UT $$ vs Cornell $$ vs Georgetown $$ Forum

[pennylane2016]

Hi guys! I'm hoping someone can help me narrow down my decision. As soon as I think I've ruled out a school I find a reason to put them back in the running. I am a Texas resident with big law ambitions. My options are as follow:

UT: 20k yr /33k yr tuition
Cornell: 30k yr/ 59k yr tuition
Georgetown: 20k yr/ 55k yr
SMU : Full ride (top 1/2 stip) - my alma mater

I do have a strong connections in Texas but I don't know if I want to live here forever. I wouldn't mind eventually working in DC or Cali. Not too keen on NYC.

[BasilHallward]

Again. UT and it's an easy choice, UNLESS you have a hankering for NYC. Then strongly consider Cornell because they place WELL there. But, if you like Texas and wanna make that sweet BigLaw cash in an area where you can actually buy stuff, I'd go to UT.

[pennylane2016]

BasilHallward you make a strong case for UT lol. I like Texas but don't want to be stuck here...I think that is the only drawback.

[BasilHallward]

define stuck. Retake and go to HYS if you want options. You said NYC is out, so Cornell is kinda pricy. GT is too pricy as well. Plus GT outcomes are not vastly stronger than UT. Are you waiting on other acceptances? Duke maybe? That could be a decent option with $$

[BasilHallward]

UT places mainly in Texas because of self-selection (people don't wanna leave Austin/Texas). UT gets into NY quite regularly and Fed clerkships all over the country. With that being said, it still is a quasi-regional school.

[pennylane2016]

I'm waiting on Yale but it's a long shot for sure. By stuck I mean I don't want Texas to be my only option for employment opportunities, but I have heard that if you do well you have opportunity elsewhere.

[fliptrip]

Well Penny, in the pouring rain, it would be very strange not to take Cornell with good money. If you absolutely can't stomach the idea of living in NYC, then UT seems pretty good.

You don't really have a good choice here for California. If you want that, then you're going to at the very least have to retake your cycle and you might need to retake the LSAT.

[Bleeeh]

I'm in a nearly identical situation. If I took out the maximum amount in loans for school, GULC and Cornell would cost me 40-45k more than Texas so I'm leaning towards UT for those reasons

[Budfox55]

Re Cornell - I have a few friends at Cornell, have visited, talked to a bunch of ppl, etc, and something to keep in mind is that there is a huge self-selection bias concerning Cornell-->NYC. Most ppl go in wanting to be in NY and thats their plan throughout school. I've spoken to people who are students there now who are going to CA, DC, and other major and secondary markets and they all seemed to have gotten jobs in those locations without a problem. I couldn't find one person who wanted another market and couldn't get it (but i'm sure they exist) and my friend (who I trust) also said that he didn't really know of anyone who aimed for a specific market that didn't get it. Granted, all of these people except one had ties to these other markets.

I personally got a good scholarship from Cornell and am seriously considering the school, but I am aiming for another major market with NY as a back up so I had a lot of concerns regarding the school's ability to place out of NY. Obviously take this with a HUGE grain of salt as its anecdotal, but its something to think about. I would recommend reaching out to someone who goes/went to Cornell who didn't aim for NY to discuss how it went for them.

[californiauser]

Re Cornell - I have a few friends at Cornell, have visited, talked to a bunch of ppl, etc, and something to keep in mind is that there is a huge self-selection bias concerning Cornell-->NYC. Most ppl go in wanting to be in NY and thats their plan throughout school. I've spoken to people who are students there now who are going to CA, DC, and other major and secondary markets and they all seemed to have gotten jobs in those locations without a problem. I couldn't find one person who wanted another market and couldn't get it (but i'm sure they exist) and my friend (who I trust) also said that he didn't really know of anyone who aimed for a specific market that didn't get it. Granted, all of these people except one had ties to these other markets.

I personally got a good scholarship from Cornell and am seriously considering the school, but I am aiming for another major market with NY as a back up so I had a lot of concerns regarding the school's ability to place out of NY. Obviously take this with a HUGE grain of salt as its anecdotal, but its something to think about. I would recommend reaching out to someone who goes/went to Cornell who didn't aim for NY to discuss how it went for them.

Any T14 can get its students back to their home market. The issue is (it appears) OP only has TX ties.