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(deleted) but thank you all for the insight.

You should give us your LSAT. If you have a decent job, working another year to kill that current debt and retaking for a few extra points would make this a better situation (though this is not a bad situation by any means).

Go to your personal preference. WUSTL might be worth the extra ~25K, but If you can deal with Champaign and want to work in Illinois for the foreseeable future, I'd do UIUC.

Thanks for the thoughts. I Would rather not give my LSAT, but it's above the schools' 75th's. And my job pays roughly 30K and is not fun. I'm also in my 30's, so I don't have much time left in prime career years. I went to UIUC for undergrad and rather liked the campus, so I know I can handle the city. But I feel like WUSTL is safer given the recent issues UIUC has had...

I'd take that bargain from IL. What's their policy on semester long externships in Chicago?

DELG wrote:I'd take that bargain from IL. What's their policy on semester long externships in Chicago?

I believe they have a 3rd year program devoted to semester long Chicago externships, but I'm not sure about 1L and 2L. I'm actually considering shooting UIUC a hail mary e-mail asking if they will increase their stipend to include COL, e.g. an additional $8-9K per year. I don't think it could hurt, right?

Yeah, retaking obviously doesn't make sense, and at either of these schools there's a good probability you'll make more your first year out than you would make this next year. You'd have my (very meaningful) blessing for either.

Go to your personal preference; the numbers say UIUC is maybe a safer bet with that $$ difference, but WUSTL on a full ride is obviously a defensible choice. Good luck either way!

Will_McAvoy wrote:If you're concerned about being outed, that is enough to out you. They probably don't have many 99 percentile super splitters hanging on end at this point. (So edit that out)

Yeah, retaking obviously doesn't make sense, and at either of these schools there's a good probability you'll make more your first year out than you would make this next year. You'd have my (very meaningful) blessing for either.

Go to your personal preference; the numbers say UIUC is maybe a safer bet with that $$ difference, but WUSTL on a full ride is obviously a defensible choice. Good luck either way!

I suppose it doesn't matter much at this point. Just asking for advice about my situation. Thanks for yours, I'm still not sure though.

I probably am not working the numbers perfectly, but the pre-interest difference in costs should only be $10-15K, not $25K.

What exactly do you mean for "safer bet"? If you are looking at ability to find a job that pays well, Illinois, even post shit-hit-the fan-crisis, still outperforms WashU in big law/mid law placement.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0422222349

cr073137 wrote:What exactly do you mean for "safer bet"? If you are looking at ability to find a job that pays well, Illinois, even post shit-hit-the fan-crisis, still outperforms WashU in big law/mid law placement.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0422222349

I have 2 concerns with that:
1) Yes, that is true right now, but three years is a long time, and what if there is some lag in how long it will take for this crisis to affect the employment opportunities?
and
2) In Illinois the opportunities appear to be comparable or superior from UIUC, but if I do decided I'd prefer elsewhere, I think WUSTL gets the win on any place but Illinois.

But point taken, I am impressed by how much UIUC seems to outperform their ranking and perceived quality.

workaholic82 wrote:

cr073137 wrote:What exactly do you mean for "safer bet"? If you are looking at ability to find a job that pays well, Illinois, even post shit-hit-the fan-crisis, still outperforms WashU in big law/mid law placement.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0422222349

I have 2 concerns with that:
1) Yes, that is true right now, but three years is a long time, and what if there is some lag in how long it will take for this crisis to affect the employment opportunities?
and
2) In Illinois the opportunities appear to be comparable or superior from UIUC, but if I do decided I'd prefer elsewhere, I think WUSTL gets the win on any place but Illinois.

But point taken, I am impressed by how much UIUC seems to outperform their ranking and perceived quality.

Lol, perceived quality from who's point of view? Law hiring is driven mostly by alumni who work at the place where you apply. Alumni do not even read rankings, and honestly, we (I work for, and interview for, a big law firm, and full disclosure, U of I graduate here), do not care. I will always choose a U of I person when hiring over someone else. Alumni will not change because of rankings, we are a pretty steady group. And down the line, U of I will be back to what it was, and has been for over 100 years, a top 25 law school (top 15 until the 80s i think). Do you really think the level of education changes from one year to the next? U of I had a drop in the rankings i think in 2006 to like 35. It came back to a top 25 in 2-3 years. And it was like that never happened. The school went from 21 to now i think 40 something or wtvr. By the time you graduate it will be a top 25 again, and no one will remember or care for that matter, that it went down in the rankings for a few years.

Only prospective applicants (and law school deans) read rankings like crazy. For us, it is mentioned in passing, at most, during an alumni happy hour.

cr073137 wrote:

workaholic82 wrote:

cr073137 wrote:What exactly do you mean for "safer bet"? If you are looking at ability to find a job that pays well, Illinois, even post shit-hit-the fan-crisis, still outperforms WashU in big law/mid law placement.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0422222349

I have 2 concerns with that:
1) Yes, that is true right now, but three years is a long time, and what if there is some lag in how long it will take for this crisis to affect the employment opportunities?
and
2) In Illinois the opportunities appear to be comparable or superior from UIUC, but if I do decided I'd prefer elsewhere, I think WUSTL gets the win on any place but Illinois.

But point taken, I am impressed by how much UIUC seems to outperform their ranking and perceived quality.

Lol, perceived quality from who's point of view? Law hiring is driven mostly by alumni who work at the place where you apply. Alumni do not even read rankings, and honestly, we (I work for, and interview for, a big law firm, and full disclosure, U of I graduate here), do not care. I will always choose a U of I person when hiring over someone else. Alumni will not change because of rankings, we are a pretty steady group. And down the line, U of I will be back to what it was, and has been for over 100 years, a top 25 law school (top 15 until the 80s i think). Do you really think the level of education changes from one year to the next? U of I had a drop in the rankings i think in 2006 to like 35. It came back to a top 25 in 2-3 years. And it was like that never happened. The school went from 21 to now i think 40 something or wtvr. By the time you graduate it will be a top 25 again, and no one will remember or care for that matter, that it went down in the rankings for a few years.

Only prospective applicants (and law school deans) read rankings like crazy. For us, it is mentioned in passing, at most, during an alumni happy hour.

Wow, excellent to hear your perspective, and I'm somewhat swayed. I believe that UIUC is a great school, and I think I'm leaning that way, but I'm still finding this decision difficult. WUSTL at full scholarship was my ultimate goal prior to applying, but it felt like a pipe-dream. Now I finally have it, but also have this amazing competing offer from UIUC, a school I didn't initially want as much as WUSTL, and I have to decide by tomorrow.

if it makes you feel any better about WUSTL, St. Louis's cost of living is nowhere near the amount they estimate it for as long as you are willing to not live in Clayton or CWE. You can easily find a place where you pay 400-600 a month without being too far away(probably still have to drive or metro in each day, maybe 10 mins tops if driving, but that would seem worth it to me).

And ugh I was in the same spot as you and got freaking 9,000(total, not yearly).