Stanford at sticker or UCLA with $$$ Forum

[accidental1L]

This is a no-brainer, right?

I ask because Stanford didn't accept me until this evening and I've already signed a lease and moved into an apartment near UCLA. This makes going to Stanford very inconvenient on top of much more expensive. I don't know yet how much need-based aid I might qualify for at Stanford but I'm guessing not much.

My gut says to terminate my lease and head to Stanford with a suitcase if I have to and my family agrees. However, they are not lawyers or experts in law school rankings. You guys are, so I wouldn't mind a second opinion to confirm I'm doing the right thing.

Thanks in advance!

[creamedcats]

...Stanford. Yes. It IS a no-brainer.

[dakatz]

I'm one of the most debt-averse people on this board and I wholeheartedly agree that Stanford is the right choice. It is right up there on par with Harvard and Yale, and on the west coast, you absolutely cannot do better. The career-spanning benefits of going there will almost certainly outweigh the extra costs you will incur now. Good luck and congrats.

[accidental1L]

Appreciating the feedback. I spent so much time wrestling with this type of decision back in May because I'm very debt-averse myself.

It's true that it would be a mistake to blow off this opportunity.

I'm not looking forward to packing again, I barely finished unpacking this week. Bleh. I'm lucky that Stanford starts later than UCLA so I have some time to move.

[Knock]

This is a no-brainer, right?

I ask because Stanford didn't accept me until this evening and I've already signed a lease and moved into an apartment near UCLA. This makes going to Stanford very inconvenient on top of much more expensive. I don't know yet how much need-based aid I might qualify for at Stanford but I'm guessing not much.

My gut says to terminate my lease and head to Stanford with a suitcase if I have to and my family agrees. However, they are not lawyers or experts in law school rankings. You guys are, so I wouldn't mind a second opinion to confirm I'm doing the right thing.

Thanks in advance!

Agreed. You will easily recoup the expensive of canceling a lease and moving with your SLS degree! Congratulations and good luck! It must be tough to do this at the last moment but I agree it will be well worth it, but that is a short, temporary pain for a much larger, long-term gain. Go to SLS and don't look back.

[thecilent]

Congrats!

[Knock]

Congrats!

Seconded. You must be one of the last people to get in, you lucky dog!

[accidental1L]

Thanks to everyone who is responding! I'm alternately thrilled and terrified, but your enthusiasm is very reassuring.

[legends159]

Walk in housing at munger. law students get priority and new students get more priority. you will get housing at munger.

In the meantime, get temporary housing through stanford for 46 a night: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/scs/in ... index.html

And yes this is a no-brainer.

[accidental1L]

Thanks for the heads up, legends. I was told that housing was full but that I did have priority and I'd find out by August 11th. I didn't know about the temporary housing option.

[Amelie]

Walk in housing at munger. law students get priority and new students get more priority. you will get housing at munger.

In the meantime, get temporary housing through stanford for 46 a night: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/scs/in ... index.html

And yes this is a no-brainer.

Sorry to hijack a bit, but in your experience WL admits have been placed in Munger? I was a WL admit, and have put myself on the housing WL, but I've really been stressing over whether I need to start looking at sublets because housing won't tell me my chances.

And OP I'm in the same boat and decided to attend. It's very overwhelming, but definitely worth it!

[accidental1L]

Thanks Amelie! Yes, it's pretty nerve wracking. I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us to get on campus housing. Congratulations on your admission.

[legends159]

i know a bunch of people who did walk-in and got housing at munger--they were either transfers or WL admits. Catch is that you have to be a single student. Housing for couples is tough at munger.

stop stressing there's a lot of housing at munger b/c they have a whole building that no one occupies over the summer (it's used for conferences) and they look to fill it in the fall and you guys get priority over everyone else.

[20160810]

I was in a very similar situation (OK, your situation is way more awesome, I go to UCD and got into USC the day before classes started when I'd already signed a lease) and chose to stay at the lower-ranked school, largely due to convenience. I've made a lot of wonderful friends here, I love Davis, and I'm glad that I go to school here, but the cold hard reality is that ITE I probably made the wrong choice.

Go to Stanford, unless you want to do public interest, in which case I'd take the money.

[blink]

I was in a very similar situation (OK, your situation is way more awesome, I go to UCD and got into USC the day before classes started when I'd already signed a lease) and chose to stay at the lower-ranked school, largely due to convenience. I've made a lot of wonderful friends here, I love Davis, and I'm glad that I go to school here, but the cold hard reality is that ITE I probably made the wrong choice.

Go to Stanford, unless you want to do public interest, in which case I'd take the money.

The night before??? Is that the lastest a school could admit you? Why do they wait this long?

[CanadianWolf]

Some law schools admit students after orientation & during the first week of classes.

[Thomas Jefferson]

...Stanford. Yes. It IS a no-brainer.

[Kretzy]

I was in a very similar situation (OK, your situation is way more awesome, I go to UCD and got into USC the day before classes started when I'd already signed a lease) and chose to stay at the lower-ranked school, largely due to convenience. I've made a lot of wonderful friends here, I love Davis, and I'm glad that I go to school here, but the cold hard reality is that ITE I probably made the wrong choice.

Go to Stanford, unless you want to do public interest, in which case I'd take the money.

Probably trolling a bit here, but I'd go to SLS especially if you want to do public interest. All the talk about Stanford's excellent LRAP is really true; it's a really generous program. The placement advantages are real, and there's a VERY large public interest community at the school (almost 20% of rising 3Ls have committed to public interest post-graduation, according to friends in that class).

Come to SLS. Become a troll for it like the rest of us who've decided to take the plunge!

[accidental1L]

I'm most likely not going to do public interest anyway, my background is in finance (though I don't know, I really am an accidental 1L).

I'm pretty much set on going to Stanford, even though it will be a big pain in the butt to be there in time geographically.

I appreciate all the feedback, it makes me feel much more positive about my choice.

[Durhamdude]

Stanford for sure. UCLA is going downhill quick

[irie]

I'm pretty much set on going to Stanford, even though it will be a big pain in the butt to be there in time geographically.

thank god...

[adamdroog]

I'm most likely not going to do public interest anyway, my background is in finance (though I don't know, I really am an accidental 1L).

I'm pretty much set on going to Stanford, even though it will be a big pain in the butt to be there in time geographically.

I appreciate all the feedback, it makes me feel much more positive about my choice.

Congratulations on Stanford.

I am currently on the waitlist at UCLA. Thank you for opening up a spot and giving the waitlist people a little hope.

[BeautifulSW]

Gosh. Stanford really IS as good as it gets and it's essentially alone in the legal stratosphere of the West Coast. Nevertheless, I'd opt for UCLA. Yeah, yeah, I know, but I'd just rather spend three miserable, expensive years in LA than in the (much more expensive) Bay Area. Palo Alto? What's in Palo Alto? And don't just blow off the money difference. Debt has long term consequences.

And if you got into Stanford, you'll probably blow the curve at UCLA Law so your career options might not be much better coming out of Stanford.

[Knock]

Gosh. Stanford really IS as good as it gets and it's essentially alone in the legal stratosphere of the West Coast. Nevertheless, I'd opt for UCLA. Yeah, yeah, I know, but I'd just rather spend three miserable, expensive years in LA than in the (much more expensive) Bay Area. Palo Alto? What's in Palo Alto? And don't just blow off the money difference. Debt has long term consequences.

And if you got into Stanford, you'll probably blow the curve at UCLA Law so your career options might not be much better coming out of Stanford.

Disagree. Go to Stanford. They don't use traditional grading, just H/P, so there's a lot less pressure on you. From what I've heard, LS grading can be seemingly arbitrary. Plus Stanford is pretty much a paradise. I would easily sell my (non-existent) first, second, and third born to attend school there.

Stanford has a strong LRAP program and also has great job prospects. Since Stanford has the smallest classes out of any T14, only 170 students, their grads are in strong demand. Additionally a significant portion (~20% i've heard tosses around) chooses to go into public-interest work, plus another portion gets clerkships, so there really is much less competition for biglaw, and it seems that anyone who wants it can get it.

[Kretzy]

Gosh. Stanford really IS as good as it gets and it's essentially alone in the legal stratosphere of the West Coast. Nevertheless, I'd opt for UCLA. Yeah, yeah, I know, but I'd just rather spend three miserable, expensive years in LA than in the (much more expensive) Bay Area. Palo Alto? What's in Palo Alto? And don't just blow off the money difference. Debt has long term consequences.

And if you got into Stanford, you'll probably blow the curve at UCLA Law so your career options might not be much better coming out of Stanford.

Disagree. Go to Stanford. They don't use traditional grading, just H/P, so there's a lot less pressure on you. From what I've heard, LS grading can be seemingly arbitrary. Plus Stanford is pretty much a paradise. I would easily sell my (non-existent) first, second, and third born to attend school there.

Stanford has a strong LRAP program and also has great job prospects. Since Stanford has the smallest classes out of any T14, only 170 students, their grads are in strong demand. Additionally a significant portion (~20% i've heard tosses around) chooses to go into public-interest work, plus another portion gets clerkships, so there really is much less competition for biglaw, and it seems that anyone who wants it can get it.

This. I love UCLA, but there's a huge employment difference in this economy. Being above the 75ths doesn't guarantee "beating the curve," as folks have made clear on here over and over again. *Correct me if I'm wrong* BUT even if you're bottom 10% at SLS, as long as you can get AT LEAST 1 H, things seem to be fine when it comes to finding a firm gig.

Look, nothing is a guarantee, even HYS. The debt is worth the level of security they provide though, I think.