Help! GULC vs. Berkeley vs. Northwestern $$ Forum

[jadjerd]

What do you think? Thinking PI but really want to keep my options open, IP is attractive too and who knows what I'll discover in school. Might consider academia but not sure I have what it takes.

Georgetown (no word on $)
Berkeley (same)
Northwestern (2/3 tuition)

Georgetown wowed me at ASW, and I'm suspicious of NU not supporting PI opportunities enough, and whether that degree will get me a job that interests me. I've also got 1/3 $ at Michigan and WL at Columbia, but I'm not really thinking about those.. plus a couple T20 schools not thinking about..

Still crossing my fingers for NYU, if that comes through does that trump? Don't know where I want to end up, DC seemed like a possibility b/c of the number of opportunities in PI.

tx

[umichgrad]

What do you think? Thinking PI but really want to keep my options open, IP is attractive too and who knows what I'll discover in school. Might consider academia but not sure I have what it takes.

Georgetown (no word on $)
Berkeley (same)
Northwestern (2/3 tuition)

Georgetown wowed me at ASW, and I'm suspicious of NU not supporting PI opportunities enough, and whether that degree will get me a job that interests me. I've also got 1/3 $ at Michigan and WL at Columbia, but I'm not really thinking about those.. plus a couple T20 schools not thinking about..

Still crossing my fingers for NYU, if that comes through does that trump? Don't know where I want to end up, DC seemed like a possibility b/c of the number of opportunities in PI.

tx

Michigan deserves a strong consider from you. Not just because I'm biased and it's my alma mater, but also because it's arguably the best of your options.

[Styrofoam]

I'd go to Berkeley if it were me. But you need to visit them if possible. It's really all about feel. Any of those law schools will give you a great education, and will give you loads of opportunities. You have to see which you like best.

[FlightoftheEarls]

I would consider Michigan myself because I'm biased, but of these options I'd take Northwestern with that fantastic scholarship. Even over NYU, yes.

[jadjerd]

That's a good point on Michigan, but I feel like I'm urban-bound in my old age (pretty settled in Boston for 6 years now). Of course Berkeley might turn out to have a similar feel and I'm only imagining it to be like Cambridge.

When I started choosing schools to where I might apply I was definitely thinking about exploring new places to settle, but things have been shifting recently in my mind.

[smov_operator]

Michigan with a 1/3 scholarship should definitely be in consideration.

[singingvontrapp]

Berkeley

[nealric]

Northwestern assuming no other money comes through. GULC should be out.

[jadjerd]

Even interested in PI or academia? Doesn't NU take a huge hit for government or non-prof jobs (that are interesting)?

[stratocophic]

Negotiate with Berk based on your Michigan and Northwestern awards. They're probably your best bet for an IP/PI interest combo.

[ihurtmyselftoday]

Berkeley

/thread

[articulably suspect]

Get Berkeley to match Michigan?

[jadjerd]

We'll see if that comes through.. I am definitely on the list of disgruntled NU Scholarship recipients annoyed that Berkeley has singled NU out as the only school not to match. But not as angry as I am at NYU just for not responding yet!

[rayiner]

Are you out-of-state at Berkeley? In your shoes I'd go to Northwestern in a heartbeat. Michigan is somewhat more prestigious, but not $15/year more prestigious.

[09042014]

2/3 scholarship to a t13? That is hard to pass up.

You should investigate what PI opportunities exist at NU. I wouldn't make the decision without doing any research, or going by internet rumor.

[jadjerd]

I am out-of-state... will definitely be interested to hear what they have to say as far as in-state tuition after a year.. it looks like even the instate rate is skyrocketing up to compete with private schools... '

Is a Northwestern degree going to connect me/help me at all in DC someday (just as a possibility) in Public Interest or Government? That's my concern, plus the nature of the curriculum and coursework. I've been out of school for a while and b4 that in music, so I'm sort of wanting something academic and intellectual, rather than practical and collaborative. Ironically its my experience at practical & collaborative that got me the $$$

[motiontodismiss]

I think it's between NU and Michigan.

[fortissimo]

I think it's between NU and Michigan.

+1 I'd go to the school that offers the most money, and in this case it's (probably going to be) Northwestern.

Berkeley isn't worth 230k of tuition, or whatever it's going to be for out-of-staters, especially if you want to work outside of California. All of your other schools would give you a better shot at DC than Berkeley.

(P.S. You guessed right. Berkeley does indeed have a very college town feel.)

[wackadoodle]

I think people are too quick to rule out GULC. I'm seriously considering it over 2 much higher ranked schools right now largely b/c the location is unbeatable for PI or government work. I attended the admitted student days last week and it was wonderful. They really sold me on some of the advantages of their large size (alum network, ridiculous # of electives, clubs, etc.) and location. I have to say despite the size I did get a feeling like they very much wanted us to feel at home and comfortable and be sure that we were picking the right school for us. The benefits of being in DC too seemed pretty amazing- they are hands down the best school in town meaning internships during the year would be pretty available. Plus they had by far the most generous LRAP program I have heard of which makes the $ offers somewhat irrelevant. I know it gets bashed quite a bit but I loved it and just wanted to share.

[fortissimo]

I think people are too quick to rule out GULC. I'm seriously considering it over 2 much higher ranked schools right now largely b/c the location is unbeatable for PI or government work. I attended the admitted student days last week and it was wonderful. They really sold me on some of the advantages of their large size (alum network, ridiculous # of electives, clubs, etc.) and location. I have to say despite the size I did get a feeling like they very much wanted us to feel at home and comfortable and be sure that we were picking the right school for us. The benefits of being in DC too seemed pretty amazing- they are hands down the best school in town meaning internships during the year would be pretty available. Plus they had by far the most generous LRAP program I have heard of which makes the $ offers somewhat irrelevant. I know it gets bashed quite a bit but I loved it and just wanted to share.

It has a better LRAP (cap-wise) than most schools, but its LRAP is also very restricted to certain types of jobs while other LRAPs aren't. The LRAP is also useless if you don't even have a job (or a qualifying job for that matter), which is my concern about recommending Georgetown over schools with better job prospects. I think it'd be stupid to choose Georgetown at sticker over a higher ranked school with $$.

[undeclared]

You have some great options..personally I think with an interest in PI and IP, Berkeley would a great option for both. You would qualify for in-state after 1 year. Yes its a college town, but a good one, and only about 20 min BART ride from SF. The weather def beats your other options too.
Hard to turn down the $$ but Northwestern seems very corporate focused
GULC has good PI options too but its a such a large school, I get the sense its pretty impersonal. Two very different cultures I think

[Dignan]

I think it's between NU and Michigan.

Really? The OP has an interest in PI and IP. Berkeley should at least be part of the discussion.

[rayiner]

I think it's between NU and Michigan.

Really? The OP has an interest in PI and IP. Berkeley should at least be part of the discussion.

Strengths in specialties don't make up for $90k at comparable schools.

[09042014]

I think it's between NU and Michigan.

Really? The OP has an interest in PI and IP. Berkeley should at least be part of the discussion.

If the OP was 100% sure they'd do PI I'd say Boalt would be an option. But OP said, PI, IP, or something unknown. OP clearly doesn't know what they want to do yet.

100K is a lot of money to turn down.

If OP does:

PI- Boalt wins since IBR makes debt irrelevant.

IP- NU wins even though Boalt has a better IP program because the debt is significant.

Regular Biglaw- NU. Better placement, and less debt

Ends up at the bottom of the class and can't get big law or decent PI work- NU, because 100K in debt more manageable than 200K.

[Dignan]

If the OP was 100% sure they'd do PI I'd say Boalt would be an option. But OP said, PI, IP, or something unknown. OP clearly doesn't know what they want to do yet.

100K is a lot of money to turn down.

If OP does:

1. PI- Boalt wins since IBR makes debt irrelevant.

2. IP- NU wins even though Boalt has a better IP program because the debt is significant.

3. Regular Biglaw- NU. Better placement, and less debt

4. Ends up at the bottom of the class and can't get big law or decent PI work- NU, because 100K in debt more manageable than 200K.

I agree regarding 1, 3, and 4. I'm not sure about 2, though. It's not just that Boalt has a better IP program; it's that Boalt is located in probably the best market in the country for interesting IP jobs. If the OP's goal is to land a job in NYC or Boston or something, then I agree that the differences between NU and Boalt aren't enough to justify an extra $90K in debt. But if the OP is interested in an IP job in California (where many of the IP jobs are), then I think it's worth the extra $90K for Boalt.

NU isn't Harvard or Columbia, whose graduates can compete with Stanford and Boalt grads for the best jobs in California firms. Check out the attorney bios of the top California IP firms. NU grads are hard to find.

By the way, I don't think that Berkeley is the obvious answer for the OP. I just think that, considering the OP's interests, it's silly to exclude Berkeley from his list of choices.