Top Law Schools

I want to work in the Bay Area and am considering public interest law. If I went for a firm job, I'd most likely go into intellectual property. My LSAT is 167, GPA <3.0 (hard science).

Retake for a 172 or higher & apply to Northwestern.

CanadianWolf wrote:Retake for a 172 or higher & apply to Northwestern.

Looking at $37k per year for tuition plus food, books, etc. I'm negotiating with Hastings to offer more $$.

With typical increases in costs, it appears that you may end up about $125,000 in debt. Problem is if you retake & aim higher your GPA may foreclose any reasonable expectation of scholarship money even if admitted to, for example, Northwestern (which would result in well over $200,000 in student loan debt). Retake & reapply for additional scholarship money should be another option to consider. Applications are expected to be down next year which should help.

CanadianWolf wrote:With typical increases in costs, it appears that you may end up about $125,000 in debt. Problem is if you retake & aim higher your GPA may foreclose any reasonable expectation of scholarship money even if admitted to, for example, Northwestern (which would result in well over $200,000 in student loan debt). Retake & reapply for additional scholarship money should be another option to consider. Applications are expected to be down next year which should help.

Thanks for the advice. What if Hastings decides to offer $20k/year which would bring my tuition cost down to $27k/ year?

CanadianWolf wrote:Retake & reapply for additional scholarship money should be another option to consider. Applications are expected to be down next year which should help.

Just reset the poll with that question.

Based on your interest in public interest work, you need to investigate loan repayment options--especially those that include forgiveness of debt after 10 years of service.

Between Hastings & Davis, I think it comes down to a personal preference decision in light of your interests & goals.

Try to PM moderator SBL. I believe that he is a second year law student at UC-Davis. His advice should be based on current experience & in depth knowledge of both UC-Davis & Hastings.

P.S. Obviously an increase in scholarship money from Hastings is more tempting because you can live in your target area & graduate with about $90,000 in debt. But a higher LSAT score should result in even higher scholarship offers if next year apps are down.

Overall, you've done well for one with a sub-3.0 GPA. (Although based on the data at lawschoolnumbers.com, an LSAT score of 167 works at both law schools for those with sub-3.0 GPAs.) Hard to offer meaningful advice without specifics. Are you familiar with lawschoolnumbers.com ? It's a great resource both with respect to numbers (LSAT & GPA) needed as (the graphs) & for individual scholarship awards (applicants ).

CanadianWolf wrote:Based on your interest in public interest work, you need to investigate loan repayment options--especially those that include forgiveness of debt after 10 years of service.

Between Hastings & Davis, I think it comes down to a personal preference decision in light of your interests & goals.

I'm fairly certain that Hastings LRAP pays for 90% of IBR payments if you make less than $60k. Davis works on a 10-year payment plan and expects you contribute 35% of income between $40k and $60k.

You need responses from current students at each school. If Hastings double its scholarship offer to $20,000 then that seems to be the better choice for you based on the IBR plan.

scipi0 wrote:

CanadianWolf wrote:Based on your interest in public interest work, you need to investigate loan repayment options--especially those that include forgiveness of debt after 10 years of service.

Between Hastings & Davis, I think it comes down to a personal preference decision in light of your interests & goals.

I'm fairly certain that Hastings LRAP pays for 90% of IBR payments if you make less than $60k. Davis works on a 10-year payment plan and expects you contribute 35% of income between $40k and $60k.

Considering the standard PSLF program is 10 percent of your AGI above 150 percent of the poverty line (like 6 percent of total income), i find this hard to believe.

You might as well rack up the debt OP. Whether you are in 70k or 200k of debt- your payments and discharge timeframe is exactly the same under PLSF.

JamesChapman23 wrote:

scipi0 wrote:

CanadianWolf wrote:Based on your interest in public interest work, you need to investigate loan repayment options--especially those that include forgiveness of debt after 10 years of service.

Between Hastings & Davis, I think it comes down to a personal preference decision in light of your interests & goals.

I'm fairly certain that Hastings LRAP pays for 90% of IBR payments if you make less than $60k. Davis works on a 10-year payment plan and expects you contribute 35% of income between $40k and $60k.

Considering the standard PSLF program is 10 percent of your AGI above 150 percent of the poverty line (like 6 percent of total income), i find this hard to believe.

You might as well rack up the debt OP. Whether you are in 70k or 200k of debt- your payments and discharge timeframe is exactly the same under PLSF.

I'm not planning to "rack up the debt" because you never know what could happen. What if I don't land a PI job?

Hastings worked out the numbers at admitted students day and said the student contribution would be around $40/month for $100k of debt with their PICAP/PSLF plan. If you stayed in public interest for the full 10-years and took advantage of the debt forgiveness, the Hastings program seems like a great deal.

Davis LRAP isn't necessarily an inferior program. If you only land a public interest job for a few years, Davis would contribute more towards your debt by making payments on the 10-year plan. That's at least my understanding....