UF vs UGA vs Fordham sticker Forum

[law chihuahua]

Hi guys. I'm not in state anywhere since I'm from abroad. I am a US citizen though. I'm not necessarily big law or bust but if I had the option I'm open to it. I have a $40k + scholarship from UF and have not heard back from the other two schools about money so for the present moment lets assume they are both at sticker. I think I may be able to become in state at UF and UGA from the 2nd year onward but if anyone has anecdotal info I would also appreciate it. What would you guys do if you were in my situation? If I retake it would be my 3rd attempt.
Thanks everyone!

[romothesavior]

Because you lack substantial ties to any market, the choice is clear here. You should retake. UGA and UF would be bad investments without ties, and Fordham at sticker is financial suicide (a quarter million dollars for at best a 1/3 chance at getting a job that will allow you to pay it off).

[tennisking88]

Hi guys. I'm not in state anywhere since I'm from abroad. I am a US citizen though. I'm not necessarily big law or bust but if I had the option I'm open to it. I have a $40k + scholarship from UF and have not heard back from the other two schools about money so for the present moment lets assume they are both at sticker. I think I may be able to become in state at UF and UGA from the 2nd year onward but if anyone has anecdotal info I would also appreciate it. What would you guys do if you were in my situation? If I retake it would be my 3rd attempt.
Thanks everyone!

While none of these options is fantastic (I voted retake) I would take the school with the lowest price. If you're ok with Florida, that'd be UF. Do not pay sticker price for UGA. For the love of God do not pay sticker price for Fordham.

[laxbrah420]

UGA sticker is 65k OOS. That's not a lot of money

[rad lulz]

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[tennisking88]

UGA sticker is 65k OOS. That's not a lot of money

Whoops. Did not realize it's that easy to become a resident for 2L. Yeah then UGA is doable at sticker. I would still retake.

[romothesavior]

UGA sticker is 65k OOS. That's not a lot of money

You're still talking 100k+ for a degree from a highly regional school with marginal job prospects in a state that OP has no ties to. It's objectively stupid.

And UF is cheap and it is a good school, but international students struggle a lot at most schools. Going to a lower T1 school in a horrible market (Florida blows) as a non-citizen without major Florida ties is also a recipe for joblessness.

OP, do yourself a favor and retake.

[rad lulz]

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[law chihuahua]

Wow, thanks for the helpful replies everyone. Yeah, I'm a citizen and a she, not a he. I'm also a native English speaker from the U.S., if that's what the above poster was referring to w/ the comment about internationals struggling in law school.

So I had to use the info on TLS rankings and profiles, but if I go to UF w/ the scholarship (assuming I get in state residency during 2L and 3L), it would mean my COA (including living expenses) would only be about 40k total for 3 years. Even w/ tuition hikes it would probably be only a bit more than that, no?
It seems like a really good school, but you guys don't think the school at that price is reasonable?

I didn't crunch the numbers for UGA yet but if the above poster is right, then 60k + seems about right.
Fordham's draw would be the opportunity to pursue big law, but yeah, the price tag is obviously rather scary.

Btw, I do have a backup plan of sorts in that I'm a non trad. I've worked in translation in my current country for a few years and am completely bilingual, so absolute worst case scenario I guess I could go into legal translation. I'd prefer to get a real legal job after graduation, though.
Re. retake, I got a 166 and am scared that I might have peaked. Should I just bite the bullet and try again? I'm worried that a lower score might look bad and about losing the scholarship I got.
Thanks again everyone!

[romothesavior]

So I had to use the info on TLS rankings and profiles, but if I go to UF w/ the scholarship (assuming I get in state residency during 2L and 3L), it would mean my COA (including living expenses) would only be about 40k total for 3 years. Even w/ tuition hikes it would probably be only a bit more than that, no?
It seems like a really good school, but you guys don't think the school at that price is reasonable?

It's not so much that the price is unreasonable. 40-50k is a great COA for a T1 school, and in most cases I'd say go for it. It's just going to be hard getting a job there if you aren't from there. Florida is an insanely battered and oversaturated market right now, so its going to be an uphill climb for an out-of-stater. It is your best option on the table, but it is a big gamble. I think retaking is TCR.

[rad lulz]

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[iosborn12]

I didn't crunch the numbers for UGA yet but if the above poster is right, then 60k + seems about right.

I did crunch the numbers for UGA today (I'm looking at UGA at sticker OOS or Alabama with $70K), and based on their cost of living figures its $119,540 (one year of $51,252 out of state and two years of $34,144 instate).

--LinkRemoved--

That's still a very scary figure, especially with ties to the state seeming to be a key factor in job prospects. I am having trouble figuring out if going to undergrad in the south (Clemson) is enough.

[dingbat]

Hi guys. I'm not in state anywhere since I'm from abroad. I am a US citizen though. I'm not necessarily big law or bust but if I had the option I'm open to it. I have a $40k + scholarship from UF and have not heard back from the other two schools about money so for the present moment lets assume they are both at sticker. I think I may be able to become in state at UF and UGA from the 2nd year onward but if anyone has anecdotal info I would also appreciate it. What would you guys do if you were in my situation? If I retake it would be my 3rd attempt.
Thanks everyone!

What are your goals? Why do you want to go to law school? Where do you want to live/work for the next 10-20 years?
If you don't have clear answers here, then none of these schools are worth it (nor are most law schools for that matter)
If you do have a clear goal in mind, that might be able to tell you which option is best.

[splittinghairs]

I didn't crunch the numbers for UGA yet but if the above poster is right, then 60k + seems about right.

I did crunch the numbers for UGA today (I'm looking at UGA at sticker OOS or Alabama with $70K), and based on their cost of living figures its $119,540 (one year of $51,252 out of state and two years of $34,144 instate).

--LinkRemoved--

That's still a very scary figure, especially with ties to the state seeming to be a key factor in job prospects. I am having trouble figuring out if going to undergrad in the south (Clemson) is enough.

Yo do not use the freaking Law school's estimated COL figures, they inflate it so ppl can have the choice to borrow more. The truth is youd have be a fool or just filthy rich to actually spend 15k-20k on COL anywhere in the South esp Athens.
UGA is 65k OOS sticker not including COL, COL will be about 10-12k per year on a modest budget.

Also, as far as I know Georgia is one of the few states where establishing instate residency is really easy. I believe most states such as AL and FL do not allow residency based solely on educational purposes. So I would not bank on establishing instate at ALA.