Top Law Schools

EDIT: replaced all "Debt at repayment" with "COA" for user-friendliness.

Stats: took the LSAT twice - LSAT 169, GPA 3.5

Top two I'm considering are Duke and Northwestern, though Vanderbilt and Texas are also kind of contenders since I really like both Nashville and Austin. Total COAs: Duke - $55k; Northwestern is $54k; Vandy $49k; Texas $47k. Was also offered a full ride at Wash U, and got a COA at UCLA of $54k and USC $49k. I'll be financing with loans.

I'm from the West (Southern California for high school/undergrad, UT and WA before that). I have family in San Diego and Seattle. I'd like to get back West someday, but not necessarily California and not necessarily right away.

Career goals: Not positive. I'm undergrad c/o 2011 and have since worked in Big 4 public accounting, so my CPA lends itself toward corporate law; I have a science degree which lends itself toward IP/technology; I also have interests in alternative dispute resolution and part-time teaching toward the end of my career.

Have been to Duke and Vandy's ASPs and am headed to Northwestern this weekend. I'd visited Duke a few times before and liked the ASP a lot - Vandy's didn't seem quite as impressive but that could be because I had met some Duke admissions folks previously and felt like I already knew people. I keep hearing Vandy's small size means it feels like high school again. I also spoke with somebody who picked Vandy over Duke because Duke is really competitive, although the Duke students didn't seem to think so when I spoke with them at the ASP? Haven't heard a ton about Northwestern yet...

Did you apply to USC or UCLA?

Not sure anyone here will sign off on any of those choices, they are all simply too expensive.

I'd stick with the accounting job

eta: I guess full ride at WUSTL is fine but doesn't really match your goals. Doesn't reliably place into big law or the west coast

wait you have literally no scholarships? Those COA are insane. Don't go to any of them. For real, how are the COA this high?

either way Vandy and UT b/c you like Nashville and Austin are recipes for disaster. neither is worth a third of the cost you list for someone in your situation. WUSTL for free is OK but it doesn't really sound good for your goals.

BigZuck wrote:Not sure anyone here will sign off on any of those choices, they are all simply too expensive.

I'd stick with the accounting job

eta: I guess full ride at WUSTL is fine but doesn't really match your goals. Doesn't reliably place into big law or the west coast

+1

Added COAs rather than debt at repayment above.

Added COAs instead of full debt at repayment above.

gobruins33 wrote:I'm doing total debt at repayment, so it's not the COAs per year.

Yes - applied and accepted to UCLA and USC. Not a super impressive scholarship at USC (total debt at repayment $264k); or UCLA (total debt at repayment $259k).

WHOOPS I had put the scholarships in the spreadsheet backwards:

Duke: $258k debt @ repayment
NW: $262
Vandy: $245
Texas: $229

If I wanted to stay in public accounting would I be here?? Haha

these debt loads are suicidal, and going would be completely irresponsible--especially considering your high opportunity cost. we don't get to do everything we want to in life.

Did you apply like really really late? You have better numbers than I did and my coa at UT was less than half that.

So when you showed the Duke/NU scholarships to UCLA and USC they didn't give you a better scholarship?

What happened at Cornell?

Retake and then reapply as early on in the cycle next year as possible. You should have much better options with a few more points on the lsat. None of your current options seem reasonable.