Advice: Penn v. Mich v. Vandy v. GW Forum

stevieboy · Post by **stevieboy** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:09 pm

Looking for advice:

I'm interested in Biglaw and in government work. I'd like to work on the East Coast (i.e. DC, NYC), but would like some portability as well. I have no UG debt and I'm not terribly debt adverse, but 200k does scare me. Here are my options, with estimated COAs:

GW: $118,000 (105k scholly)
Vandy: $134,000 (72k scholly)
Michigan: $196,000 (sticker)
Penn: $204,000 (sticker)

Of all these schools, Penn is my favorite. But that debt....

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:18 pm

Either Penn or Michigan, whatever you like best.

Penn may be marginally better for NYC/DC placement (assuming Biglaw), but personal preferences should exceed that small difference.

sarahlawg · Post by **sarahlawg** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:40 pm

not that it's a big difference, but Penn over 3 years is 213,000.... it's painful looking at their financial aid package.

justhockey31 · Post by **justhockey31** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:11 pm

I voted Penn but Michigan would also be a great choice

stylishlaw · Post by **stylishlaw** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:44 pm

GW should not be in this discussion. If you are willing to take money to go to GW, you should go to Vandy instead.

The choice between the remaining three is about a toss-up. Congrats on the cycle and having some great options!

TLSNYC · Post by **TLSNYC** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:45 pm

If Penn is your favorite, then go to Penn. You also can't go wrong with Michigan, but don't drop any lower.

Lawlcat · Post by **Lawlcat** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:41 pm

TLSNYC wrote:If Penn is your favorite, then go to Penn. You also can't go wrong with Michigan, but don't drop any lower.

Agreed.

Like I said in the NYU vs. Michigan thread: my opinion is that outside of HYS, nobody should feel compelled to pick the higher-ranked T14. (Well, Georgetown does seem to have some placement issues, it's true. Otherwise they seem pretty damn similar.) I don't think it makes sense to be like, "Oh, I can't go to Cornell, even though I like it; I HAVE to go to Michigan."

It's not just a being happy for three years thing: it's also which school is going to let you perform better and learn better. Perhaps even more important: alumni. If you like the school's culture, you're going to have better alumni connections going forward.

One reservation: Penn's heraldry appears to include fish. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Fish? Really?

BeachandRun23 · Post by **BeachandRun23** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:47 pm

stylishlaw wrote:GW should not be in this discussion. If you are willing to take money to go to GW, you should go to Vandy instead.

The choice between the remaining three is about a toss-up. Congrats on the cycle and having some great options!

This. As for the Michigan vs. Penn thing, if you prefer penn, then choose that. I wouldnt be unhappy for 3 years over 8 thousand dollars.

stevieboy · Post by **stevieboy** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:01 am

dood · Post by **dood** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:04 am

stylishlaw wrote:GW should not be in this discussion. If you are willing to take money to go to GW, you should go to Vandy instead.

The choice between the remaining three is about a toss-up. Congrats on the cycle and having some great options!

nonono, go to penn or MI, but if are willing to take money at all, go to GW, not vandy. WTF is a "vandy" seriously WHAT THE FUCK IS A VANDY?

duckmoney · Post by **duckmoney** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:07 am

I vote Vandy. Great school with solid prospects, and 72k is a lot of money. You may end up in a smaller market, and you may in end up in the southeast, but if that doesn't bother you then go for it.

meno22 · Post by **meno22** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:57 am

duckmoney wrote:I vote Vandy. Great school with solid prospects, and 72k is a lot of money. You may end up in a smaller market, and you may in end up in the southeast, but if that doesn't bother you then go for it.

Slevin Kelevra 2011 · Post by **Slevin Kelevra 2011** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:15 am

Hard to pass up those scholarships. I'd take GW off the list, as Vandy would be better and the cost difference probably worth it at that point. Hard to argue against Penn though. Ivy league degree, great job placement stats, etc.

stevieboy · Post by **stevieboy** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:23 pm

stevieboy · Post by **stevieboy** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:09 pm

Thanks all for the input!

ndirish2010 · Post by **ndirish2010** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:10 pm

If it were me, I'd probably go to Vandy. I can understand the arguments for Penn/Michigan though.

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:14 pm

I vote Vandy. While it has worse biglaw placement than Penn/Mich, its main market after TN is NYC and its placement isn't too far behind Penn/Mich.

With around 40% chance of biglaw I think Vandy is the right call. My main reason being is that with $134k debt you aren't completely boned if you miss out on biglaw (with a 50k salary and some raises you could conceivably pay it off in 15 years, possibly 10 if you scrimp) whereas with $200k that kind of debt is going to be a noose around your neck for a much longer time if you miss the biglaw boat.

dood · Post by **dood** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:15 pm

if u go to penn everybody will ask you about your football team and joe paterno. i voted MI in order to avoid this conversation.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:21 pm

Penn & Michigan are in a different league, in my opinion.

meno22 · Post by **meno22** » Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:18 pm

i voted vandy due to the solid scholly.

2things2 · Post by **2things2** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:07 am

I would pick Penn in a heartbeat, only because I love Philly and Penn's campus is absolutely beautiful. As for long term debt well hey how the hell do I know what you can afford?

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:19 am

bk187 wrote:I vote Vandy. While it has worse biglaw placement than Penn/Mich, its main market after TN is NYC and its placement isn't too far behind Penn/Mich.

With around 40% chance of biglaw I think Vandy is the right call. My main reason being is that with $134k debt you aren't completely boned if you miss out on biglaw (with a 50k salary and some raises you could conceivably pay it off in 15 years, possibly 10 if you scrimp) whereas with $200k that kind of debt is going to be a noose around your neck for a much longer time if you miss the biglaw boat.

I agree completely.

stevieboy · Post by **stevieboy** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:36 am

thanks again everyone.

niederbomb · Post by **niederbomb** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 12:33 pm

Government? Clearly, you should pick Michigan. Ideally, LRAP will help you not have to pay off those loans. Second choice would be Penn, which is better for Big Law. Neither may be possible at the other two schools, and Vandy is not that much cheaper than Michigan according to your analysis.

So I vote Michigan, based on your career goals.

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