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Hey all,

I currently work at Rutgers, and I was planning on going to law school at night part-time while keeping my full-time job at the university since the university will pay 100% tuition. Well, those plans have fallen through due to changes beyond my control (changes in the job requirements/hours). As a result, I will no longer be able to make the commute from the main campus (where my job is) to the Newark campus in time for class. So, I e-mailed my withdrawal today, and I was immediately counter-offered with $18,000/year if I were to quit my job and go full-time. This $18,000/year is with in-state tuition.

-My total COA would be around $50k after interest if I keep the scholarship.
-3.0 GPA (top half) requirement
-Stats are 3.17/160. LSAT taken twice. I could've definitely studied more, but I was studying while working full-time.
-Born and raised in NJ and wouldn't mind living here. No real biglaw aspirations.

Alternatively, I could stay at my $56k/year job and wait to see if I could transfer within the university and go for free, but there is no guarantee there, and I've already been trying to do this to no avail. Also, there's not a lot of room for growth where I currently am. In addition, I'll be 30 this year, and I don't know how much longer I can put this off. What do you think?

How are you getting the $50K figure for COA? The Rutgers-Newark website puts COA for NJ residents living off-campus at ~$30K more than your scholarship for 2013-14.

Even if your COA is only $50K, I would absolutely not give up a stable $56K-per-year job for anything close to as crappy as that offer. That scholarship stip is terrible, and R-N essentially gives you a coin-flip's chance of getting a job as an actual lawyer -- not in BigLaw, but in any area of legal practice at all. Odds are strongly against your even equaling your current salary with a JD from R-N. You can put this particular move off permanently because it makes no sense at all.

If you want to be a lawyer, get a score in the 170s and see what your options are at that point.

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You'd probably end up in the exact same position financially after law school anyway. Waiting and transferring within the university makes the most sense if you're dying to be a lawyer.

cinephile wrote:You'd probably end up in the exact same position financially after law school anyway. Waiting and transferring within the university makes the most sense if you're dying to be a lawyer.

+1 on this. If you're looking for advancement and your current job doesn't offer it, time to look for a position the next rung up at other universities in your area.