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I received 15k a year from WUSTL and sent in my first seat deposit on 4/1. Then just yesterday University of Florida offered me full tuition to attend school there. I am from FL and would not mind staying here to practice. However, WUSTL is a better rank and offers me a stronger chance to transfer to a T-14 school and thus a stronger possibility of Big Law. What do the people of TLS think? Go debt free to UF or take the debt at WUSTL?

Thanks for your time in advance,
J

Joed1887 wrote:I received 15k a year from WUSTL and sent in my first seat deposit on 4/1. Then just yesterday University of Florida offered me full tuition to attend school there. I am from FL and would not mind staying here to practice. However, WUSTL is a better rank and offers me a stronger chance to transfer to a T-14 school and thus a stronger possibility of Big Law. What do the people of TLS think? Go debt free to UF or take the debt at WUSTL?

Thanks for your time in advance,
J

if you want T14 then retake, you can't go into LS thinking you will be able to transfer.

Ruxin1 wrote:

Joed1887 wrote:I received 15k a year from WUSTL and sent in my first seat deposit on 4/1. Then just yesterday University of Florida offered me full tuition to attend school there. I am from FL and would not mind staying here to practice. However, WUSTL is a better rank and offers me a stronger chance to transfer to a T-14 school and thus a stronger possibility of Big Law. What do the people of TLS think? Go debt free to UF or take the debt at WUSTL?

Thanks for your time in advance,
J

if you want T14 then retake, you can't go into LS thinking you will be able to transfer.

Unfortunately, my test score wasn't the problem. My LSAT was well in the T-14 range, but I did poorly my first two years of undergrad which brought my GPA down to a 3.0. Transferring is my only option. Unless I run into Doc Brown in the next few weeks and get to re-do my Fresh/Soph years.

Joed1887 wrote:

Ruxin1 wrote:

Joed1887 wrote:I received 15k a year from WUSTL and sent in my first seat deposit on 4/1. Then just yesterday University of Florida offered me full tuition to attend school there. I am from FL and would not mind staying here to practice. However, WUSTL is a better rank and offers me a stronger chance to transfer to a T-14 school and thus a stronger possibility of Big Law. What do the people of TLS think? Go debt free to UF or take the debt at WUSTL?

Thanks for your time in advance,
J

if you want T14 then retake, you can't go into LS thinking you will be able to transfer.

Unfortunately, my test score wasn't the problem. My LSAT was well in the T-14 range, but I did poorly my first two years of undergrad which brought my GPA down to a 3.0. Transferring is my only option. Unless I run into Doc Brown in the next few weeks and get to re-do my Fresh/Soph years.

see: Crumpetsandtea. Low gpa, freaking baller LSAT, T14. Transferring is not your only option. Do you have work experience?

Retake, ED UVA. Your GPA will not be an issue with a sufficient LSAT. What is your LSAT? If it was as high as you said, I imagine you'd have more from WUSTL.

Of these options, Florida easily. Full ride at the best school in the state and you're from there.

Frankly Scarlett: Yes I have work experience. I've worked as a GM at a large night club for about a year while in undergrad and have been currently working for a marketing firm. But I really do not want to retake and take off another year before going to school. I'd rather take my chances with transferring.

Romothesavior: I scored a 170. I was hoping I'd get more from WUSTL too

I was looking at your LSN profile and the UF scholly is listed as $14,000. Did you negotiate it to a full scholarship? Just wondering, because I tried negotiating with them (using my WUSTL offer) and haven't heard back.

Joed1887 wrote:Frankly Scarlett: Yes I have work experience. I've worked as a GM at a large night club for about a year while in undergrad and have been currently working for a marketing firm. But I really do not want to retake and take off another year before going to school. I'd rather take my chances with transferring.

Romothesavior: I scored a 170. I was hoping I'd get more from WUSTL too

Believe me, I understand the drive to go to school as soon as possible (I've been out a few years). Wustl is not a bad school. But if you're set on biglaw, banking on transferring when retaking for a few more points would easily grab you a t-14 (probably NU, with you work experience) is enormously, enormously stupid. However, it's your mistake to make, so best of luck.

UMiamiCane wrote:I was looking at your LSN profile and the UF scholly is listed as $14,000. Did you negotiate it to a full scholarship? Just wondering, because I tried negotiating with them (using my WUSTL offer) and haven't heard back.

No I was saying it was full because that is about what the price is for in-state tuition to attend there. So all I would have to pay for is my living. I was originally waitlisted at UF and told that they wouldn't give me an answer before 4/30. I wrote them saying I had a scholarship offer from WUSTL that needed an answer by 4/1 but I still wanted to go to UF. The office initially told me they couldn't notify me for sure before the 30th. Then I got this offer in the mail this week. I'm not sure if me writing them about my WUSTL offer helped at all, but I did see a response a couple weeks later. Hope this helps.

Joed1887 wrote:

UMiamiCane wrote:I was looking at your LSN profile and the UF scholly is listed as $14,000. Did you negotiate it to a full scholarship? Just wondering, because I tried negotiating with them (using my WUSTL offer) and haven't heard back.

No I was saying it was full because that is about what the price is for in-state tuition to attend there. So all I would have to pay for is my living.

Ummm, have you looked at tuition lately? It was $18,700/yr last year, and has been going up 15% a year for the last few years. If that continues, it will be $21,500 this year. Your scholly is still a great deal for law school, but it's not free.

Here's my thread regarding the same decision
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=178231
It may be helpful to you, but I agree with others about not planning on transferring.

Florida. Not even close.

UMiamiCane is right, although that scholarship from UF is great, there's still a differential of a couple thousand dollars.

OP, if you think you might want to work in FL, UF is probably the better choice. I'm not sure how it would play into transferring though.

Retake and ED UVA

You'll get ED UVA next cycle. Which is objectively better at sticker than WUSTL with 15k. Don't ruin this.

Thanks to all of you for all of your advice. UMiamiCane that link was extremely insightful and thank you for that. I realize now that I based that figure of "Full" on a rate from 2009-2010 and posted this hastily, shortly after receiving this unexpected offer.