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Hi guys! I'm back again with significantly better choices then last time so I'll just jump right in.

I have accepted an offer from UVA which would put my total cost of attendance at 90k (including living costs) However I have just been accepted into UChicago off the the waitlist with a 30,000/yr scholarship which would put my total cost of attendance there around 150,000. Anything that is not covered by scholarships will be loans.

Some more information:
My family is all based on the east coast and I would like to work there after graduation (especially in DC)
I am interested in clerking but that is not a make or break point for me.
I want to do PI/Gov work
I have visited UVA and liked it everyone seemed nice and happy with their choice. I haven't had the chance to visit UChi nor have I visited Chicago so I can't really comment on that one.
I like the availability of internships during the school year at Chicago.

They're basically pier schools man. CCNV. Go with the cheaper one & enjoy Charlottesville.

If you're certain that you want to do PI/gov't, you should note that Chicago's LRAP is much better than UVA's.

Huge congrats on Chitown $. Id do that. Either choice is justified.

Congrats!

I had a similar choice off the WL and took Chicago, but either option is defensible. Hope to see you in Hyde Park!

Chicago is such a great school, but based on your interests/goals I don't think it is worth the extra 60k. Take UVA here.

I would choose UVA. You seem to want DC and that is a market UVA does great in. How many DC offices go to Chicago's OCI?

I don't think you can really make a terrible choice here. Have you been to both campuses? Chicago and UVA are two very different schools.

Edit: Reading comp fail! Have you at least been to Chicago the city? I would say in this situation it can be much better taking a known you like rather than an unknown you could hate.

I second the LRAP comment. If you're dead set on PI/gov't, look at the average starting salaries for the positions you're seeking. Chicago's $80K ceiling for 100% loan forgiveness is a lot more flexible than UVA's $55K (with limited forgiveness up to $75K). The COA difference might be negated by Chicago's more generous LRAP.

What do you want to do in PI/Gov? That's a pretty broad field and you'd get more specific advice if you narrow it down for us

zozin wrote:I second the LRAP comment. If you're dead set on PI/gov't, look at the average starting salaries for the positions you're seeking. Chicago's $80K ceiling for 100% loan forgiveness is a lot more flexible than UVA's $55K (with limited forgiveness up to $75K). The COA difference might be negated by Chicago's more generous LRAP.

There are at least two other crappy things about UVA's LRAP that aren't part of Chicago's: (1) must enter qualifying employment within two years, and (2) no re-entry.

The LRAP argument is very strong but wanting to be in DC really makes it hard for me to vote against UVA here. The difference in flexibility should be eased a bit by the COA difference but that is still something to consider. Both are good options, OP.

60k is chump change, you won't even need LRAP to pay that off. On the other hand, UChi arguably has a better program. Whether or not that also translates into better job opportunities is anyone's guess.

I guess I'd say UVA. Neither choice is "wrong."

Tough choice. If you okay with living on UVA's campus, that's a hell of a deal.

twentypercentmore wrote:60k is chump change, you won't even need LRAP to pay that off. On the other hand, UChi arguably has a better program. Whether or not that also translates into better job opportunities is anyone's guess.

I guess I'd say UVA. Neither choice is "wrong."

What? I wish I lived in the world where 60K (with compounding interest) is chump change.

Go Visit Chicago. Check it out, see the campus, talk with people and get a feel for the atmosphere that you might spend the next 3 years of your life at. The point is not just which will provide better job prospects, although that is very important, but this is going to be your home -- don't make such a big decision without checking out both options and making a fully informed decision.

unc0mm0n1 wrote:

twentypercentmore wrote:60k is chump change, you won't even need LRAP to pay that off. On the other hand, UChi arguably has a better program. Whether or not that also translates into better job opportunities is anyone's guess.

I guess I'd say UVA. Neither choice is "wrong."

What? I wish I lived in the world where 60K (with compounding interest) is chump change.

You could pay that off over 6-7 years and live pretty comfortably on even a meh PI salary. I know a lot of undergraduates that would be pretty happy to only have 60k debt.

I should qualify that and say that 60k is no-question lots of money, and that you're spending money you could have spent buying a house or something, but ultimately 60k is not much in the overall scheme of law school debt.

uchi's LRAP is much better. go there. the extra 60k in cost is a non-factor.

Chicago is worth the extra $60k if you want clerking + BIGFED. LRAP mitigates the difference.

Doorkeeper wrote:Chicago is worth the extra $60k if you want clerking + BIGFED. LRAP mitigates the difference.

Stats seem pretty similar for clerking and bigfed. Aside from Chicago's convoluted grading system that gives feds a boner, I can't help but think that the school choices for OP's goals are pretty marginal in difference.

If OP had any outside chance of doing biglaw, though, I'd say Chicago with no question.

The difference in price and overall placement gives you the luxury of choosing a school for purposes other than those previously mentioned. Would you rather enjoy the more suburban Charlottesville, or the more urban Chicago? Arguably the 3 best years of your life will be spent in either city, so do not neglect to consider your preferred living conditions.

ThetaX wrote:The difference in price and overall placement gives you the luxury of choosing a school for purposes other than those previously mentioned. Would you rather enjoy the more suburban Charlottesville, or the more urban Chicago? Arguably the 3 best years of your life will be spent in either city, so do not neglect to consider your preferred living conditions.

Lol if law school is the best 3 yrs of your life, then your college experience must have really sucked.

But I agree at this price differential, location/culture would have been a real consideration. Although still Chicago.