GW v BC v Cardozo

[elr5]

Consider debt vs. employment prospects, please. And the type/pay of the job the median student can expect to get.

20k scholly to GW
17k scholly to BC
38k scholly to Cardozo, top 80% stip (from NY so won't need rent in Manhattan)

Scared by debt that I can't pay off.

Appreciate any advice

[titan747]

What about Fordham?

[elr5]

waitlisted at Fordham. Cornell and GULC too.

[crossarmant]

Do you want to work in DC or Boston? Cardozo is out.

[elr5]

How come Cardozo is out?

I like both Boston and DC

[zakohl]

Because TLS cares more about ranking and competition than debt.

[elr5]

Have to admit that it's difficult to measure the socially imbued need for prestige with the practical concession that 130k debt plus 6.8% interest (or so) may not be worth this token self-affirmation.

No layman has heard of Cardozo. People in NY are more likely to have heard of Touro or Hofstra and to think highly of St. John's than they are to even be aware of Cardozo's existence. Yet Cardozo is a solid school with reasonable job prospects and, in my situation, minimal risk. Prestige? No. Peace of mind? Perhaps.

BC and GW are pricey. They are also relatively prestigious and maintain some of the best non-ivy job prospects around. I'm just not sure this prestige and improved job prospects are worth 100k extra. I may be more likely to end up with a 100k salary directly out of law school but then again, nothing short of an income like that is acceptable to comfortably pay off the loans I'll have undertaken. Then again, am I letting myself down by not taking these scholarships when other kids right now would love to have them and in closing the door on the increased possibility of a slick paycheck?

Thoughts on my thoughts, anyone?

[top30man]

How come Cardozo is out?

I like both Boston and DC

If you can live at home, Cardozo is super cheap. Gwu is way too much at that price.

[sunynp]

GW and BC are not worth the price. Look carefully at the employment statistics. If you are debt adverse, then keep you debt low and go to Cardozo.

[elr5]

Yeah, I can live at home. The commute is not ideal but I'll build in study-time on the LIRR. I might even be able to get an apartment near the school for family discount since no one's residing in it anymore.

I'm adverse to debt but I guess what I want to hear more about from TLS is whether 130k debt is a gamble (as in Vegas, with the odds against you) or a risk (as in an investment on Wall Street, jokes aside). Imperfect analogies but hopefully they make sense. Can a student in the top 60% of the class be expected to pay it off comfortably, or is there just no way in this economy?

[bk1]

Do you have money saved up or are getting money from an outside source? If not those debt figures seem off.

If your costs are correct, I'd probably take GW/BC even though they are 20-30k more expensive than I'd want to pay for them.

[elr5]

I've done the math on a spreadsheet but the final costs can't be projected too well since I don't know what my rent costs will be in DC or Boston. I figure those are ballpark figures, which is sufficient for the purpose of the poll. Cardozo is a sure figure, though.

Just peanuts saved up. Parents barely scraping by on their own so no sugardaddy here. I'm on my own in this world.