Harvard vs Chicago ($) vs NYU ($)vs Michigan($$)vs Duke($$) Forum

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[Winston1984]

Harvard for 150k is a damn good deal. I probably would take that over any offer you are going to receive.

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[BanjoCalhoun]

I'd go with Harvard in that scenario but it would be also be reasonable to choose Chicago or NYU at those COAs.

[banjo]

Solid, thorough post. As a K-JD targeting non-NYC markets, you'll probably want the added security of HLS. If you can use the HLS acceptance to get 30k/yr out of Chicago, that would also be a good choice.

[Winston1984]

Harvard for 150k is a damn good deal. I probably would take that over any offer you are going to receive.

Actually I miscalculated slightly. It is pry more like 170k.

170k is still a pretty good deal. If you got total COA for Chi/NYU down to 50k, I don't think you could go wrong.

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[cotiger]

Interesting. Normally the advice on here seems to be to take the money over sticker, even at Harvard. But, I guess it is HLS.

Any strategies for negotiating? How does one use a harvard acceptance when negotiating for Chicago $$$ without coming off too strong?

Negotiate Chicago up to NYU. Then take the money and run. That's paid off in a little more than a year of biglaw. What do you think you'd be getting from harvard that's worth so much extra money?

[Tiago Splitter]

I agree with cotiger. With 75k debt you can leave biglaw at anytime and be ok. With 170k debt you need to put in a good 2-3 years.

[Doorkeeper]

If your aspirations are just biglaw, then Chicago or NYU looks really good at those COAs.

Try to get a bump in the Chicago or NYU scholarship based on the Harvard acceptance.

[transferror]

If your aspirations are just biglaw, then Chicago or NYU looks really good at those COAs.

Try to get a bump in the Chicago or NYU scholarship based on the Harvard acceptance.

Yeah, a scholly bump at NYU or Chicago should seal the deal. Worst case, with no scholly bump and aspirations of biglaw in Chicago, UChi is a great deal at less than $90k.

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[jbagelboy]

For straight up NYC biglaw, NYU at $70K is a steal - unless you get into CLS and they offer you comparable $$, in which case I would pick them. I'm surprised CLS hasn't admitted you yet w/ a named scholarship - big mistake on their part considering your goals match what they are probably better than any other option at doing.

For other parts of the country, like if you wanted to stay in the midwest, UChicago is the stronger pick vis a vis NYU and worth the extra $10-15K.

Choosing Harvard is also easily justified. It would be on par with these schools in their home markets, and beat them out in secondaries. It's a lifestyle choice to some extent - you'll have several more years of biglaw to pay off loans, but if you decided you wanted to try a different career track while in law school, HLS might crack a few doors a little wider.

I guess I would go NYU here because ~$150K in loans is my sweet spot above which I would not want to cross, even for Harvard unless I had no choice, but it's definitely a tough call and it would depend for me on exactly how much COA your parents would cover.

[jbagelboy]

Given the regions in question, is there any strong reason to attend one of NYU/UChicago over the other? Obviously UChicago does better in Chicago, but what about their placement in Florida/Cali?

I think UChicago would be a stronger choice for CA.

Honestly, if you really want Florida, Harvard might be your best option. That is one market where HLS has substantially more flex than CCN.

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