Duke vs. Mich vs. NU vs. WUSTL (Update) Forum

[secadc11]

Please do not quote.

I decided on Duke after an increased offer and am removing most of the original information below; thanks all for your help.

-The schools you are considering & total COA

Duke - 120k to 140k Now about ~110 k, will be attending
Michigan - 130k to 148k
Northwestern - 133k to 150k
WUSTL - 0

-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings 

Loans, but COA will be covered.

-Your LSAT/GPA numbers 

17x, 3.3-3.5 (maxed out on LSAT takes)

Please do not quote.

[starry eyed]

go to duke...

i don't think there's any question here- this is about as much of a slam dunk as it gets but i wonder what others think

[NoLieAbility]

See you in Durham this fall.

[Tiago Splitter]

Why is Duke a slam dunk here? Did OP edit something out of the OP?

[secadc11]

Why is Duke a slam dunk here? Did OP edit something out of the OP?

Nope.

[Tiago Splitter]

Nothing wrong with Duke and I understand the appeal but I'd go with Northwestern. Equally good placement overall but better placement into the markets where you ultimately want to be.

[Serett]

It's not a slam dunk, especially if you want to end up in the Midwest.

That said, I faced a similar decision as you coming from the same region as you and chose Duke. Cheaper, better weather, and preferring it after visiting are enough to tip the scale between three schools that are otherwise comparable. If I were you--and I basically was--I'd choose Duke.

Still, you're weighing those three factors against having at least marginally better access to, and at least a marginally better argument for wanting to stay in, the Midwest. Ultimately, you have to make that call for yourself. I'd start by eliminating one of Northwestern or Michigan, either due to figuring out which is really cheapest or which you liked better or which has a better LRAP safety net or which places best in your preferred market or which has fewer outright bad outcomes (solo practice, unemployed - seeking, part-time positions, non-professional positions), because they're offering you a redundant benefit, then compare the winning school directly to Duke by weighing at least marginal but largely unquantifiable regional benefits against cost, weather, and personal preference. Duke won that weighing for me, in part because I'm keeping the Midwest in mind but am not dead-set on returning, such that I could err on the side of that marginal benefit being minimal where someone strongly desiring the Midwest may have opted to err on the side of that benefit being less marginal.

[starry eyed]

i glanced over that he said wanted to end up in the midwest but he seems dead set on wanting to go somewhere warm, and duke is cheaper and has better #'s .

[WeeBey]

Forget about Duke being 8 and Northwestern being 12, they're peer schools in the truest sense. I'd eliminate Mich because of those shitty employment scores recently.

Especially since the COA is similar, I'd take NU personally because I'd rather be in a major city.

[secadc11]

So WUSTL is a definite no-go?

In terms of personal preference, I think I'll likely go Duke but still have some hesitations around passing up the prospect of zero debt.

[Tiago Splitter]

For some reason I didn't even notice WUSTL. It's totally defensible in this case. You just have to be willing to grind out the hard road during law school.

[Serett]

So WUSTL is a definite no-go?

In terms of personal preference, I think I'll likely go Duke but still have some hesitations around passing up the prospect of zero debt.

I think it's defensible; it's just a hard comparison to make. My personal, somewhat arbitrary formula was that if I got at least $20k/yr. at a T14, I'd take it over a full-ride at a regional school. Some people put that lower, some higher. You could approximate a better number with math, but we all hate math, so a somewhat arbitrary approximation sounds easier.

[secadc11]

So Duke upped my offer slightly and sealed the deal for me. Off to Durham in the fall; thanks for everyone's feedback.

[Winston1984]

So Duke upped my offer slightly and sealed the deal for me. Off to Durham in the fall; thanks for everyone's feedback.

Congrats!