Top Law Schools

The numbers above represent the total debt I will graduate with. Calculated from COA minus scholarships and my 75k in savings. Total COA for the schools is

Harvard- 266
NYU- 171
Duke- 137

I don't have any specific goals and would like to graduate with some flexibility. I understand lower debt= more flexibility, but I'm having trouble deciding how much debt Harvard is worth and am getting a lot of outside pressure to go there. I would like to end up on the east coast after I graduate, probably either in DC, NYC, or Philly. Pretty bummed about this cycle because after reading TLS I expected some full rides in the T14 and ended up with mostly waitlists. I would take a full ride at NYU/Penn over sticker at Harvard, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I know 100k is a LOT of money, but besides from the countless TLS posts saying to take the money, the only other advice/info I've gotten has suggested Harvard may be worth it. Anyways, these appear to be my final offers, so I would appreciate some advice.

Assuming you want biglaw, Harvard is definitely out at that cost. NYU is defensible, but I would probably take Duke. Roughly $40k difference is a pretty big chunk to me, but it might not be to other people.

I would take Harvard (if prestige and security matters more than money to you) or Duke (if the reverse is true).

You don't have any specific goals? Why do you want to spend so much money and time on a JD?

Without any career targets or aspirations, I would think Harvard is your best bet as it will probably afford you the most flexibility, even though you will be limited to taking a job that can handle your debt.

Duke, not worth the extra debt for biglaw

ryan77749 wrote:Calculated from COA minus scholarships and my 75k in savings

I would go Duke @ 137k (hopefully you can negotiate for some more $) without raiding your savings. I'm no financial guru but I think that 75k is better spent on retirement or even as a down payment on a future house/apartment.

If you have 75K in the bank from working (what I assume is a good job) then I would think long and hard about spending a buttload on law school without any specific career goals.

BigZuck wrote:If you have 75K in the bank from working (what I assume is a good job) then I would think long and hard about spending a buttload on law school without any specific career goals.

It could be dat bar mitzvah money goy

queerqueg wrote:

BigZuck wrote:If you have 75K in the bank from working (what I assume is a good job) then I would think long and hard about spending a buttload on law school without any specific career goals.

It could be dat bar mitzvah money goy

Could be an inheritance or a number of other possibilities

That's why I qualified it big dawg

My bad, chief

BigZuck wrote:If you have 75K in the bank from working (what I assume is a good job) then I would think long and hard about spending a buttload on law school without any specific career goals.

Listen to this guy.

I think NYU is worth 34k more than Duke, especially once your at the level of debt. NYU provides a lot more security if you place around median or just below.

Do you have any other offers? NU and Cornell are generally much more generous that Duke. If you have H numbers, you could probably attend one of those schools for under 100k.

You must have great numbers, so go with your gut instincts & ask again for more money from Duke & NYU. If none is offered, than consider reapplying next cycle indicating to schools that you chose not to attend due to the overwhelming debt burden.

If you must go this cycle, then Duke is the most reasonable option, in my opinion.

Wait. OP got into Havahd but didn't even get $100k from Duke? Something's fucky here. OP, what did you do?

Um under no circumstances should you go to Duke. NYU or Harvard and I lean heavily towards Harvard.

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could be a splitter like 176/3.5

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rickgrimes69 wrote:Wait. OP got into Havahd but didn't even get $100k from Duke? Something's fucky here. OP, what did you do?

Same thing happened to me. I think Duke has just been giving out low ball offers to people they don't think will go there.

6778628 wrote:You don't have any specific goals? Why do you want to spend so much money and time on a JD?

Without any career targets or aspirations, I would think Harvard is your best bet as it will probably afford you the most flexibility, even though you will be limited to taking a job that can handle your debt.

Yeah I would advise getting some specific goals as quickly as possible (just strap on your goals helmet and squeeze down into a goals cannon and fire off into goalsland where goals grow on goalies! ). Buttttt if you can't and are dead set on law school anyway, go with the option that keeps the most doors open the widest (Harvard).

crank out some LOCI's, get off of waitlists, negotiate aid, prosper.

176/3.9. I know I sound like a spoiled asshole, but I honestly hate the position I am in. I have 90k at Chicago, but have no desire to go there. I want to work in nyc/philly/dc, and I already emailed nyu and duke asking them to consider me for additional merit aid. Every other school waitlisted me. And the money I have saved Is from my 3 years out of school working a pointless job, which will have no effect on my legal career.

Chicago places very well in New York, id negotiate with them and go there if you can stand living in Chicago for three years

In another thread OP posted his numbers as 176/3.9 & has a few years of post undergraduate work experience. Yet, OP received only waitlist offers from a few T-14 schools & no full tuition offers.

OP wants to work in NYC, Philly or DC after law school.

OP: Did you apply to all T-14 law schools ? Yale ? Michigan ? (I ask about Michigan because scholarships with living stipends are offered each year.)

OP: If accepted to Yale, then I think that Yale without any financial aid is more justifiable than Harvard without any financial aid due to the added prestige & smaller class size. But, at sticker, Yale is your better option primarily if you want a federal judicial clerkship versus a full tuition scholarship at another T-14 law school since you are debt averse.

It seems obvious to me that Columbia & Virginia have put you on hold or offered waitlist status because they assume that you're headed to Harvard, Yale or Stanford = yield protection concern. If a T-14 full tuition scholarship is your primary goal, then you need to communicate that sentiment to the schools ranked #4 through #14. Be sure to share that you believe that you will not qualify for any, or for any significant, need based financial aid & that you are debt averse. Consider visiting in person to plead your case.

ryan77749 wrote:176/3.9. I know I sound like a spoiled asshole, but I honestly hate the position I am in. I have 90k at Chicago, but have no desire to go there. I want to work in nyc/philly/dc, and I already emailed nyu and duke asking them to consider me for additional merit aid. Every other school waitlisted me. And the money I have saved Is from my 3 years out of school working a pointless job, which will have no effect on my legal career.

Not a spoiled asshole, I would expect better options (read more money) with those numbers/WE. Any idea what The problem was? (I'm really just curious!).