Immediate help - Pepperdine (full) vs. Irvine (50% off)!! Forum

[math.j]

So I have to make a decision by.... TOMORROW for each of these schools. I know there's no deposit for Irvine, so it not too binding, however I still need to make a decision.

I live in Los Angeles. My partner is in grad school at UCLA.
For either school I'll be commuting. Pepperdine by car (40 mins), and Irvine by Metrolink train (75 mins).

Is it worth the extra debt to go to UCI? My gut says yes, but logic leans the other way.
Hopefully one of the schools I have yet to hear from makes me an offer soon.

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[CanadianWolf]

Depends upon whether or not you want a Christian conservative law school environment.

[math.j]

Pepperdine requires I stay in the top 1/3 of the class each year. I was nervous about that and the tentative nature, but they assured me the money would be there, and that based on my application I was in the top tier of their apps and shouldn't have too much of a problem staying there.

Irvine is guaranteed all three years. They had some very generous private donations that made it possible.

[Z3RO]

So I have to make a decision by.... TOMORROW for each of these schools. I know there's no deposit for Irvine, so it not too binding, however I still need to make a decision.

I live in Los Angeles. My partner is in grad school at UCLA.
For either school I'll be commuting. Pepperdine by car (40 mins), and Irvine by Metrolink train (75 mins).

Is it worth the extra debt to go to UCI? My gut says yes, but logic leans the other way.
Hopefully one of the schools I have yet to hear from makes me an offer soon.

Pepperdine has requirements on their scholly - and they give them out to more students than can keep them. Does UCI have requirments? It not, definitely take UCI, if they do, you should still probably take UCI.

If bolded is true, then you should not listen to what they told you about your chances of being top 1/3.

[Teoeo]

NOT EVEN CLOSE - go to irvine, its going to be AMAZING

[sundevil77]

I voted Pepperdine, not just for the price, but for the commute. 75 min. twice a day is going to get pretty old, even if it is on train.

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[pany1985]

That's 75 minutes to do your reading without the distractions of home.

Plus, the biggest factor, there's a 66% chance you're gonna lose that Pepperdine scholarship. I know you're sure you'll be in the top third and everything, but the fact that UCI will still be giving you money even if your grades aren't as great as you hope should weigh heavily in your decision.


(Also, UCI is a better school. So there's that.)

[Thomas Jefferson]

I voted Pepperdine, not just for the price, but for the commute. 75 min. twice a day is going to get pretty old, even if it is on train.

Yeah but at least he can read on the train, so it doesn't take much time out of the day. Driving, on the other hand, will be 80 stressful minutes (assuming stereotypical horrendous CA traffic) with nothing to show for it.

[Z3RO]

So I have to make a decision by.... TOMORROW for each of these schools. I know there's no deposit for Irvine, so it not too binding, however I still need to make a decision.

I live in Los Angeles. My partner is in grad school at UCLA.
For either school I'll be commuting. Pepperdine by car (40 mins), and Irvine by Metrolink train (75 mins).

Is it worth the extra debt to go to UCI? My gut says yes, but logic leans the other way.
Hopefully one of the schools I have yet to hear from makes me an offer soon.

Pepperdine has requirements on their scholly - and they give them out to more students than can keep them. Does UCI have requirments? It not, definitely take UCI, if they do, you should still probably take UCI.

If bolded is true, then you should not listen to what they told you about your chances of being top 1/3.

This is correct. I was accepted to Pepperdine with full tuition, contingent on being in the top 1/3. The letter states that they give out such scholarships to more than the top 1/3, and not everyone can keep them. Also, no one can predict success in LS. Would you rather graduate at the median at Pepperdine or the median at Irvine, having paid the same amount for both (losing scholarship after first year at Pepperdine)?

Whoa, fuck Pepperdine.

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[sundevil77]

OP, I don't care deeply about either school, but keep in mind a couple of things when making this decision:

(1) TLSers hate Pepperdine
(2) See above

TLSers tend to hate on Pepperdine quite a bit so I don't think you should take this poll as a representative sample. If you haven't already done this, visit both schools. My opinion of the 1/3 scholarship requirement is that it will motivate you to do your best, although you can't discount the fact that you could lose the scholarship. If you don't mind the difference in commuting time, pick the school that fits you best.

[JollyGreenGiant]

I'd vote UCI but I have a problem with recommending a school that isn't accredited and has no history.

I'm sure it's great, but it's a bit of a gamble.

[Teoeo]

I'd vote UCI but I have a problem with recommending a school that isn't accredited and has no history.

I'm sure it's great, but it's a bit of a gamble.

I really don't think its a huge gamble, amazing faculy, small class size and a huge commitment from a ton of firms and government agencies to hire grads.

[keg411]

I'd vote UCI but I have a problem with recommending a school that isn't accredited and has no history.

I'm sure it's great, but it's a bit of a gamble.

I agree that UCI is a gamble... but we're talking Pepperdine, not UCLA/USC. Plus, I have a theory about the first 2-3 classes with UCI (after that it gets hairy).

[OneKnight]

If you are liberal, Irvine is a no-brainer. (Pepperdine is hella Christian and conservative - not exactly Liberty or Regent, but on that side of the balance)
If you are conservative, well, I still have to say Irvine because the scholly is guaranteed. Sticker at Pepperdine for two years would be absolutely AWFUL in comparison to Irvine.

[arhmcpo]

I was offered the same deal and accepted; looks I will be able keeping it to after 1L; for me this means I am on track to graduate w/o debt. It is both true that it is risking having a scholly stipulation, but in my case, I have seen generally that the top people in my classes have the big scholarships and the people near the bottom (not so much) that's just anecdotal evidence FWIW.

I think it would be exciting being being part of what's going on at UCI, but I don't regret me decision to attend pepperdine. Oh and btw the people who generally claim that "lolz super Conservative environment there, you won't get jobs" have not actually visited the school. But I guess each school gets a couple standard criticisms no matter what: Pepperdine: conservative, malibu overrated, or malibu too expensive. UCI: No alumni base, gamble etc. blah

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[OneKnight]

I was offered the same deal and accepted; looks I will be able keeping it to after 1L; for me this means I am on track to graduate w/o debt. It is both true that it is risking having a scholly stipulation, but in my case, I have seen generally that the top people in my classes have the big scholarships and the people near the bottom (not so much) that's just anecdotal evidence FWIW.

I think it would be exciting being being part of what's going on at UCI, but I don't regret me decision to attend pepperdine. Oh and btw the people who generally claim that "lolz super Conservative environment there, you won't get jobs" have not actually visited the school. But I guess each school gets a couple standard criticisms no matter what: Pepperdine: conservative, malibu overrated, or malibu too expensive. UCI: No alumni base, gamble etc. blah

I don't think those of us who identify Pepperdine as conservative are saying that it will have an adverse effect on the job prospects of graduates. In my case, at least, I was saying that the OP's experience at the school would be different depending on the school. Whether or not you would enjoy the environment of a law school is a significant factor to me, perhaps less so to others.

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[DarkwingDick]

I'd vote UCI but I have a problem with recommending a school that isn't accredited and has no history.

I'm sure it's great, but it's a bit of a gamble.

I agree that UCI is a gamble... but we're talking Pepperdine, not UCLA/USC. Plus, I have a theory about the first 2-3 classes with UCI (after that it gets hairy).

keg411, what is your theory about the first 2-3 classes?

[CanadianWolf]

The dean of Pepperdine's law school openly acknowledges the conservative environment of the law school. Read the profile for Pepperdine on this website & in any available guidebook.
P.S. I just reread the Pepperdine profile on this website (TOP-LAW-SCHOOLS.com) & it clearly & repeatedly states that the law school environment is quite conservative & that this will directly affect one's experience there.
I know a few Pepperdine law grads & all are very involved with conservative Christian groups. I am not for or against such involvement, but it is a very important factor when deciding whether or not to attend Pepperdine Law School in my opinion & in the written opinion of Pepperdine Law administrators.
P.S. I voted for Pepperdine in your poll because I assumed that you are a conservative Christian or, at least, are interested in studying law in such an environment.

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[math.j]

Thanks all!

so...

No, I am very much not christian. and i'm not too tied to any side of the political spectrum, but i'm definitely far more more liberal in ideals.

I went to UC Santa Barbara for undergrad. I'm really not excited to go to another rich, white, beach school, but I also am not a fan of Orange County at all.

So I guess the scholarship issue could be bigger than I thought. Pepperdine seemed quite convincing that the money would be there. Realistically, two years, or even one year of full tuition would be insane. I'm super broke. Already owe tens of thousands.

So now, the family and friends (who know little about law schools) say Pepperdine. and this forum indicates Irvine! Yikes.