Top Law Schools

Hi everyone, I appreciate any advice you have for me on this.

Schools: Duke and UVA (Received full scholarships at a few local schools, but not considering them at this point.)
COA: Duke - 70k, UVA - 30k
Financing: Loans
Location: I'm from the midwest (KS/MO area) and hope to return here after graduation.
Goals: A3 Clerkship, followed by PI would be the dream. Not looking for SCOTUS/DOJ, just hoping for interesting work and enough compensation to not be stressed about money all the time.
LSAT/GPA: 3.9/171, one take

Is Duke worth the extra $40k or so if I want to be back in the KS/MO area? Not sure if UVA will carry the same weight that Duke will seeing as Duke seems to be more well-known in the area as a "top school." Obviously different for lawyers vs. general public, but I don't want a little $ now to hamper my long term prospects here. What do you all think?

They are both great options, but I think UVA is the clear choice here. Your career options will be pretty similar, since UVA and Duke are peers. Lay prestige is not worth an extra 40k.

I agree with you on the surface. I didn't know if there was a nuance to the question that I was missing. I've had trouble finding if UVA or Duke outplace one another in KC or StL or if there was something else I was missing. As of now, I'm all in for UVA. Looking for someone to convince me Duke might be worth it for one reason or another.

MW4L wrote:Looking for someone to convince me Duke might be worth it for one reason or another.

Good luck with that. Plus at 30k COA, UVA is a great choice for clerkships in general.

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Your COA figures for both of these schools look way off. Your COA is your tuition + fees + living expenses - scholarships.

I don't agree that Duke has more prestige than UVA. I actually believe that in law the opposite is true. However, that's more of an academic discussion. I'd feel pretty nervous about going to southern schools trying to get back to Kansas City, which is an insular market, but I'll leave that to others to give further advice.

Can do more for you when we know actual COA figures. Even just knowing your actual scholarships would be enough.

I went to UVA and had many offers to return to my home market, which is also an insular Midwestern state.

UVA as a law school might actually be better for this than Duke due to UVA's larger base of law school alumni across the nation (bigger classes).

Am I the only one here who thinks OP underperformed his/her numbers? I would expect more from a 3.9/171 -- thoughts? Retaking/reapplying doesn't seem like a bad idea.

^^^ Yes, I'd expect OP to have some more cards in the deck. NYU, Northwestern and Chicago should probably be here, and Stanford isn't out of the question. Columbia could be here as well.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I appreciate it.

Regarding calculations for COA, I used LS22's spreadsheet to figure in tuition, fees, CoL, scholarships, etc. I'll be moving with my SO which changes the financial picture a bit and may explain why the numbers seem off. I had to make some assumptions as to what my SO will make but the estimate is very conservative. The difference in COA between the schools effectively comes down to the difference in scholarship $ offered.

As to other schools, I chose not to apply to those in big cities as I have zero desire to live there, even if it is only for three years. I grew up on/around farms and need to be able to get outside. I realize it may not be the smartest move but I think living in an area with high quality of life (considering my lifestyle) will be a significant help when I'm stressing about classes and such.

I agree with the point about going to southern schools to get back to the midwest but am fortunate to have solid relationships with several firms (each with 50+ attorneys right now) in town because of my current job and internships during UG. Nothing guaranteed, obviously, but its enough of a connection that I don't anticipate any problem getting my foot in the door so long as there is an opening when I'm applying for jobs.

UVAIce wrote: UVA as a law school might actually be better for this than Duke due to UVA's larger base of law school alumni across the nation (bigger classes).

Didn't go to either, but I agree with this statement. I would have picked UVA over Duke at equal cost, so think it's a no brainer here

I for one in no way consider Duke to be worth $40k more than UVA. Take UVA.