Top Law Schools

stats: high 160's lsat, 3.1x ugpa

Options: full tuition at UCI, $15k/year scholarship at GW, or $18k scholarship at BC.

Goals: I would ideally like to do a clerkship (I know it'll be tough coming from any of these schools) and/or public interest in the future. I also would be interested in working for the federal gov, which makes GW more appealing. Not terribly interested in BigLaw, but I'd consider it if I had that as an option.

Location: I don't have a strong preference for where I want to wind up in the future, but I don't like DC much as a city and I would like to live in California at some point in my life. I visited each of these schools and did not get a great vibe at GW (very impersonal), but liked BC and UCI a lot. I am from the mid-atlantic so I have many ties to the DC area, some connections in Boston and surrounding areas, and very limited connections in California.

Other: I'm also waitlisted at USC and Georgetown, both of which are attractive options, and plan to re-take the June LSAT (my practice tests were much higher than my actual score, so if I get in the mid-170's, I'd consider re-applying next year)

UCI costs 79k even after full tuition scholarship? damn

yeah it's crazy, although GW has even higher cost of living expenses. I used Law School Transparency's estimated indirect expenses to calculate this. Their estimate of $24,000/year for Irvine definitely seems like it's on the high side. UCI offers on-campus studios for $770/month with cable and internet included, so I'm sure one could spend significantly less.

one other minor thing to add is that, if I were to do very well at any of these schools, I would definitely consider transferring up. I'd imagine in this scenario that GW and BC would probably allow similar transfer options, whereas Irvine is more of an unknown.

If you feel like you underperformed on the LSAT, then no harm can come from retaking and reapplying. If you hit around a 172 then Northwestern and Georgetown both become options.

x

Honestly, none of these. BC and GW are waaaay too expensive and I wouldn't pay that much for UCI which is largely an unknown. If CoA for GW and BC was $80k then we'd be talking

Definitely an over estimate of UCI's living expenses, even with interest. With that said, your lack of interest and cost of GW eliminate that choice. Personally, I think UCI's price is affordable, and they have a strong LRAP if you want to do public interest making it even better. Furthermore, I know the thought is clerk ships at UCI will dry up, but they are still on track to have 20 students getting clerkships this year. Your class size would be around 130 if you attended, which still means percentage wise your chances of gaining a clerkship are much higher there than your other choices. Personally, I would suggest UCI. The only thing that makes me hesitant to telling you that is your lack of ties to the area, because it is not reall a portable degree even though are are trying to make it out as one.

Dmini7 wrote:Definitely an over estimate of UCI's living expenses, even with interest. With that said, your lack of interest and cost of GW eliminate that choice. Personally, I think UCI's price is affordable, and they have a strong LRAP if you want to do public interest making it even better. Furthermore, I know the thought is clerk ships at UCI will dry up, but they are still on track to have 20 students getting clerkships this year. Your class size would be around 130 if you attended, which still means percentage wise your chances of gaining a clerkship are much higher there than your other choices. Personally, I would suggest UCI. The only thing that makes me hesitant to telling you that is your lack of ties to the area, because it is not reall a portable degree even though are are trying to make it out as one.

the doc fixed you

Dr. Dre wrote:

Dmini7 wrote:Definitely an over estimate of UCI's living expenses, even with interest. With that said, your lack of interest and cost of GW eliminate that choice. Personally, I think UCI's price is affordable, and they have a strong LRAP if you want to do public interest making it even better. Furthermore, I know the thought is clerk ships at UCI will dry up, but they are still on track to have 20 students getting clerkships this year. Your class size would be around 130 if you attended, which still means percentage wise your chances of gaining a clerkship are much higher there than your other choices. Personally, I would suggest UCI. The only thing that makes me hesitant to telling you that is your lack of ties to the area, because it is not reall a portable degree even though are are trying to make it out as one.

the doc fixed you

don't you get tired of your own idiocy?

telling people not to go to UCI is far from idiocy.


believing UCI is a good choice is idiocy

You only have connections that would justify GW and maybe BC. Retake and don't bother reapplying to UCI.

Doorkeeper wrote:If you feel like you underperformed on the LSAT, then no harm can come from retaking and reapplying. If you hit around a 172 then Northwestern and Georgetown both become options.

options with $$?

Dr. Dre wrote:telling people not to go to UCI is far from idiocy.


believing UCI is a good choice is idiocy

I know Dre would come and give the anti-UCI spiel, so I thought I would give some pro's to the school. Again, If you have no connections to California, I would consider it a risk, but it is still your best shot at a clerkship from the choices you mentioned and the most affordable.

your basing that statement on clerkships on what? one graduating class

Really tired of hearing things like, "UCI costs $79,000 even with a full tuition scholarship." That is just what it costs to live. You are paying that one way or another. The only difference is the interest on the loans you'd have to borrow to pay COL in school.

Dr. Dre wrote:your basing that statement on clerkships on what? one graduating class

Your basing your hatred on what? Disgust for another Law School being opened up in California's saturated market? I have not seen one piece of evidence pointing to the suggestion UCI is a bad investment. No data supports that thought yet. Will some come out? More than likely, but with whats available that is not the case. Everyone who graduated the school is now employed, over 20 got clerkships and a good chunk managed big law. That is pretty impressive regardless of the class size. If it were an easy thing to do all these other schools that recently opened up should be doing the same. Orange County is invested in the school. California, has one of the largest economies in the world, not just the country. If Orange County is your goal, and it is a more affordable option than USC/UCLA, why would you pass up on the opportunity? The faculty is stellar. Who cares if the undergraduate program is only mediocre compared to the top UC's. The school is polarizing and making a name for itself. Is it a risk? yes, but I wouldn't say the risk is much more than it is at other schools. With OP's options and the cost of attendance, I think it is safe to say comparatively it is a good option.

Dre, I think everyone on this forum understands your hatred for the school, but besides providing an entertaining source of pictures, and meme's and a terrible blog about TTT's you haven't provided any sort of support for your claims. I would love to see your support though. Maybe you should make a thread on everything about UCI that makes it a TTT/TTTT school. Save everyone from attending. Who knows, if its real good maybe it can be stickied for all to see and avoid such a financially ruinous decision.

pluto111 wrote:yeah it's crazy, although GW has even higher cost of living expenses. I used Law School Transparency's estimated indirect expenses to calculate this. Their estimate of $24,000/year for Irvine definitely seems like it's on the high side. UCI offers on-campus studios for $770/month with cable and internet included, so I'm sure one could spend significantly less.

one other minor thing to add is that, if I were to do very well at any of these schools, I would definitely consider transferring up. I'd imagine in this scenario that GW and BC would probably allow similar transfer options, whereas Irvine is more of an unknown.

I live in Irvine and I would say the COL is closer to $14,000 to $17,000/year depending on your lifestyle.