UVA (sticker), UC Hastings ($$$) vs. UCLA ($) Forum

[JoffreySlap]

Hi everyone I'm a long time lurker, first time poster looking for some serious advice,

I am from San Diego, California and committed to going to law school this fall. I have hopes of getting a 100K+ paying job or going into private practice anywhere. Please no "UVA at sticker is terrible!". I'm come to grasp with my reality and so those kinds of words of wisdom aren't helpful. These are my only choices and so any help is much appreciated. Thanks.



The best schools I have been admitted to are UCLA (20K/year), Georgetown (15K/year), NW (sticker), Michigan (sticker) and UVA (sticker). (Rejected to UVA's "superiors" and "peers")

At this point I have crossed off Georgetown and Michigan, as I would rather pay sticker at NW or UVA (no disrespect intended).

Between UVA and NW, I chose UVA for the following reasons 1) UVA's small, insignificant edge with employment numbers 2) Differences in collegial vibe between the two schools 3) and, based on research, the cheaper cost of living at UVA ($500 for your own room/bathroom per month seems like a deal compared to Chi-town's COL).

I have a small scholarship at UCLA and would be three or so hours from home.

I would like to practice as an associate in a V100 or something and be put in the best possible position to hopefully pay off my loans.

To throw a wrench in the question, I was also offered an almost full ride to attend UC Hastings but would have to move up there from San Diego. As many of you already know, UC Hastings shits the bed when it comes to employment prospects relative to my other choices.

My question is what would you do given my situation: UVA at sticker (200K+ total COA) vs. UCLA at 60K total scholarship (140K total COA with scholarship factored in) (vs. UC Hastings (90K-100K COA--that SF rent is not pretty)).



Thank you all!

[ATR]

UVA's going to give you the best chance at a V100 job, but as you know it also carries the largest debt burden. Poor jobs prospects would cause me to drop considering Hastings, even with the relatively significant scholarship you have. UCLA's placement in CA is good, but you seem to have connections to CA anyway, so I don't think UVA will hurt you much there. If you are determined to go to one of these schools, I would advise you pick UVA.

[Doorkeeper]

If all you want is biglaw, you might as well maximize your chances with UVA. Plus the debt from UCLA is going to necessitate biglaw anyway. These are a host of options at shitty price points.

If it's possible, I would retake and reapply if possible to nab a T14 scholarship.

[Redamon1]

If all you want is biglaw, you might as well maximize your chances with UVA. Plus the debt from UCLA is going to necessitate biglaw anyway. These are a host of options at shitty price points.

If it's possible, I would retake and reapply if possible to nab a T14 scholarship.

This.

[TripTrip]

Plus the debt from UCLA is going to necessitate biglaw anyway.

I think that's the important point. You're going to need biglaw to pay off any of the debts (except maybe Hastings), so the best risk/reward long term looks to be UVA.