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Finally I am writing a post here after lurking in LSAT forum and admissions forum!

I understand that it might be a bit early to start making a decision, but my situation is slightly different than others so I might as well post this now.


Important Background Info:
I am a non-citizen but have spent the most important parts of my life in the states, specifically Oregon (went to high school and college there).
In other words, I am pretty much culturally American and would like to stay in the U.S. but the paper says I'm a foreigner.


Career Goal after law school:
I'm very set on getting a biglaw job. In addition to all the usual reasons to pursue biglaw, I also have an additional reason: they are more likely to sponsor me a green card than other employers in the legal field.

In particular, I am flirting with the idea of getting into Portland market. I love Oregon and would love to go back.
I believe having graduated from a Portland high school and U of O are good enough ties for Portland law firms to hire me, but being a non-citizen always could present a hidden challenge.

But I do know that biglaws in NYC or other big markets hire non-citizens and often sponsor a green card, so I would like to have that option opened, too.


Financial Situation:
NYU - No money at all.
Michigan - $30k per year, $90k total.
Other schools (UVA, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, Georgetown) - Still waiting for their scholarship offers, but I really doubt that any of these school would offer more than $90k to an international student.

I am blessed that my parents are paying for law school, but we are certainly not rich enough to throw a lot of money away.
So I would like to save as much money as possible, but that doesn't mean I and my parents want to hurt chances of getting a biglaw job just to save money.


In summary:
So it comes down to NYU vs Michigan.
I really want to get a biglaw job in Portland, so the employment statistics difference between the two is not enough to warrant the COA difference.
In that case, Michigan seems to be a clear choice.

But I want to make sure that I have a back up plan in case something goes wrong.
In that case, recent employment statistics of Michigan Law worries me a little bit.
NYU seems like a safe bet for NYC biglaw, while Michigan is not as much.

Honestly, I didn't expect to get $$ from any school (scholarships are rarely given to international students).
But $90k is such a big amount of money....

Thank you all in advance for any tips.

Wait to hear back from others and negotiate but as of now yea go with 90k at U of M.

Did you apply to Lewis & Clark or University of Oregon? I have heard (from TLS, granted) that Oregon biglaw is not too open to graduates from outside law schools. Would you be willing to apply to Lewis and Clark and get a full ride?

nyu at sticker, for 99% of people, is objectively not worth it, (maybe) unless 1) you think you can handle BigLaw in NYC for more than 5 years--without getting shitcanned, or (maybe) 2) you plan on doing PI and getting your loans forgiven after 10 yrs anyway. No reason to unecessarily saddle your parents with an extra 100k (think cost of living in the village for 3 years) since there's very little chance you can get back to the pnw from NYU, though also small chance from Michigan.

Look at lawyer profiles from that area, see where they went to school. CONTACT THEM. Ask what it takes to break into that market, then do that.

,

Wait until all offers are in, then repost. Green card considerations should dominate your thought process, in my opinion. Of which country or countries are you a citizen ? (Nevermind. I know. Also, I suspected your citizenship due to your mandatory military service.)

Ohiobumpkin wrote:Did you apply to Lewis & Clark or University of Oregon? I have heard (from TLS, granted) that Oregon biglaw is not too open to graduates from outside law schools. Would you be willing to apply to Lewis and Clark and get a full ride?

Are you seriously suggesting that someone with $90k at Michigan attends Lewis & Clark?

The delta in my scholarship amounts between Michigan and NYU was $2,500/year. There is no combination of variables to explain or justify a $30,000/year scholarship difference here. Negotiate.

Also, neither of these schools provides any guarantee of access to PNW markets.

I know of one person from Michigan getting a job in Portland and a few in Seattle. I think a lot of these jobs are paying 120k or leswhich isn't necessarily bad. It seemed to me that people from Oregon and Washington had a harder time getting back there than people with no ties to New York and Chicago had getting into those markets. There just aren't a lot of jobs in Portland compared with the number of people who want in. And I think you'll find that's true of many of the desirable secondary markets: Denver, Boston, Minneapolis, Austin etc.

It's tough to crack into those market without connections, but if you actively pursue it as a goal during law school, you should be able to make it happen.

Don't take any of this ridiculous advice about going to Lewis and Clark.

I picked NYU at sticker over Michigan at $67.5k and it was a tough, tough, tough decision. $90k is a lot of money and if NYU offers you nothing, which I doubt will be the case, I would go with Michigan.