Harvard vs. Berkeley Forum

[love4life29]

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[francesfarmer]

Harvard. It will get you back to the bay area and LIPP can't be beat.

[worldtraveler]

You only have to pay 10k a year at each? I"m confused.

[ArtistOfManliness]

Yes, you will be making a substantial sacrifice - especially since you want to work in government.

But honestly, it would probably be worth it. Three years of long distance? Shiiiit.

[love4life29]

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[francesfarmer]

Yes, you will be making a substantial sacrifice - especially since you want to work in government.

But honestly, it would probably be worth it. Three years of long distance? Shiiiit.

I assumed the spouse would move to Cambridge for three years. Isn't that what being married is for

[francesfarmer]

You only have to pay 10k a year at each? I"m confused.

I estimate that I will get 10k in federal loans per year.

You will only need 10k in loans per year? How are you paying for school?

[ArtistOfManliness]

Yes, you will be making a substantial sacrifice - especially since you want to work in government.

But honestly, it would probably be worth it. Three years of long distance? Shiiiit.

I assumed the spouse would move to Cambridge for three years. Isn't that what being married is for

Then no doubt: Harvard.

[jbagelboy]

You do realize that your parents will be spending ~$195,000-205,000 dollars if you are only taking out $30K in loans? Is your family that wealthy and generous, that is what people here are getting at - because otherwise your sticker loans will be much, much larger.

Either way, this is a conversation for you and your SO. Obviously going to Berkeley over Harvard at equal cost would be an objectively poor decision for your career. No one on TLS (or anyone knowledgeable in the legal world) will tell you otherwise. It's difficult to quantify since your goals seem a little uncertain: for bay area biglaw specifically, you wouldn't be losing much by going to Cal, but you're making a 10-15% placement power sacrifice in other markets; your chances at a federal clerkship are probably doubled at Harvard, maybe a little less in California specifically; I doubt it would matter for state level gov't, but for federal, the gap becomes widest. The dispositive question should be, is that sacrifice worth it for your relationship? We can't answer that.

[rpupkin]

* I want to work in non-profit or government, preferably in northern CA

My spouse has a great job in SF, and I'm wondering if I will be making a significant sacrifice by attending Berkeley over Harvard. Also got into Penn and NYU.

I don't think that Boalt is as much of a sacrifice as some are suggesting. If you and your spouse want to settle down long-term in Northern California, I don't think you're sacrificing much, if anything, by going to Boalt.

As jbagelboy suggested, you're going to be sacrificing competitiveness in other markets by foregoing Harvard. But if you think it's likely that you and your husband want to stay longterm in the SF Bay Area, and if you don't want to spend three years apart from your husband, it doesn't seem like your decision is all that difficult.