Given my goals, Chicago ($125k COA) or Northwestern (free) Forum

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

to be entirely clear as the OP says I'd walk away from NU w/ about $21k in the bank (though I would probably burn that on an upgraded apartment). add in the 10-year interest on a standard repayment plan and the difference between the two will be more than $150k.

[Mal Reynolds]

Why are you still asking this question you have your answer.

[ymmv]

to be entirely clear as the OP says I'd walk away from NU w/ about $21k in the bank (though I would probably burn that on an upgraded apartment). add in the 10-year interest on a standard repayment plan and the difference between the two will be more than $150k.

NU and it's not even close. You know this.

[WheninLaw]

Academia is not happening. Are you really going to pay this much for marginally better clerkship odds? Get out of here. FYI, I'd choose NU in this situation over any other school, including Y.

Get your head out of your ass, do the right thing.

[arklaw13]

Who are the four five nitwits who voted UChi? I have some ocean-front property in Idaho I'd like to sell them >.>

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

thanks all

[Other25BeforeYou]

~5 percent clerkship increase is worth 125k?

If we were talking about HYS maybe this could work but not with chicago

I just meant there has to be some kind of acknowledgment that taking out $125k is different for OP than it would be for a lot of people on these boards. For a lot of people it wouldn't be worth anywhere near an additional $125k in debt because that comes with a certain level of risk based on the likelihood of that person not finding a job with which they can easily pay back the debt. If you're pretty much guaranteed a job with which you can pay back the debt even if law school is somehow a disaster, it's much less risky.

UChicago is 11% higher for BL+FC. Yes, there's a good chance OP could end up in the same job from Northwestern as OP could from UChicago. But if taking out the money isn't that risky for OP, the extra chance at clerkships (and likely extra security in getting Chicago biglaw since OP has strong ties by virtue of having a wife tied to Chicago) might be worth it.

[Mal Reynolds]

~5 percent clerkship increase is worth 125k?

If we were talking about HYS maybe this could work but not with chicago

I just meant there has to be some kind of acknowledgment that taking out $125k is different for OP than it would be for a lot of people on these boards. For a lot of people it wouldn't be worth anywhere near an additional $125k in debt because that comes with a certain level of risk based on the likelihood of that person not finding a job with which they can easily pay back the debt. If you're pretty much guaranteed a job with which you can pay back the debt even if law school is somehow a disaster, it's much less risky.

UChicago is 11% higher for BL+FC. Yes, there's a good chance OP could end up in the same job from Northwestern as OP could from UChicago. But if taking out the money isn't that risky for OP, the extra chance at clerkships (and likely extra security in getting Chicago biglaw since OP has strong ties by virtue of having a wife tied to Chicago) might be worth it.

[2014]

UChi is absolutely worth 125k and for your goals that would be 125k extremely well spent, but that isn't the question here. The question is whether it's worth ~145k MORE than NU for mostly Chi big law w/ potential clerkship/academia/etc ambitions and that answer is without a doubt no. I can make the argument for as much as like 60k differential or even 75-90k on my less lucid days, but this is too much to rationalize. Go to NU.

[beepboopbeep]

~5 percent clerkship increase is worth 125k?

If we were talking about HYS maybe this could work but not with chicago

I just meant there has to be some kind of acknowledgment that taking out $125k is different for OP than it would be for a lot of people on these boards. For a lot of people it wouldn't be worth anywhere near an additional $125k in debt because that comes with a certain level of risk based on the likelihood of that person not finding a job with which they can easily pay back the debt. If you're pretty much guaranteed a job with which you can pay back the debt even if law school is somehow a disaster, it's much less risky.

UChicago is 11% higher for BL+FC. Yes, there's a good chance OP could end up in the same job from Northwestern as OP could from UChicago. But if taking out the money isn't that risky for OP, the extra chance at clerkships (and likely extra security in getting Chicago biglaw since OP has strong ties by virtue of having a wife tied to Chicago) might be worth it.

Yea but a lot of people on these boards and elsewhere have vague clerkship aspirations, like

Half of every ASW is 0Ls asking questions about clerkships

Then the professors / alums, if they're feeling honest, say something like, "it is retarded to consider spending >$125k for a few more percentage points in clerkship chances"

Especially as someone who went into law school very interested in the clerkship -> academia path

The hypothetical profs / alums are right

You have no idea how much your priorities will change and clerking is a 1-2 year gig

Take the money and run

Signed, yet another UofC student coming here to say NU is an easy choice given these two prices

The weird rich wife situation in the OP is the only thing pointing toward UofC

But it doesn't sound like the kind of "fuck you" money that would just be able to wipe away that debt with ease

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

~5 percent clerkship increase is worth 125k?

If we were talking about HYS maybe this could work but not with chicago

I just meant there has to be some kind of acknowledgment that taking out $125k is different for OP than it would be for a lot of people on these boards. For a lot of people it wouldn't be worth anywhere near an additional $125k in debt because that comes with a certain level of risk based on the likelihood of that person not finding a job with which they can easily pay back the debt. If you're pretty much guaranteed a job with which you can pay back the debt even if law school is somehow a disaster, it's much less risky.

UChicago is 11% higher for BL+FC. Yes, there's a good chance OP could end up in the same job from Northwestern as OP could from UChicago. But if taking out the money isn't that risky for OP, the extra chance at clerkships (and likely extra security in getting Chicago biglaw since OP has strong ties by virtue of having a wife tied to Chicago) might be worth it.

Yea but a lot of people on these boards and elsewhere have vague clerkship aspirations, like

Half of every ASW is 0Ls asking questions about clerkships

Then the professors / alums, if they're feeling honest, say something like, "it is retarded to consider spending >$125k for a few more percentage points in clerkship chances"

Especially as someone who went into law school very interested in the clerkship -> academia path

The hypothetical profs / alums are right

You have no idea how much your priorities will change and clerking is a 1-2 year gig

Take the money and run

Signed, yet another UofC student coming here to say NU is an easy choice given these two prices

The weird rich wife situation in the OP is the only thing pointing toward UofC

But it doesn't sound like the kind of "fuck you" money that would just be able to wipe away that debt with ease

Thx for the advice. It is true that it is not the kind of money that could be used to easily wipe away debt, both because of the total number and because that money is aimed at maximizing long-term yields, not for dumb shit like loan debt. But, you know, you can withdraw such investments if you're fucked, so it's kind of like an insurance policy.

[Cobretti]

~5 percent clerkship increase is worth 125k?

If we were talking about HYS maybe this could work but not with chicago

I just meant there has to be some kind of acknowledgment that taking out $125k is different for OP than it would be for a lot of people on these boards. For a lot of people it wouldn't be worth anywhere near an additional $125k in debt because that comes with a certain level of risk based on the likelihood of that person not finding a job with which they can easily pay back the debt. If you're pretty much guaranteed a job with which you can pay back the debt even if law school is somehow a disaster, it's much less risky.

UChicago is 11% higher for BL+FC. Yes, there's a good chance OP could end up in the same job from Northwestern as OP could from UChicago. But if taking out the money isn't that risky for OP, the extra chance at clerkships (and likely extra security in getting Chicago biglaw since OP has strong ties by virtue of having a wife tied to Chicago) might be worth it.

Yea but a lot of people on these boards and elsewhere have vague clerkship aspirations, like

Half of every ASW is 0Ls asking questions about clerkships

Then the professors / alums, if they're feeling honest, say something like, "it is retarded to consider spending >$125k for a few more percentage points in clerkship chances"

Especially as someone who went into law school very interested in the clerkship -> academia path

The hypothetical profs / alums are right

You have no idea how much your priorities will change and clerking is a 1-2 year gig

Take the money and run

Signed, yet another UofC student coming here to say NU is an easy choice given these two prices

The weird rich wife situation in the OP is the only thing pointing toward UofC

But it doesn't sound like the kind of "fuck you" money that would just be able to wipe away that debt with ease

Thx for the advice. It is true that it is not the kind of money that could be used to easily wipe away debt, both because of the total number (srsly not a rich wife scenario, just legit middle class savings/trust fund) and because that money is aimed at maximizing long-term yields, not for dumb shit like loan debt. But, you know, you can withdraw such investments if you're fucked, so it's kind of like an insurance policy.

Middle class trust fund?

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Middle class trust fund?

I fail to see humor or contradiction in a modest fund that came from the diligent savings of a man who was a laborer on the Chicago railyard for 40 years. If you do, PM me so we don't derail this thread.

[BigZuck]

So...the hive has spoken. You're going to go to UChicago, right?

[Winston1984]

Middle class trust fund?

I fail to see humor or contradiction in a modest fund that came from the diligent savings of a man who was a laborer on the Chicago railyard for 40 years. If you do, PM me so we don't derail this thread.

What a shitlord.

[Mal Reynolds]

Oh man this idiot is gonna go to UChicago.

[2014]

Oh man this idiot is gonna go to UChicago.

Woo yield
Woo medians

[Pragmatic Gun]

Oh man this idiot is gonna go to UChicago.

Preftige

[jbagelboy]

I'm actually going to go against the grain here and say UChicago. I'm a high risk/high reward kinda girl, and while this risk would probably be too steep to my mind if you didn't have a soft place to fall, it sounds like you do.

Between this:

3) Interested in clerking, and academia if I win law school. Here UC will obviously confer a much greater advantage.

this:

5) Wife has a few strong investments, so I won't ever be eating rice and beans if I really screw things up. Wife also will enter a sector after obtaining PhD where she'll average $100k/yr.

and this:

Also, I expect to have sufficient connections to get an interesting job (starting at about $80k/yr) if I am below median after law school graduation. I sound like I'm ahead of myself in terms of estimating my career chances but don't have the time or energy to justify my confidence here.

it sounds like going $125k into debt isn't the enormous risk for you that it would be for other people. You have fallback funds. You'll probably have a job that will at the very least keep you afloat while you pay back loans. And you're interested in clerking/academia, for which UChicago will clearly provide better opportunities. I say go for it.

~5 percent clerkship increase is worth 125k?

If we were talking about HYS maybe this could work but not with chicago

Chicago had higher clerkship % this year than Harvard. So not sure that line sticks.

Regardless, Northwestern here. You could try pushing UChi for more $ but Northwestern is a great choice right now. You won

[Mack.Hambleton]

YS*

[Holly Golightly]

You seem pretty douchey, go to UChi.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

You seem pretty douchey, go to UChi.

but i said thanks and even used an exclamation point in OP

[Mal Reynolds]

You seem pretty douchey, go to UChi.

but i said thanks and even used an exclamation point in OP

Which school are you going to.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

You seem pretty douchey, go to UChi.

but i said thanks and even used an exclamation point in OP

Which school are you going to.

Idk. I'm asking UC to reconsider their reconsideration. 99% NU at this point.

[Mal Reynolds]

Yeah sure