William and Mary vs. Ohio State vs. Case Western Forum

[ohioguy99]

Hey everyone I'm trying to decide between William and Mary, Ohio State, and Case Western Reserve. I'm a resident of Ohio, been here my whole life, and have ties there.

I'm not interested in big law.

I have cost of living saved up pretty well for any of the options. So tuition and fees are the main concerns.

William and Mary- 13K per year in scholarship. So about 25,000 a year tuition.

Ohio State- 15K per year in scholarship. So about 13,000 a year tuition after in-state tuition discount.

Case Western- Essentially full tuition offer. About 3,000 a year tuition.

I'm leaning toward Ohio State but was interested to know what others thought. Thanks.

[timbs4339]

I think you're leaning in the right direction. W+M is not worth 2x per year Ohio State is.

[raininthedesert]

This would likely not be a topic if people weren't suddenly enamored with W&M because of its significant jump in the rankings. It's still the same school, located in Williamsburg, and without national portability. OSU and W&M are equal regional schools with terrific programs -- great faculty, reasonable class sizes, and a surprising amount of courses and clinics. However...

Ohio State = urban market feeder school w/ phenomenal externships during the school year

W&M = not an urban market feeder school w/ a lack of substantive externship opportunities during the school year.

Case = not a comparable at the current spread you provided between Case and OSU

You're from Ohio and like it there. OSU by a mile...no need to even look back.

P.S. OSU is shrinking its class size this year so even smaller number in your year will likely mean stronger employment prospects relative to prior class years -- irrespective of the economy. And, I believe, W&M continues to grow their class size but you would need to check the stats.

[Nomo]

Are you considering tuition increases? Most schools increase tuition by about 5% every year. This should be factored in.

[ohioguy99]

This would likely not be a topic if people weren't suddenly enamored with W&M because of its significant jump in the rankings. It's still the same school, located in Williamsburg, and without national portability. OSU and W&M are equal regional schools with terrific programs -- great faculty, reasonable class sizes, and a surprising amount of courses and clinics. However...

Ohio State = urban market feeder school w/ phenomenal externships during the school year

W&M = not an urban market feeder school w/ a lack of substantive externship opportunities during the school year.

Case = not a comparable at the current spread you provided between Case and OSU

You're from Ohio and like it there. OSU by a mile...no need to even look back.

P.S. OSU is shrinking its class size this year so even smaller number in your year will likely mean stronger employment prospects relative to prior class years -- irrespective of the economy.

Thanks for the info. I agree with a lot of this. Nice to hear it from somewhere else.

Are you considering tuition increases? Most schools increase tuition by about 5% every year. This should be factored in.

Good point, thanks.

[BigZuck]

You're paying 40K in loans for tuition at OSU and COL (conservatively, 45k but probably more like 60K) out of pocket? So 100K for OSU? I don't think I would do that.

How's about a retake?

[anan]

i disagree with WM lacking a feeder market as well as the statement about externships. You can check the employment numbers compared to OSU's.

[thebobs1987]

OSU seems to be the right place for you. 13k is a little high though. Negotiate and/or retake in June for more money