Which is the least terrible choice: T6, T14$, T16$$, T25$$$? Forum

[lawlcat4179]

Well, I guess I'll throw my hat into the ring. Bear in mind that my idea is fairly convoluted, but if I was in your spot its likely exactly what I would do.

First thing I would do is figure out which school you would go to IF you were dead set on going this year. Personally, I would say WashU and UIUC are off the table. When you're already 75K in, by the time you come out you'll basically need biglaw, which probably won't happen (plus clerkships would be quite tough). Also, if you strike out their LRAP's are not really that great. Given your situation I'd actually say Duke has the slight advantage. The scholarship difference between Duke and UCLA is only ~40k or so over 3 years, which I think you could cut drastically if you were very frugal about living expenses. Durham wouldn't cost anywhere near what LA would, which would make them nearly equal by the time you graduate. Plus Duke would have a pretty good LRAP if you struck out.

However, where my plan would get convoluted, is that if I was you I would put down my deposit at Duke and sign up for the June LSAT. Go ahead and prep as well as you can and see how you do. If you score 173+, then take a year off and reapply. Do Americorps or something equivalent for the year (better shot at HYS). You'd likely get a lot of money at MV, plus you may get into HYS. If you score lower or the same on your LSAT, it won't matter because you'll be off to Durham anyway.