Top Law Schools

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:39 pm**

I know this has been asked before, but I have some specific info that may change the calculus (or not). First, the basic qs.

-The schools you are considering
Columbia with a Butler (95k value) and HLS (with need based aid pending, but very likely given family taxes/fafsa info). ( Also waiting on my Yale Mary but not holding my breath as a K-JD).

-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each.

HLS: With an estimated 4% increase per year, the total cost over 3 years comes to $265336 - 60000 (average need grant recipient from HLS website *3) = $205336
Columbia: 267692 - 95000 = $172692

Difference in cost = $32644

-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings
Federal loans, need based aid, some family assistance (not a ton and not for sure, but could cancel out living expenses.)

-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any)
Been living in Boston for undergrad, and well rooted here. Family, SO, professional connections are all here. Nothing really in NYC to that effect (but I realize it isn't all that far).

-Your general career goals
Must be honest, I am not 100% set. Bouncing back and forth between firm law (specifically in Labor & Employment) and federal prosecution (with a personal interest in white collar/financial crimes.

-Your LSAT/GPA numbers
177, 3.88, not that it matters since I'm in.

-How many times you have taken the LSAT
Used all 3 attempts over the course of this year

I apologize if my math is beyond terrible. Just want to get people's opinions. My gut says stay in Boston. I am comfortable here, I have my family, friends, SO, and for the foreseeable future it is where I want to be. Not adding a new city away from everything I know to my stress level sounds great. But my brain is saying that monetary difference is huge. I'll put up a poll, but feel free to chime in if you'd like. Also feel free to correct my horrible math, if I messed it up.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:42 pm**

Harvard sounds like a no brainer here if that's the price difference

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:42 pm**

Do you have any larger scholarships from lower T-14s?

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:44 pm**

Mullens wrote:Do you have any larger scholarships from lower T-14s?

No, and while a full ride would make me think twice, being completely honest I wouldn't go for them having gotten in at HLS and CLS. For better or worse, this is what I've narrowed my choices down to (with the exception of my Yale Mary, and my UChi app that is pending).

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:46 pm**

Do you not have a full ride somewhere in the T14? Did you not apply broadly or apply late in the cycle? I think Harvard is certainly justifiable, if not the better option, at only only +30k over Columbia. I think T14 full ride vs. Harvard is a more difficult decision.

ETA: Nvm, you answered

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:48 pm**

transferror wrote:Do you not have a full ride somewhere in the T14? Did you not apply broadly or apply late in the cycle? I think Harvard is certainly justifiable, if not the better option, at only only +30k over Columbia. I think T14 full ride vs. Harvard is a more difficult decision.

ETA: Nvm, you answered

Applied narrowly and in January. As I said, these are the options I've narrowed it down to for myself. Whether that is the right choice is a different debate than the options I've presented, and not one I'm concerned with at present (don't mean to sound obnoxious, I just know where I stand on this).

ETA: Sorry for the double answer.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:50 pm**

mujiali wrote:
Mullens wrote:Do you have any larger scholarships from lower T-14s?
No, and while a full ride would make me think twice, being completely honest I wouldn't go for them having gotten in at HLS and CLS. For better or worse, this is what I've narrowed my choices down to (with the exception of my Yale Mary, and my UChi app that is pending).

1) Come back when your costs are set. HLS might make it rain for you or it might be stingy. 33k is right in that gray area where you could go either way. But that could change based on actual amounts.

2) You are stupid for not considering fullrides at T14. Put your USNEWS jackbib down and take the money.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:51 pm**

BigZuck wrote:Harvard sounds like a no brainer here if that's the price difference

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:52 pm**

Desert Fox wrote:
mujiali wrote:
Mullens wrote:Do you have any larger scholarships from lower T-14s?
No, and while a full ride would make me think twice, being completely honest I wouldn't go for them having gotten in at HLS and CLS. For better or worse, this is what I've narrowed my choices down to (with the exception of my Yale Mary, and my UChi app that is pending).
1) Come back when your costs are set. HLS might make it rain for you or it might be stingy. 33k is right in that gray area where you could go either way. But that could change based on actual amounts.

2) You are stupid for not considering fullrides at T14. Put your USNEWS jackbib down and take the money.

Thanks for your input!

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:13 am**

You should have a lot of full rides with those numbers

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:02 am**

harvard, obv

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:08 am**

Mack.Hambleton wrote:You should have a lot of full rides with those numbers

also, what DF said.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 11:59 am**

How are these COA numbers accurate with interest? If you get $60k from Harvard and a Butler from CLS and you'd rather stay in Boston, I'd take Harvard. If you don't receive much need based aid, I'd take the Butler at CLS (NY is great and you can always go back to a Boston firm). Congratulations on two great options. Feel free to PM or come back with revised COAs when you know your aid grant.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 12:10 pm**

If these are your only two options, I think the price differential justifies H. Though I personally would go with a much larger scholarship at a lower T10/T14, if that were an option (and you are foolish to entirely preclude the notion of going to a lower T10 for free simply because you have H as an option)

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 12:22 pm**

To echo the above: your LSAT and GPA are killer. There have been recent posts from people with far less impressive metrics getting full rides from T10. You should really only be paying tuition if you want to (for an excellent school)

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 12:49 pm**

Thanks all for your input, it's much appreciated.

As to the other stuff (take $$$ and go), to reiterate, whether or not I am presenting limited options you don't agree with wasn't the question here. I know TCR is take money in T-10 and go with it. Foolish as it may seem to you to do something else, it is ultimately my decision to make and my loan burden to bear. I'd appreciate staying on topic as to the question asked.

Thanks all

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:10 pm**

mujiali wrote:Thanks all for your input, it's much appreciated.

As to the other stuff (take $$$ and go), to reiterate, whether or not I am presenting limited options you don't agree with wasn't the question here. I know TCR is take money in T-10 and go with it. Foolish as it may seem to you to do something else, it is ultimately my decision to make and my loan burden to bear. I'd appreciate staying on topic as to the question asked.

Thanks all

If u don't want advice then don't make a thread asking for it

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:12 pm**

If you make "neither" a choice in your poll it will probably win

This is a hell of a lot of $ for a J.D.

You should have T14 full rides that will blow Columbia or HLS out of the water

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:23 pm**

I mean, of course T14 full ride is the correct answer. But lol@ all of you for not thinking Harvard admit gonna Harvard admit

Like, seriously, get real guys

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:30 pm**

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:If you make "neither" a choice in your poll it will probably win

This is a hell of a lot of $ for a J.D.

You should have T14 full rides that will blow Columbia or HLS out of the water

Sometimes this doesn't happen. I have similar stats and am looking at this thread because I'll be making pretty much the same decision. I applied to T8, Michigan, and UCLA at the beginning of this cycle. No full rides; Butler is the most money I've gotten. Waitlisted at Penn and U Virginia, I assume some YP.

I'm satisfied with how my cycle is turning out. I'll probably choose Harvard because I'm after academia eventually.

I could have applied to Duke, Northwestern, etc, I admit that. But my point is that a full ride is not necessarily a given, even with excellent numbers. It's frustrating how easy people think it is to receive full tuition--yes, it's a numbers game, but there's still so much chance involved.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:31 pm**

Mack.Hambleton wrote:
mujiali wrote:Thanks all for your input, it's much appreciated.

As to the other stuff (take $$$ and go), to reiterate, whether or not I am presenting limited options you don't agree with wasn't the question here. I know TCR is take money in T-10 and go with it. Foolish as it may seem to you to do something else, it is ultimately my decision to make and my loan burden to bear. I'd appreciate staying on topic as to the question asked.

Thanks all
If u don't want advice then don't make a thread asking for it

While I can appreciate that stance, I made a thread asking for advice on choosing between two law schools. I laid out the schools I was looking at, the relevant costs, and my soft reasons for each. The advice, insofar as it responded to the choices I am making, has been helpful, so I don't think making the thread was a waste of my time.

Would it make more sense if I had just said everywhere else rejected/waitlisted me? Let's go with that then, because I have yet to get an offer in the T-10 for more than the Butler, and I doubt that I will. Or if hypotheticals don't work, continue to write that I should take money at other schools. That doesn't help me with my decision, though.

Also as for the previous post, pretty spot on.

ETA: WLd at NU, nothing from Duke, nothing from Penn, nothing from UMich. I have no interest in being in VA, so I didn't apply. So this really is where my options stand.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:40 pm**

negotiate

highly doubt you wouldnt be able to get one

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:45 pm**

Mack.Hambleton wrote:negotiate

highly doubt you wouldnt be able to get one

+1

Simply be mentioning to a lower T14 that I had gotten into a T6 school (without any scholarship at all), the T14 school subsequently offered me a scholarship on that basis. So if you can show the lower T10/T14 schools your HLS admission and Butler offer, they will absolutely pony up if you are sincere in your consideration of the lower T10/T14 school.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:47 pm**

Mack.Hambleton wrote:negotiate

highly doubt you wouldnt be able to get one

Well as it stands I don't even have acceptances/scholarships to lower T-10s to negotiate on, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

ETA: I'm not sure why this is so contested tbh. I have these offers. They are my only offers. Which of the two offers would you take, if they were what you had? That is all I was/am asking.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:50 pm**

mujiali wrote:
Mack.Hambleton wrote:negotiate

highly doubt you wouldnt be able to get one
Well as it stands I don't even have acceptances/scholarships to lower T-10s to negotiate on, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

you really have zero acceptances from MVPBDCN?

you should also be able to get more than a butler equivalent from Chicago

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