Top Law Schools

Hello All,

I'm a long time lurker on TLS. I was wondering if anyone out there had advice on my admissions choice. I'm in at Harvard but am unlikely to get any need-based aid. I have $90,000 at UChicago and a Levy from Penn. I'm not sure what area of law is right for me yet. I'm not too interested in law and economics. I have background in environmental/health policy and may continue to focus on those areas. I don't really care about law school location: I could see myself working in the New York, DC or Chicago legal markets. Any major urban area really. I want to have good support for clerking opportunities. And I want an intellectually rigorous but social/supportive law school community. Any advice?

Thanks for the help!

SlothMonkey wrote:Hello All,

I'm a long time lurker on TLS. I was wondering if anyone out there had advice on my admissions choice. I'm in at Harvard but am unlikely to get any need-based aid. I have $90,000 at UChicago and a Levy from Penn. I'm not sure what area of law is right for me yet. I'm not too interested in law and economics. I have background in environmental/health policy and may continue to focus on those areas. I don't really care about law school location: I could see myself working in the New York, DC or Chicago legal markets. Any major urban area really. I want to have good support for clerking opportunities. And I want an intellectually rigorous but social/supportive law school community. Any advice?

Thanks for the help!

UCHICAGO

Harvard by a mile.

Take the money from Penn.

HLS...I believe in your ability to make up the $90k discrepancy in scholly money over your lifetime. Go for the school which gives you the best ability to mack on chicks at bars

Lots of debt scares me, so I'm inclined to agree with timbs4339. A free legal education from Penn sounds outstanding.

Visit all three before deciding. You should know whether or not Chicago is for you after visiting. Tough to pass up the money at Penn & Chicago, but no wrong choice if you have no undergraduate debt.

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml

Are you borrowing the Harvard money? Run some numbers on the $150k you're saving at Penn. Do you know what it feels like to owe more than $1700 a month for a decade? Do you think that will constrain your professional decisions? Will your Harvard degree help you sleep at night when you're a second year associate worried about getting laid off from your firm before you pay down your debt?

What do you want to do after law school? If biglaw, then Harvard is definitely an option. If public interest, then you should strongly consider Chicago and/or Penn to minimize your debt.

Can't go wrong with any of them but I say HLS because of this:

SlothMonkey wrote: I want to have good support for clerking opportunities.

HLS will give you the best chance at clerking (whether or not they are in fact more "supportive" from a career services standpoint). Other than that, I just say visit all of them and see what you think; if you really love Penn or Chicago more than HLS there's nothing wrong with taking the money.

SlothMonkey wrote:Hello All,

I'm a long time lurker on TLS. I was wondering if anyone out there had advice on my admissions choice. I'm in at Harvard but am unlikely to get any need-based aid. I have $90,000 at UChicago and a Levy from Penn. I'm not sure what area of law is right for me yet. I'm not too interested in law and economics. I have background in environmental/health policy and may continue to focus on those areas. I don't really care about law school location: I could see myself working in the New York, DC or Chicago legal markets. Any major urban area really. I want to have good support for clerking opportunities. And I want an intellectually rigorous but social/supportive law school community. Any advice?

Thanks for the help!

All of the above bolded point to Harvard (Strong in all disciplines, National reach, Clerkship chances)

ETA: also NO GRADES!

Penn.

Thanks everyone! Those are all really good points. I'll be visiting all three this upcoming week and will keep all of this in mind.

I'd take a full ride to a top 10 school any day.

lsatcrazy wrote:NO GRADES!

By a mile.

TheFutureLawyer wrote:

lsatcrazy wrote:NO GRADES!

By a mile.

This is the worst possible basis for making this decision.

Levy.

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

TheFutureLawyer wrote:

lsatcrazy wrote:NO GRADES!

By a mile.

This is the worst possible basis for making this decision.

0Ls will be 0Ls...I get why it's not a overarching factor, but "the worst"? Really?

Early April might be a good time to ask Chicago for more money since April 2 is the deadline for the first two waves of Ruby recipients to commit.

For me it would only be between Harvard and Chicago. Don't get me wrong Penn is great, buy in comparison to the other two it would place 3rd imo.

90k from Chicago would have you graduating with how much debt? Close to nothing.

I think it comes down to little debt at C or better job oppoirtunities at H

SlothMonkey wrote:I could see myself working in the New York, DC or Chicago legal markets. Any major urban area really. I want to have good support for clerking opportunities. And I want an intellectually rigorous but social/supportive law school community.

Unless you are from Chicago, going to Harvard or Penn will come close to shutting you out of work in the city. NYC is easy to get to from all 3 and your opportunities at Penn in NY aren't much worse than those at Harvard. The only area where Harvard has a noticeable advantage is clerkships, but you will still have to do well.

As far as intellectual rigor, I think all 3 will offer plenty. Social/supportive is probably more of a judgment call about what kind of law school community you want. Harvard is huge, but there are plenty of subgroups you can align yourself with. Chicago is small, definitely intellectual, but not known for its social scene. Penn is a bit bigger than Chicago and probably has more social scene without the worries of feeling lost in the crowd that you would get at Harvard.

I'd personally take Penn in your shoes. The best reasons for choosing Harvard would be if you had a substantial interest in academia or if the money just wasn't a factor (if you get no finaid from H, will parents pay for law school?)

Br3v wrote:For me it would only be between Harvard and Chicago. Don't get me wrong Penn is great, buy in comparison to the other two it would place 3rd imo.

90k from Chicago would have you graduating with how much debt? Close to nothing.

I think it comes down to little debt at C or better job oppoirtunities at H

Er, the COA at Chicago is north of $60k, so when you factor in interest and so on, he'd be graduating with about 100k in debt. If the Levy at Penn covers cost of living (does it?), the question becomes: is the jump from Penn to UChicago worth $100k (along with the extra interest during repayment). That's a tough question for someone who doesn't care about the geography.

OP, have you heard whether you'll be getting any need-based aid from Harvard?

And LOL at "going to Harvard will shut you out of work in Chicago." It won't. Penn doesn't translate here very well, though.

Edit: If the Levy doesn't cover cost of living, knock Penn out of your calculus IMO.

ToTransferOrNot wrote:

Br3v wrote:For me it would only be between Harvard and Chicago. Don't get me wrong Penn is great, buy in comparison to the other two it would place 3rd imo.

90k from Chicago would have you graduating with how much debt? Close to nothing.

I think it comes down to little debt at C or better job oppoirtunities at H

Er, the COA at Chicago is north of $60k, so when you factor in interest and so on, he'd be graduating with about 100k in debt. If the Levy at Penn covers cost of living (does it?), the question becomes: is the jump from Penn to UChicago worth $100k (along with the extra interest during repayment). That's a tough question for someone who doesn't care about the geography.

OP, have you heard whether you'll be getting any need-based aid from Harvard?

And LOL at "going to Harvard will shut you out of work in Chicago." It won't. Penn doesn't translate here very well, though.

2nd the H shuting you out of anywhere, let alone Chicago. But I didn't realize such a high coa at chi.

What I do know is that I would love to be in OPs position. What are your numbers?

lsatcrazy wrote:

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

TheFutureLawyer wrote:

lsatcrazy wrote:NO GRADES!

By a mile.

This is the worst possible basis for making this decision.

0Ls will be 0Ls...I get why it's not a overarching factor, but "the worst"? Really?

I'm sure there are worse reasons but I can't think of any plausible ones. Even at Harvard, getting H's matters.

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

lsatcrazy wrote: 0Ls will be 0Ls...I get why it's not a overarching factor, but "the worst"? Really?

I'm sure there are worse reasons but I can't think of any plausible ones. Even at Harvard, getting H's matters.

For generic NYC biglaw straight P's will do.