What CCN scholarship is worth passing up a Dillard? Forum

[truckstop]

My current scholarship offers are as follows:
Dillard at UVA
$65K at Columbia (26/26/13)
$60K at Chicago (20/20/20)
$0 at NYU ( )

The total COA for each school (based on what's listed on websites but not including increases in tuition or interest because I'm bad at figuring that out) would be:
UVA - estimated at $20,880/year for a total of $62,640. I don't think I would take out more than the max amount of Stafford loans ($61,500), but I still think it's a huge overestimate for living expenses in Charlottesville
Columbia - ~$248K with the initial offer
Chicago - ~$170K with the initial offer
NYU - I don't want to talk about it... I will absolutely not go there for sticker.

I haven't tried negotiating with CCN yet, but as it currently stands, I couldn't turn down a full ride at UVA, especially after calculating the COA for each school (Columbia's is actually crazy, considering it should be $65K more).

Anyone have any opinions on what I would need to be offered from CCN to justify turning down the Dillard?

171, 3.85, 3 years work experience. I will not sit out another year for the chance of maybe doing better on the LSAT. Everything beyond the scholarship will be paid for with loans. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do yet because there are too many things I'm interested in (I'm counting on courses/clinics/externships/summer jobs/etc. to help me figure it out), but I have zero interest in Big Law and I have definite interest in a clerkship (before some sort of PI or Government work).

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Edited to add total COA for each school.

[badaboom61]

I think the Dillard is your best option here. Congrats and enjoy softball.

Edit: Reread your post: I wouldn't pay more than 20 or 25k a year extra in total COA to attend either of those schools over UVA. Unless you can negotiate that much money out of them, I'd stick with the Dillard.

[UnicornHunter]

If you have no interest in big law, definitely take the money. UVA's school funded positions could actually be an advantage for you with no debt.

[3L2014]

maybe 45k more max, and that would be if you wanted NY, going to columbia/NYU, or if you wanted midwest, going Chicago

[El Principe]

I'd have to get another named scholarship from CCN to pass up Dillard

[jbagelboy]

Would have to compare total CoAs, but at these numbers I'd still take the Dillard. If Chicago or CLS exceeded half tuition, and your goals were NY or Chi biglaw, CC would enter into consideration. For DC-focused students, it would require a full ride from another school to pull me from the Dillard.

[Mack.Hambleton]

also interested in this.

[3L2014]

maybe 45k more max, and that would be if you wanted NY, going to columbia/NYU, or if you wanted midwest, going Chicago

To clarify, I meant 45k more COA MAX to make CCN worth it

[truckstop]

I added estimates of total COA for each school to the original post, which only confirmed that I would not turn down a Dillard for my current offers. But that's why I'm trying to figure out what amount of additional debt beyond UVA COL would be worth it.

Thanks for all the input so far!

[UnicornHunter]

I added estimates of total COA for each school to the original post, which only confirmed that I would not turn down a Dillard for my current offers. But that's why I'm trying to figure out what amount of additional debt beyond UVA COL would be worth it.

Thanks for all the input so far!

Honestly, for PI/Government with absolutely 0% interest in BigLaw, I'm not sure that CCN would be better than a Dillard even at equal cost, and it's tough to imagine anything but a Ruby getting you equal cost to UVA given the differences in COL. UVA does just as well as CCN in getting students clerkships, and by most accounts its school funded positions can be absolutely essential for people gunning hard for PI. Given that 40k salaries are not unheard of in the PI world, I would be very reluctant to take out any additional money for a prestige jump that seems more relevant to BigLaw than it does to PI.

On a somewhat related note, don't wait until you've experienced

courses/clinics/externships/summer jobs/etc.

to decide what kind of PI you want to do. No matter what school you go to, you're going to need to have a convincing narrative of "why X PI" if you want to find full-time employment in a very competitive field.

[jbagelboy]

Yea, that Columbia estimate is not realistic. It'll cost about $80,000 next year if you buy their health insurance, $78K or so without. With a $26k grant, that's $52k borrowed. Probably $54-54k borrowed the next year, and $45k the third year. So you'll have a little over $150k principal, plus capitalization maybe $175-180,000** total debt upon graduation.

Still, Dillard wins.

**since you're 3 yrs out of school you probably won't be eligible under aca so you'll have to buy their stupid policy, then it's more like $190,000.

[transferror]

Still, Dillard wins.