UVa (90k) vs. Michigan (45k) Forum

[r6_philly]

The Berkeley matching scholarship list is unusual in that Yale, Stanford & Harvard are listed even though merit scholarships are not offered by those schools.

i think they just wanted to throw those names in there to make themselves look better.

You can submit total financial aid packages, I think they have the option to match the need-based grants.

[A&O]

i think they just wanted to throw those names in there to make themselves look better.

All three offer substantial need-based grants, which Berkeley matches.

[r6_philly]

philly, i think your choice is clear! ::

Haha I am going to check out the culture and get back to you!

[A&O]

I would choose UVA in this situation. As schools, they both actually have more in common than not.

[r6_philly]

+1 to this. Barring all else, the money should put UVA over the top (considering similar COL numbers), but your happiness is more important than the small differences these two provide in placement.

Just curious if you applied to Stanford or Harvard? Your numbers would give you a decent shot at one of those two.

I am confident that I will be happy no matter where I go, I have a happy family life, the 3 years is just stepping stone to a better future. Want to make a logical and qualitative decision between schools, the happiness stuff depends on my family.

Still under review at SLS and Held at Harvard. LOCI to both and still hoping. Not putting any eggs in those 2 baskets though.

[r6_philly]

I would choose UVA in this situation. As schools, they both actually have more in common than not.

Thanks. That's my instinct, but nice to hear some differing opinions. I will wait for financial aid offers and more decisions from other schools and work with those when they come in.

[CanadianWolf]

I'm surprised that Harvard & Stanford even accept LOCIs.

[dr123]

Do you know COA at each school? I know C-ville is supposed to be cheap and AA isn't bad either, but factoring in COA could put UVa ahead by even more than the scholly does. (BTW, congrats on both schollies!)

Thanks! It's awesome to not think about 250k in loans no matter how confident I may be about the future.

I don't know Ann Arbor that well, but I do know Charlottesville is pretty cheap. I think cost of living should be pretty close, so around $50k should be the difference between the two. Michigan probably has better placement in CA, but is it $50k better?

Rent in Ann Arbor's cheap cheap cheap, most of friends in A2 with one bedroom apts pay around 400-450 a month. I was living in a pretty nice house in a2 for a few months and it was only 200/month per person. Just don't be fooled by the housing that's advertised towards students those places are always extremely overpriced

Just fyi - as someone who went to UM for undergrad and still lives in the area, A2 is not necessarily this cheap. As an undergrad, I paid approx. $500/month for a room in a 7-bedroom house, and a decent 3-br. house or apt. is going to run you at least $1500-$2000/month. Maybe I was fooled by the housing advertised towards students, but I've done a fair amount of research within the past few months (UM is a serious option for me, too), and I've never seen prices that low.

dr123 - did you live in a sublet when you lived in A2 for a few months? I've seen summer sublets that cheap, but not otherwise...

summer sublet, but that was their rent year round I was just filling in cause I was home for the summer and a friend was abroad, and a2 is that cheap if you stay out of downtown (westside jackson rd meijer area, dixboro, ypsi/a2 border are really cheap and you can find some gems around north campus). I am a townie though, and townies don't get gauged like the students do.

edit: I just took a quck look at craigslist and pretty much everything is around 600 a month for a 2 br and right next to wcc which is really close to UM, i dont see how you're having trouble

[r6_philly]

I'm surprised that Harvard & Stanford even accept LOCIs.

Harvard ask you to update, and Stanford welcomes it. I also had stuff to update anyway.

[northwood]

Would you attend Stanford or Harvard over UVA and/or Michigan? At sticker? I only ask this because if the answer is yes, then I wouldnt make a final decision until you hear from them. If you have to make a seat deposit, then my best advice would be to choose the school that fits you and your family the best. All of these schools are fantastic- but you have to make sure that its the best fit for not only you, but your entire family ( wife and kids) too.

[r6_philly]

Would you attend Stanford or Harvard over UVA and/or Michigan? At sticker? I only ask this because if the answer is yes, then I wouldnt make a final decision until you hear from them. If you have to make a seat deposit, then my best advice would be to choose the school that fits you and your family the best. All of these schools are fantastic- but you have to make sure that its the best fit for not only you, but your entire family ( wife and kids) too.

The answer is probably yes, since I stand to get quite a bit of need-based grants. Obviously I won't make a final decision until deposit time, I am going to put the schools in order, then go through the list with them. There is always the chance of being on a WL until June too...

[spondee]

I agree with A&O that school specialty doesn't influence job prospects, but there are educational benefits: wider range of courses; some of the best scholars and practitioners in the field; more likely to be a specialty-focused clinic and journal; etc. Law school is a lot more fun when the opportunities match your interests.

You probably already thought of all that - but I wanted to put it out there since Berkeley's IP strengths seem to have been discounted in this thread. Hopefully Berkeley (or SLS) will offer you some money.

[northwood]

this is true. It seems as though you are doing your research and taking the time to thouroughly think this process out. I have total confidence that whatever choice you make will be the right one. Make sure you have that same confidence.

[A&O]

but there are educational benefits: wider range of courses; some of the best scholars and practitioners in the field; more likely to be a specialty-focused clinic and journal; etc. Law school is a lot more fun when the opportunities match your interests.

Yup.

[r6_philly]

this is true. It seems as though you are doing your research and taking the time to thouroughly think this process out. I have total confidence that whatever choice you make will be the right one. Make sure you have that same confidence.

I have been living and breathing this dream for over a year now. So now it is getting real - I am like a kid in a candy store, salivating and staring at every piece of candy even though I can only choose one.

[09042014]

It wouldn't surprise me if Boalt were putting out less IP lawyers than average. Their GPA cut offs are brutal on engineering curves.

[northwood]

this is true. It seems as though you are doing your research and taking the time to thouroughly think this process out. I have total confidence that whatever choice you make will be the right one. Make sure you have that same confidence.

I have been living and breathing this dream for over a year now. So now it is getting real - I am like a kid in a candy store, salivating and staring at every piece of candy even though I can only choose one.

make sure to ask to sample each piece of candy that you are interested in. talk to the manufacturers, the candy makers, and the little elves that work in the candy factory.

[r6_philly]

I agree with A&O that school specialty doesn't influence job prospects, but there are educational benefits: wider range of courses; some of the best scholars and practitioners in the field; more likely to be a specialty-focused clinic and journal; etc. Law school is a lot more fun when the opportunities match your interests.

You probably already thought of all that - but I wanted to put it out there since Berkeley's IP strengths seem to have been discounted in this thread. Hopefully Berkeley (or SLS) will offer you some money.

I would definitely enjoy the educational experience at Boalt, but perhaps not to the tune of 110k. I will submit the best package for match, after I get the need-based components. however they don't award $ until April, I don't want to go into April unprepared. But yes, hopefully B/S works out for the best, since I want to work in SV.

[r6_philly]

It wouldn't surprise me if Boalt were putting out less IP lawyers than average. Their GPA cut offs are brutal on engineering curves.

Good point.

So there is no easy way to get some data and analysis on IP career prospects only? Everyone talks biglaw on here, I feel like that's less relevant to my interest.

[A&O]

So there is no easy way to get some data and analysis on IP career prospects only? Everyone talks biglaw on here, I feel like that's less relevant to my interest.

That's because IP career prospects don't really vary by school, and they usually align with overall big firm prospects from every school. They are usually more relaxed, though, since patent litigation and prosecution require other credentials.

Why can't you seem to understand this?

[r6_philly]

So there is no easy way to get some data and analysis on IP career prospects only? Everyone talks biglaw on here, I feel like that's less relevant to my interest.

That's because IP career prospects don't really vary by school, and they usually align with overall big firm prospects from every school. They are usually more relaxed, though, since patent litigation and prosecution require other credentials.

Why can't you seem to understand this?

Maybe I take everything a troll says at 50% face value?

[A&O]

Maybe I take everything a troll says at 50% face value?

...so I'm a troll because I'm saying something contrary to your uninformed worldview on IP recruiting?

[r6_philly]

Maybe I take everything a troll says at 50% face value?

...so I'm a troll because I'm saying something contrary to your uninformed worldview on IP recruiting?

No I have been around here for a long time and to remember your antics.

Besides, I am very uninformed, that's why I am asking, why can't you seem to understand that? Also, you don't just listen to 1 or 2 anonymous person on the Internet and all of a sudden become "informed", why can't you seem to understand that?

[A&O]

"Antics" aside, even searching law firm websites will be largely futile. Many lawyers who do even an ounce of work in IP departments are often classified as "IP lawyers" on the website, so even if you generated a listing (which would be useless for other reasons), it wouldn't be an accurate depiction of lawyers hired through the IP recruiting track.

Besides, I am very uninformed, that's why I am asking, why can't you seem to understand that? Also, you don't just listen to 1 or 2 anonymous person on the Internet and all of a sudden become "informed", why can't you seem to understand that?

...whatever it is, you're proceeding a false assumption. That's all I'm pointing out.

[r6_philly]

"Antics" aside, even searching law firm websites will be largely futile. Many lawyers who do even an ounce of work in IP departments are often classified as "IP lawyers" on the website, so even if you generated a listing (which would be useless for other reasons), it wouldn't be an accurate depiction of lawyers hired through the IP recruiting track.

Thank you for being serious. I do realize this (I had quite a bit of experience with IP lawyers in large firms), so that's why I want to know if there is a meaningful way of judging this. Asking the schools are sort of pointless because they try to market themselves.

I just worked with a partner at a large firm this week whose specialty is IP/e-commerce. He didn't really know enough about the technology and I had to spend a bit of time bringing him up to speed. So while I am confident I will be awesome at the doing the work, I want to put myself in a good position to get the best jobs. Again I don't know how the hiring works, that's why I am trying to find out here.