So, you would pay 210K for something that may open up a few more doors? It would be silly to say that Columbia does not offer better opportunities: better shot at academia, top clerkships, V10 firms will dip deeper in the class, but the price I would pay for that difference is significantly less. Personally, I would go to Cornell, get my biglaw job, and invest the money (would make more than a nice down payment on your dream house).MOOBCINOS wrote:It's not dumb. Just look at the numbers. Yes, Cornell and Columbia are both great schools. The issue is just thay Columbia will open a few more doors for you than Cornell.
The debt issue comes into play only if you want to work for Govt. or something else with a lower salary compared, in which case I would recommend Cornell.
I'm simply pointing out the fact that, if OP wants to go to BigLaw, biting the 210k bullet to go to Columbia is probably worth it.
Also, I think you have it backwards. If I was going to work in some sort of low paying job, I would be more willing to take on the additional debt because of LRAP and IBR.