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SMU 15k per year w/ no stipulations vs. UC hasting with 20k per year 3.0 stip

I love the job accessibility that comes with SMU but I have always wanted to live in San francisco.


Would love to hear from current SMU and UC Hastings students!
and would love not to hear the take a year off and get a higher LSAT lecture.

SMU at 15k is hella debt. Retake or reconsider other options are probably what you'll end up hearing

Why these regional schools if you're from Florida?
What are you Florida school aid packages?

I'm also a little confused as to why these are your choices. What are your goals? Total COA for each?

3.7 URM.. Answer is almost certainly going to be retake.

Rigo wrote:Why these regional schools if you're from Florida?
What are you Florida school aid packages?

Unfortunately still haven't heard from UF or FSU, and I don't know when I will get my decision SMU's deposit is April 1st. I was accepted to UM but I wasn't offered anything. Also I don't care about staying in Florida, I will move wherever.

These are pretty weird options that don't seem to have anything in common with each other.

I work around the corner from Hastings. A lot of people hate on the fact that it's in the TL (Tenderloin - super seedy neighborhood) but I don't think that matters all that much. SF is expensive as fuck though, and going to Hastings because you've always wanted to live in SF is kinda ridic. Live in SF another time when you aren't racking up six figures in debt for the privilege.

laura1323 wrote:SMU 15k per year w/ no stipulations vs. UC hasting with 20k per year 3.0 stip

I love the job accessibility that comes with SMU but I have always wanted to live in San francisco.


Would love to hear from current SMU and UC Hastings students!
and would love not to hear the take a year off and get a higher LSAT lecture.

would you rather make 60k in california and buy a little apartment or be able to buy a big house in dallas? easy choice.

I would only go to SF if i had biglaw-which is unlikely from either

What are your career goals OP?

Rigo wrote:What are your career goals OP?

Well I'm not 100 percent sure, but I would like to work in family law and child advocacy.

OP, unfortunately I don't think either of these options mesh particularly well with your goals. Retaking really seems like a good idea for you, but since you don't want to do that my advice is to choose a lower debt option in state if you get decent offers from those FL schools. If it comes down to it and you're definitely going this year, you could deposit at SMU and wait on offers. Gun to my head, out of these two options, SMU would be my choice. HTH.

What do you mean by job accessibility?

BigZuck wrote:What do you mean by job accessibility?

i think she's talking about the prestige factor that determines how many she options she has after graduation. whether she's misguided or not idk lol

OP is quite attractive she could get a Elle Woods esque boost if she sends in a video statement

but seriously

if you want to work in San Fran, retake and get a 165+, as a URM you'll have a serious chance at Berkley and if you get a high enough score maybe even Stanford

adil91 wrote:OP is quite attractive she could get a Elle Woods esque boost if she sends in a video statement

but seriously

if you want to work in San Fran, retake and get a 165+, as a URM you'll have a serious chance at Berkley and if you get a high enough score maybe even Stanford

I took the LSAT twice already, I don't want to take it again! I feel like I lose a little piece of my soul every time I take a 5 hour exam.

laura1323 wrote:I feel like I lose a little piece of my soul every time I take a 5 hour exam.

Definitely don't go to law school then. Run far, far away.

laura1323 wrote:

adil91 wrote:OP is quite attractive she could get a Elle Woods esque boost if she sends in a video statement

but seriously

if you want to work in San Fran, retake and get a 165+, as a URM you'll have a serious chance at Berkley and if you get a high enough score maybe even Stanford

I took the LSAT twice already, I don't want to take it again! I feel like I lose a little piece of my soul every time I take a 5 hour exam.

I'm afraid that if you feel this way about the LSAT, your soul will be long dead by the time you graduate law school and pass the bar

Law school is going to be a bad time for you.

I understand the bar is a long exam! but you guys are saying that all the exams in law school last 5 hours??

I hope you realize that almost 100% of how you're evaluated in law school is by taking 3-8 hour exams where you write between 3,000 and 10,000 words. After my first set of law school exams, taking the LSAT would have been a good way to wind down and relax.

To echo what others have said, these are very regional schools that are way too expensive at your scholarship amounts. If you don't want to be in FL, I would suggest getting a few years of work experience in a different state that you'd want to live in and then trying a regional school in that region if you want to stay there very long term.

And retake.

laura1323 wrote:I understand the bar is a long exam! but you guys are saying that all the exams in law school last 5 hours??

Usually anywhere between 3 and 24 hours

And what about being a practicing attorney where most of what you do will be sitting and writing?

jesus.. I'm pretty sure the daily grind of legal work is not as stressful as LSAT/1L exams. What makes it stressful is the high stakes part.

Omg now you guys are taking my JOKE way too seriously. I just meant I hated taking the LSAT and really don't want to take it again. That's it!

laura1323 wrote:Omg now you guys are taking my JOKE way too seriously. I just meant I hated taking the LSAT and really don't want to take it again. That's it!

How did you study for the LSAT? What materials did you use?