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Stats: 166/3.75. Looking to make a decision between these two schools. I want to do public interest/gov work. No undergrad debt. I want to practice in a city on the east coast. I have never been to NYC or Boston and can't visit because I am currently abroad. I am extremely afraid of debt. Neither school has any stips on the scholarships.

I said Cardozo. I feel like it's better go to NYC w/o ties than Boston w/o ties, and a $75k scholarship at BU still means a lot of dough.


Are there any schools in your home state you'd consider?

I'd personally choose BC b/c it's a better school with better job prospects. If you're that terrified of the extra 50-60k in tuition debt I'd choose Cardozo, but I really don't see how 50-60k is that big a deal, esp if you're gonna do an IBR/LRAP-type program out of school for pi/gov't work.

Agree with above. Since you don't care about biglaw, minimizing debt is the thing here. Take Cardozo, and hustle for the PI gig.

Also, remember that PI gigs are hard to get. As such, that 50-60k ain't gonna be as easy to swallow as you might think, regardless of LRAP.

dissonance1848 wrote:Agree with above. Since you don't care about biglaw, minimizing debt is the thing here. Take Cardozo, and hustle for the PI gig.

Also, remember that PI gigs are hard to get. As such, that 50-60k ain't gonna be as easy to swallow as you might think, regardless of LRAP.

The 50-60k is not insignificant, but neither is the difference b/w Dozo/BC in getting work. I think even if you really want PI/Gov't work, you should always have options, and BC will provide you with more.

zanda wrote:I said Cardozo. I feel like it's better go to NYC w/o ties than Boston w/o ties, and a $75k scholarship at BU still means a lot of dough.


Are there any schools in your home state you'd consider?

I'm from MD but didn't apply to any MD law schools. I do not want to stay there.

I voted for Bozo because unless you are gunning for biglaw, keeping your debt down should be the single biggest (but not the only) factor.
What if you don't qualify for LRAP?
What if, a few years in, you have a fantastic opportunity elsewhere?
Hell, what if you hate it?

While LRAP and IBR are good, you should consider the possibility of not getting it.

Bumping.

Boston & NYC are quite different. You need to visit both before deciding. Since you are abroad & need to make a decision before the deadlines,then deposit at Boston College due to its superior job placement. Visit when you return to the US. If unhappy, then withdraw before classes begin. There's always a home for one with your stats (166/3.75).

P.S. Are you on a study abroad program ? Is your GPA likely to change after this semester ?

CanadianWolf wrote:Boston & NYC are quite different. You need to visit both before deciding. Since you are abroad & need to make a decision before the deadlines,then deposit at Boston College due to its superior job placement. Visit when you return to the US. If unhappy, then withdraw before classes begin. There's always a home for one with your stats (166/3.75).

P.S. Are you on a study abroad program ? Is your GPA likely to change after this semester ?

Yes, I'm doing study abroad. My classes here count as pass/fail though, so they won't impact my GPA.

I voted BC. Better job prospects and the debt you're looking at isn't overwhelming. Also, in the event your career goals change during/post law school, BC will provide better options.

Look. If OP does Dozo with full-ride, then the debt is smaller, and OP has more leeway in terms of legal career options.

If OP does BC, he will be much more hard-pressed to hustle for PI, since it is not only competitive, but also pays worse.

Sure, he should see if BC's LRAP or IBR is better than Dozo. If it is by a substantial margin, then I suppose my former postion would change.

In this economy good gov and PI jobs are hard to find. If you have a doubt in your mind that you want to do biglaw, I would go with BC. If you are 100% sure you want to do public interest I would prob go with cardozo.

Okay, just tried negotiating with BC for more money and they turned me down. Any last pushes for BC before my decision is made?

Dozo because not having to worry about loans gives you more flexibility (I assumed you're not taking out loans for cost of living).

How are you going to support yourself in NYC for three years? That could cost 80K easy. If the answer is with borrowed money, shouldn't you go for BC, where your total debt seems like it would be about 125K? 45K is a very reasonable price for BC's better placement power.

try 60k tops for nyc living expenses.

Keep your debt down. You can minimize NYC living expenses by living in Brooklyn or Queens, and speaking from experience (my fiancee goes to BU), Boston rents around the BC area are on the same level as NYC. NYC has far more PI opportunities than Boston, and Cardozo has a ridiculous number of opportunities to gain PI experience (which is the #1 thing you're going to need if I understand you correctly). Cardozo lets you do some pro bono representation in your 1L year, and then of course the 17 clinics plus numerous externships will help you create a resume that PI employers will actually be interested in. Do you have an actual focus (no, "public interest law" is not a focus)?

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but you need to retake that 166, especially if you're afraid of debt.