Kentucky ($$$) v Iowa/Tennessee/Florida State? Forum

[usd0L]

I have been accepted to quite a few schools and for various reasons I had narrowed it down to Kansas and Kentucky. I received scholarship offers from both schools, but I heard from UK today that I was awarded a Provost Fellowship (I'm a nonresident so this fellowship covers the difference between resident and nonresident tuition).

The only thing holding me back from committing "whole-hog" to Kentucky is that I have yet to hear back from Iowa, Tennessee, and Florida State. I am guessing that my LSAT/GPA (159/3.71) will make it tough for me to get into these schools in the first place, and even more difficult to get any scholarship dollars.

Thus, if I were to get into Iowa, would it be worth going $145Kish in debt as compared to $50K at UK? What about $100K at Tennessee or $65K Florida State?

Any feedback y'all have would be appreciated!

[Fred_McGriff]

Where do you want to work / live?

[Bill Cosby]

Fred's question is on target. It really comes down to where you want to live, though I'd advise pretty strong against going 145k in the hole for Iowa unless you're supercommitted to living there.

Also, I'm guessing you're a Florida resident?

[usd0L]

I would prefer to live and work in the Midwest or the South, so location isn't a major factor for me right now. I am a resident of South Dakota so Iowa is "closer to home" than Kentucky/Tenn/FSU, but my parents are retiring to Florida within the next year or two.

Does anyone know if Iowa has a loan repayment program for those who chose to go into public service? Also, what role do you think the rankings play in this situation? Is 27 Iowa worth 145K in debt versus 71 Kentucky at 50K?

[Bill Cosby]

Rankings don't matter at this level. All of these schools are regional.

Also wondering how you're coming up with that 65k figure for FSU.

[mrwarre85]

you have good numbers for all those schools. not an auto admit by any stretch, but you are above the GPA medians and close to the LSAT medians. Iowa is infamous for forming a class of nearly all splitters and reverse splitters, so you have a good shot there too so long as you ap is appealing.

I would pay the seat deposit at UK or KU, whichever you want based on where you would prefer to live, and then wait out the other schools assuming you would prefer Iowa or UTK. UTK is better than FSU for the "south" as in more UTK grads end up in other states surrounding TN. FSU may be a better law school though-- IDK they are both pretty good.

Could you get in-state after your first year at either one of them?

[t3hevildonut]

.

[usd0L]

Bill: I was operating under the assumption that I would be able to obtain Florida residency after my first year at FSU due to the fact that my parents own a home there and what not, but I see on their Web site that a new law would not allow me to do that. So I guess FSU would be more like 110K.

mrwarre85: Thanks for the response. I would be paying OOS tuition wherever I go (expect at Kentucky with my fellowship).

Since t3hevildonut brought it up, what do you all think about UK with around 36K in scholarships compared to KU with 17.5K? My parents are pushing Kansas but I don't think I could justify giving up 20K to go there over Kentucky. (I just want to make sure I am turning around the lantern)

[Bill Cosby]

You would be able to gain residency after 1L even if your parents were not moving from what I've been able to gather as an incoming 1L this fall. However, just tuition alone is 38k OOS and 18k instate, so you're looking at around 75k before even getting in to living expenses.

[usd0L]

Math was never my strong suit, which might explain why I am going to law school