Top Law Schools

I posted a very similar poll a few weeks ago but I wanted to run it again with updated information and a different format. Please let me know why you think I should choose the school for which you voted.

The way I see it...I could go to 1) NYU with no aid and use their LRAP and work in PI for 10 years (sacrificing some mobility, but going to a T6) 2) go to UVA or Penn with a decent scholarship (I love the environment at both schools, with a slight edge going to UVA); 3) go to UCLA with 40k merit each year plus 3k need-based at least for the first year.

djeter2 wrote:I posted a very similar poll a few weeks ago but I wanted to run it again with updated information and a different format. Please let me know why you think I should choose the school for which you voted.

The way I see it...I could go to 1) NYU with no aid and use their LRAP and work in PI for 10 years (sacrificing some mobility, but going to a T6) 2) go to UVA or Penn with a decent scholarship (I love the environment at both schools, with a slight edge going to UVA); 3) go to UCLA with 40k merit each year plus 3k need-based at least for the first year.

Toss-up between Penn and UVA, with the edge going to whoever you like better between the two. NYU is probably the best PI school out of the four, but that debt is pretty prohibitive, especially for someone who's going into PI. I'm not sure I would do UCLA unless you have a good geographic reason for doing so, because I don't know that the job prospects coming out of UCLA would be as good as they would be coming out of any of the other three.

Two other things worth noting: 1) Penn's PI focus seemed a little subpar at ASW, and 2) both Penn and UVA place very well in government (especially in DC), which is worth noting if you want to pursue government-related PI. NYU also has a great pipeline to DC, but the cost is pretty steep in your case.

I'm admittedly not focused on PI, so anyone else who's done more PI research than I have can feel free to chime in.

Edit: Voted for UVA

If you're planning on banking on LRAP, it's gotta be NYU.

I just posted something similar in another thread. However, if you want to do public interest, and you're sure about it, it doesn't matter if you owe $150k or $210k. Your payments will be determined solely by your salary and by your school's LRAP. As a public interest student, I would rather have NYU's LRAP and $210k in debt than UVA's or Penn's LRAP and $150k in debt, without a doubt. If you're not totally sure about what you want to do with your career, though, the calculus changes accordingly.

dixiecupdrinking wrote:I just posted something similar in another thread. However, if you want to do public interest, and you're sure about it, it doesn't matter if you owe $150k or $210k. Your payments will be determined solely by your salary and by your school's LRAP. As a public interest student, I would rather have NYU's LRAP and $210k in debt than UVA's or Penn's LRAP and $150k in debt, without a doubt. If you're not totally sure about what you want to do with your career, though, the calculus changes accordingly.

how the hell do penn and nyu have almost the same cost of attendace? housing in nyu alone is at least twice as expensive

mcweanis wrote:

dixiecupdrinking wrote:I just posted something similar in another thread. However, if you want to do public interest, and you're sure about it, it doesn't matter if you owe $150k or $210k. Your payments will be determined solely by your salary and by your school's LRAP. As a public interest student, I would rather have NYU's LRAP and $210k in debt than UVA's or Penn's LRAP and $150k in debt, without a doubt. If you're not totally sure about what you want to do with your career, though, the calculus changes accordingly.

how the hell do penn and nyu have almost the same cost of attendace? housing in nyu alone is at least twice as expensive

Yup, NYU lowballs housing costs.

great.. thats means ill have a few thousand more in debt thats not covered by the lrap (only loans up to coa are covered)

mcweanis wrote:great.. thats means ill have a few thousand more in debt thats not covered by the lrap (only loans up to coa are covered)

yeah im in the same boat..but I think they expect you to have a roommate or two all three years to keep costs low.

Philly housing is ridiculously cheap. I did some apartment hunting there with a friend a year back and you can get a 900 sq ft apt for about $800, which in DC would be at least $1400 and probably 4k or something in Manhattan.