UVA vs. UF ($$$) Forum

[pleasegivemeadvice]

I am trying to decide between UVA at sticker price versus UF with a scholarship. UVA will cost me around $52k a year, whereas with UF it is around $3k-$4k a year. I am from Florida and have connections here, but I am not sure where I want to end up. I know that my goal out of law school is to try to get a federal clerkship. Perhaps biglaw after that.

I will be financing my entire legal education through loans. Thanks for the advice.

[pleasegivemeadvice]

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[MidwestLifer]

A layup! Retake the LSAT and go to a highly-ranked school for free or close to it, given your goals.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

Retake > UF > do anything else, even an unpaid internship > UVA at sticker

[OhBoyOhBortles]

3.93! Definitely retake. If you crack the 170s you should have excellent options throughout the T14. Definitely take a year, get some more work experience, and study up for a retake!

[zombie mcavoy]

Retake > UF > do anything else, even an unpaid internship > UVA at sticker

This.

There are few words to describe how dumb and irresponsible debt financing full UVA COA would be in a situation like this.

[LawsRUs]

Yikes @ sticker, sorry OP, retake is best here, you don't have any other options??

[pleasegivemeadvice]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

[bl1nds1ght]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Get a job, then. No one said you had to study for it full time.

Jobs are awesome, actually. Money rocks.

[tacocat]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Get a job, then. No one said you had to study for it full time.

Jobs are awesome, actually. Money rocks.

Not to mention your application will be stronger with a year or two of substantive work experience. That plus using the extra time to study and increase your LSAT, and you're looking at T14 with money. Possibly big money depending on the score. How much undergraduate debt do you have? And when you say UVA is $52k/yr and UF is $3-4k/yr, that's just tuition, right? How are you paying for cost of living?

[pleasegivemeadvice]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Get a job, then. No one said you had to study for it full time.

Jobs are awesome, actually. Money rocks.

Not to mention your application will be stronger with a year or two of substantive work experience. That plus using the extra time to study and increase your LSAT, and you're looking at T14 with money. Possibly big money depending on the score. How much undergraduate debt do you have? And when you say UVA is $52k/yr and UF is $3-4k/yr, that's just tuition, right? How are you paying for cost of living?

Okay, understood. Not too crippling for undergraduate debt- around 20-25k when all said and done.
And yes that is just tuition because the cost of living is relatively similar. I will be paying for everything through loans.

[zombie mcavoy]

Get a job

[tacocat]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Get a job, then. No one said you had to study for it full time.

Jobs are awesome, actually. Money rocks.

Not to mention your application will be stronger with a year or two of substantive work experience. That plus using the extra time to study and increase your LSAT, and you're looking at T14 with money. Possibly big money depending on the score. How much undergraduate debt do you have? And when you say UVA is $52k/yr and UF is $3-4k/yr, that's just tuition, right? How are you paying for cost of living?

Okay, understood. Not too crippling for undergraduate debt- around 20-25k when all said and done.
And yes that is just tuition because the cost of living is relatively similar. I will be paying for everything through loans.

Yeah so even at UF you'd be taking on close to $70k in debt between tuition and col over 3 years. Add to that your undergraduate debt (not including whatever interest, if any, you'd owe) and you're at around $90k in debt. Considering you don't know where you want to end up, it doesn't sound great to be $90k in debt with a degree that will severely limit your options to one state.

[pleasegivemeadvice]

Thanks. If I am not going to take a year of working and retake, I suppose the general consensus is UF over UVA (at least in the comments).

[LawsRUs]

PGMA, where do you want to live / work? south, midatlantic, or...?

[Nomo]

You need to calculate the real cost. Living expenses, plus tuition, plus loan origination fees, plus interest accumulating at an average of about 7.6% .... you're going to be paying double what you've listed for UVA. You're looking at paying more than 3k/month for 10 years. Even if you get biglaw you lose.

[LawsRUs]

Also what you have listed for emory and w&m, is that how much they are giving you or how much you would have to take out?

[BigZuck]

If you're not going to retake/reapply then just don't go to law school. None of these options are worth it for you at those costs and/or with those goals.

[jbagelboy]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Ah, taking on more debt to avoid paying current debt. The American Dream. Also quite literally the worst reason not to retake, ever. Get a job.

[zombie mcavoy]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Ah, taking on more debt to avoid paying current debt. The American Dream. Also quite literally the worst reason not to retake, ever. Get a job.

[tacocat]

Emory at 27k a year
W&M at 10k a year
Rejected from Duke. Waitlisted at Penn.

I appreciate the feedback. I don't have any money to take a year off to retake the test since I have undergraduate loans and I graduate in May.

Ah, taking on more debt to avoid paying current debt. The American Dream. Also quite literally the worst reason not to retake, ever. Get a job.

But jobs are, like, hard and stuff. And who cares about moar debt? Everyone knows JD = just dollarz. OP will be rich in no time.

[MarkfromWI]

The biggest regret I have about law school is not taking a year off to retake the LSAT and get work experience. The difference WE makes during OCI is huge. I know this is hard to hear (I didn't want to hear it myself) but you'll be much better served in the long run by waiting a year, getting a job, and retaking the LSAT.

[MarkfromWI]

The biggest regret I have about law school is not taking a year off to retake the LSAT and get work experience. The difference WE makes during OCI is huge. I know this is hard to hear (I didn't want to hear it myself) but you'll be much better served in the long run by waiting a year, getting a job, and retaking the LSAT.