Can't Decide: U Richmond worth it with a full ride? Forum

[Kimi]

I'm currently waitlisted at W&L and UVA, but I'm in at Richmond and was given an idea of what to expect for scholarship money which will amount to close to a full ride. I haven't heard back yet from the other schools to which I've applied.

However, I'm wondering if Richmond would be worth it with such a big scholarship? My dad has his own practice, so I have something of a cushion when it comes to getting a job. What's the likelihood I could transfer out into a T14 or T20 school after the first year with solid grades?

[CanadianWolf]

It is worth it if you want to live & work in the Richmond area after law school. Otherwise, more information about your other options & about your career goals is needed. Regardless, Virginia at full tuition offers better employment opportunities than Richmond does on a full tuition scholarship.

[anjmissy]

I have the same offer from richmond and thought it was amazing until I realized that a lot of richmond people end up in richmond or further south..and being from richmond I don't want to stay..I would say wait to hear from other schools..richmond is a really good school but if you decide to go to dc you will have a lot of competition, I say wait til you hear from w&l..that's where I'm going (so far)..lol

[CanadianWolf]

OP: Fight as smart & as hard as you can in order to be admitted off of Virginia's waitlist.

[crossarmant]

It's a great school for full scholarship, but again, only really a great idea if you're looking for Richmond. Could possibly extend to Virginia Beach area (But then there's W&M there) or Roanoke (W&L there) and maybe DC exurbs (GMU there). Ultimately, if you enjoy RVA, it's a fair deal. And depending on the person, they may either love or despise living in Richmond.

[vissidarte27]

I'm in the same boat -- looking at nearly a full-ride, but admitted to better schools.

I like Richmond, my partner could find work there (not so much the case with somewhere like W&L), and I like the idea of taking on little debt. But I'm not sure. Is it better in the long-run to have stronger employment options or less debt?

Ugh.

[quiver]

What's the likelihood I could transfer out into a T14 or T20 school after the first year with solid grades?

Same as everyone else going there, so like a 5% chance. You absolutely cannot bank on transferring. I say fight to get off the UVA waitlist.

[cool]

No.

[dibs]

this year we had 2 transfer out to georgetown, 2 to uva, and 1 to michigan. class size 144. think there were a few other transfers.

[Perdevise]

If you like living in Richmond and are sure you can land in your pop's firm, then the full ride sounds pretty good.

[mighttransfer]

It's a great school for full scholarship, but again, only really a great idea if you're looking for Richmond. Could possibly extend to Virginia Beach area (But then there's W&M there) or Roanoke (W&L there) and maybe DC exurbs (GMU there). Ultimately, if you enjoy RVA, it's a fair deal. And depending on the person, they may either love or despise living in Richmond.

This is poor insight. Geographically speaking, WM is just as close to Richmond as it is to Norfolk/VB. Norfolk/VB firms will generally prefer WM over UR because WM is a superior school, not because WM is closer in location. Ultimately, there are TONS of UR grads working throughout VA, especially in Richmond, Norfolk, and VB. There are also tons of WM and WL grads in those areas as well. But my point is that WM doesn't provide a geographic boost over UR in the Norfolk/VB area.

I'm currently waitlisted at W&L and UVA, but I'm in at Richmond and was given an idea of what to expect for scholarship money which will amount to close to a full ride. I haven't heard back yet from the other schools to which I've applied.

However, I'm wondering if Richmond would be worth it with such a big scholarship? My dad has his own practice, so I have something of a cushion when it comes to getting a job. What's the likelihood I could transfer out into a T14 or T20 school after the first year with solid grades?

You need to base your decision on two things: (1) where you want to practice; and (2) your financial situation. I would say UVA over UR with full ride. But I would take UR full ride over WL any day (in particular because half of my transfer class is WL students who transferred because they hated WL's 3L program). If you know that you want to practice in VA, UR with a full ride is an excellent option, especially since you are pretty much guaranteed employment. If, however, you are confident that you would like to work elsewhere, then WL might be a better option. Moreover, if you want a slight boost in prestige and you're not footing the law school bill, then take WL. At bottom, UR is a great school for VA, and it sounds like it would be solid for your situation. Good luck.

this year we had 2 transfer out to georgetown, 2 to uva, and 1 to michigan. class size 144. think there were a few other transfers.

There was also a dude who transferred to Duke. And a few lateral transfers.