GW vs. UNH ($$$)? Forum

[rangers0412]

TLS is full of southerners it seems, so many threads with people bitching about the cold. NH during the winter is amazing if you like to ski/snowboard, and even more amazing during the summer if you like the outdoors. If you can find a job as a lawyer in NH (big if) that would be a pretty sweet life, especially with little/no debt?

[ach24]

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[ensign3066]

I transferred out of UNH this year. Few people kept their schollies. With a degree from GW you'd have the mobility to get up north for employment following graduation.

edit: Nobody enjoys NH winters. Except masochists.

[bosa]

I'd go to UNH and work hard to keep your scholarship and get into the Webster program. I was deciding between UNH and UMaine a few days ago. I really like UNH and NH but I couldn't justify the cost. For you though, if you can become a NH resident saving 4k a year on top of the scholly, if you aren't already, you'll have almost no debt coming out of law school. GW will leave you 135k, plus interest and tuition increases that could leave you upwards of 170k in debt. Even at a t20 school you'll be a debt slave for a few years. Choose the cheap option, work hard to make connections and do the Webster program, which will get you out of taking the NH bar. Plus NH is awesome and if people think a southern NH winter is cold, try Maine. Also don;t forget to take into account living costs that will likely increase your high interest "grad plus" loans significantly. Those have a 7.9% interest rate and it costs a lot more to cover the cost of living in DC then it does in Manchester or Concord.

http://www.law.gwu.edu/Admissions/finan ... fault.aspx
GW admits that cost of living and other expenses beyond tuition would amount to nearly 29k a year. And that usually only covers 9 months of living costs So GW could put you over 200,000 dollars in debt. It makes almost no financial sense. http://law.unh.edu/financialaid/cost.php
UNH cost of living is closer to 19 saving an easy 30k plus interest over 3 years on top of massive tuition differences.

Also at UNH, the loans you will need to take out could probably be covered by subsidized loans which have a grace period before you need to be worrying about interest. Also a part time job could nearly cover cost of living, I doubt the same could be said of DC.

edit: final comment. I saw a comment or two that suggest you'll be screwed if you lose your scholarship at UNH. But at GW you start out screwed and only become unscrewed if you win the jackpot after staying in the top of your class and lining up a 120k job.

[Chippy]

I transferred out of UNH this year. Few people kept their schollies. With a degree from GW you'd have the mobility to get up north for employment following graduation.

edit: Nobody enjoys NH winters. Except masochists.

With GW, you also have the mobility to become a debt slave for the rest of your days.

[barkingbug]

Ensign is simply wrong. None of my friends at UNH lost their scholarships, and at least two actually got more after the first year. In fact, no one that I talked to was even close to losing any money. Getting a 3.2 is not hard. You can do that with just B+s and a few Bs. If you cannot do that, you should drop out anyway.

Most of the people I know (which admittedly skews to the top 20%) already have good job offers for the summer.

I turned down T1 and T2 offers to go to UNH with a scholarship, and could not be happier. This is partially because I enjoy the area, and partially because I will leave with minimal debt and a decent job. The job market is never clear, but paying an extra $135,000+ for job prospects that are a little better seems silly. It is worth noting that IP students do particularly well at UNH. Anyone who thinks specialty rankings are meaningless thinks wrong. UNH is all over most of the nation's top IP firms.

Also, most everyone that lives here does so by choice. Instead of suffering through god awful heat and humidity for half the year in DC, they get no traffic, change of seasons, accessible outdoor activities, and skiing an hour away from Boston. Lazy DBs like ensign who only leave home to eat popcorn in the theatre may not enjoy that, but many do.

[sky7]

What everyone here is missing is that she is IP. It's true that a biology bachelors isn't amazing for IP, there are still firms who will take you. I anecdotally know of classmates with just that background.

As for employment at GW, IP is pretty much a silver bullet. I know no one who has passed the patent bar at GW who can't find a job making great money. I am below median and had two offers to choose from.

As for funding, most IP types are in the evening program at GW. They are patent agents during the day at a firm - the firm often pays for law school. I would look into moving into the evening program at GW, and finding a job at one of the million patent firms in the area.

For patent, this is a no brainer. GW is amazing.

[barkingbug]

Not close to a no-brainer. UNH is better for IP, and will not suck your finances dry for decades.

[YourCaptain]

way to thread necro bro

[MormonChristian]

I read this thread.

Very interesting.

Glad you brought it up.

[sky7]

Not close to a no-brainer. UNH is better for IP, and will not suck your finances dry for decades.

So, if you go to GW as an evening student, you work for a patent firm during the day making 100k. And they pay for law school. It's the best financial deal around.

And GW is a better School for IP (says the IP ranking and top IP firm placement). I'm not sure how else to explain this. If you can get the evening program, you are set. No brainer.

[barkingbug]

Not close to a no-brainer. UNH is better for IP, and will not suck your finances dry for decades.

So, if you go to GW as an evening student, you work for a patent firm during the day making 100k. And they pay for law school. It's the best financial deal around.

And GW is a better School for IP (says the IP ranking and top IP firm placement). I'm not sure how else to explain this. If you can get the evening program, you are set. No brainer.

If you can make 100k/year and get school paid for, yes GW is a much better deal. The only problem is that most will not be able to pull that off, if any. The cost of living is also dramatically higher in DC.

[sky7]

Not close to a no-brainer. UNH is better for IP, and will not suck your finances dry for decades.

So, if you go to GW as an evening student, you work for a patent firm during the day making 100k. And they pay for law school. It's the best financial deal around.

And GW is a better School for IP (says the IP ranking and top IP firm placement). I'm not sure how else to explain this. If you can get the evening program, you are set. No brainer.

If you can make 100k/year and get school paid for, yes GW is a much better deal. The only problem is that most will not be able to pull that off, if any. The cost of living is also dramatically higher in DC.

Not really true. The vast majority (>%90) of the IP students that get into GW do it. In fact, I'm the only IP student I know who didn't do that because I have a commitment to my current job.

Also - I want to make it clear: UNH is a great school for IP. It seems to place reasonably well with firms. But I don't think it's in the same class as GW (as every IP ranking and firm placement will tell you), and it doesn't offer the opportunities that GW does for IP. Most people who are doing IP at GW get a huge hookup from either the USPTO (which is hiring like crazy) or as a patent agent for a firm. It's pretty win-win.

[MormonChristian]

Most people who are doing IP at GW get a huge hookup from either the USPTO (which is hiring like crazy) or as a patent agent for a firm. It's pretty win-win.

I like winning.


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[sky7]

Most people who are doing IP at GW get a huge hookup from either the USPTO (which is hiring like crazy) or as a patent agent for a firm. It's pretty win-win.

I like winning.


--ImageRemoved--

I'll pass on the tiger blood, though. I have a pretty sensitive stomach.

[sgoingIP]

If you know you want to stay in NH, my friends there talk about how well UNH places throughout NH throughout the % of the class. But, if you are outside the top 5-10%, you are going to have real trouble placing in other cities - even Boston. Also, a 3.2 will be harder to obtain then you can possible realize it the curve is set at 3.0.

While GW will undoubtedly give you a higher debt burden, you will also not have to finish in the top 10% to work outside of NH. As the other poster indicated, if you are IP and go to GW - you will find a job, especially if you are not interested in big law. Additionally, GW gives you the ability to work year around at the various IP firms, USPTO, and USITC; whereas NH is a bit of the beaten track.

[barkingbug]

I think sky is largely correct, although I find it very difficult to believe that GW law students are able to get a job that essentially pays $130k(ish) a year from the first semester of the 1L year with ease. GW is a touch higher in the specialty rankings, but was recently lower. I would agree that it is a better choice though if you take tuition out of the equation.

The last post is just flat wrong. Plenty of people in the top 30 percent are getting placed in big cities and overseas. Especially Boston. It is also probably easier to get a higher rank at UNH.