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I’ve finally received offers from all of my acceptances, and now it’s almost decision time. IMO, my two best options are Vandy and Wake. The figures listed above are the 3-year tuition + fees total. I’m not including COL because my spouse will be working while I’m in school, so it’s hard to predict how much debt we’ll take on for COL. Keep in mind it could be substantially more if she’s not able to find good employment, or it could be nothing if she finds decent work in a fairly short time. Also, I have not tried to negotiate any of my offers yet.

Preferred career options: I think I want to work in some form of land use/development/real estate law (if I had to pick a non-law career, it’d probably be in city-planning or a related field). I want to work for a firm or organization that helps facilitate urban development and policies. Private practice is preferable because of the greater chance of better pay, but I’m willing to work for less in government/public interest if it’s for a cause I can really get behind. I’m also really interested in JAG, especially Air Force JAG.

Least preferred career options: Ambulance chasing; bland, soul-crushing corporate work.

Personal preferences: I’d like to live in a major city (someplace like Birmingham or Raleigh could fit this definition for me) in the mid-South, Texas, or Midwest. I realize I’ll most likely be working long hours as an attorney, but I don’t want to be slaving away 10 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Ties in order of strength: South (specifically central Gulf Coast, along with Alabama and Georgia); Upper Midwest (specifically South Dakota and Minneapolis); Texas (San Antonio). I was a military kid, in case this doesn’t give it away…

Other options: WUSTL ($99K), Emory ($90K), UGA ($40K), FSU ($20K), UF ($28K), W&M ($57K), SMU ($56K), Houston ($44K), Tulane ($50K). Waitlisted at Duke and waiting on Alabama.

What would you pick in my shoes? Any negotiating tips based on my options? I’m hoping the Vandy and Wake offers could help sway WUSTL to offer a little more. And based on my preferences, how much more would Vandy/WUSTL/Emory be worth than Wake?

Thanks for your input!

If I was in your situation I'd be planning on going to Wake Forest hoping to go to Duke.

Vandy for less than $100k id do that

Wait for Duke & Alabama to respond.

P.S. You've done well with your numbers, in my opinion, but with a 163/3.8x, you should consider retaking the LSAT to expand your options in the T-14 & to get better schlarship offers.

rad lulz wrote:Vandy for less than $100k id do that

I agree, but he didn't include COL. If Vandy is closer to 150K I think that's too much.

BigZuck wrote:

rad lulz wrote:Vandy for less than $100k id do that

I agree, but he didn't include COL. If Vandy is closer to 150K I think that's too much.

It sorta depends how much of that his spouse can cover

Wish I knew more

rad lulz wrote:

BigZuck wrote:

rad lulz wrote:Vandy for less than $100k id do that

I agree, but he didn't include COL. If Vandy is closer to 150K I think that's too much.

It sorta depends how much of that his spouse can cover

Wish I knew more

Wish I knew more too. She likely won't have a high paying job since she's a social science major like me and she'll be a fresh graduate. So there's a decent chance we'll have to supplement her income with a little loan money. But alas, we're stuck making the decision with limited info.

CanadianWolf wrote:Wait for Duke & Alabama to respond.

P.S. You've done well with your numbers, in my opinion, but with a 163/3.8x, you should consider retaking the LSAT to expand your options in the T-14 & to get better schlarship offers.

I don't intend to sit out a cycle, but I am considering a June retake to boost scholarship leverage and chances at getting off the Duke wait list.

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Our career interests are similar & numbers are too. Hopefully you will get Duke, but if you don't, I would take Vandy if I were in your shoes. Congrats in a great cycle!

I'm surprised how much of a favorite Vandy is in my poll. I feel awfully nervous about passing up a chance to go to a good school for barely anything to sink myself $90k or more in the hole for a better shot at a high paying job.

Does anyone who picked Vandy care to share their reasoning?

If you have ties to Georgia and are fine living there I vote UGA

I would go with Vandy. I realize the difference in cost is fairly significant, but it's worth it in this case.

Vandy is just in a different tier and opens up a lot more jobs. Wake is not a bad school but it is #3 in the state in a small market. Also, Nashville is going to give your wife a lot more opportunities than Winston in general.

Out of Wake, there is a decent probability that if you miss the boat on the top 10-15% or so, you will be doing ambulance chaser type work in NC. With Vandy, you have a little bit more cushion room and also expand your portability options. And if you have the grades to do corporate work from Vandy, you will likely have options to do something else that is a little less soul crushing.

It sounds like you have pre-existing student loans. You need to take that amount and factor it into your total cost of attendance ( it will be the same for all schools). Keep in mind that since your loans will be deferred, the interest on those earlier loan will continue to accumulate. So you should factor this amount into your decision-making process.

What are your SO's job/ school options?

If you want governmental work I would suggest going to a school in a capital city ( FSU). But I don't know how much that will help if you don't have a lot of ties to the state.

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Parents are paying my undergrad loans, so its a non factor.

deadpanic wrote:I would go with Vandy. I realize the difference in cost is fairly significant, but it's worth it in this case.

Vandy is just in a different tier and opens up a lot more jobs. Wake is not a bad school but it is #3 in the state in a small market. Also, Nashville is going to give your wife a lot more opportunities than Winston in general.

Out of Wake, there is a decent probability that if you miss the boat on the top 10-15% or so, you will be doing ambulance chaser type work in NC. With Vandy, you have a little bit more cushion room and also expand your portability options. And if you have the grades to do corporate work from Vandy, you will likely have options to do something else that is a little less soul crushing.

I get this reasoning. On one hand, I feel like I would regret not taking the opportunity to go to a school like Vandy for a price that isn't totally unreasonable. On the other, when I'm paying off $100K in loans, I may very well regret not taking up Wake. I realize that if I end up around top 30/40% at either school, my options at Vandy would be much better than Wake. But if I wind up at median or worse at either, it seems like Vandy loses its advantage. Making $60K small-law is a lot more manageable with $10K debt than it is $90K.

northwood wrote: What are your SO's job/ school options?

She'll be graduating with a B.A. in psychology in June. Given her interests, entry level positions in social work, teaching, etc are probably her best options at the moment. I don't think either city is better for these, but Nashville seems to have a better economy overall.

I think your SO will have better luck finding employment in Nashville.

Also it sounds like you might be interested in jobs eligible for LRAP... Vandy's LRAP is not great compared to t14s but it would at least help some. Granted idk anything about LRAPS at any of the other schools you're looking at besides Cornell.

Sorry I don't have anything better to add lol

OliveBC wrote:I think your SO will have better luck finding employment in Nashville.

Also it sounds like you might be interested in jobs eligible for LRAP... Vandy's LRAP is not great compared to t14s but it would at least help some. Granted idk anything about LRAPS at any of the other schools you're looking at besides Cornell.

Sorry I don't have anything better to add lol

No problem, thanks for the input! Nashville and Winston-Salem/Greensboro are roughly equal in population, so I don't know that she'd have better luck there. But Nashville seems to be a big up-and-comer, like an Austin of the Southeast, so maybe she would...

Post removed.

I don't get why so many people are wishing sticker at Duke upon the OP. He seems leery of debt, and doesn't want soul-crushing work.

BigZuck wrote:I don't get why so many people are wishing sticker at Duke upon the OP. He seems leery of debt, and doesn't want soul-crushing work.

This

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Wake Forest > Vanderbilt > don't go to law school > duke at sticker.

sublime wrote:

rad lulz wrote:

BigZuck wrote:I don't get why so many people are wishing sticker at Duke upon the OP. He seems leery of debt, and doesn't want soul-crushing work.

This

Solid retake -> Duke with $$ -> win

Yeah, wouldn't do Duke for sticker (even minus COL). But I'm thinking I'll deposit at Vandy or Wake and retake to get more $ from Vandy/Wake and/or get off the waitlist at Duke.

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:Wake Forest > Vanderbilt > don't go to law school > duke at sticker.

Finally someone in favor of Wake chimes in. Why would you say Wake over Vandy? Also Duke wouldn't be real sticker...with my wife working, it'd be like $150K or so.

Also, I'm visiting Wake next week - would a friendly visit to Duke help my chances at all of getting off the WL?