do not currently carry any type of debt, but I am worried about its implications on my career prospects, i.e. having to work in a big firm for more money even if I don't want to in order to pay off debt.

Thanks a bunch!

You have to add at least 20-30k for accrued interest on those figures.
I've built a spreadsheet to help people calculate the total debt when you graduate.
PM me if you want it

[jbing21]

ic ic. just wondering what your circumstances are that makes you think you'll get instate 2L and 3L at gmu? i only ask b/c i'm interested in GMU but i'm OOS.


-OP i looked at your LSN, why did you exclude WF from your decision?

-and for all the other ppl responding..., is W&M that much better than GMU for VA?

I have heard that WF doesn't have a good placement in top firms, and the tuition with my scholarship there would be nearly the same as W&M. The NLJ 250 % placement for W&M is 22, whereas WF is a little less than 10.

[Nicholasnickynic]

Are you kidding? Wake NLJ 250 is 20%....

[Nicholasnickynic]

Proof:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... hbxlogin=1 /

I thought Wake didn't do well either... but they do. P.s. where the hell did you get 10%? In case your wondering, Wake >georgia NLJ 250.

[jbing21]

Proof:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... hbxlogin=1 /

I thought Wake didn't do well either... but they do. P.s. where the hell did you get 10%? In case your wondering, Wake >georgia NLJ 250.

I NLJ data I have, which I assume is from 2008, gives wake forest a 10%.

[champ33]

this could be considered anecdotal but in exchanging e-mails with the dean at Chicago-Kent, which appears at the bottom of that list, he said he expects that number to be cut in half for the class of 2010.