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I am fortunate to be trying to choose between these two schools at the moment. I'm very committed to public interest work and will be relying on LRAP under all foreseeable circumstances.

I have been comparing the LRAPs based on their online calculators and program terms. But I'm still feeling a little bewildered, probably because I'm getting a mild case of the vapors as I consider the prospect of locking myself into permanent genteel peonage. (Also, Harvard's calculator seems pretty rudimentary unless I'm missing a better one... At some point I'll probably put together a spreadsheet no it.)

If anyone has insight into how these programs compare based on experience or careful consideration, I would love to hear it. I already have some opinions about where I'd like to live, etc.; but at this point, I'm just considering the LRAPs. Waiting for SLS ASW before I start comparing which school I like better.

Possibly relevant facts:

- No family resources;
- Around 30 y.o., and would like to have a kid at some point, not too long after graduation;
- So far, what I've been offered by other schools is not sufficient to make them competitive with the increased opportunities & better LRAP at H or S;
- Based on my current plans and level of knowledge about my field, I imagine getting a job in the $60-80k salary range with ~3% annual increase; and
- Based on what I know about my fin-aid package right now, COA at HLS means ~210k in loans vs. ~160k at SLS.

Big thanks to you all for your help and counsel. Couldn't have made it this far without TLS wisdom and I really appreciate your help.

First, I'm going to preface this with I'm a 0L, am pretty bad at finance/money management and haven't spent a ton of time looking into this.

However, what I've gathered is that HLS's Low-Income Protection Plan (LIPP) is exactly that: protection against low income. If you get a job that doesn't pay very well, even if it's not law related (if it's PI) or it's private sector (if it's law related), HLS has your back. The downside is LIPP doesn't cover as much on the higher end of the income spectrum ($60k+, which is a realistic salary for fed gov jobs). This helpful chart from Yale shows how Stanford's LRAP is superior when you make a lot (it also shows how Yale's just demolishes both HLS's and SLS's).

Stanford's LRAP has the opposite set of strengths and weaknesses. It's not as flexible -- you HAVE to get a public sector job and it HAS to be law-related -- but it's more generous, especially for those working for the federal government.

The nice thing about this difference is it should be fairly easy to figure out which one is better for you based on your goals. I 100% know I want to do law-related work and I'm hoping for a fed gov job (though I know those spots are insanely competitive, even from HYS), so SLS is the clear winner for me as far as LRAPs are concerned.

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I can't offer any personal insight on their LRAP programs, but in addition to asking TLS, you should talk directly to the financial aid people, who will hopefully be more helpful than just reading about it on the websites.