Hastings OR Chapman? Forum

[dcm81]

Having them pay off your stafford loans while paying the plus loans isn't too unbearable, though when you get married and join incomes your IBR payments can end up costing you just as much as a regular loan repayment.

Having your BF at UCI makes this really tough to maintain a relationship long distance. You are going to be super busy during law school and are not going to have much time to go down to so cal to see him. He is going to have to make a much greater effort to see you if he is in a program at UCI that doesnt require as much time as your law studies. Going to UC Hastings could really strain your relationship. Your already long distance now but watch it get tougher when your in law school and studying tell 9-10 at night during the week and putting hours in on the weekends. Thats something you need to seriously consider. If your at Chapman, you can live in Irvine/Costa Mesa and its a 15 min drive to Orange because your going opposite of traffic. So after you study, you can hang out and be with your boyfriend. Plus your saving huge money your first year of law school. With your numbers, you should be able to maintain the scholarship, but its not gauranteed.

Hastings is a better school with more choices, but I think you need to also think about the non-legal aspects of studying law 400 miles away from a boyfriend that you have been in a relationship with for a few years. If you are really close with him, your going to need him around to help you destress because law school is very very stressful. IMO, Hastings isn't good enough to warrant a continued seperation of several more years between you two. If it was Berkeley or Stanford, I would understand. Sorry to get Doctor Phil on you but thats just my take.

[sparclette]

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[bk1]

Here's the catch: My boyfriend is in medical school. He is incredibly busy and we both agree that this year is going to be a huge challenge. The fact that he will be going off to residency in 2-3 years (depending on his research) leaves a whole lot of uncertainty in where we will end up. (You can't choose where you go for residency, you're matched somewhere based on scores/interview/etc.) So I'm concerned that if we end up going to the east coast for his residency I may not be able to get a job if I go to Chapman.

It would be rough trying to find a job on the east coast coming out of UCH as well. Though somehow I feel that the UC name might give it a slight pull that Chapman would not (no evidence for this).

[ozarkhack]

Since the vast majority of what you borrow for law school is in the form of a Grad PLUS loan, doesn't this mean that PICAP is nigh worthless? Or am I reading it wrong?

It's easy to miss, and I did so on my initial read, but ... from PICAP's Dec. 21, 2009, program info:

Improvements to the program in 2011
• PICAP will be expanded to include the Federal Graduate PLUS loan.

[bk1]

Since the vast majority of what you borrow for law school is in the form of a Grad PLUS loan, doesn't this mean that PICAP is nigh worthless? Or am I reading it wrong?

It's easy to miss, and I did so on my initial read, but ... from PICAP's Dec. 21, 2009, program info:

Improvements to the program in 2011
• PICAP will be expanded to include the Federal Graduate PLUS loan.

Well that's a relief.

[dcm81]

Geez that is tough..... At least he is done with the busiest part of med school. The last two years are a bit easier minus the boards. You can end up anywhere after med school. One of my close friends is graduating from UCI med and going to the bay area for his residency. Guess some sacrificing is going to have to be made. If you follow him east coast, Hastings might help a little bit, but not very much because the east coast is saturated with T14 and highly ranked T1 schools.

Bottomline though, if you are good at networking and getting your name out, either school should be okay no matter where you go, thought if you go east coast it might take you more time to get a job. Once he figures out where he is doing his residency, you could also apply to be a visiting student at a law school in the area that he works at. I know people who have done that and its worked out for him/her. You would get your degree from the original school you applied to, but would take classes at another school, which would help you build up ties to that community. Just a thought.....

[keg411]

Here's the catch: My boyfriend is in medical school. He is incredibly busy and we both agree that this year is going to be a huge challenge. The fact that he will be going off to residency in 2-3 years (depending on his research) leaves a whole lot of uncertainty in where we will end up. (You can't choose where you go for residency, you're matched somewhere based on scores/interview/etc.) So I'm concerned that if we end up going to the east coast for his residency I may not be able to get a job if I go to Chapman.

Yikes. I know someone who went to their state law school and he had to move to another state with his wife for her residency and has had an impossible time getting a job in the new state because his degree doesn't travel at all (and the new market was hit really hard ITE for everyone; not just lawyers). I think in this situation you are better off going to UCH despite the price difference.

[A'nold]

Since the vast majority of what you borrow for law school is in the form of a Grad PLUS loan, doesn't this mean that PICAP is nigh worthless? Or am I reading it wrong?

It's easy to miss, and I did so on my initial read, but ... from PICAP's Dec. 21, 2009, program info:

Improvements to the program in 2011
• PICAP will be expanded to include the Federal Graduate PLUS loan.

Thanks God. I'm already on the Hastings roller coaster and I don't even know if I will be accepted, haha.

[dcm81]

I don't know.... your situation is difficult. Hastings is a better school but if you end up in Salt Lake City or Nebraska, or even the east coast for your boyfriends residency, then your degree at either school is probably going to give you similar opportunies, with Hastings helping you marginally. The thing is, your going to pay 180k at Hastings. Thats 1300-1800 every month for 20 years. Your situation is difficult, you really should think things through because debt is a huge deal and paying it off is not always certain.

[General Tso]

Neither great for biglaw, but obviously Hastings' small chance is still much better than Chapman's almost no chance.

Chapman will track you into OC firms generally doing smaller legal issues. Hastings keeps you in better contention for the bigger firms, but chances in this economy are not great.

Does Chapman have stipulations to keep the scholarship? How much will cost of living be over 3 years? I'm not sure that $60k for Chapman outweighs $180k for Hastings. It's certainly a more manageable level, but it's not as though 3 years at Chapman are costless.

For 2009 OCI at Hastings, top 25% would've made you competitive for a wide range of smaller firms (maybe 20-35 total firms??), top 33% would have been enough for 10-15 others. Top 5-15% was needed to interview at all big law firms other than MoFo and Perkins Coie (both 25%).

The point is (and something most people here seem to be missing) that if you fall in the 15-33% range, you are vastly better off at Hastings than anything lower than top 10% at Chapman. Maybe top 10% at Chapman is easier than top 1/3 at Hastings...that's too much to speculate.

[20160810]

Title of this thread is the best Davis troll I've ever seen. I salute you.