UW($$$$)vsCLS($$)vsNYU($$)vs... Forum

[Rascalnikov]

Dilemma I'm struggling with. Would appreciate advice. I'm from Seattle. Family and extensive ties here. Went to undergrad out of state. I'm currently back in Seattle and would love to remain here in the long term. I currently have 74k in debt from undergrad. This should be about 86k after interest compounds over 3 years while I'm in school. My numbers: 177/3.77

Offers:

UW - full ride (including books/fees) plus a 7k/year stipend for living expenses
Berk - Accepted, no word yet on $
Chicago - Waitlist
Mich - Waitlist
Duke - Accepted, no word yet on $
UVA - rejected
Penn - Waitlist
NYU - Accepted with $87.5k
SLS - Rejected
CLS - Accepted with $90k
YLS - no word yet
HLS - rejected

In hindsight I wish I had cast my net a little wider. Anyway, what are your thoughts? I have no interest in PI. I'm attracted to litigation. Would probably pursue a PD job if $ were no object (...it is though). Is UW a reasonable option?

[TLSModBot]

What? Your numbers are fantastic - you should've gotten a lot more money.

Wait a cycle, blanket the t14, bounce schollys til you've got something super-significant at the t6 or at least a full ride at the lower t14s. Then go to Cornell full ride if t6 doesn't pony up the cash.

[LSATneurotic]

This is one of the oddest results I've ever seen. Gonna go with poor essays here. As much as I hate to feed the merciless, profiteering consultants, I think you should enlist professional help. Your LSAT is too good to go to waste.

[OhBoyOhBortles]

DaRascal Alt?

[LSATneurotic]

DaRascal Alt?

ahhh could be troll. I'm so naive.

Not DaRascal, though. There's no emoticons , and DaRascal is more entertaining.

[TLSModBot]

DaRascal Alt?

I was wondering that myself but don't see the angle here - not his usual style and there's no real joke (yet).

[OhBoyOhBortles]

Good points. OP, definitely try negotiating up your offers. You have excellent stats. If this cycle doesn't work out for you, definitely retry next year as early as possible, with increased focus on the cohesiveness of your application. Also, blanket T-14, without exception.

[Clemenceau]

That's a tough undergrad debtload to swallow. You'd still graduate from uw maybe $100k in the hole? I dont think thats defensible. I would reapply next cycle and perhaps write more why-x essays or something.

And see if you can take a chunk out of that ug debt over the next year.

[Rascalnikov]

Weak softs and a C&F issue, would that explain it? I had a good laugh reading DaRascal earlier and he inspired me. I do regret skipping NU and Cornell

[LSATneurotic]

Weak softs and a C&F issue, would that explain it? I had a good laugh reading DaRascal earlier and he inspired me. I do regret skipping NU and Cornell

haha what's the C&F issue?

[Rascalnikov]

Nothing criminal. Something on my university record. Not cheating. Just something that might give them pause.

[DaRascal]

Why did you name yourself after me?

[thomch05]

The interest on your underground debt load will not compound during the three years you are in law school.

[jbagelboy]

Columbia

[kartelite]

I put together a database of Biglaw attorneys and among attorneys in Seattle, 284 went to UW, 33 to Columbia, and 13 to NYU (obviously non-local schools will have much fewer people interested in working in Seattle). For comparison, there are 63 from HLS.

I actually think your aid results are about in line with what your numbers suggest - the Harvard and UVA rejections are a bit strange, but UVA prefers GPA to LSAT and maybe they don't think you're likely to attend due to good aid potential at CN.

I think given your preferences, Columbia has the best chance to give you what you want since reasonable grades should get you back there with your ties, but UW for free isn't a bad choice either, especially if you'd rather live there during school.

[CurvedSurface]

I think you're at a really awkward place with your numbers where you're getting a lot of yield protect in the middle T14 -- because of your LSAT -- but not a lot of interest from the top of the T14 -- because of your GPA. Which is to say that, unlike other posters, I don't find your cycle all that surprising.

If you want to be in Seattle and you've already got that much debt from undergrad, I would lean UW. But here's what I would ask for first: a bump in the stipend (talk about your concern about having to take out loans for living expenses, especially given your existing debt load -- you'll be a coup for UW so don't undervalue yourself) and an official title to the scholarship package. That way you can put a named scholarship on your resume and signal your high value.

You won't have access to the near-automatic favorable gaze that T14 folks get when employers look at their resumes, but you'll be in a great position to accomplish your goals and do so at a fantastic price.

[DaRascal]

Hopefully Berkeley gives you a full ride so you can go there. UW is the most overrated school in the whole Western United States. I have no clue how Washington, whose UG and grad schools are made up almost entirely of in-state applicants with average numbers at best, can be considered elite. I feel that it's "elite" by default because of the lack of quality schools in the PNW.

[JWalker]

Crazy that you didn't get into Harvard. I would reapply in the fall if I were you.

If you're absolutely dead set on going to law school now, CLS.

[runinthefront]

Is your family helping you with C.O.A.? Do you have a significant other who will be helping you with living expenses? Or do you have a nice chunk of money in the bank?

Based on your undergrad debt, you'd be leaving NYU/Columbia with sticker debt...and your full ride to UW is a full ride minus 75k. That's a lot of money...is there nothing at all you could do with your undergraduate degree for a few years to make this number more reasonable? If not, I would go with UW here. I don't think $80k in debt w/ a UW degree is too big of a deal.

[The Dark Shepard]

could you live at home at UW?

[Rascalnikov]

Yeah, I would have the option of living with my parents while at UW. I could probably get away with $0 COA in that case. That's the only family support I am expecting. And thanks for making the point about interest not accruing which turns out to be true for at least some fed loans. Let's say my UG debt would be closer to $80 than $86. I appreciate the input all around.

[CanadianWolf]

To answer your question, yes, UW is a reasonable option with a full tuition & fees scholarship plus books plus $7,000 per year living stipend for one who wants to remain with family & friends in Seattle.

[Rascalnikov]

Hi guys. Was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to the Yale waitlist today, which makes me even more confused. The UW scholarship does go with a name and a donor (I guess I will meet him/her? It wasn't really clear). I'm trying to get more $ from NYU and CLS. Berk declined to match my NYU offer, so I think I can write them off. I'm really start to think about just trying again next year. Getting this close to YLS and then going to UW, something seems off about that. I'm not sure what to think.

[DaRascal]

Let my brother in, Yale!

[jbagelboy]

Hi guys. Was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to the Yale waitlist today, which makes me even more confused. The UW scholarship does go with a name and a donor (I guess I will meet him/her? It wasn't really clear). I'm trying to get more $ from NYU and CLS. Berk declined to match my NYU offer, so I think I can write them off. I'm really start to think about just trying again next year. Getting this close to YLS and then going to UW, something seems off about that. I'm not sure what to think.

Sure, but Yale would cost more than Columbia, and you could go to Columbia now with a pretty good aid offer. So I'm not sure there are such terrific gains to be made.