edit: Columbia vs USC $$$ vs retake
Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:42 pm
So I'm still waiting on 4 more schools, but two of them (Harvard and Columbia) are unlikely to accept me and the other two (UCLA and Georgetown) are unlikely to be better than my current #1 option, so unless I can bink a JR2 (or a JR1 for that matter) or a VCE somehow, my cycle is basically over.
edit: bumping this thread because I did bink that VCE. My mind is all but made up to go to Columbia (assuming I don't get H) but just wanted to see if anyone wanted to give a go at talking me out of it. I have precisely zero desire to work in NYC and very much do not want to get stuck there, but my understanding is that even at median, Columbia should have strong portability back West. Is this correct? Feel free to disregard all the mess below except the goals paragraph just above the cliffs
Like the title says, I've got a 90k offer from USC, but since I'm coming straight out of undergrad with no savings or familial support, I'll still have to take out ~120k in loans to go there. I'm looking for advice about whether I should take that offer or sit out this year and retake for an elite school.
My current stats are 3.41/170 URM. If my grades from this semester hold, my GPA will go up to 3.46 (if that makes a difference). As far as my prospects for a retake go, my study habits for the LSAT I took (October '10) were atrocious...I worked really hard for ~2 or 3 weeks when I first got my LSAT books 4 months before the test, then did basically nothing until about 2 weeks before the test, when I started cramming decently hard. That makes me think that my score has a lot of upward potential. Also, I'm in the final interview stages to become an LSAT tutor, which I feel like would certainly help with retaking the test. My target for a retake would be 175+...which I feel like I could certainly get, but I'd love comments about if I'm being overly optimistic about that.
Another advantage of reapplying would be I could get apps in earlier...partially due to being abroad during fall semester and partially due to my own procrastination, I didn't get my applications in this cycle until 1/30 or later. I definitely feel like my cycle has underperformed my numbers and I think this is probably the chief reason why.
On the other hand, I have a very significant SO to factor into this decision. We're both coming out of ugrad this year and she's reticent (to put it mildly) to wait another year for me to go to law school because she feels it will be damaging for her career if she takes a job now and quits after only a year to follow me to law school (she wants to work in nonprofit development). Has anyone had a SO situation like this? Does anyone know if she is/is not too concerned about the damage staying in her first job for just one year would do?
As far as my goals go, I don't have one career path in law that I'm married to, but I have a general idea of what I'd like. It seems likely to me that Biglaw will be the best way to clear my debt, which I suspect will be pretty substantial no matter what I do. I would love to do a good clerkship if possible, particularly with the 9th circuit COA if possible. I'm from CA and am nearly 100% set on practicing there, although I would prefer SF to LA if possible. Also, if I did go the Biglaw route, I'd have particular interest in firms that represent or fundraise for the Democratic Party as I have an eye on potentially going into elected politics one day...obviously this isn't and shouldn't be an overriding consideration though.
Bah, sorry for the novel.
Cliffs for people who would say tl;dr
-3.41/170 URM late applicant straight out of undergrad
-Only viable option is USC with 90k scholly (120k cost of attendance)
-edit: new viable option of Columbia, presumably at sticker
-Want to work in CA: SF preferred, LA ok
-Interested in clerking on a high level
Questions
-I figure the distinctly better situations I could have would be HYS, Columbia, Boalt, Michigan, full ride or close at UCLA, Rothman at USC. How likely is retake/reapply to put me in position for those options?
-If my SO did quit her first job after a year to follow me to law school, what sort of damage would that likely do to her career path?
edit: bumping this thread because I did bink that VCE. My mind is all but made up to go to Columbia (assuming I don't get H) but just wanted to see if anyone wanted to give a go at talking me out of it. I have precisely zero desire to work in NYC and very much do not want to get stuck there, but my understanding is that even at median, Columbia should have strong portability back West. Is this correct? Feel free to disregard all the mess below except the goals paragraph just above the cliffs
Like the title says, I've got a 90k offer from USC, but since I'm coming straight out of undergrad with no savings or familial support, I'll still have to take out ~120k in loans to go there. I'm looking for advice about whether I should take that offer or sit out this year and retake for an elite school.
My current stats are 3.41/170 URM. If my grades from this semester hold, my GPA will go up to 3.46 (if that makes a difference). As far as my prospects for a retake go, my study habits for the LSAT I took (October '10) were atrocious...I worked really hard for ~2 or 3 weeks when I first got my LSAT books 4 months before the test, then did basically nothing until about 2 weeks before the test, when I started cramming decently hard. That makes me think that my score has a lot of upward potential. Also, I'm in the final interview stages to become an LSAT tutor, which I feel like would certainly help with retaking the test. My target for a retake would be 175+...which I feel like I could certainly get, but I'd love comments about if I'm being overly optimistic about that.
Another advantage of reapplying would be I could get apps in earlier...partially due to being abroad during fall semester and partially due to my own procrastination, I didn't get my applications in this cycle until 1/30 or later. I definitely feel like my cycle has underperformed my numbers and I think this is probably the chief reason why.
On the other hand, I have a very significant SO to factor into this decision. We're both coming out of ugrad this year and she's reticent (to put it mildly) to wait another year for me to go to law school because she feels it will be damaging for her career if she takes a job now and quits after only a year to follow me to law school (she wants to work in nonprofit development). Has anyone had a SO situation like this? Does anyone know if she is/is not too concerned about the damage staying in her first job for just one year would do?
As far as my goals go, I don't have one career path in law that I'm married to, but I have a general idea of what I'd like. It seems likely to me that Biglaw will be the best way to clear my debt, which I suspect will be pretty substantial no matter what I do. I would love to do a good clerkship if possible, particularly with the 9th circuit COA if possible. I'm from CA and am nearly 100% set on practicing there, although I would prefer SF to LA if possible. Also, if I did go the Biglaw route, I'd have particular interest in firms that represent or fundraise for the Democratic Party as I have an eye on potentially going into elected politics one day...obviously this isn't and shouldn't be an overriding consideration though.
Bah, sorry for the novel.
Cliffs for people who would say tl;dr
-3.41/170 URM late applicant straight out of undergrad
-Only viable option is USC with 90k scholly (120k cost of attendance)
-edit: new viable option of Columbia, presumably at sticker
-Want to work in CA: SF preferred, LA ok
-Interested in clerking on a high level
Questions
-I figure the distinctly better situations I could have would be HYS, Columbia, Boalt, Michigan, full ride or close at UCLA, Rothman at USC. How likely is retake/reapply to put me in position for those options?
-If my SO did quit her first job after a year to follow me to law school, what sort of damage would that likely do to her career path?