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Deciding between UCLA and UCI. Want to practice big law in SoCal. UCLA will force me to borrow $130K or so with interest accruing right away, and by graduation this will amount to $150K in debt.

Edit: UCI is with a full scholarship.

I'd take UCI.

I'm assuming you're living at home at UCI but would have to rent a place at UCLA because otherwise the math seems way off.

bk187 wrote:I'd take UCI.

I'm assuming you're living at home at UCI but would have to rent a place at UCLA because otherwise the math seems way off.

Agreed. UCLA isn't worth 130k more than UCI.

Also, you should consider total debt over the life of the loan, not just what will accrue while you are in school. (i.e. calculate what it will cost to pay that off over 10/15/20 years).

starlaw wrote:Deciding between UCLA and UCI. Want to practice big law in SoCal. UCLA will force me to borrow $130K or so with interest accruing right away, and by graduation this will amount to $150K in debt.

Edit: UCI is with a full scholarship.

UCI full ride?? When were you admitted??

ensign85 wrote:

starlaw wrote:Deciding between UCLA and UCI. Want to practice big law in SoCal. UCLA will force me to borrow $130K or so with interest accruing right away, and by graduation this will amount to $150K in debt.

Edit: UCI is with a full scholarship.

UCI full ride?? When were you admitted??

Several months ago.

Tossup. I voted for UCI, but if you want Biglaw I can understand why you would choose UCLA. The biggest difference between the two schools will probably be the number of people in each of your classes

UCI w/no debt is the safer option. Only 35% at UCLA got biglaw http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... hbxlogin=1

Even though your chances at SoCal biglaw will likely be greater at UCLA than at UCI, the 35% figure at UCLA is not good enough to justify a 6-figure cost difference.

Not much support in favor of UCLA here

UCI seems to have placed it's 2Ls well enough:

http://www.law.uci.edu/career_dev/offer ... yment.html