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Trying to figure out if I should throw out an app at UVA ED and risk paying sticker (though I know with my numbers there's not guarantee)

Here is how it breaks down:

I'm not necessarily looking for Biglaw. It would only be as a means to rub off some debt
I want to either work for the federal gov't (DOJ is the dream) or some other PI job. Barring DOJ I would probably look for a job as a Prosecutor.
I am from the Pacific NW, and would likely like to return here after law school.

I want to go to a school with some prestige, and I feel that a degree from UVA would stretch out to Portland/Seattle. However, I don't know if a degree from GW or BU would....

For the DOJ you'll want to be coming from as prestigious a school as possible, and LR on top of that. So for that I'd vote UVA. For being a prosecutor or other PI work I'd lean towards money from a lower ranked school, since you might end up in that line of work and not want to do it for ten years in which case having manageable debt would be a big plus. I do not know how school prestige in Portland/Seattle works out so I'll decline to comment on that.

St.Remy wrote:For the DOJ you'll want to be coming from as prestigious a school as possible, and LR on top of that. So for that I'd vote UVA. For being a prosecutor or other PI work I'd lean towards money from a lower ranked school, since you might end up in that line of work and not want to do it for ten years in which case having manageable debt would be a big plus. I do not know how school prestige in Portland/Seattle works out so I'll decline to comment on that.

That's my dilemma, I want DOJ but I know it's not guaranteed even at a T6. It's what I ultimately want (I want to work at a US Attorney's office). However, I know that the chances of DOJ are ultra low if I decide to do a 15-25 or a school like the University of Washington.

St.Remy wrote:For the DOJ you'll want to be coming from as prestigious a school as possible, and LR on top of that. So for that I'd vote UVA. For being a prosecutor or other PI work I'd lean towards money from a lower ranked school, since you might end up in that line of work and not want to do it for ten years in which case having manageable debt would be a big plus. I do not know how school prestige in Portland/Seattle works out so I'll decline to comment on that.

+1. All I know is that people constantly talk about how tough it is to get a legal job in the pacific northwest and more specifically portland/seattle. I'm sure someone knows what schools do well there, but if you're not going t14, I would think that UW does better in the region than almost any schools ranked 15-25 with the exception of UCLA and USC maybe. Boalt would be nice if you could snag an acceptance.

http://search.lawschoolnumbers.com/user ... Cycle=0910

Not a lot of data points on LSN, but it's unclear if the UVA acceptances here are ED or not. But UVA is your best bet in the T14 anyway.
Depending on how debt averse you are, you might just want to go RD at UVA and pepper apps in some of the lower T14 + schools you would like to attend in the T15-25.

Also: completely anecdotal evidence, but I know someone who got into Cornell and Georgetown with a 165/3.9x last cycle, and got $$ from GW (/I am not actually sure if this is true, because I don't trust this person to tell the truth).

I'm usually not that debt-averse, but 200k scares the hell out of me. However, it is mitigated by the fact that UVA has a good LRAP program and a decent pipeline to Biglaw. I could do the latter for a few years if need be.

zephyr36 wrote:I'm usually not that debt-averse, but 200k scares the hell out of me. However, it is mitigated by the fact that UVA has a good LRAP program and a decent pipeline to Biglaw. I could do the latter for a few years if need be.

True. And oh, depending on softs, you might have a shot at Berkeley as well, if you can get them to love you/have standout softs.

applepiecrust wrote:

zephyr36 wrote:I'm usually not that debt-averse, but 200k scares the hell out of me. However, it is mitigated by the fact that UVA has a good LRAP program and a decent pipeline to Biglaw. I could do the latter for a few years if need be.

True. And oh, depending on softs, you might have a shot at Berkeley as well, if you can get them to love you/have standout softs.

I'm applying to Berkeley and am going to use the extra two pages on my PS to make a strong case for why I feel it would be the best place for me. My LORs are above average, one in particular is extremely strong. My ECs are pretty standard though.

If you are looking at EDing as 'risking paying sticker,' then you probably shouldn't ED.

sundance95 wrote:If you are looking at EDing as 'risking paying sticker,' then you probably shouldn't ED.

Fair point. I guess you can omit the "risking." If I have good prospects at a job that will make my debt manageable then I don't really mind debt all that much.

zephyr36 wrote:I'm usually not that debt-averse, but 200k scares the hell out of me. However, it is mitigated by the fact that UVA has a good LRAP program and a decent pipeline to Biglaw. I could do the latter for a few years if need be.

This. Although if you don't mind working in the Midwest, IUB and UIUC are likely to give you lots of $$$.

I've worked at the US Attorney's Office for a year and a half now....and hardly ANY come from "prestigious" schools, and certainly not T-14's except for 1 or 2.....you guys really don't know what youre talking about. What school you go to doesn't matter for the DOJ, a few of the attorney's I work with went to T-4's....and they are some of the best we have here.

zrcm18 wrote:I've worked at the US Attorney's Office for a year and a half now....and hardly ANY come from "prestigious" schools, and certainly not T-14's except for 1 or 2.....you guys really don't know what youre talking about. What school you go to doesn't matter for the DOJ, a few of the attorney's I work with went to T-4's....and they are some of the best we have here.

I'm assuming that T14 won't hurt, so I'm just wondering what you feel the DOJ looks for. Is it just all about grades/coursework, etc.?

HeavenWood wrote:

zephyr36 wrote:I'm usually not that debt-averse, but 200k scares the hell out of me. However, it is mitigated by the fact that UVA has a good LRAP program and a decent pipeline to Biglaw. I could do the latter for a few years if need be.

This. Although if you don't mind working in the Midwest, IUB and UIUC are likely to give you lots of $$$.

I'll probably apply to UIUC because they gave me a fee waiver, but the midwest has zero appeal to me, so it's likely that I'd end up going unless I did happen to get a good amount of $$.