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My two choices have come down to USC - offering me 22k a year, and UCLA- offering 7,500/yr. I'm also a California resident, so I get in state tuition from UCLA.

Which one would you choose? I am not sure that I will be working in LA when I graduate.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

USC without a doubt.

I would choose the cheaper one (USC here) because they are essentially the same in most respects. However, I'm not sure if I'd pick either one if you aren't sure that you want to work in the SoCal market (and especially not if you think you might want to end up out of state). Where do you want to work?

NYC is a very strong possibility for me. My choices there were Cardozo (full ride), Fordham (15K). Waitlist at NYU, Columbia.
LA is also a very strong possibility though, so I'm not ready to throw away the LA schools. I just am not completely sure. The option to potentially work in NYC would be nice to have if I wanted it.

With the difference between tuition at UCLA and USC, USC will come out about ~25k cheaper over three years.

I'd probably go USC, but I wouldn't blame you if living in/near Westwood over downtown LA is worth 25k to you.

25k over three years is a somewhat negligible difference to be the deciding factor between these schools. Visit both, if you haven't already, and choose whichever one you have a better gut feeling about.

Snake90 wrote:NYC is a very strong possibility for me. My choices there were Cardozo (full ride), Fordham (15K). Waitlist at NYU, Columbia.
LA is also a very strong possibility though, so I'm not ready to throw away the LA schools. I just am not completely sure. The option to potentially work in NYC would be nice to have if I wanted it.

With the difference between tuition at UCLA and USC, USC will come out about ~25k cheaper over three years.

I would decide where you want to work before you commit to any school. If you want L.A., I would go with USC. If you want NY, I wouldn't recommend USC or UCLA. Fordham would be your best option, but sticker at NYU or Columbia would be much better than Fordham with 15k. With NYC cost of living, 15k over three years is nothing.

Conventional TLS wisdom says UCLA is more "national" than USC, but I have no idea if it reaches well into NYC. I'd be completely sure you want to work in LA if you were to attend either.

Revolver066 wrote:Conventional TLS wisdom says UCLA is more "national" than USC, but I have no idea if it reaches well into NYC. I'd be completely sure you want to work in LA if you were to attend either.

Yea. My general inclination is that UCLA would carry better to NYC, but both carry to the east coast so poorly that it's not wise to attend either if you know you want NYC.

chimp wrote:

Revolver066 wrote:Conventional TLS wisdom says UCLA is more "national" than USC, but I have no idea if it reaches well into NYC. I'd be completely sure you want to work in LA if you were to attend either.

Yea. My general inclination is that UCLA would carry better to NYC, but both carry to the east coast so poorly that it's not wise to attend either if you know you want NYC.

Its hard to say how I will be feeling in 3 years from now, so if I would only go to a law school knowing that I was 100% sure that I be working in its city, I would never make a decision. I'm very comfortable in LA and would happily work there, but if the fancy struck me to apply to a job in NYC, it would be nice to have that option. From what I am hearing from everyone here though, it doesn't look like either degree transfers very well.

If you are dead set on NYC retake and get into Cornell.

Otherwise, USC.

Snake90 wrote:

chimp wrote:

Revolver066 wrote:Conventional TLS wisdom says UCLA is more "national" than USC, but I have no idea if it reaches well into NYC. I'd be completely sure you want to work in LA if you were to attend either.

Yea. My general inclination is that UCLA would carry better to NYC, but both carry to the east coast so poorly that it's not wise to attend either if you know you want NYC.

Its hard to say how I will be feeling in 3 years from now, so if I would only go to a law school knowing that I was 100% sure that I be working in its city, I would never make a decision. I'm very comfortable in LA and would happily work there, but if the fancy struck me to apply to a job in NYC, it would be nice to have that option. From what I am hearing from everyone here though, it doesn't look like either degree transfers very well.

They don't. Have you visited the schools? They definitely have different feels to them.

rad lulz wrote:If you are dead set on NYC retake and get into Cornell.

Otherwise, USC.

I agree. Also, if you got money at USC and UCLA you should have been able to get into Cornell. Did you apply there?

chimp wrote:

rad lulz wrote:If you are dead set on NYC retake and get into Cornell.

Otherwise, USC.

I agree. Also, if you got money at USC and UCLA you should have been able to get into Cornell. Did you apply there?

I thought about it, but I don't really want to spend the next three years in Ithaca.

I'm not dead set on NYC.

Revolver066 wrote:

Snake90 wrote:

chimp wrote:

Revolver066 wrote:Conventional TLS wisdom says UCLA is more "national" than USC, but I have no idea if it reaches well into NYC. I'd be completely sure you want to work in LA if you were to attend either.

Yea. My general inclination is that UCLA would carry better to NYC, but both carry to the east coast so poorly that it's not wise to attend either if you know you want NYC.

Its hard to say how I will be feeling in 3 years from now, so if I would only go to a law school knowing that I was 100% sure that I be working in its city, I would never make a decision. I'm very comfortable in LA and would happily work there, but if the fancy struck me to apply to a job in NYC, it would be nice to have that option. From what I am hearing from everyone here though, it doesn't look like either degree transfers very well.

They don't. Have you visited the schools? They definitely have different feels to them.

I visited both over my spring break. But is it worth going to UCLA and paying a 30k premium over three years because it has a nicer campus and library? USC seems to be getting a lot of votes from people...

For me would it be worth it? Yeah, I think so, but I happen to love west LA (and not so much the USC surroundings), so being there over downtown would mean a lot to me over three years. If you don't have strong feelings one way or another, USC seems to be the better option.

Bro, tons of people who go to USC live on the west side.

chimp wrote:Bro, tons of people who go to USC live on the west side.

I'm sure they do, seeing how it's generally a nicer area and all. For me, spending three years and countless hours on a nicer campus, with a nicer law building, in a nicer area that happens to be a lot closer to the Pacific is of value. 25k to 30k more valuable (especially in the face of 130k+ debt)? For me, maybe, but if the OP doesn't fall in love with the campus/surroundings of UCLA, probably not. I have other personal reasons however that tilts in the favor of UCLA.

USC has a lot of things going for it, including the latest NLJ 250 numbers, smaller class size, Trojan network, etc, and the main campus is still nice (minus the law building). USC is the obvious financially smarter choice (well, compared to UCLA anyways), but I wouldn't fault somebody for paying some more $ to go to UCLA.

Seems like you prefer NYC. If so, send in LOCIs to NYU, Columbia & Penn in an effort to get admitted from one of those waitlists.

With respect to USC versus UCLA, visit both before deciding & be certain that you want to remain in Southern California after law school.