Seattle Vs. Albany Forum

[ddav87]

So still waiting on UNLV but will have to put a deposit down soon and can't decide between Seattle (1.5 hours from me) or Albany (close to extended family). Seattle offered me a scholarship that brings me to 31k a year in tuition alone. While Albany would be about 14k a year in tuition. Does the higher ranking at Seattle Justify that much more money or at this point since they both are regionals anyways and i like both areas should i just take the less debt? Also Albany is top 50% to renew and Seattle is top 25%.

[acash09]

I would say that your choice should rely upon where you see yourself living post-law school. I know that Albany grads place well in the Albany area (obviously) but also across upstate NY. I am from Rochester NY and the firm I work for now employs Albany grads.

Anyway, if you like both areas and could see yourself living in either, I'd say calculate tuition and COL and pick the cheaper of the two.

[ddav87]

oh yeah i forgot to mention that Albany's cost of living is lower. Also is it rough for sox fans? I grew up in Worcester and i figure Albany is close enough for a neutral setting baseball wise right? lol

[acash09]

I can only guess about that, haha. I don't live close enough to Albany to really know. But here in Rochester we have quite a mix of Yankees/Mets/Sox fans. You should be safe. Lol.

[ddav87]

Whew my boss is a Mets fan and Grandpa a Yankees fan so I'm ok with the Mix weird being out here with the terrible mariners though. At least they're nice.

[articulably suspect]

It really boils down to what area you wish to live in during your 3 years as a law student and the subsequent indefinite amount of time you will spend stuck in that location post law school. That said, I can't imagine choosing Albany over Seattle, ever.

[ddav87]

Being in and out of Seattle for 8 years now I've got to say I'm not the biggest fan. I really like the music scene but really don't fit in well with the people from Seattle and prefer smaller towns like Olympia. For me i think debt is a big factor and if these schools are all equal location wise Albany offers much less debt.

[articulably suspect]

Then why are you even considering Seattle? I figured you were at least interested Seattle, given the fact that you narrowed the poll down it and Albany. Why not go to one of the other T2's in areas that aren't so "Seattleish"? Why not go for Gonzaga?

[articulably suspect]

Have you done the math, with the scholarships and COL, how much more expensive is Seattle than Albany.

[ddav87]

I withdrew from Gonzaga because of pretty bad placement and not a huge fan of Spokane lol. I wish there was a program more in southern to central western Washington Vancouver WA is certainly big enough. Last thing we need is more law schools though. I'm still considering Seattle because it's close to my immediate family Dad, Mom brother and sister and I'm pretty close with them.

[ddav87]

Yeah after COL Albany will run me about 92k in debt total. Seattle will be 147k without work study or 135 with. This is assuming i don't gain any employment the 2nd and 3rd year to help drive this lower.

[articulably suspect]

Doesn't look like you've left yourself many options, after viewing your profile. Are those all the schools you applied to? Did you opt not to apply to the Oregon schools, for the same reasons you wish to leave Seattle? Why didn't you apply to more schools schools in regions you think you would enjoy living?

[84Sunbird2000]

I can only guess that people are voting for Seattle because they didn't read the OP's post and realize he listed the tuition he'll pay, as opposed to scholarship money he's receiving.

[ddav87]

I considered U or Oregon but for various reasons decided not to apply i thought 2 Washington schools and one Oregon would be enough but that was before i learned Willamette was really, really terrible. In hindsight i would have applied to all the same schools but added U of Oregon. However with that said i would really enjoy UNLV as i like the weather and have a few friends who moved down there as well. But UNLV is taking forever to give me a decision and i have to commit somewhere before April 15th. I mostly went east coast and west coast due to locations of various family members and possible scholarship money as I'm really not looking forward to this kind of debt. My boss is Seattle grad and is really trying to convince me to attend i may go up there this Monday for one last visit before i choose. With that said I've only been to Albany a few times but rather enjoy the east coast and it seems like a nice middle size city. Ugh this is tough i was really banking on a decision from UNLV by now lol.

[ddav87]

84Sunbird2000 thanks i just added tuition at the end so they know it's the price not the scholarship lol. If i had 31k from Seattle I'd have committed already.

[articulably suspect]

Have you contacted UNLV to let them know you are still interested and must make a decision soon?

[ddav87]

Yes i have they still have 350 applicants under review and i applied in October and have decent numbers for UNLV although I'm out of state which hurts me. I'm going to call again Monday because it's been a little while since my last call. I've heard they've given out acceptances to non-waitlisters as late as may.

[articulably suspect]

Good luck with that. You could always retake and reapply if you're not pleased with your options this cycle.

[ddav87]

Nah I'm ok with my options and ready to get life started and don't want to go through the application process again. I'm more torn between these two than upset about them being my only options.

[nyknicks]

As far as being a Sox fans..Albany is totally fine. Its mostly Yankee (and mets) fans, but its not the Bronx. You definitely wont be the only Sox fan around, and won't be discriminated against.

[ddav87]

All those voting for Seattle is it due to the rankings difference? because the cost is so much higher and the placement in their respective areas seems pretty similar. Help me out if you vote and have a chance drop a reason as to why you voted the way you did.

[ddav87]

Bump

Also anyone care to give some concrete reasoning one way or the other? Please post or PM me it's crunch time these things have to be postmarked by Thursday. My boss a Seattle U grad insists that Albany would be a mistake, and although it'll be weird to move far from home having trouble justifying the extra debt when a lower t2 and a decent t3 seem pretty comparable.

[woodstocker]

You are from the west coast, right? If you go to Albany, sure your debt load will be a bit lighter, but you will be confined to upstate New York upon graduation. I have lived in this area for most of my life and have really enjoyed it, but just bear this in mind when making your decision.

[istorm88]

I voted for Seattle in hopes that I'll come off the waitlist at Albany and take your place

Edit: Rather than repost, I wanted to agree with the above poster. I want to go to Albany because I want to stay in Upstate NY...not sure what the benefits or lack thereof are for elsewhere.

[ddav87]

I've thought about the switch and it's not too bad due to the fact that i used to live in mass and most of my extended family is only about an hour away from Albany. With that said i will miss my family out here in WA big time.