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I think I just want affirmation that I'm doing the right thing, but pleaseeee give your honest opinions!

I picked GW Law at sticker with 15k need-based aid. I withdrew from Brooklyn and just got a letter from them asking me to reconsider and upping my scholarship to $45,200, with current tuition at $43,664. They're also offering either 3 years guaranteed housing or a 5k living stipend each year.

I don't know what kind of law I want, but I do have an interest in immigration and both schools have that. I'd like to keep my doors open in both direction (as in, being able to afford a PI position AND being able to get a 250 law firm position depending on where I find myself in 3 years).

I have undergrad debt and hate it.
Help.

Are there stipulations on the Brooklyn scholly? Because if not, that's a way better choice than GW at sticker.

DerrickRose wrote:Are there stipulations on the Brooklyn scholly? Because if not, that's a way better choice than GW at sticker.

Top 1/3. Sorry forgot to mention that.
Oh also, the $43,664 was tuition for last year. They "expect [my] new award will get [me] close to full tuition." which makes me think it'll be like 46k next year...

avoid stipulations at all costs.

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:avoid stipulations at all costs.

Stips make me very nervous. The 15k from GW isn't guaranteed each year either, though... if they run out of grant money or something I'm screwed
But... aside from those issues... what do you think?

sibley wrote:

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:avoid stipulations at all costs.

Stips make me very nervous. But... aside from that...

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:avoid stipulations at all costs.

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:

sibley wrote:

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:avoid stipulations at all costs.

Stips make me very nervous. But... aside from that...

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:avoid stipulations at all costs.

at ALL costs? Really? =/

Ask them if they will loosen up the stipulations. Even if it means less money. But don't broach the subject of less money.

Remember, they're recruiting you.

Does "3 years guaranteed housing" mean they'll pay for your housing in NYC? If so that's insane, holy shit. I'd take that kind of deal. You're looking at potentially graduating from Brooklyn for practically free.

Top 1/3 stipulation is a big no, though. Tell them you'll accept if they remove the top 1/3 stipulation and see what they say.

vanwinkle wrote:Does "3 years guaranteed housing" mean they'll pay for your housing in NYC? If so that's insane, holy shit. I'd take that kind of deal. You're looking at potentially graduating from Brooklyn for practically free.

Top 1/3 stipulation is a big no, though. Tell them you'll accept if they remove the top 1/3 stipulation and see what they say.

TITCR

OneKnight wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:Does "3 years guaranteed housing" mean they'll pay for your housing in NYC? If so that's insane, holy shit. I'd take that kind of deal. You're looking at potentially graduating from Brooklyn for practically free.

Top 1/3 stipulation is a big no, though. Tell them you'll accept if they remove the top 1/3 stipulation and see what they say.

TITCR

No, they won't pay for housing. They'll just give me housing in their apartments, which are a good deal (pretty nice, comparatively cheap).

I think I'll email and ask if they'll loosen or remove the stipulations. My biggest fear with stips is that I go there, I do badly, I lose my scholarship, and I can't transfer anywhere else due to doing badly. At GW doing badly is much less of a risk. I'll probably still be able to find a job, and I'll probably still get 15k off each year.

If they dropped the stipulation down to top 1/2 I'd probs be packing my bags for NYC if I were in your situation. People say no stipulations but you have to be realistic. Even being debt free but in the bottom half of the class at Brooklyn isn't going to be great anyway and if you can't land in the top half you were probably going to REALLY suck at GW and you likely (at least possibly) be reconsidering ls.

Bottom 50% at a t14 is much different than bottom 50% at GW and A LOT different than bottom 50% at Brooklyn. Point is, top 1/2 is not that bad of a stipulation but top 1/3 is rough.

sibley wrote: At GW doing badly is much less of a risk. I'll probably still be able to find a job

The ITE Monster is coming to eat you.

Emailed asking if they'd remove or reduce the stipulation. Mad that you guys aren't just telling me to go to GW no matter what. Throws a... stick in my wheels? what's that expression?

Confident I can do well in law school. Not confident I can do better than anyone else. I took a class (meant to be taught like a 1st year law class) with Pres Seligman... he used to be Dean at WashU and taught at Arizona before that and always felt like I was understanding the material better than the rest of the class. My public speaking was a lot worse than the rest of the class, but since there were only 2 speeches that was ok... I'm fine in seminars... and I'm digressing.

So yeah, confident I can understand the material and produce well-written and well-deduced assignments/arguments/essays/etc. But I have no idea of knowing how well anyone else is going to do. God I wish law school wasn't curved.

The curve is awesome. I'd have it no other way.

DerrickRose wrote:

sibley wrote: At GW doing badly is much less of a risk. I'll probably still be able to find a job

The ITE Monster is coming to eat you.

I did say probably =) and I didn't specify what kind of job... not even law =/. But no, their employment stats are pretty good, and I'm okay with making a really crappy salary just to get my foot in the door. And I have a strategy for getting a position with the government all figured out. But I can't tell you because it's my secret and I don't want everyone doing it. But that'll only up my chances by like... 15% I'd wager. It's like if you take a year after law school and then do americorps vista (has to be vista! or peace corps. no other program does it) you are then considered for positions with all the current government employees... which is good but still not that awesome.

A'nold wrote:The curve is awesome. I'd have it no other way.

is it because you like slinkies.

WashU has the best curve. It averages to an 87. But a 74 is failing. But... well... maybe employers don't need to know that.

sibley wrote:WashU has the best curve. It averages to an 87. But a 74 is failing. But... well... maybe employers don't need to know that.

Pretty sure employers will know that when they read the fine print that is probably located somewhere on the transcript.
Also the percentile cutoffs at WashU are a bitch.
...and employers will know that if you aren't ranked, you're in the bottom 67% of the class.

Leeroy Jenkins wrote:

sibley wrote:WashU has the best curve. It averages to an 87. But a 74 is failing. But... well... maybe employers don't need to know that.

Pretty sure employers will know that when they read the fine print that is probably located somewhere on the transcript.
Also the percentile cutoffs at WashU are a bitch.
...and employers will know that if you aren't ranked, you're in the bottom 67% of the class.

Not going to washu, but if I was I bet the registrar would conveniently lose the breakdown when they send my transcripts out. megan bischoff rocks like that. maybe.

sibley wrote:Emailed asking if they'd remove or reduce the stipulation. Mad that you guys aren't just telling me to go to GW no matter what. Throws a... spoke in the wheel.

Confident I can do well in law school. Not confident I can do better than anyone else. I took a class (meant to be taught like a 1st year law class) with Pres Seligman... he used to be Dean at WashU and taught at Arizona before that and always felt like I was understanding the material better than the rest of the class. My public speaking was a lot worse than the rest of the class, but since there were only 2 speeches that was ok... I'm fine in seminars... and I'm digressing.

So yeah, confident I can understand the material and produce well-written and well-deduced assignments/arguments/essays/etc. But I have no idea of knowing how well anyone else is going to do. God I wish law school wasn't curved.

ftfy... only because you asked.

legalease9 wrote:

sibley wrote:Emailed asking if they'd remove or reduce the stipulation. Mad that you guys aren't just telling me to go to GW no matter what. Throws a... spoke in the wheel.

Confident I can do well in law school. Not confident I can do better than anyone else. I took a class (meant to be taught like a 1st year law class) with Pres Seligman... he used to be Dean at WashU and taught at Arizona before that and always felt like I was understanding the material better than the rest of the class. My public speaking was a lot worse than the rest of the class, but since there were only 2 speeches that was ok... I'm fine in seminars... and I'm digressing.

So yeah, confident I can understand the material and produce well-written and well-deduced assignments/arguments/essays/etc. But I have no idea of knowing how well anyone else is going to do. God I wish law school wasn't curved.

ftfy... only because you asked.

no that can't be it. wheels are supposed to have spokes. why is it spoke in the wheel? that's weird. kink in the chain makes more sense. but I think I WAS looking for spoke in the wheel. I apparently couldn't think of it because it's illogical.

(currently hoping brooklaw refuses to change the stips)

sibley wrote:

DerrickRose wrote:

sibley wrote: At GW doing badly is much less of a risk. I'll probably still be able to find a job

The ITE Monster is coming to eat you.

I did say probably =) and I didn't specify what kind of job... not even law =/. But no, their employment stats are pretty good, and I'm okay with making a really crappy salary just to get my foot in the door. And I have a strategy for getting a position with the government all figured out. But I can't tell you because it's my secret and I don't want everyone doing it. But that'll only up my chances by like... 15% I'd wager. It's like if you take a year after law school and then do americorps vista (has to be vista! or peace corps. no other program does it) you are then considered for positions with all the current government employees... which is good but still not that awesome.

Oh, and if you have this success, you will have to come back to TLS and tell us how you did it!

legalease9 wrote:

sibley wrote:

DerrickRose wrote:

sibley wrote: At GW doing badly is much less of a risk. I'll probably still be able to find a job

The ITE Monster is coming to eat you.

I did say probably =) and I didn't specify what kind of job... not even law =/. But no, their employment stats are pretty good, and I'm okay with making a really crappy salary just to get my foot in the door. And I have a strategy for getting a position with the government all figured out. But I can't tell you because it's my secret and I don't want everyone doing it. But that'll only up my chances by like... 15% I'd wager. It's like if you take a year after law school and then do americorps vista (has to be vista! or peace corps. no other program does it) you are then considered for positions with all the current government employees... which is good but still not that awesome.

Oh, and if you have this success, you will have to come back to TLS and tell us how you did it!

it requires years of struggle! you're better off joining vista for a year. (edit: 9 months. and you can do a part time program too. so you could do it while you were in law school and totally win)

sibley wrote:

legalease9 wrote:

sibley wrote:Emailed asking if they'd remove or reduce the stipulation. Mad that you guys aren't just telling me to go to GW no matter what. Throws a... spoke in the wheel.

Confident I can do well in law school. Not confident I can do better than anyone else. I took a class (meant to be taught like a 1st year law class) with Pres Seligman... he used to be Dean at WashU and taught at Arizona before that and always felt like I was understanding the material better than the rest of the class. My public speaking was a lot worse than the rest of the class, but since there were only 2 speeches that was ok... I'm fine in seminars... and I'm digressing.

So yeah, confident I can understand the material and produce well-written and well-deduced assignments/arguments/essays/etc. But I have no idea of knowing how well anyone else is going to do. God I wish law school wasn't curved.

ftfy... only because you asked.

no that can't be it. wheels are supposed to have spokes. why is it spoke in the wheel? that's weird. kink in the chain makes more sense. but I think I WAS looking for spoke in the wheel. I apparently couldn't think of it because it's illogical.

(currently hoping brooklaw refuses to change the stips)

If you have that strong a preference to go to GW then go to GW. Don't feel forced into going to a school you really don't want to attend just because they offered you cash.

legalease9 wrote:

sibley wrote: (currently hoping brooklaw refuses to change the stips)

If you have that strong a preference to go to GW then go to GW. Don't feel forced into going to a school you really don't want to attend just because they offered you cash.

my original plan was to pick a school that let me in for free, but no one did... not even the t3s. so then I figured I'd be better off going to one of the best ones (and I was lucky because all of the good schools gave me almost as much as the not-so-good schools so it made it easy to pick ranking over cash)