IUB vs ND Forum

[fogcue2]

IU-B with 120K, ND with 42K

[mez06]

I'd go w/prestige in this case. ND.

And plus it has more national reach versus IUB. No one on the east coast has any relevant regard to the school to be honest. Notre Dame at least keeps that allure no matter where you go.

Granted IUB is practically free, I would see if you could use that for negotiation leverage.

[chihuahua12]

I disagree with the poster above me...any region other than the midwest is going to have similarly ranked schools that those regions are more likely to hire from. If you think ND's slightly more recognizable name is worth 80k in additional debt, go for it. Otherwise take IUB and run.

[fogcue2]

My biggest concern with IU-B is that they don't seem to place into Chicago very well compared to ND. I am already trying to leverage the scholarship to see if I can make this an easier decision for me. No stips on either offer though so thats a good start.

[ArchRoark]

IU-B imho

[mez06]

What is IUB's major market? Indianapolis...!? The legal field there is not THAT big. So the majority of people want to head to Chicago. And that of course is pretty crowded market (UC, NU, UIUC).

Though lay prestige isn't what one should bank their entire decision making process off of, in this case, I think it's pretty appropriate. Why on earth do you think IUB is offering such large schollys?! They realize that they are dropping in the perception of the masses and are trying to regain that ground. Still a great school. But I would be more inclined to use their offer as leverage versus the ticket to your new home of law.

Both are hurting a bit in NALP recruitment stats. Heavens forbid you don't land the legal job you desire. But in any case, the ND name carries considerably more weight in the business world. An arena that a good share of law school students CAN (or at least a possibility) transition to.

[cowgirl_bebop]

IUB. I honestly dont think ND is worth an extra $80K + COA. If shit hits the fan and you end up not getting big law (if thats what you want) do you really want to be mired in all that debt? Id take my chances at IUB.

[Sentry]

IUB easily is the better choice. Chicago can fill up with nothing but T-14 students. Neither ND or IUB is going to be placing very well in big law for the next few years. Minimize your debt and go with IUB.

[KMaine]

Why on earth do you think IUB is offering such large schollys?!

I think they just got a huge donation and they want to attract the best possible students. If the difference were closer to 25K, I would say ND, but here you are getting offered almost free tuition to a very good law school. There is only a small difference in earning potential coming out of those 2 schools. IU-B seems like the easy choice here.

[cowgirl_bebop]

Why on earth do you think IUB is offering such large schollys?!

I think they just got a huge donation and they want to attract the best possible students. If the difference were closer to 25K, I would say ND, but here you are getting offered almost free tuition to a very good law school. There is only a small difference in earning potential coming out of those 2 schools. IU-B seems like the easy choice here.

They got about $30 million that was to be used solely for law school scholarships. So they are burning through it trying to raise their median LSAT and climb in the rankings.

[BarbellDreams]

In this economy turning down a chance to go to a T1 school for free is suicide unless the other option is either very close in scholly money or is a T10.

[Informative]

Whichever is cheaper.

[Sandro]

120k at IUb isnt exactly free - you still will be taking out 3 years of COL, and tuition will undoubtedly go up over the next 3 years (its already ~2k more than the scholarship pays a year)

but IUb is still way cheaper.

[ArchRoark]

120k at IUb isnt exactly free - you still will be taking out 3 years of COL, and tuition will undoubtedly go up over the next 3 years (its already ~2k more than the scholarship pays a year)

but IUb is still way cheaper.

I know Pless mentioned that the the 120k schollys over at UIUC are considered "full-tuition schollys" and that they would match any future increase in tuition. Not sure if this is the same at IUB, but it is worth asking.

[chihuahua12]

120k at IUb isnt exactly free - you still will be taking out 3 years of COL, and tuition will undoubtedly go up over the next 3 years (its already ~2k more than the scholarship pays a year)

but IUb is still way cheaper.

I know Pless mentioned that the the 120k schollys over at UIUC are considered "full-tuition schollys" and that they would match any future increase in tuition. Not sure if this is the same at IUB, but it is worth asking.

I don't think so, since some people got specifically 120k and some got "full scholarship" in their letters.

[kings84_wr]

IU

Chicago Big Law will be tough from either. Its a lot easier getting a job in chicago if you don't have to worry about paying of 100K + in debt.

While ND better known on the coasts, in Chicago everyone knows IU and really the difference is relatively small in the midwest.

[bball25]

If you want to work in the Chicago area why not apply to Illinois? If you received 120 from IU I am sure you will get something nice from UIUC.

[ndirish2010]

I go to ND, but I might choose IU here. Funny thing is, ND gave me more money last cycle, but I got waitlisted by IU...

ND does place more people into Chicago BigLaw than IU, but you're going to need to be top 10-15% from either to have a shot.

[ndirish2010]

FWIW, for the class of 2009, ND placed 28.8% into the NLJ 250 firms, plus another 9% into Article III Clerkships. IU surprisingly wasn't in the top 50 on the NLJ list (<13.2% of the class), and it placed 3% into Article III. Not sure how useful those stats are ITE, but I would imagine that ND would take less of a hit than IU except in Indianapolis.

[thebookcollector]

I'm also at ND, and I'd be inclined to go with IUB in this situation. There are better opportunities at ND... much better opportunities as the post above shows... but not enough to justify $90,000+ in additional costs. And by the time you take into account the $78,000 difference, plus tuition increases and accrued interests, that's how much extra it'll be: almost $90,000+.

Hope that helps.

[Sandro]

If you want to work in the Chicago area why not apply to Illinois? If you received 120 from IU I am sure you will get something nice from UIUC.

Illinois flat out rejected me and I got 120k. 167's with good GPAs are getting rejected/waitlisted left and right.