Brooklyn ($$$) Vs. Wake Forest ($) Forum

[icydash]

Well, I was not expecting to have to make this decision, but Brooklyn bumped up my scholarship today....so now I have a real dilemma.

Brooklyn has offered me $45,200/year (pretty much full tuition pending I meet their typical scholarship requirements). They have also guaranteed me housing (though I must still pay for it) in their campus housing for all three years (instead of the typical one year), and should I decide I don't want to live in the campus housing, they have offered me a guaranteed $5,000 housing stipend for each of the three years of law school.

Wake Forest has offered me $10,000/year, and has much more favorable (and simple) scholarship terms: To retain the full amount of your scholarship for three years your cumulative class standing must remain in the upper two-thirds of your class at the end of each year. If you are not in the upper two-thirds of your class but remain in good standing, you will retain 50% of your scholarship.

Factors that are important to me (other than money) are obviously job placement/prospects, quality of life, and positive learning environment (collegial vs. cut-throat, good student to faculty ratio, etc).

So, tell me what to do (and why).

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention that I have no specific region I would rather be working in (NYC vs NC).

[fwaam]

Well, I was not expecting to have to make this decision, but Brooklyn bumped up my scholarship today....so now I have a real dilemma.

Brooklyn has offered me $45,200/year (pretty much full tuition pending I meet their typical scholarship requirements). They have also guaranteed me housing (though I must still pay for it) in their campus housing for all three years (instead of the typical one year), and should I decide I don't want to live in the campus housing, they have offered me a guaranteed $5,000 housing stipend for each of the three years of law school.

Wake Forest has offered me $10,000/year, and has much more favorable (and simple) scholarship terms: To retain the full amount of your scholarship for three years your cumulative class standing must remain in the upper two-thirds of your class at the end of each year. If you are not in the upper two-thirds of your class but remain in good standing, you will retain 50% of your scholarship.

Factors that are important to me (other than money) are obviously job placement/prospects, quality of life, and positive learning environment (collegial vs. cut-throat, good student to faculty ratio, etc).

So, tell me what to do (and why).

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention that I have no specific region I would rather be working in (NYC vs NC).

What are Brooklyn's scholarship terms then?? The way you worded it, it sounds like a scam in the making.

And I'm always confused when people say they have no geographical preference between two vastly different (and distant) areas of the country. NYC vs Winston-Salem, NC? No preference? Really?

[icydash]

Well, I was not expecting to have to make this decision, but Brooklyn bumped up my scholarship today....so now I have a real dilemma.

Brooklyn has offered me $45,200/year (pretty much full tuition pending I meet their typical scholarship requirements). They have also guaranteed me housing (though I must still pay for it) in their campus housing for all three years (instead of the typical one year), and should I decide I don't want to live in the campus housing, they have offered me a guaranteed $5,000 housing stipend for each of the three years of law school.

Wake Forest has offered me $10,000/year, and has much more favorable (and simple) scholarship terms: To retain the full amount of your scholarship for three years your cumulative class standing must remain in the upper two-thirds of your class at the end of each year. If you are not in the upper two-thirds of your class but remain in good standing, you will retain 50% of your scholarship.

Factors that are important to me (other than money) are obviously job placement/prospects, quality of life, and positive learning environment (collegial vs. cut-throat, good student to faculty ratio, etc).

So, tell me what to do (and why).

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention that I have no specific region I would rather be working in (NYC vs NC).

What are Brooklyn's scholarship terms then?? The way you worded it, it sounds like a scam in the making.

And I'm always confused when people say they have no geographical preference between two vastly different (and distant) areas of the country. NYC vs Winston-Salem, NC? No preference? Really?

Unfortunately I don't have Brooklyns scholarship terms with me right now (I'm not home right now). The new scholarship letter doesn't re-stipulate the terms; it just says the same original terms apply. The terms weren't that bad, though. I wish I could give you more information -- Maybe if anyone else got a scholarship to BLS and has their letter they can post it... I think it was similar to the following:
upper 40% of your class, keep the full scholarship
upper 50% of your class, keep 80% of your scholarship
upper 60% of your class, keep 50% of your scholarship

Also with regards to where I'd be working (in NC), I'd probably actually work in Charlotte, not Winston-Salem if I decided to work in North Carolina. But the truth is I have family legal ties to both the NYC and NC legal markets, so getting a job out of either school wouldn't be incredibly difficult. And while there's a lot more to do in NYC which is a definite plus, I find the traffic annoying and I like sun. The fact that there's so much to do in NYC (and it's where a lot of my friends are) might also be a real distraction when trying to study/etc. After graduation, I believe both cities (NYC and Charlotte) offer enough to do to keep me busy in the little free time I'll have while working my ass off during early legal career years =)

[Grizz]

Employment is gonna be not the best out of either, but the legal market is saturated more so in NYC than the South. Furthermore, BLS has tons of competition for the few NY jobs left. If you want to work in NC, there is competition from just UNC mainly. Also, BLS is known for section stacking, or so I gather around these parts, so the scholarship is risky. Unless your connections can get you a guaranteed job three years from now upon graduation, I'd go with Wake.

[icydash]

Employment is gonna be not the best out of either, but the legal market is saturated more so in NYC than the South. Furthermore, BLS has tons of competition for the few NY jobs left. If you want to work in NC, there is competition from just UNC mainly. Also, BLS is known for section stacking, or so I gather around these parts, so the scholarship is risky. Unless your connections can get you a guaranteed job three years from now upon graduation, I'd go with Wake.

My connections can get me a guaranteed job three years from now in either market. But thanks! I appreciate your input!

[fwaam]

I'd look into the section stacking. Brooklyn's offering you a ton of money, but if everyone in your section has to stay in the top 40%, I don't like your chances.

Wake is certainly a well-respected school, and even has some national reach. So based on what you've said I'd recommend going there, so long as your guaranteed job in Charlotte would pay enough to pay off your loans.