Trying to decide between NYC schools with varying $$ offers Forum

[nycjoe]

Trying to decide between NYC law schools.

Cardozo - Offered $30K off of $49,476 per year (must remain in upper 80% of class)
Brooklyn Law School - Offered $33K off of $49,976 per year (must remain in upper 80% of class)
St. John's Law School - Full Ride (must remain in upper 40% of class)

Goals: public interest or union-side labor law

I was also waitlisted at Fordham.

Advice?

[HOT_POCKET]

Why not CUNY, if NYC and PI interest?

[Solistus]

What are your numbers? If retaking isn't a viable option, Cardozo is the best of those offers by a wide margin IMHO, but I would think long and hard before taking on that much debt for Cardozo. NYC is a tough market, with so many top law schools in the region and so any graduates from top schools around the country who would kill to work there.

Going to law school in NYC at a school that will struggle to place you in NYC seems like a bad investment. If you're gonna end up in another market anyway, you'd be much better off at a regional school, which will cut down on living expenses and help you network. If it's NYC or bust and your LSAT isn't already phenomenal, the best thing you can do right now to work toward that career goal is to retake. If you're absolutely not willing to consider those options, then I guess Cardozo.

[PRgradBYU]

[T]he best thing you can do right now to work toward that career goal is to retake.

[timbs4339]

140K for Dozo/Bklyn is high. See if you can negotiate the stips to St. John's down to top 80%, or if you can use it to negotiate.

[patrickd139]

[T]he best thing you can do right now to work toward that career goal is to retake.

This.

Also, OP: you need to put the numbers down in terms of total cost of attendance. Don't forget to account for tuition increases, etc.

[hephaestus]

[T]he best thing you can do right now to work toward that career goal is to retake.

[locthebloke]

Unless you have meaningful fulltime legal employment secured through family or a close friend, none of those schools are worth anything less than a full scholarship with no stipulations.

New York is home Columbia, Cornell and NYU. HYS grads go to NYC too. And if you think gainful, legit PI jobs are any easier to land than Big Law, you are mistaken. If you go to any of those schools you listed you will find it extremely difficult to find gainful legal employment in New York.