Top Law Schools

Edited.

Wake Forest. The money difference just isn't enough to justify attending Tennessee. Congratulations. End of Thread

PirateCap'n wrote:I want to work in NC.

Wake Forest. No question.

If you ever want to leave NC, Wake will offer a little more as well.

kalvano wrote:

PirateCap'n wrote:I want to work in NC.

Wake Forest. No question.

If you ever want to leave NC, Wake will offer a little more as well.

TITCR

PirateCap'n wrote:I want to work in NC.

Wake.

Edited the original post to reflect a $4,000 per year stipend and a research assistantship. Does that make a difference for anyone?

PirateCap'n wrote:Edited the original post to reflect a $4,000 per year stipend and a research assistantship. Does that make a difference for anyone?

No. Got to Wake.

The difference between $65K debt and $40K is negligible compared with the opportunities that Wake will offer in North Carolina.

kalvano wrote:

PirateCap'n wrote:Edited the original post to reflect a $4,000 per year stipend and a research assistantship. Does that make a difference for anyone?

No. Got to Wake.

The difference between $65K debt and $40K is negligible compared with the opportunities that Wake will offer in North Carolina.

Yeah. That's where I'm leaning, but with the stipend UT would only be $28,000 or so total. That makes it really tempting ($40,000 cheaper is a big difference for me).

PirateCap'n wrote:

kalvano wrote:

PirateCap'n wrote:Edited the original post to reflect a $4,000 per year stipend and a research assistantship. Does that make a difference for anyone?

No. Got to Wake.

The difference between $65K debt and $40K is negligible compared with the opportunities that Wake will offer in North Carolina.

Yeah. That's where I'm leaning, but with the stipend UT would only be $28,000 or so total. That makes it really tempting ($40,000 cheaper is a big difference for me).

But it's not really that big a difference compared to how much better Wake will do for you in North Carolina. I think (and someone correct me if I am wrong) that a Wake degree will open more doors and put you in a position to make more money faster in North Carolina. It may sounds great to graduate with $40K less debt, but if all the good jobs that you want are going to UNC / Wake grads and you have to settle for a crappy one, is it really that much better?

Or, in different terms, if 5 years after law school, the difference in salary you could be making is $40K per year or more, would Tennessee really have been that great a choice? If you start higher at Wake and go up from there, then over the long run, Wake is a better choice.

kalvano wrote: But it's not really that big a difference compared to how much better Wake will do for you in North Carolina. I think (and someone correct me if I am wrong) that a Wake degree will open more doors and put you in a position to make more money faster in North Carolina. It may sounds great to graduate with $40K less debt, but if all the good jobs that you want are going to UNC / Wake grads and you have to settle for a crappy one, is it really that much better?

Or, in different terms, if 5 years after law school, the difference in salary you could be making is $40K per year or more, would Tennessee really have been that great a choice? If you start higher at Wake and go up from there, then over the long run, Wake is a better choice.

Does the top 2/3 requirement at WFU not make much difference in your assessment? It seems pretty clear that WFU is the better choice overall, but there's also the chance that it will end up costing $95,000 if the scholarship drops to 1/2 after the first year (if I drop below top 2/3). That would make UT $60,000-70,000 cheaper. Based on what you (Kalvano) say, WFU would still be worth it, right?

PirateCap'n wrote:

kalvano wrote: But it's not really that big a difference compared to how much better Wake will do for you in North Carolina. I think (and someone correct me if I am wrong) that a Wake degree will open more doors and put you in a position to make more money faster in North Carolina. It may sounds great to graduate with $40K less debt, but if all the good jobs that you want are going to UNC / Wake grads and you have to settle for a crappy one, is it really that much better?

Or, in different terms, if 5 years after law school, the difference in salary you could be making is $40K per year or more, would Tennessee really have been that great a choice? If you start higher at Wake and go up from there, then over the long run, Wake is a better choice.

Does the top 2/3 requirement at WFU not make much difference in your assessment? It seems pretty clear that WFU is the better choice overall, but there's also the chance that it will end up costing $95,000 if the scholarship drops to 1/2 after the first year (if I drop below top 2/3). That would make UT $60,000-70,000 cheaper. Based on what you (Kalvano) say, WFU would still be worth it, right?

No, the top 2/3's requirement doesn't enter in to it for me. If I can't stay in the top 2/3's of the class, I've no business being in law school anyway