USC vs. BYU Forum

[Tweed]

I'm trying to choose between USC with a 120k scholarship and BYU with a full scholarship (~33k).

COA at USC is ~90k, about half of which would be covered by my family. My half would be paid with 15k in savings, the rest in loans.
COA at BYU is ~15k, all of which would be covered by my family.

USC's scholarship has no stipulations. BYU's scholarship requires that I be in the top 1/3 to keep it, middle third to keep half. If I lost it, BYU's COA would jump to ~35k (but I believe my family would still cover it).

I've lived in Utah almost my whole life, and would be happy to stay here, but I'm equally open to living in Southern California.

My dad is from Los Angeles, and I do have some relatives living there. So, I have ties to the area, but nothing that could help me get a job.

I don't know exactly what kind of law I'd like to pursue, but I would be happy with Biglaw for 5-10 years before becoming in-house counsel somewhere. I'm open to almost anything. I've worked with compliance during undergrad, and would be open to that field.

I'm a Mormon, and did my undergrad at BYU, so I'm comfortable with BYU's atmosphere.

I think my decision will come down to deciding where I want to live, California or Utah, but I'd appreciate your input.

[whjohnso444]

I'm in a similar situation, lds and went to utah for undergrad. Still waiting to hear from usc and ucla but I'd definitely go there even though it costs more. Did you apply to ucla? There's a strong lds presence down there. A lot of byu grads go. I think chances at biglaw are much better out of either of those than byu.

[rad lulz]

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[CanadianWolf]

If you're happy in Provo & like SLC, why mess with a good thing ?

[Tiago Splitter]

Both have a similar expected debt level which in either case should be fairly small. Given USC's higher upside and somewhat better chance of providing the career you want, I'd go there.

[californiauser]

Definitely don't go to USC and expect big law

[cron1834]

Those BYU stips are terrible. I thought they were of a high enough caliber not to foist that nonsense on people? I'd go with USC for that reason alone. Plus USC has 37% Biglaw+Fedclerk outcomes; FAR from a sure thing, but at least a shot.

[CanadianWolf]

BYU stips may be terrible, but the tuition is very low for LDS members.

[KatyMarie]

Sounds like you have a good thing going at BYU. Given your goals and money situation, If I were you, I'd stay put. Worst case scenario, you lose your scholarship, and it's still a lot cheaper than USC. Plus, you know you'll be comfortable at BYU for 3 years.

[downinDtown]

I'm trying to choose between USC with a 120k scholarship and BYU with a full scholarship (~33k).

COA at USC is ~90k, about half of which would be covered by my family. My half would be paid with 15k in savings, the rest in loans.
COA at BYU is ~15k, all of which would be covered by my family.

USC's scholarship has no stipulations. BYU's scholarship requires that I be in the top 1/3 to keep it, middle third to keep half. If I lost it, BYU's COA would jump to ~35k (but I believe my family would still cover it).

I've lived in Utah almost my whole life, and would be happy to stay here, but I'm equally open to living in Southern California.

My dad is from Los Angeles, and I do have some relatives living there. So, I have ties to the area, but nothing that could help me get a job.

I don't know exactly what kind of law I'd like to pursue, but I would be happy with Biglaw for 5-10 years before becoming in-house counsel somewhere. I'm open to almost anything. I've worked with compliance during undergrad, and would be open to that field.

I'm a Mormon, and did my undergrad at BYU, so I'm comfortable with BYU's atmosphere.

I think my decision will come down to deciding where I want to live, California or Utah, but I'd appreciate your input.

A few things:

First, half of BYU's class ends up in Utah (see http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=byu&show=ABA), and Utah is by no means a booming legal market, and the BigLaw/MidLaw firms there are few in number, and they do not have large classes. Competition is very tight for these positions, as BYU/UofU and out-of-staters targeting Utah compete for those few positions. USC places 3/4 of its class in CA, so it's likely that you'll be getting a job there if you choose the school. BYU carries a somewhat-limited national cachet b/c of the religious connections, but either way you'll have to be ranked high in your class to get BigLaw anywhere.

Second, even if you're not exclusively targeting BigLaw in Utah, BYU only gives you a 10% chance at BigLaw based on the latest NLJ figures; USC places 30% of their class in BigLaw (http://[link redacted]/RyISbA). Both mean that it's much more likely than not that you won't get BigLaw. Which leads me to...

Third, it depends on where you'd rather live if (or when) you don't land a BigLaw position. Which state would you rather live in? Which legal market would better suit your career and family goals?

BYU is dirt-cheap and you're basically going for free no matter what (assuming your family chips in whatever difference if you lose your scholly). So would you be fine graduating debt free and taking whatever job you can get? Or would you rather pay 90K, triple your chance at BigLaw, and likely better your chance in a bigger legal market to get a higher-paying position, but have more debt to pay off?

Also, I have to ask since you went to BYU, are you married or single? Does that come into the equation? Feel free to PM me.

[Tweed]

Thanks for the feedback. You've all definitely given me some things to think about.