HELP!!! Deciding b/w USC w/scholarship and UCLA w/grant Forum

[Aberzombie1892]

OP -

Think if it this way: If you get a paying summer job your 2L summer, you won't have the grant during 3L. If you luck up and get a paying get 1L summer, you won't have the grant for 2L.

My point is that the guaranteed money at a peer (in all ways) school is a better deal because you cannot rely on the money being there. You just can't. Plus, if UCLA can just revoke the money, which wouldn't be out of the question, you would be screwed anyway.

I vote USC, and stress that you consider the above carefully.

[glitter178]

so did you make your decision?

[Puttanesca]

OP -

Think if it this way: If you get a paying summer job your 2L summer, you won't have the grant during 3L. If you luck up and get a paying get 1L summer, you won't have the grant for 2L.

My point is that the guaranteed money at a peer (in all ways) school is a better deal because you cannot rely on the money being there. You just can't. Plus, if UCLA can just revoke the money, which wouldn't be out of the question, you would be screwed anyway.

I vote USC, and stress that you consider the above carefully.

I asked UCLA how much I would get in grant awards if I were to obtain a biglaw SA position, and they said about 10K. A public interest job with a stipend from UCLA would not affect the 20K award. If what UCLA says is true, and I get a public interest job summer after 1L and a biglaw SA position during the summer after 2L, cost of attendance at USC and UCLA would be pretty much equal (due to instate tuition at UCLA).

[Puttanesca]

so did you make your decision?

No, I would have definitely gone to UCLA had it not been for the USC scholarship increase, but now, I'm not quite so sure.

[bdubs]

I asked UCLA how much I would get in grant awards if I were to obtain a biglaw SA position, and they said about 10K. A public interest job with a stipend from UCLA would not affect the 20K award. If what UCLA says is true, and I get a public interest job summer after 1L and a biglaw SA position during the summer after 2L, cost of attendance at USC and UCLA would be pretty much equal (due to instate tuition at UCLA).

Go with UCLA at equal cost. It is in a better location and has the (marginally) better reputation.

[2tearsinabucket]

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[Puttanesca]

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But my heart is going both ways, lol.

[glitter178]

I really had a hard time choosing between USC and UCLA until I went to USC's ASD. I have never felt more "at home" and I was blown away by how friendly people were. I know they were laying it on thick, but I had great conversations with current and future students that I never would have had at my UG institution. At the end of the day, you can't pick because location, at least i don't think so. It's not even about the marginally different reputation. It has to be where you think you will thrive the best. Will the tight-knit trojan network help you succeed and thrive in LS? Are you interested in having your hand held by the LS throughout? Or do you think you would do better in a bit larger environment?

[Puttanesca]

I really had a hard time choosing between USC and UCLA until I went to USC's ASD. I have never felt more "at home" and I was blown away by how friendly people were. I know they were laying it on thick, but I had great conversations with current and future students that I never would have had at my UG institution. At the end of the day, you can't pick because location, at least i don't think so. It's not even about the marginally different reputation. It has to be where you think you will thrive the best. Will the tight-knit trojan network help you succeed and thrive in LS? Are you interested in having your hand held by the LS throughout? Or do you think you would do better in a bit larger environment?

Tight-knit Trojan network? Yes
Hand holding in law school? Not really
Larger environment? Maybe

I went to an HS with 220 students and thought it was too small. Then I went to USC undergrad with 17,500 other students and did much better academically, but there were probably a lot of other factors contributing to doing better in school. As far as the class size goes though, I think wherever I go, I'll just have to learn to adjust.

My pre-law advisors suggested that I go to UCLA just to get a different perspective since I've been at USC undergrad (this was before the scholarship increase, though). My biggest concern, really, is the USC scholarship guarantee vs. the UCLA not so guaranteed award. If UCLA were guaranteed to be equal cost with USC, I would pick UCLA. But I might be taking a big risk with UCLA only projected to be equal cost with USC with the potential of being more expensive.

[glitter178]

I really had a hard time choosing between USC and UCLA until I went to USC's ASD. I have never felt more "at home" and I was blown away by how friendly people were. I know they were laying it on thick, but I had great conversations with current and future students that I never would have had at my UG institution. At the end of the day, you can't pick because location, at least i don't think so. It's not even about the marginally different reputation. It has to be where you think you will thrive the best. Will the tight-knit trojan network help you succeed and thrive in LS? Are you interested in having your hand held by the LS throughout? Or do you think you would do better in a bit larger environment?

Tight-knit Trojan network? Yes
Hand holding in law school? Not really
Larger environment? Maybe

I went to an HS with 220 students and thought it was too small. Then I went to USC undergrad with 17,500 other students and did much better academically, but there were probably a lot of other factors contributing to doing better in school. As far as the class size goes though, I think wherever I go, I'll just have to learn to adjust.

My pre-law advisors suggested that I go to UCLA just to get a different perspective since I've been at USC undergrad (this was before the scholarship increase, though). My biggest concern, really, is the USC scholarship guarantee vs. the UCLA not so guaranteed award. If UCLA were guaranteed to be equal cost with USC, I would pick UCLA. But I might be taking a big risk with UCLA only projected to be equal cost with USC with the potential of being more expensive.

Plus, there's the scary thought of exhorbitant tuition hikes in UCLA's future.

[Puttanesca]

Plus, there's the scary thought of exhorbitant tuition hikes in UCLA's future.

True. I did get the estimated tuition figures at UCLA for the next three years. The estimates for instate tuition are lower than USC's tuition figures, but the key word there is estimate.

[Puttanesca]

I now have until May 4 to decide, so keep the comments coming! Thanks!

[Puttanesca]

To close out this thread, I have decided to go to USC and have placed my first deposit. The scholarship increase and guarantee at USC the most important factors in my decision. Thanks to all who contributed to my thread!