NYU, Duke, USC??? Forum

[lawblahblah]

Any insight would be appreciated. NYU's deadline is killing me.

I am married and have an 18 month old daughter. Long run I want to end up in California. I would not mind New York for a few years. The south would be fine for law school but I lived there for two years and would not want to be there any longer than that. No interest in PI work.

My wife is nervous about living in New York, so if there is anyone living in New York with a young family and no money, I would love to hear your thoughts.

I have not been able to get a good read on placement differences on the West Coast between NYU and Duke.

[najumobi]

Any insight would be appreciated. NYU's deadline is killing me.

I am married and have an 18 month old daughter. Long run I want to end up in California. I would not mind New York for a few years. The south would be fine for law school but I lived there for two years and would not want to be there any longer than that. No interest in PI work.

My wife is nervous about living in New York, so if there is anyone living in New York with a young family and no money, I would love to hear your thoughts.

i'd say duke....they're giving you a decent scholly. cost of living would be lower than la or nyc. and duke grads have a decent chance of ending up in CA. + the triangle (especially Cary) is a good place to raise a child.

[fortissimo]

Young family and no money? Go to Duke. You should factor in COL to see the real difference. COL Is at least half that of both LA and NYC.

[Z3RO]

Young family and no money? Go to Duke. You should factor in COL to see the real difference. COL Is at least half that of both LA and NYC.

Is the cost of living 30k a year cheaper?

OP wants Cali, and USC will get him that with minimal debt. NYU shouldn't even be an option here.

[najumobi]

Young family and no money? Go to Duke. You should factor in COL to see the real difference. COL Is at least half that of both LA and NYC.

Is the cost of living 30k a year cheaper?

OP wants Cali, and USC will get him that with minimal debt. NYU shouldn't even be an option here.

why does it have to be 30k/year cheaper....the difference in scholly money is less than 10k/yr. but i see you're point. cali is where op wants to be. and he's getting the most money to be there.

[fortissimo]

Young family and no money? Go to Duke. You should factor in COL to see the real difference. COL Is at least half that of both LA and NYC.

Is the cost of living 30k a year cheaper?

OP wants Cali, and USC will get him that with minimal debt. NYU shouldn't even be an option here.

why does it have to be 30k/year cheaper....the difference in scholly money is less than 10k/yr. but i see you're point. cali is where op wants to be. and he's getting the most money to be there.

he's comparing USC's scholarship with Duke's...~30k LOL, which is stupid b/c you are right, the total money is all 3 years. COL difference is probably >10k/year though.

but from what I've heard, all the "LA" schools are suffering big time ite. I wouldn't go to USC or UCLA ite. And frankly, I'd rather sacrifice location for a decent first paying job elsewhere and lateral in later.

[lawblahblah]

Young family and no money? Go to Duke. You should factor in COL to see the real difference. COL Is at least half that of both LA and NYC.

Is the cost of living 30k a year cheaper?

OP wants Cali, and USC will get him that with minimal debt. NYU shouldn't even be an option here.

why does it have to be 30k/year cheaper....the difference in scholly money is less than 10k/yr. but i see you're point. cali is where op wants to be. and he's getting the most money to be there.

he's comparing USC's scholarship with Duke's...~30k LOL, which is stupid b/c you are right, the total money is all 3 years

but from what I've heard, all the "LA" schools are suffering big time ite. I wouldn't go to USC or UCLA ite. And frankly, I'd rather sacrifice location for a decent first paying job elsewhere and lateral in later.

+1 on the location point. My comments were preference only, not requirement.

[aer]

I can only speak to the quality of life in Durham, but it is a good place to live if you have kids. A two bedroom apartment at a nice apartment complex with a pool here costs between $900 and $1200 a month. Many complexes give discounts to Duke Law students, so the prices listed on their websites tend to overstate monthly rent. I don't have kids so I can't really say anything about how the preschools and elementary schools in the area are, but there are a lot of parks near Duke and the Duke gardens are an amazing place to go and hang out on weekends with your family. Also, Durham is one of the least southern areas of the South. Having Duke, UNC and the Research Triangle Park all in pretty close proximity makes it so there are a lot of people that live here that are from other parts of the country. The northeast is probably the most highly represented part of the country in the law school.

[Z3RO]

Sorry about that. I thought that the scholly was per-year. That changes things a lot.

[lawblahblah]

Sorry about that. I thought that the scholly was per-year. That changes things a lot.

$75K per year at USC! I like your interpretation a lot better. I wouldn't even have to think twice.

[singingvontrapp]

I would choose NYU in a heartbeat. You will get a better job more easily in CA with an NYU degree. Living in NYC for three years will be irritating for a SoCal family but it's not impossible. You may have to end up living in Queens or something, but I think that sort of inconvenience is more than outweighed by the greater chance at a better future offered by NYU JD.

Of course I have never been in your shoes.

[fortissimo]

I would choose NYU in a heartbeat. You will get a better job more easily in CA with an NYU degree. Living in NYC for three years will be irritating for a SoCal family but it's not impossible. You may have to end up living in Queens or something, but I think that sort of inconvenience is more than outweighed by the greater chance at a better future offered by NYU JD.

Of course I have never been in your shoes.

I'm not sure NYU offers much of an advantage over Duke outside of NYC.

[4815162342]

OP, I have an infant daughter and a wife, and I'm leaning heavily toward Duke. I visited last week, and I'm certain that family living would be easy and affordable. From what I gathered Duke has a strong alumni base in CA. It's the most represented state in the current 1L class. Duke won't do you wrong. Do make sure to ask if apartments have Duke student discounts. Many do.