Harvard vs t-14 full ride Forum

[hopeboaltberkeley]

I feel like the condescension directed towards the American voter in these posts would be detrimental to an aspiring politician's public image. Here's to hoping no future investigative journalist links the aspirant behind the GordonFreeman username to these silly posts

[GordonFreeman]

I feel like the condescension directed towards the American voter in these posts would be detrimental to an aspiring politician's public image. Here's to hoping no future investigative journalist links the aspirant behind the GordonFreeman username to these silly posts

you were probably kidding, but I didn't intend to condescend. It's not like I know the difference between med schools. I know that Harvard, John Hopkins and Duke are elite, but other than that I know nothing.

[downbeat14]

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[GordonFreeman]

Downbeat, I am kinda sorta convinced he was joking with that post.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I don't think bizzy jokes about Harvard.

[downbeat14]

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[GordonFreeman]

Downbeat, I am kinda sorta convinced he was joking with that post.

Even if that was true (not entirely convinced, but it's early and maybe I missed the sarcasm?), my post is really directed at your situation rather than that specific post. Your odds of being a successful politician are much lower (~1%) than the odds of you being a slave to the student loan debt master (100%) if you choose H over a full ride at a T14. At a T14, I think your odds might actually substantially drop to ~.9% for that political ambition... hopefully you can do the math on the other part.

Btw, GF, do you have any T14 full rides or an H acceptance yet to choose between? keep us in the loop

Wut bout LRAP? And yeah, I'll keep you in the loop. My cycle is still developing, but I'm batting 1000 rn.

[downbeat14]

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[Nebby]

LSATurologist is flame

[GordonFreeman]

Downbeat, I am kinda sorta convinced he was joking with that post.

Even if that was true (not entirely convinced, but it's early and maybe I missed the sarcasm?), my post is really directed at your situation rather than that specific post. Your odds of being a successful politician are much lower (~1%) than the odds of you being a slave to the student loan debt master (100%) if you choose H over a full ride at a T14. At a T14, I think your odds might actually substantially drop to ~.9% for that political ambition... hopefully you can do the math on the other part.

Btw, GF, do you have any T14 full rides or an H acceptance yet to choose between? keep us in the loop

Wut bout LRAP? And yeah, I'll keep you in the loop. My cycle is still developing, but I'm batting 1000 rn.

The best LRAP is no LRAP...

Congrats on that batting average! Percentages of acceptance versus rejection are such a great metric of success at this stage in the cycle. I feel like I really understand your situation better. Wow, you must have like HYS in the pocket and all the T-14 lined up to give you money already, soooooo jelly! I'll make sure to vote for you someday!

I mean I got 3 t-14's so far and a completed JS1 plus a couple named scholarship interviews coming up. I was just saying things are going well so far....so much vitriol

[kaiser]

A Hamilton at CLS is nearly always a more sensible choice than full sticker price at Harvard. And that general principle applies here, without a doubt. I can see why you are torn, but almost anyone who isn't a 0L would strongly urge you to take the T6 full ride scholly. When you balance the opportunities that CLS opens up with the financial flexibility you will have by avoiding so much debt, you are setting yourself up on a wonderful track that will allow you career freedoms that most lawyers can only dream of.

[AreJay711]

Meh. As someone making less with a law degree and $180k of debt than out of undergrad with no debt, it's not that big a deal.* Pay as you earn is solid, and I don't think it's crazy to want a better shot at the true tippy-top of the legal profession. $1,200 or so a month matters making $160k a year, but fuck it, it's not really financially ruinous and that money would probably go to a better apartment or cocaine anyway.

* He said, ignoring the giant, un-lubed tax dick that will mercilessly fuck him in the ass in 10-25 years.

[tlcanny]

I realize this has been dead a few days, and no one knows me or cares about my opinion. But it seems like sharing unwanted opinions is what this thing is all about.

I propose we create a poll so that we can all vote against GordonFreeman ever being president of anything. Maybe that will scare him into better, more rational financial decisions. While a "Harvard Law" footnote may resonate with a few thousand voters, words like "vitriol" and "colloquialisms" certainly will not. Your energy is probably better spent finding a place that gives really really good haircuts or practicing a non-regional accent. Definitely drop words like "bloody" they appeal to the wrong type of blue-collar (i.e. British dockworkers). I would also consider having some good ideas about education or health care.

I truly wish the best for you but you seem like a really smart kid that hasn’t realized yet that there are way smarter kids out there. For all I know you're the son of a British lord with an LSAT and IQ both over 175 (the "colloquialisms" sure match) but no one has ever gotten elected on the merits of their intelligence (just ask Adlai Stevenson). Essentially what your asking is "should I pay $325k for something roughly equal in value to something I am being given for free?" And of course the answer is a resounding no. You're arguing that some intangibles are worth that $325k (i.e. a potential marginal edge in a hypothetical future political campaign) which I disagree with. All that being said, its your bloody money so do as you please.

God save the Queen.

P.S. You seemed taken aback by the somewhat negative response, but on a forum like this "Harvard or t-14 full ride?" reads like "Which dream of yours should I take a dump on in favor of the other?"

[navykev]

Do laymen vote based on where you went to LS compared to the fact that you went to LS at all in a significant capacity?

Are you running for President?

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/201 ... f-congress

lol at me citing usnews

That article seems to focus on undergrad institutions - HLS and GULC have the most congressman for law schools - no one else is even close numbers-wise. But I think that has more to do with the amount of graduates those schools churn out compared to other law schools. Better reference for law school specific info on national politics: http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0029103320

[star fox]

I am interested in becoming a politician.

then go get a job on the Hill and don't go to politics. Most of those HLS that become politicians come from a ton of family money.

[mono172000]

I am interested in becoming a politician.

then go get a job on the Hill and don't go to politics. Most of those HLS that become politicians come from a ton of family money.

I don't know, this also seems like one of those things TLS says that isn't actually true. Just a quick Wikipedia search of current/recent prominent politicians from HLS shows that a whole lot of them came from extremely humble backgrounds. I pulled this list in 10 minutes, I'm sure there are plenty more. While I don't doubt many others came from very comfortable upbringings, I think it's unfair to say most did.

Barack Obama: Single mom, not wealthy at all
Tim Kaine : Parents welders
Julian Castro: Single mom, very poor
Joquin Castro : Same
Ted Stevens : Family impoverished by Depression
Ron Desantis : blue collar background, swept floors to get himself through undergrad
Wendy Davis : She was a single mom before attending Harvard law
Barney Frank : father ran a small truck stop and went to jail at when he was a child
Alan Grayson : Grew up in public housing in the Bronx, worked his way through school
Artur Davis: raised by single mom
Terri Sewell : raised by a retired coach and a local city council woman in Alabama’s rural black belt
Juan Vargas : one of 10 children who grew up poor on an egg ranch
Bill Jefferson : one of 8 kids, father was a heavy machines operator
Deval Patrick: born on the south side of Chicago in the projects

[timbs4339]

It's not the correlation that comes from necessarily going to Harvard Law, it's that Harvard Law tends to lead to positions (biglaw or AUSA) that will put you in line for other positions that might eventually lead to somebody asking you to run for office. A good example is Eliot Spitzer: HLS > Paul Weiss > Manhattan DA > Skadden > NYAG > Governor > Ashley Dupre > CNN. It was the connections he built at Paul Weiss (which has a culture of sending people in public service) and in government that got him his political career- as well as his family having untold millions of bucks.

You can also do the same thing from other T14 schools. HLS will give you a better chance of building the base. The rest is up to luck and how good you are at getting in with the local political organizations.