Arizona State v. University of San Francisco Forum

[Italia8183]

I'd eventually like to wind up in the Bay Area.

That being said, I'm extremely debt averse and am looking for a school to provide me with the best long term career prospects.

I have a 26k non-renewable scholarship at USF and sticker at ASU. However, after my first year at ASU, tuition drops to the in-state level of about 20k/year.

I'm struggling to make my decision because my home base is in the bay (SO, friends, family and network) and have never lived in Arizona.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[A'nold]

You know, this is actually a harder decision to make than most people will initially think. In your case, I'd actually probably be leaning towards USF and just gun my ass off to try to land near the top of the class and look at staying w/ a top GPA or transferring to Berk or Hasting/Davis if you aren't at the very top.

Point is, if OP doesn't want Arizona and knows he/she wants the bay area, I think USF will be miles ahead in terms of hooking him up in the local market long term. Even if he/she builds up a career in Pheonix it will still be difficult to crack San Fran. compared to being a USF grad. I could be wrong, but this is my thinking.

[quickquestionthanks]

I'd go to USF. They have a good alumni network and it's in a large market.

[Kwijiboe]

^lol, your peter griffin avatar and your posts in the ASU waitlist thread makes me think you're up to something.

[quickquestionthanks]

Actually I haven't heard back from ASU and I just got a letter from USF saying that they don't have any more scholarship funds but might make them available over the summer as students drop....so yeah...umm...split the difference and go to UNLV!

[Norwood]

You got one tough decision ahead of you. ASU wins in quality of education, not sure by how much. Costs are pretty equal taking into account COL and in-state vs scholarship. My vote was for USF since I was in a similar situation as you. I got into some programs ranked well above USF such as Loyola and L&C which I absolutely loved. In the end I couldn't convince myself to make the move while knowing that I would have a difficult time finding a job back in the Bay Area. I also ventured a plane-ride away for undergrad and hated it. I lost connections to my friends, family, and it put a lot of unnecessary strain on my relationship. If you're okay with the temporary lifestyle change for 3 years and don't mind working in Arizona a few add'l years after graduation then I'd say go for it. However, location seems like a very important piece in your decision. Go where you know you'll be happy, it'll make getting through law school a whole lot easier.

[DerrickRose]

Don't go to ASU if you want to be in the Bay Area. This isn't necessarily a vote for USF though. Are there any other offers?

[Italia8183]

Thanks for the feedback Norwood and A'nold!

ASU is especially enticing for me because of the job prospects in the Phoenix area. ASU is the only ABA approved school in the Phoenix market and really only competes with UofA grads. At least that's my understanding.

USF on the other hand is forced to compete with Stanford, Berkeley, UC Hastings, UC Davis and Santa Clara making the job market much more competitive.

Even though my personal ties are in the bay, the job prospects and quality of education at ASU are extremely enticing and indeed are making my decision very difficult.

[Italia8183]

Don't go to ASU if you want to be in the Bay Area. This isn't necessarily a vote for USF though. Are there any other offers?

In the bay area I've been accepted at SCU and waitlisted at UC Davis.

ASU is by far the best school I've gotten into.

[Great Satchmo]

Don't go to ASU if you want to be in the Bay Area. This isn't necessarily a vote for USF though. Are there any other offers?

In the bay area I've been accepted at SCU and waitlisted at UC Davis.

ASU is by far the best school I've gotten into.

I was looking to stay in the Bay Area, got into USF with the same scholarship as you, got into SCU with small amount, GGU basically full ride, wiatlisted at Davis and Hastings.

Unless I get off the waitlist, I'm going to McGeorge and just going to focus my efforts primarily on Bay Area employment...if I strike-out, I'll already be in Sacramento which is another shot at jobs.

USF seems like a great place to spend law school, I just couldn't justify the cost (in comparison to McGeorge) and the fear of the debt in a difficult market. Also, scholarship money in 2L/3L seems difficult to obtain at USF, which had that not been the case, I'd have probably ended up at USF in hopes of performing well for more money.

[Italia8183]

Don't go to ASU if you want to be in the Bay Area. This isn't necessarily a vote for USF though. Are there any other offers?

In the bay area I've been accepted at SCU and waitlisted at UC Davis.

ASU is by far the best school I've gotten into.

I was looking to stay in the Bay Area, got into USF with the same scholarship as you, got into SCU with small amount, GGU basically full ride, wiatlisted at Davis and Hastings.

Unless I get off the waitlist, I'm going to McGeorge and just going to focus my efforts primarily on Bay Area employment...if I strike-out, I'll already be in Sacramento which is another shot at jobs.

USF seems like a great place to spend law school, I just couldn't justify the cost (in comparison to McGeorge) and the fear of the debt in a difficult market. Also, scholarship money in 2L/3L seems difficult to obtain at USF, which had that not been the case, I'd have probably ended up at USF in hopes of performing well for more money.

Hey Great Satchmo,

I'm in a very similar boat as you with my waitlist at Davis and acceptances at SCU and USF.

I'm primarily looking into ASU because of the apparently great job prospects and ability to pay down debt.

What are your thoughts on ASU v. USF concerning debt and career prospects?

I hope we get off the waitlist at Davis, but if not, good luck at McGeorge!

[Close Diamond]

Don't go to ASU if you want to be in the Bay Area. This isn't necessarily a vote for USF though. Are there any other offers?

In the bay area I've been accepted at SCU and waitlisted at UC Davis.

ASU is by far the best school I've gotten into.

Best in terms of ranking, but not necessarily best for your wants and needs. I don't think the level of education is much different.

Did Santa Clara offer any money? I'd take SCU over USF.

[sanpiero]

If you want to end up in the Bay Area, I would not advise attending ASU. ASU does not place well, at all, into California. The tiny number of grads who do find jobs in CA, most likely work in SoCal. ASU grads are struggling to get jobs in Phoenix right now.

Also, residency for 2L is no guarantee. Admissions told me it is something akin to a 50/50 shot.

I don't blame you for being apprehensive about paying ~125k to go to USF. SCU > USF if you want to work in SV or if you intend to practice IP law. Hopefully, you get off the Davis WL and this entire dilemma becomes moot. Good luck!

[A'nold]

To the other poster on this thread: Why McGeorge if you want the Bay Area? That scholly has a top 1/3 requirement...have you visited? I didn't like that school very much and I didn't like the feel. To each his own though.

[Italia8183]

Don't go to ASU if you want to be in the Bay Area. This isn't necessarily a vote for USF though. Are there any other offers?

In the bay area I've been accepted at SCU and waitlisted at UC Davis.

ASU is by far the best school I've gotten into.

Best in terms of ranking, but not necessarily best for your wants and needs. I don't think the level of education is much different.

Did Santa Clara offer any money? I'd take SCU over USF.

SCU offered 4k renewable as long as I stay in the top 25%...not much of a deal. I've appealed for more money but have yet to hear anything...

[Italia8183]

If you want to end up in the Bay Area, I would not advise attending ASU. ASU does not place well, at all, into California. The tiny number of grads who do find jobs in CA, most likely work in SoCal. ASU grads are struggling to get jobs in Phoenix right now.

Also, residency for 2L is no guarantee. Admissions told me it is something akin to a 50/50 shot.

I don't blame you for being apprehensive about paying ~125k to go to USF. SCU > USF if you want to work in SV or if you intend to practice IP law. Hopefully, you get off the Davis WL and this entire dilemma becomes moot. Good luck!

I'm hoping to get off the WL too but I'm seriously doubting that will happen because of Davis' new ranking. They're probably going to yield a much bigger class than they intend to.

Anyways, I completely understand that for the bay USF is a better school, but I'd only be going to ASU with the intention of staying for a few years afterwords.

Where did you read that ASU grads were struggling to find jobs in Phoenix? I'm interested in finding out as much info about the school as possible.

[pre-law]

If you want to end up in the Bay Area, I would not advise attending ASU. ASU does not place well, at all, into California. The tiny number of grads who do find jobs in CA, most likely work in SoCal. ASU grads are struggling to get jobs in Phoenix right now.

Also, residency for 2L is no guarantee. Admissions told me it is something akin to a 50/50 shot.

I don't blame you for being apprehensive about paying ~125k to go to USF. SCU > USF if you want to work in SV or if you intend to practice IP law. Hopefully, you get off the Davis WL and this entire dilemma becomes moot. Good luck!

I'm hoping to get off the WL too but I'm seriously doubting that will happen because of Davis' new ranking. They're probably going to yield a much bigger class than they intend to.

Anyways, I completely understand that for the bay USF is a better school, but I'd only be going to ASU with the intention of staying for a few years afterwords.

Where did you read that ASU grads were struggling to find jobs in Phoenix? I'm interested in finding out as much info about the school as possible.

I too would like to know. I'm in a siimilar situation trying to decide between ASU and Loyola (LA) as a CA resident.

[Great Satchmo]

To the other poster on this thread: Why McGeorge if you want the Bay Area? That scholly has a top 1/3 requirement...have you visited? I didn't like that school very much and I didn't like the feel. To each his own though.

SCU only offered a few thousand, and at the time if it came down to SCU vs. USF, I'd take USF with more money to be in the city. GGU I just wasn't comfortable with, even with no tuition. Hastings, well, I have to wait on.

They modified their initial scholarship offer to one that is difficult to refuse, otherwise I wouldn't have considered it.

[pomfiend]

I would definitely take USF. It is a really good school and I think the best choice for you, given the info you have provided. You have some money from them and you already like the area, so it seems like it could work out. Good luck with your decision!

[Great Satchmo]

Assuming no other scholarship money and that you do get in-state ASU for 2L and 3L, what is the difference in cost after 3 years?

If you go to ASU, you have to accept that it *may* be tough to get a job back in the Bay Area right away, or after a few years. You have to be ok with the idea of staying in Arizona for a good opportunity.

If the difference of cost isn't that large (take it in the context of the total debt you'll accumulate), go with where you'll be happier, which sounds like USF.