Notre Dame 50% $ vs. IU-Indianapolis 100% $ Forum

[amers73]

Ultimately, you need to do what is best for you in the long term. I totally understand your debt concerns and I have similar doubts about which school to attend. I don't think you should feel obligated to choose ND because they accepted you, especially if it means jeopardizing your long term goals.

+1 taking on debt is something that everybody should think about, especially when you have the opportunity to go to a closely ranked school without incurring any debt (or any more debt). Do what's best for you and best of luck!

[dr allen pearl]

I think you should do whatevers best for your future career...

I just think some people may find your difference in tone pre and post ND acceptance alarming...

... kind of like a teenage boy beggiing to get his old gf back... only to dump her again because she has to keep her braces on an extra month.

[minuit]

If you're going into government/state attorney office type of prosecution, then have you thought about using IBR for your loans?

[angiej]

Several things are causing me to hesitate.

1. ND has been my dream since . . . forever.
2. I never thought I would get in and be a part of such a prestigious institution (but like another poster said, this isn't necessarily a reason to attend).
3. I don't want to, 10 years from now, wish I had gone to ND because my goals have changed. In 20 years, what if I'm applying for academia positions but am being turned down because I didn't attend a top 25 school? But on the other hand, I don't want to be required to change my goals due to debt.
4. ND would mean no relocation and hubby keep his (not very stable) job. But again on the flipside, hubby earns less than the amount I am required to shell out to be at ND anyway.

[angiej]

I think you should do whatevers best for your future career...

I just think some people may find your difference in tone pre and post ND acceptance alarming...

... kind of like a teenage boy beggiing to get his old gf back... only to dump her again because she has to keep her braces on an extra month.

Um, interesting analogy. Here's how I see things.

Hurdle # 1 - Getting accepted into ND. Response: OMG I got in!!!! My dreams are coming true!!!!
Hurdle # 2 - Paying for ND. Response: HOLY CRAP! I will have to sell my soul to the devil!!!

[minuit]

I think you should do whatevers best for your future career...

I just think some people may find your difference in tone pre and post ND acceptance alarming...

... kind of like a teenage boy beggiing to get his old gf back... only to dump her again because she has to keep her braces on an extra month.

Um, interesting analogy. Here's how I see things.

Hurdle # 1 - Getting accepted into ND. Response: OMG I got in!!!! My dreams are coming true!!!!
Hurdle # 2 - Paying for ND. Response: HOLY CRAP! I will have to sell my soul to the devil!!!

IBR!!!!

[angiej]

If you're going into government/state attorney office type of prosecution, then have you thought about using IBR for your loans?

Yep. The 10 year commitment is a little scary, though. Does anyone know where they will be in 13 years? Or before even doing a job whether you will want to do it for 10 years?

Another gargantuan problemo with ND is that I apparently don't qualify for GradPlus. So I'm limited to $20,500 per year. I will have to cash out my very small retirement to try to come up with the difference plus sell all non-essentials.

[minuit]

If you're going into government/state attorney office type of prosecution, then have you thought about using IBR for your loans?

Yep. The 10 year commitment is a little scary, though. Does anyone know where they will be in 13 years? Or before even doing a job whether you will want to do it for 10 years?

Another gargantuan problemo with ND is that I apparently don't qualify for GradPlus. So I'm limited to $20,500 per year. I will have to cash out my very small retirement to try to come up with the difference plus sell all non-essentials.

The 10 year commitment doesn't bother me, because you don't have to keep the same job! so you can bounce around from govt to PI to govt.

That's crazy - why don't you qualify?

[bk1]

3. I don't want to, 10 years from now, wish I had gone to ND because my goals have changed. In 20 years, what if I'm applying for academia positions but am being turned down because I didn't attend a top 25 school? But on the other hand, I don't want to be required to change my goals due to debt.

I doubt 20 years down the road that ND will be opening more doors than IU-I for you. At that point it will be about what you have done. I would say very few schools (HYS) open doors that far down the road for anybody.

[CanadianWolf]

If you don't know where you will be in 13 years, then Notre Dame's better portability & national reputation deserves serious consideration. The truth is that most of us don't really know where we will be in 4 years, let alone 13 years.
You've done quite well in light of your LSAT score. Congratulations !

P.S. Another issue to consider is how well does Notre Dame place in Indianapolis compared to IU-Indianapolis ?

[angiej]

If you're going into government/state attorney office type of prosecution, then have you thought about using IBR for your loans?

Yep. The 10 year commitment is a little scary, though. Does anyone know where they will be in 13 years? Or before even doing a job whether you will want to do it for 10 years?

Another gargantuan problemo with ND is that I apparently don't qualify for GradPlus. So I'm limited to $20,500 per year. I will have to cash out my very small retirement to try to come up with the difference plus sell all non-essentials.

The 10 year commitment doesn't bother me, because you don't have to keep the same job! so you can bounce around from govt to PI to govt.

That's crazy - why don't you qualify?

I have no clue but I'm pretty darn upset about it. I applied online. My FAFSA isn't done yet - could that make a dif? If I could qualify and thought further about IBR then the scales would tip for ND.

[czelede]

If you don't know where you will be in 13 years, then Notre Dame's better portability & national reputation deserves serious consideration. The truth is that most of us don't really know where we will be in 4 years, let alone 13 years.
You've done quite well in light of your LSAT score. Congratulations !

P.S. Another issue to consider is how well does Notre Dame place in Indianapolis compared to IU-Indianapolis ?

IU-Indy dominates the Indianapolis market. Don't know how much of this has to do with self-selection though.

[angiej]

If you don't know where you will be in 13 years, then Notre Dame's better portability & national reputation deserves serious consideration. The truth is that most of us don't really know where we will be in 4 years, let alone 13 years.
You've done quite well in light of your LSAT score. Congratulations !

P.S. Another issue to consider is how well does Notre Dame place in Indianapolis compared to IU-Indianapolis ?

Thanks! Needless to say, getting into ND was so shocking that its really put a spin on things.

Firm-wise (which again, not super interested - but this is the only data I could find) Indy grads dominate the Indy legal market. Short of picking up the phone and calling the Marion County Prosecutor's office, I'm not sure about ND v. Indy grads. Is there any easier way that I don't know about?

[CanadianWolf]

Is the Marion County DA a Notre Dame grad ? Usually you can find out online. As for other data, contact Notre Dame's law placement office.

[weejonbu]

You're still full of shit.

Sure, this is about being reasonable and choosing the right career path for you. But if that's the case, then why go on and on about how your family has waited generations for this moment??? C'mon. If this was REALLY your dream school, you would go there for sticker price and it wouldn't matter.

Guess dreams look different when you get what you want sometimes, eh?

[pinkzebra]

You're still full of shit.

Sure, this is about being reasonable and choosing the right career path for you. But if that's the case, then why go on and on about how your family has waited generations for this moment??? C'mon. If this was REALLY your dream school, you would go there for sticker price and it wouldn't matter.

Guess dreams look different when you get what you want sometimes, eh?

Whoa, turbo... I can completely understand angiej's position... I'm from Indiana and ND is also my dream school, and has been since I was 10. I also applied to IU-Indy and got a full ride, plus $6k/yr stipend... I haven't heard back from ND yet, but if I did get in with a half-tuition scholarship, it would be an incredibly difficult decision for me to choose between my dream and the financially smart decision... And I'm pretty sure that doesn't make it any less of a dream school to me...

[JakeL]

I know the purpose of this site is to help people out in situations like this, but I think this thread is going overboard. I think the OP needs to just sack up, make a decision, and go with it. Nobody at this point is going to tell you anything that is going to make the choice clear or easy. If you want to become a lawyer, you are going to have to make decisions tougher than this pretty frequently.

[CanadianWolf]

Yes, but I think that the OP deserves a chance to enjoy the decision making process. I find this thread very helpful because the OP is showing that LSAT scores are not the only factor in law school admissions & opportunities come in many different flavors.

[snapdragon]

Angie, for what it's worth, I voted ND. Look into IBR. See what you can do with that regarding paying the tuition. If it's your dream, and you did it, and you got a scholarship.. I think it's a road worth going down. Make an appointment with ND's financial aid office, and talk to them about other options. An acquaintance of mine was an RA there, I think, as a law student. Perhaps there are other options that can even out the cost between ND and IU Indy. I think you should dig more into these before putting ND aside in favor of IU Indy.

[angiej]

Yes, but I think that the OP deserves a chance to enjoy the decision making process. I find this thread very helpful because the OP is showing that LSAT scores are not the only factor in law school admissions & opportunities come in many different flavors.

Thank you. Also, I feel the decision making process is much more difficult when emotions (and dreams) are at stake. I'm also a believer that decisions like this are like a fork in the road, each leading down an entirely different path. So my hope is /was that hearing others' emotionless, objective thoughts would help me process this.

[bergg007]

Yes, but I think that the OP deserves a chance to enjoy the decision making process. I find this thread very helpful because the OP is showing that LSAT scores are not the only factor in law school admissions & opportunities come in many different flavors.

Thank you. Also, I feel the decision making process is much more difficult when emotions (and dreams) are at stake. I'm also a believer that decisions like this are like a fork in the road, each leading down an entirely different path. So my hope is /was that hearing others' emotionless, objective thoughts would help me process this.

You need to go to Notre Dame. Prestige is important, and if you want to have an easier time of getting a good job, Notre dame is the way to go. Indy may dominate the indianapolis market, but a lot of that is self-selected. Don't go to indy if they don't remove the top half stipulation, I'm not accusing them of this but they might section stack and then you aren't fighting for top 50% but top 25%. ND is the smarter choice because you don'r know where you are going to be in 10 years, and a degree from ND is portable in ways that indy grads can only dream of. as for your Gradplus loan problem, that likely is just because you haven't finished your FAFSA. and even if you still don't qualify, there are private student loans. Don't throw away your dream. And this is coming from a guy who wants your spot at ND.

[Jdenniscpa]

Best of luck to you in your decision. I know that if I were in your situation we would definitely be having the same debate at my house. Big law is not of any interest here either and so when you know your interests are in areas that you may not be able to afford to do if you have a lot of debt, the debate gets a little more difficult. The accountant in me would vote for the 100% tuition at IU if you like or have your heart set on Indianapolis, but I completely agree that you should get IU to drop or reduce the requirements.

ETA: Looks like ND has a Loan Repayment Assistance Program that only requires 3 years in qualifying employment? My husband paid 8 years in the Army for 4 years of undergrad so 3 years sounds like a great deal to me If you can get into ND despite obstacles, I would bet you could get selected for this too!

[fogcue2]

If your interested in in Indianapolis why not throw an app out to IU-B. Your numbers would likely pull one of the near full rides they are offering? I imagine they still place as well if not better than the IU-Indy grads and are much more closely ranked to ND than Indy is if you want to go the academic route later. That being said I may end up in the same boat as you choosing between a similar scholarship at ND and a big one at IU-B. Right now I'm leaning toward IU-B, but would probably be leaning toward ND if it was against IU-Indy.

[angiej]

If your interested in in Indianapolis why not throw an app out to IU-B. Your numbers would likely pull one of the near full rides they are offering? I imagine they still place as well if not better than the IU-Indy grads and are much more closely ranked to ND than Indy is if you want to go the academic route later. That being said I may end up in the same boat as you choosing between a similar scholarship at ND and a big one at IU-B. Right now I'm leaning toward IU-B, but would probably be leaning toward ND if it was against IU-Indy.

I was accepted to IU-B in October with no scholarship. I updated them with the other full-rides I received plus the 50% at ND but no response.

[angiej]

Best of luck to you in your decision. I know that if I were in your situation we would definitely be having the same debate at my house. Big law is not of any interest here either and so when you know your interests are in areas that you may not be able to afford to do if you have a lot of debt, the debate gets a little more difficult. The accountant in me would vote for the 100% tuition at IU if you like or have your heart set on Indianapolis, but I completely agree that you should get IU to drop or reduce the requirements.

ETA: Looks like ND has a Loan Repayment Assistance Program that only requires 3 years in qualifying employment? My husband paid 8 years in the Army for 4 years of undergrad so 3 years sounds like a great deal to me If you can get into ND despite obstacles, I would bet you could get selected for this too!

Thanks for looking into this! Unfortunately, I would have to maintain a salary of less than $54,000 per year for all three years. I realize most government/public sector jobs would put me right around there, but I found that Marion Co. Prosecutors earned $55k. Its a little close for comfort.