USC (69k) vs Notre Dame (60k) Forum

[sdmelzer]

Just got in off the WL at USC. Looking for opinions on these schools at the given scholly amounts. No geographic preference, no ties to either location. Want typical biglaw/fed clerk. Thanks!

EDIT: 23k/year from USC

[BigZuck]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=206299

Do that. All of that.

Correct answer will most likely be "Neither, retake" but you have to do that first.

[sinfiery]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=206299

Do that. All of that.

Correct answer will most likely be "Neither, retake" but you have to do that first.

[Ti Malice]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=206299

Do that. All of that.

Correct answer will most likely be "Neither, retake" but you have to do that first.

[PRgradBYU]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=206299

Do that. All of that.

Correct answer will most likely be "Neither, retake" but you have to do that first.

[sdmelzer]

Total COA including accumulated debt are as followed:

Notre Dame: $98k
USC: $148k

Retakes are all used, I suck at standardized tests and am just slow. I will be taking small loans for the feds. Ties in NC only. I don't care where I work.

Like I said, biglaw is my primary goal, but I would like to avoid being on the streets if things don't go my way. Is USC worth 50k more?

[BigZuck]

Could be wrong but slow test taker doesn't sound like it bodes very well for someone who would need to land solidly in the top quarter of the class to have a shot at big law from either of these schools.

I would not go to any school ranked below 13 if my main goal was big law or federal clerkship. Find your way into one of those if you want a shot at fulfilling your career goals.

100K is about the max I would pay for ND. USC is out at that cost.

[rickgrimes69]

Could be wrong but slow test taker doesn't sound like it bodes very well for someone who would need to land solidly in the top quarter of the class to have a shot at big law from either of these schools.

I would not go to any school ranked below 13 if my main goal was big law or federal clerkship. Find your way into one of those if you want a shot at fulfilling your career goals.

100K is about the max I would pay for ND. USC is out at that cost.

This is the second time in this thread you've taken the words out of my mouth.

[ndirish2010]

Neither is a great option. If you are conservative and finish ~10% at NDLS, you have a pretty good shot at a federal clerkship. We already have 9 CoA clerks in the 2014 class. But you can't really make a decision based on what 3.7+ people are doing. I went to NDLS with $20K, but I would not really advise it, I kind of got lucky.

[Dmini7]

Total COA including accumulated debt are as followed:

Notre Dame: $98k
USC: $148k

Retakes are all used, I suck at standardized tests and am just slow. I will be taking small loans for the feds. Ties in NC only. I don't care where I work.

Like I said, biglaw is my primary goal, but I would like to avoid being on the streets if things don't go my way. Is USC worth 50k more?

are you commuting from home at ND? I am not sure how you got 98k if your scholarship is 60k total. I feel this should leave you with atleast 120-130k debt, but I could be wrong. I would consider these schools similar in most aspects just different markets. Were you able to visit both? I would choose the one you liked better due to similarity. If money is your only worry I would pick ND. Both have strong alumni networks, but being from Socal I can say USC's alumni network is extremely powerful in the surrounding area.

[ndirish2010]

Total COA including accumulated debt are as followed:

Notre Dame: $98k
USC: $148k

Retakes are all used, I suck at standardized tests and am just slow. I will be taking small loans for the feds. Ties in NC only. I don't care where I work.

Like I said, biglaw is my primary goal, but I would like to avoid being on the streets if things don't go my way. Is USC worth 50k more?

are you commuting from home at ND? I am not sure how you got 98k if your scholarship is 60k total. I feel this should leave you with atleast 120-130k debt, but I could be wrong. I would consider these schools similar in most aspects just different markets. Were you able to visit both? I would choose the one you liked better due to similarity. If money is your only worry I would pick ND. Both have strong alumni networks, but being from Socal I can say USC's alumni network is extremely powerful in the surrounding area.

Agreed, that seems generous unless you are from Michiana. Tuition is like $46K right now. So that would be $78K assuming no tuition hikes (which would be equivalent to assuming no snow in South Bend). You could get by on $12K/yr cost of living I would think.

[sdmelzer]

I have outside help from savings.

My situation has changed. Notre Dame will be slightly less expensive than I previously calculated.

Is USC worth 90k more than Notre Dame? I am thinking that the answer is a definitive no, but would like to hear others opinions to ensure I'm not being stupid.

[ndirish2010]

I have outside help from savings.

My situation has changed. Notre Dame will be slightly less expensive than I previously calculated.

Is USC worth 90k more than Notre Dame? I am thinking that the answer is a definitive no, but would like to hear others opinions to ensure I'm not being stupid.

No, it's not. But still, I'm not sure NDLS is worth it. PM me if you'd like to talk about it, I just graduated.

[Myself]

.

[BigZuck]

So what you put as total cost if attendance is not even the total cost of attendance? How much money out of pocket are you also planning to spend?

These schools are not worth anything close to what I assume you are planning on paying out of pocket/loan financing.

[Informative]

If you want to work in Cali, go with USC. If you want to work in the midwest, go with ND. If you don't care, go with whicever is cheapest.

Note that ND doesn't have great placement in the top Vault firms but it does place well in the NLJ250, which is still considered biglaw by most.

[untar614]

This is why we keep running into trouble when people have savings they use - COA is often conflated with debt at graduation.

For clarity's sake, please put it in the format "USC: $xx from savings and $yy debt at graduation" being sure to include both tuition and cost of living, as well as interest compounded during school.

[Ti Malice]

If you want to work in Cali, go with USC. If you want to work in the midwest, go with ND. If you don't care, go with whicever is cheapest.

Note that ND doesn't have great placement in the top Vault firms but it does place well in the NLJ250, which is still considered biglaw by most.

This post, like so many of your posts, is not informative. Almost no one would characterize 16.33% placement in the NLJ250 as placing "well."

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

If you want to work in Cali, go with USC. If you want to work in the midwest, go with ND. If you don't care, go with whicever is cheapest.

Note that ND doesn't have great placement in the top Vault firms but it does place well in the NLJ250, which is still considered biglaw by most.

This post, like so many of your posts, is not informative. Almost no one would characterize 16.33% placement in the NLJ250 as placing "well."

+1. Let's never use a number below the Mendoza Line to refer to desirable Biglaw placement.