Weirddd Cycle/URM
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2016 12:01 am
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I'm weighing similar offers right now.T14orTradeSchool wrote:Trust.. I will be on my knees (literally if need be) begging them to try and get that cost down. Just game planning right now. Will probably start letting emails and calls fly by next week.fliptrip wrote:Right now, the only thing that would make sense cost wise would be Chicago, but I wouldn't like it at all. You should get on them big time and beg them for more cash. You will be able to snag biglaw out of Chicago and you will have to suffer for a spell in biglaw before you can exit out, so brace yourself for that, but you will not ruin your life. If you can beg and plead and whine to get you up to $60k-$90k off, that would make Chicago a good outcome.
If Cornell would come in for you at a reasonable cost, like $100k+ off, that would be great.
As I said, I would not deal with any of your other schools at current prices.
Thank you for your input!
I think this is important. If you're gonna saddle yourself with over $250,000 in debt just to work for 3-5 years at a job you probably won't like to get back to a net worth of $0 and then not be a lawyer, why go to law school in the first place?T14orTradeSchool wrote:Career Goals: Big Law first, then go into Sports/Entertainment in some (maybe legal/maybe not) capacity but I really am not sure what I am truly interested in at this point. I'm not opposed to the idea of taking out a lot of loans, it just freaking blows
This is the dirtiest trick financial aid offices play, navy, they do not account for loan fees or interest capitalization while you are in school. Even though your 3 year nominal COA at UVA is $256,985, the actual amount of money you will owe at repayment is $307,491. That's $50,000 of real money you owe that they conveniently forget to tell incoming students about.Navyhornguy wrote:I'm trying to figure out how your COA for UVA is so high even at sticker. Out the ASW today the financial aid office did a rundown of the budget for three years and it wasn't even close to $309K. It was more like $250K and that was without factoring in summer employment (which could be big bucks depending on what you do). But good luck on your decision.
Did they factor in tuition increases, origination fees, interest and the fact that you won't start paying the loans back until several months after graduating?Navyhornguy wrote:I'm trying to figure out how your COA for UVA is so high even at sticker. Out the ASW today the financial aid office did a rundown of the budget for three years and it wasn't even close to $309K. It was more like $250K and that was without factoring in summer employment (which could be big bucks depending on what you do). But good luck on your decision.
If you're going to go to law school this year, go with Chicago, no doubt. Just please understand that $259k is real money and you will almost certainly regret not retaking and/or doing something else with your life 8 years from now.T14orTradeSchool wrote:Hey guys,
So my cycle is pretty much all but done. I'll try and be brief. Help appreciated!
First, as far as a retake goes, it probably won't be happening. 1. I Already didn't go last year to retake and seriously, seriously, don't want to skip another whole year for it. 2. and more importantly, I think I performed at around my score band. Could I have scored a few points higher (or lower) depending on the day? Probably. but looking at it realistically, I studied immensely and I was PTing around there anyway (with a couple outliers sprinkled in there of course.) IMHO, I don't think I'd benefit much (if at all) from a retake.
My cycle has been pretty weird in the sense that I got into a T4, then I kinda have this huge gap in the middle schools because I got WL'd at a bunch of 'em and got into some lower schools. Essentially, there isn't a happy medium for me. Scholarship money has been pretty weird, too. Broken down below.
I haven’t negotiated at all, by the way. I plan to craft emails and start sending them out on Monday (I was waiting on Gtown) so I can maybe squeeze a bit more from some of these schools (with the exception of Chicago). Either way, the hell am I supposed to do now? trade school?
$45K from Chicago COA: 259K
$0 from UVA COA: Fucked. (308K)
Georgetown – “Alternate” ?? Whatever that means. Got a feeler email that I’d be considered for a scholarship but it got pushed to them letting me know at the end of April.
$95K from Vanderbilt COA: $175K
$105K from WUSTL COA: $152K
$90K from USC COA: $206K
$75K from William & Mary COA: $122K
WL
UPenn
NYU (probably)
Cornell (interviewed recently/should get an update soon)
Career Goals: Big Law first, then go into Sports/Entertainment in some (maybe legal/maybe not) capacity but I really am not sure what I am truly interested in at this point. I'm not opposed to the idea of taking out a lot of loans, it just freaking blows
You don't understand the hours because you're basically basically just the support staff at whatever major law firm you work at. You put in your 8-10 hours a day (with overtime), and then you go home and forget about your job except in the rarest of occassions. You haven't experienced logging into Citrix from your apartment for hours each night, and you haven't experienced the strong pressure of the billable hour. If you're a paralegal/mail-runner, I don't think your observations really reflect the reality of biglaw.T14orTradeSchool wrote:I understand. I mean, you don't really understand until you see it but I get it. I don't know if I'd regret not doing something else with my life. I've worked in the big law setting, I understand the hours, xyz, [inset complaint]. Not that these aren't legitimate, they are, but I have perspective on it and understand it. Hopefully I can get them to throw a bit more cash my way. We'll see.stretchedtoothin wrote: If you're going to go to law school this year, go with Chicago, no doubt. Just please understand that $259k is real money and you will almost certainly regret not retaking and/or doing something else with your life 8 years from now.
But if you're willing to bet on yourself and your happiness (which many people do), you should almost certainly go to Chicago right now.
All I'm saying is that I hope you're not risking $260,000 in non-dischargeable education debt on a job that you only have a shallow understanding of. You see associates work . . . at work. That's it. Your works stops once you clock out each day. An associate is always on the clock. Just remember that the job isn't what you may think it is.T14orTradeSchool wrote:
Lol.
I mean I don't have the perspective of an associate. Idk what you want me to do lol I've worked incredibly long hours before, I wouldn't say as much as first years. I do, for the most part, forget about my job once I leave but why shouldn't I? I don't get paid anywhere close to worry about those things. An associate does, though. I never said my job reflects that of an associate or comes close, I said I've seen the hours associates work and I've talked to numerous associates.. that's the best perspective I can get. I have worked my fair share of long hours but again, idk what you want lol it's the best I got.
Anyway, good luck OP! Follow your dreams!T14orTradeSchool wrote: I've worked in the big law setting, I understand the hours, xyz, [inset complaint]. Not that these aren't legitimate, they are, but I have perspective on it and understand it.