ASU 25k (then residency) vs. Utah 15k (the residency) Forum

[800lb]

Hello friends -
I gotta make a choice this weekend. I'm going to law school for public interest. I went to undergrad on the cheap, and as a consequence, I have a fair amount of cash from my folks to put towards law school. I can't pay sticker for private/out of state for public, but with residency I'm a pretty solid position financially. ASU and Utah are pretty close in the rankings, and both offered me some cash. Some food for thought:
Utah:
Positive
- I grew up there, and I have solid connections in big firms and in government in Salt Lake City
- Their scholarship cuts the difference with out of state tuition for the first year, and then I'm guaranteed residency for the second and third years
- I know the area really well, and it wouldn't be hard for me to find a favorable living situation
Negative
- They don't have that dedicated a public interest program
- I will strongly differ on both ideological and demographic levels from a majority of my classmates
- It's Utah
ASU:
Positive
- They have a new Family Justice Center, they brought in the best name in Domestic Violence Law to run the thing (Sarah Buel). I have worked in domestic and sexual violence prevention and response for the last few years, and I am going to law school so that I can continue that work as an attorney.
- They have a cool library
Negative
- They are really strict about outside support when candidates are seeking residency, so I couldn't touch that money from my parents for the first year
- I really didn't dig the vibe in Tempe
- I will probably end up living quite a ways away from the school, and I'm not a huge fan of long commutes in busy cities

If anybody has any feedback, send it my way. I'm all ears.

[rwhyAn]

DELETED

ASU!

[El_Gallo]

UTAH!

JK

Where do you want to practice?

[Sewilcox]

So... what did you choose!? Don't leave us hanging!

[Mosca]

Hello friends -
I gotta make a choice this weekend. I'm going to law school for public interest. I went to undergrad on the cheap, and as a consequence, I have a fair amount of cash from my folks to put towards law school. I can't pay sticker for private/out of state for public, but with residency I'm a pretty solid position financially. ASU and Utah are pretty close in the rankings, and both offered me some cash. Some food for thought:
Utah:
Positive
- I grew up there, and I have solid connections in big firms and in government in Salt Lake City
- Their scholarship cuts the difference with out of state tuition for the first year, and then I'm guaranteed residency for the second and third years
- I know the area really well, and it wouldn't be hard for me to find a favorable living situation
Negative
- They don't have that dedicated a public interest program
- I will strongly differ on both ideological and demographic levels from a majority of my classmates
- It's Utah

The bolded sentence is absolutely not true unless you're some kind of right wing holocaust denier. You need to have an open mind about this. Unless you're going to Regent, Pepperdine, or BYU the majority of law students tend to be liberal. Also, Salt Lake City is a very progressive environment, though it is the only city in the state that can say that. It's like an enclave of sensibility in a state full of craziness. It's a great place to live.

[ndirish2010]

The previous post seems to indicate that "liberal" somehow equates to being openminded. What a joke.

[Mosca]

The previous post seems to indicate that "liberal" somehow equates to being openminded. What a joke.

According to Merriam Webster Online that's exactly what "liberal" equates to:

Liberal (noun): : a person who is liberal: as
a : one who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways