Vanderbilt (60K) vs. IU-B (120K) vs. Iowa (120K) Forum

[Keats]

Just got the letter from Vandy, and I think it’s a game-changer. I went there for undergrad, and I love the campus, I love Nashville, I love it all. I’d love to spend three more years there but I wasn’t getting my hopes up because I’m pretty averse to debt and I wasn’t expecting this kind of money from them. I’ll be visiting Indiana and Iowa for their ASDs (I’ve never been to either campus), but in the meantime I need to decide whether Vanderbilt’s offer will be feasible for me. I have very little saved up, so I’ll have to rely on loans more than I’d like to, but essentially what it comes down to is whether the hole I’ll be digging myself into is one I’ll be able to dig out of within 4-5 years. If it isn’t, I don’t know how much it matters that I love Nashville, because I don’t want to deprive myself of financial flexibility in the long run. Any advice will be appreciated.

[JCougar]

Just got the letter from Vandy, and I think it’s a game-changer. I went there for undergrad, and I love the campus, I love Nashville, I love it all. I’d love to spend three more years there but I wasn’t getting my hopes up because I’m pretty averse to debt and I wasn’t expecting this kind of money from them. I’ll be visiting Indiana and Iowa for their ASDs (I’ve never been to either campus), but in the meantime I need to decide whether Vanderbilt’s offer will be feasible for me. I have very little saved up, so I’ll have to rely on loans more than I’d like to, but essentially what it comes down to is whether the hole I’ll be digging myself into is one I’ll be able to dig out of within 4-5 years. If it isn’t, I don’t know how much it matters that I love Nashville, because I don’t want to deprive myself of financial flexibility in the long run. Any advice will be appreciated.

I'd stay away from Indiana unless 1) you want to work in Indiana, and 2) you have zero aspirations for biglaw.

ITE, I'd say Vandy is the right choice. Iowa's not a bad school, but it's OCI really got hammered by the recession. Vandy's numbers are down too, but they're still fairly strong, and my guess is that they're more poised for a quick rebound.

[ndirish2010]

Vandy.

[CanadianWolf]

Vanderbilt, then Iowa, then indiana.

[Keats]

Appreciate the feedback. Looks like TLS has spoken.