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Hey guys. I have a pretty significant scholarship at ASU and given that I can get in state tuition for my 2L and 3L years there my debt coming out of thee would only be around 77,000.

However, I was recently accepted off the Waitlist at GW and while I am still waiting on a merit aid decision from them, it's unlikely I will get anything close to what ASU is giving me and will most likely be paying close to sticker at GW.

As for me, my goal is to work internationally (Asia) upon graduation though not necessarily doing private practice (I currently work in Advertising for a Japanese company and hope to get back doing something similar in Asia, but in a legal capacity (in-house counsel, etc.)

I feel like GW would give me more options internationally and probably meshes better with my goals, but the money at ASU is hard to ignore.

Any advice regarding the decision (I have to choose by Monday) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

As others have surely communicated to you, a JD is almost always a shit choice for international work. Its a license to practice US law in the US. Your current positions offers more flexibility and geographic dynamism than any job you would net out of GW or ASU (unless you just went to Asia after graduation and didnt practice, but then why the degree/debt?). I have a friend at Stanford who desperately wants to work in China, and even SLS couldn't get her 2L summer work there, she had to network via private contacts from UG study abroad (but the stanford name was critical to gaining any recognition). No way either of these two degrees will network your way to Asia.

Considering the international point moot, where would you want to practice in the states (AZ or east coast), what would you be loaning out for GW from that sticker COA, and what was your GPA/LSAT? Loaning sticker at GWU is considered financial suicide, so considering your goals, Im most likely voting:
1) stay at your current job
2) Retake
3) ASU
4) stay at your current job
But we need more info.

What the hell is wrong with people?

Who still thinks that borrowing $250K to go to GW is even arguably a defensible choice for anyone?

Why would you ever think a JD from a US school would be helpful in getting a legal job at an Asian corporation, never mind in a place like Japan? Do some research on how many graduates of Japanese law schools even pass the bar.

This is such a staggeringly bad choice I don't know where to begin.

I'm consistently amazed by how many people will jump at the opportunity to take on massive amounts of debt for fantasies of jobs that either don't exist or that would be impossible to obtain. Why is it that the average human animal thinks this sort of decision requires something far less than intensive information gathering?

Paul Campos wrote:What the hell is wrong with people?

timbs4339 wrote:This is such a staggeringly bad choice I don't know where to begin.

Ti Malice wrote:Why is it that the average human animal thinks this sort of decision requires something far less than intensive information gathering?

To OP: No.

T20/T30 at sticker is terrible financial decision

If you have an EE or another PB-eligible UG degree, AND you want to go into IP/patent law, then consider GW... otherwise drop it.

GW at sticker is indefensible

COA is 280k....

bananasplit19 wrote:

Paul Campos wrote:What the hell is wrong with people?

timbs4339 wrote:This is such a staggeringly bad choice I don't know where to begin.

Ti Malice wrote:Why is it that the average human animal thinks this sort of decision requires something far less than intensive information gathering?

To OP: No.

174.

eomea5 wrote:Hey guys. I have a pretty significant scholarship at ASU and given that I can get in state tuition for my 2L and 3L years there my debt coming out of thee would only be around 77,000.

However, I was recently accepted off the Waitlist at GW and while I am still waiting on a merit aid decision from them, it's unlikely I will get anything close to what ASU is giving me and will most likely be paying close to sticker at GW.

As for me, my goal is to work internationally (Asia) upon graduation though not necessarily doing private practice (I currently work in Advertising for a Japanese company and hope to get back doing something similar in Asia, but in a legal capacity (in-house counsel, etc.)

I feel like GW would give me more options internationally and probably meshes better with my goals, but the money at ASU is hard to ignore.

Any advice regarding the decision (I have to choose by Monday) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You shouldn't even be considering GW. The way I see it: Retake > ASU >>>> GW

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Do you really think asking us (forum posters) is the way to determine the biggest decision of your life? Reach out to attorneys working at firms you would like to work for. Research their (law firms) website to see their view on international education. Contact a recruiter to get information on what they desire from an internationally educated prospect. Seriously, don't take advice/make a decision based on where I tell you to attend or where anyone else on this forum tells you to attend.

Snowboarder1588 wrote:Do you really think asking us (forum posters) is the way to determine the biggest decision of your life? Reach out to attorneys working at firms you would like to work for. Research their (law firms) website to see their view on international education. Contact a recruiter to get information on what they desire from an internationally educated prospect. Seriously, don't take advice/make a decision based on where I tell you to attend or where anyone else on this forum tells you to attend.

Yes, get employment advice only from group of people who have succeeded at doing something, ignoring the perhaps many who failed. Also consider law firm websites because we all know those are trustworthy sources (did you know every meeting always includes a black, Hispanic, Asian, and handicapped associate!).

Snowboarder1588 wrote:Do you really think asking us (forum posters) is the way to determine the biggest decision of your life?

Everyone here is using job placement stats and are way more invested in the current entry level market than attorneys who graduated 20-30 years ago.

GW would cost close to 300 grand after interest. Come on. That is an objectivly terrible decision.

Snowboarder1588 wrote:Do you really think asking us (forum posters) is the way to determine the biggest decision of your life? Reach out to attorneys working at firms you would like to work for. Research their (law firms) website to see their view on international education. Contact a recruiter to get information on what they desire from an internationally educated prospect. Seriously, don't take advice/make a decision based on where I tell you to attend or where anyone else on this forum tells you to attend.

I'm sure OP won't make his/her decision based solely on what the TLS hivemind dictates, nor will he/she do so based solely on what a boomer attorney or a guy off the street or a fortune cookie says. As you say, it's a huge decision; I have no issue with OP reaching for every opinion, however tenuously qualified, in an attempt to reach a fully researched and informed conclusion.

Plus, if no one used TLS for admissions hand-wringing, what's the point of us being here, anyway? There are millions of other sites out there with more pictures and smaller words in bigger fonts

timbs4339 wrote:

Snowboarder1588 wrote:Do you really think asking us (forum posters) is the way to determine the biggest decision of your life? Reach out to attorneys working at firms you would like to work for. Research their (law firms) website to see their view on international education. Contact a recruiter to get information on what they desire from an internationally educated prospect. Seriously, don't take advice/make a decision based on where I tell you to attend or where anyone else on this forum tells you to attend.

Yes, get employment advice only from group of people who have succeeded at doing something, ignoring the perhaps many who failed. Also consider law firm websites because we all know those are trustworthy sources (did you know every meeting always includes a black, Hispanic, Asian, and handicapped associate!).