. Forum

[andyandy]

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[crit_racer]

Vanderbilt

[doublefocus4]

Go with Vandy

[coldshoulder]

I'd say WUSTL. What were your numbers?

[ausoccer19]

Vandy

[andyandy]

173/3.2
To those saying Vandy, anyone care to elaborate? Does its higher ranking really make the price difference worth it? I'm having a hard time convincing myself of that.

[beachbum]

WUSTL is the most cost-effective option, but will probably land you in the midwest. Vandy has the best job prospects, but has an awful LRAP. GW has location going for it, but is otherwise a pretty weak option. Employment in DC is going to be tough out of any of these schools.

Honestly, I would sit this one out and ED to GULC next year. Otherwise, Vandy.

[coldshoulder]

I think you should go WUSTL. Any free law school education in the t20 is a no brainer. If you do well and stay in the top 25% you probably won't have much trouble finding a job.

[justhockey31]

There is another thread where the person is trying to decide between WUSTL ($$) vs GW sticker and who really wants DC. From reading that thread, it appears that WUSTL has a very good DC clinic which gives you a chance into the market that you wouldn't expect to given its location. However, I would still probably go Vandy as it is the best school+cost combination. 2nd would probably be WUSTL though due to the cost + DC clinic.

[Grizz]

Of those choices, Vandy, despite the mediocre LRAP.

[Magnolia]

I would eliminate GW since it's the most expensive and has the worst LRAP. Between WUSTL and Vandy, I think it comes down to how debt averse you are. I would be willing to pay 60k at Vandy for the increase in employment prospects and geographic mobility, but YMMV.

[stylishlaw]

EDIT: Whoops didn't read a sentence

[Grizz]

You need top 10% at WUSTL without IP background in order to secure DC biglaw, just so you know.

I want to do public interest.

[stylishlaw]

You need top 10% at WUSTL without IP background in order to secure DC biglaw, just so you know.

I want to do public interest.

I r dumb.

[andyandy]

So, in your guys' opinion, would Georgetown at sticker trump Vanderbilt and WUSTL if that waitlist were to come through?

[Flips88]

So, in your guys' opinion, would Georgetown at sticker trump Vanderbilt and WUSTL if that waitlist were to come through?

Well if your parents will cover COL and some tuition at GULC, then totally. Their LRAP is great. Covers 100% of your IBR payment if you have a salary of $75,000 or below. It's the best school in the DC market, has great clinics where you could get some hands on work doing PI stuff, and places well in government and PI work.

WUSTL->DC Public Interest seems like it'd be very difficult. Vandy's CSO seemed to make it out that if you wanted DC, you could get it because Vanderbilt is a great name and adds diversity when everyone out there sees resumes from GULC, GW, American, and T-14s. But their LRAP is the big drawback and one of the reasons I chose not to go there, despite it being a very very good school. However, I was looking at $170,000 in debt from Vandy where you aren't. So it'd still be a solid option.

[Aberzombie1892]

So, in your guys' opinion, would Georgetown at sticker trump Vanderbilt and WUSTL if that waitlist were to come through?

Depends how much in loans you would need.

If Vanderbilt would cost you $60,000 in loans, I wouldn't go more than $80,000-$100,000 for Georgetown.

[flexityflex86]

Idk if WUSTL is really free. His family is paying for it. That's less of an inheritance for you. That's also making your family pay for something - one of the primary motivations to make $ is taking care of your family, so this is not free legal education.

I don't know if Vandy is worth 65k more than WUSTL. It is not, but if you're very anti-Mid West then you should go with Vandy.

No law firm is going to tell you that GW is a better school than Vandy, because it isn't so that is out of the convo.

[flexityflex86]

So, in your guys' opinion, would Georgetown at sticker trump Vanderbilt and WUSTL if that waitlist were to come through?

Depends how much in loans you would need.

If Vanderbilt would cost you $60,000 in loans, I wouldn't go more than $80,000-$100,000 for Georgetown.

OP, you want to work in D.C. Georgetown is the best school in D.C.

Even if you had a full ride to WUSTL, GT would be worth it if you know D.C. is your first choice. That would be a no brainer. I also think you'll get off the waitlist with your stats.

[keg411]

173/3.2

No UVA/Northwestern?

[sanetruth]

173/3.2

No UVA/Northwestern?

Yes I was gonna ask, when did you apply? I am also surprised you didn't snag GULC or Cornell with that LSAT.

[duckmoney]

A free WUSTL degree is definitely worth something, although you would have better (although not too much better) prospects out of Vandy and $60k is still a very manageable debt load, even for PI and with their shitty LRAP.

GW is out, don't pay sticker there.

[TheFactor]

Idk if WUSTL is really free. His family is paying for it. That's less of an inheritance for you. That's also making your family pay for something - one of the primary motivations to make $ is taking care of your family, so this is not free legal education.

I don't know if Vandy is worth 65k more than WUSTL. It is not, but if you're very anti-Mid West then you should go with Vandy.

No law firm is going to tell you that GW is a better school than Vandy, because it isn't so that is out of the convo.

lolwut

[bk1]

Why are people talking about LRAP when OP is considering 60-80k in debt? I mean it's nice but very tangential to school quality when debt is that low, imo.

I think the best bet is to reapply for lower T14 (maybe retake), assuming parents are still willing to fork over the same amount of money. As it stands, I don't think the choice is that easy. While everybody is harping don't pay sticker at GW (and I agree, but that is not relevant here since parentals are paying for most of OP's CoA), I'm not really convinced that Vandy has an edge for PI work to make it a better pick than GW. I mean if it is true that Vandy has an edge here then I think Vandy is the right call, but I'm just not so sure of that. WUSTL for free is nice, but I think it is justifiable to pay 60k more in this instance to make sure you end up in the area you want.

Because I'm not convinced that Vandy has an appreciable PI edge over GW while costing about the same amount of money, and because OP has a preference for DC, I honestly think GW is the right call here. Unless Vandy has that PI edge, I see no reason to take Vandy over GW at this cost due to location preference and the networking opportunities entailed by actually being in DC. But to reiterate, I think reapply, possibly with a retake, is the best bet here.

[buckilaw]

Why are people talking about LRAP when OP is considering 60-80k in debt? I mean it's nice but very tangential to school quality when debt is that low, imo.

I think the best bet is to reapply for lower T14 (maybe retake), assuming parents are still willing to fork over the same amount of money. As it stands, I don't think the choice is that easy. While everybody is harping don't pay sticker at GW (and I agree, but that is not relevant here since parentals are paying for most of OP's CoA), I'm not really convinced that Vandy has an edge for PI work to make it a better pick than GW. I mean if it is true that Vandy has an edge here then I think Vandy is the right call, but I'm just not so sure of that. WUSTL for free is nice, but I think it is justifiable to pay 60k more in this instance to make sure you end up in the area you want.

Because I'm not convinced that Vandy has an appreciable PI edge over GW while costing about the same amount of money, and because OP has a preference for DC, I honestly think GW is the right call here. Unless Vandy has that PI edge, I see no reason to take Vandy over GW at this cost due to location preference and the networking opportunities entailed by actually being in DC. But to reiterate, I think reapply, possibly with a retake, is the best bet here.

With a 173 already on record I don't see the OP gaining much from a retake. I would ED UVA/GULC or NU next year, but if OP decides not to retake, Vandy with only 60k debt is pretty solid.