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Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:09 pm
by ThisTown23
I have ties to the VA and NC Currently Accepted to: UNC - Half Scholarship, Wake Forest - 3/4s Scholarship, GMU - 3/4s Scholarship, Richmond - About 3/4s Scholarship
Still waiting to hear back from: Duke, UVA, Georgetown
Denied: UPenn, Harvard
Undergrad at George Mason. Currently working Lower Management at a Mid - Size Government Contract firm. Live in NOVA - Va Residency
164/3.6 Strong Softs
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:13 pm
by The Dark Shepard
You need to retake. Even assuming you want to end up in Virgina or North Carolina, a few LSAT points make Duke and UVA real options, and these two schools should be free
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:21 pm
by Rigo
Can you give us the cost of attendance for each school, including both tuition and other expenses totaled for the three years?
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:35 pm
by butlerraider1
Dirigo wrote:Can you give us the cost of attendance for each school, including both tuition and other expenses totaled for the three years?
Dirigo wrote:
Yeah the scholarship numbers are pretty useless without knowing what the COA would be for each school.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:33 pm
by ThisTown23
Wake Forest - Tuition 42,738 - Scholarships 35,000 - Estimated Other costs 21,412 --- COA 29,776
UNC - Tuition 39,192 - Scholarship 19,00 - Estimated Other costs 24,910 --- COA 45,102
George Mason - Tuition (In State) 25,350 - Scholarship 20,00 - Estimated Other costs 23,384
--- COA 28,734
I will be able to pay tuition out of pocket and my fiancee will help off set my cost of living.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:40 pm
by Rigo
Would you rather stay in NOVA for school and practice in Virginia or go to North Carolina and practice there?
You should definitely negotiate and try to get all the prices down.
Also, what are your career goals?
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:58 pm
by ThisTown23
Dirigo wrote:Would you rather stay in NOVA for school and practice in Virginia or go to North Carolina and practice there?
You should definitely negotiate and try to get all the prices down.
Also, what are your career goals?
I love DC. I'm not a fan of the Traffic or the cost of living inside the beltway. It would be nice to move out to a smaller city. But I am okay with either place.
Agreed on the negotiation I think there is room for these schools to move down.
My career goals are I would like to work in a mid/large corporate practice and/or mid/large business general counsels office. I have had a number of demanding jobs and understand the rigors of 70+ hours a week in a high stress environment. I am going to law school because I really like the challenge legal work provides and I want to be busy. I like fast paced work.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:01 pm
by Rigo
ThisTown23 wrote:
My career goals are I would like to work in a mid/large corporate practice and/or mid/large business general counsels office. I have had a number of demanding jobs and understand the rigors of 70+ hours a week in a high stress environment. I am going to law school because I really like the challenge legal work provides and I want to be busy. I like fast paced work.
Unfortunately, biglaw isn't likely out of any of the schools you've been admitted to.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 6:36 am
by Nomo
Mid/large corporate practice and mid/large business general counsels office are pretty unlikely out of either school. I don't think you should go to law school at this time if these are your goals. Maybe if you can get a better LSAT, or if the applicant pool continues to shrink these options will make more sense.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 8:28 am
by romothesavior
Dirigo wrote:ThisTown23 wrote:
My career goals are I would like to work in a mid/large corporate practice and/or mid/large business general counsels office. I have had a number of demanding jobs and understand the rigors of 70+ hours a week in a high stress environment. I am going to law school because I really like the challenge legal work provides and I want to be busy. I like fast paced work.
Unfortunately, biglaw isn't likely out of any of the schools you've been admitted to.
+1. You probably need to adjust your goals and be okay with smaller firm work, or retake for a higher ranked school.
Also, have you tried negotiating those scholarships?
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:16 am
by Dr. Review
ThisTown23 wrote:Wake Forest - Tuition 42,738 - Scholarships 35,000 - Estimated Other costs 21,412 --- COA 29,776
UNC - Tuition 39,192 - Scholarship 19,00 - Estimated Other costs 24,910 --- COA 45,102
George Mason - Tuition (In State) 25,350 - Scholarship 20,00 - Estimated Other costs 23,384
--- COA 28,734
I will be able to pay tuition out of pocket and my fiancee will help off set my cost of living.
If you are looking at paying 30-45k PER YEAR for either of UNC or Wake, I would strongly reconsider. I wouldn't go to George Mason if they paid me. Even NC midlaw firms (firms outside the AmLaw 100 but inside the NLJ 250/350) don't dip much below top 5-10%, if they even go that low. You'll want to be able to service your debt on lower than 100k/yr income.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:42 pm
by AT9
Wake student here. I would go to whichever of UNC/Wake is cheaper generally. I think Wake might place a little better outside of NC and UNC may place better within NC, but some of that may be self selection.
However, I wouldn't go to either for the $90-100k+ you'll be racking up in debt for either school. Hopefully you can negotiate them down to 60-80 total COA, but that's the max I'd consider.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:49 pm
by BigZuck
You want to work big law in a moderate sized city?
I'm not sure what you want exists and if it does it would be very hard to get from these schools
If you want big law, go to a T14. That's what they are there for.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:59 pm
by Dr. Review
BigZuck wrote:You want to work big law in a moderate sized city?
I'm not sure what you want exists and if it does it would be very hard to get from these schools
If you want big law, go to a T14. That's what they are there for.
There are biglaw offices in Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem, they're just going to be tough to get into from UNC/Wake outside of the top 5-10%.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 3:03 pm
by BigZuck
Dr. Review wrote:BigZuck wrote:You want to work big law in a moderate sized city?
I'm not sure what you want exists and if it does it would be very hard to get from these schools
If you want big law, go to a T14. That's what they are there for.
There are biglaw offices in Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem, they're just going to be tough to get into from UNC/Wake outside of the top 5-10%.
Right
Wasn't sure if he wanted "small city" or "smaller than DC."
Also most of these unless you, like, bink a Dechert or something, won't be the big ass big law bucks (although obviously still good for the COL in the area).
But yeah, agreed, main point being its tough to finish top 10% and even that might not do it.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:54 am
by FlamingDragon
Agree with above re: biglaw placement - don't go to UNC or wake without full scholarship if that is your end goal. The top firms in Charlotte and Atlanta will really require top 5% at either with law review to be seriously considered, given strong competition from Duke and UVA, as well as other Top T14s and Vandy coming into these smaller markets. Biglaw classes in Charlotte and Raleigh are great opportunities but are quite small, ranging from 2 or 3 up to 8 or 9 at the bigger places in Charlotte and Raleigh, so those spots (more offers than spots of course go out) dry up very quickly.
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 am
by lawschoolbound94
I would go with whichever is cheaper. Unless you are set on Duke, or one of the others, then retake might be your option.
Another thing that matters is where you want to work. VA or NC?
Re: Wake vs. UNC
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 2:44 pm
by irish921
lawschoolbound94 wrote:I would go with whichever is cheaper. Unless you are set on Duke, or one of the others, then retake might be your option.
Another thing that matters is where you want to work. VA or NC?
TCR