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[archipm]

Post removed.

[Emma.]

Take a very careful look at LRAP programs. The devil can be in the details.

[archipm]

Take a very careful look at LRAP programs. The devil can be in the details.

Absolutely. I'm really nervous about the idea of relying on LRAP and I'm also having trouble keeping all of the details of the different LRAPs straight since I'm still considering several schools.

[existentialcrisis]

How averse to big law are you, and what kind of government work do you want to do?

I know that people go from biglaw lit, or regulatory --> government fairly frequently. I suppose you could do Cornell and then try to aggressively pay down debt on a biglaw salary for a few years and then try to exit into government.

I'm still in school, so I don't know that it's necessarily super easy to make this move, but I do know that people do it.

[archipm]

How averse to big law are you, and what kind of government work do you want to do?

I know that people go from biglaw lit, or regulatory --> government fairly frequently. I suppose you could do Cornell and then try to aggressively pay down debt on a biglaw salary for a few years and then try to exit into government.

I'm still in school, so I don't know that it's necessarily super easy to make this move, but I do know that people do it.

All the biglaw horror stories aside, I am not completely averse to it as a shorter term option, especially if it's the only option that would make law school debt close to reasonable. Will definitely look into that more.

[cron1834]

Cornell might be the only responsible option here, and even that's pushing it; if you add $50k to your COA, the $200k total is probably unreasonable. The others have you well over a quarter mil, and without a clear sense of what you want out of school or life I can't justify that much.

Berkeley might bail you out, but they're stingy, so I wouldn't assume so.

What happened at Duke and Mich? Are they options?

Right now it's Cornell or don't go, imho.

[archipm]

Cornell might be the only responsible option here, and even that's pushing it; if you add $50k to your COA, the $200k total is probably unreasonable. The others have you well over a quarter mil, and without a clear sense of what you want out of school or life I can't justify that much.

Berkeley might bail you out, but they're stingy, so I wouldn't assume so.

What happened at Duke and Mich? Are they options?

Right now it's Cornell or don't go, imho.

Thanks for your input. This is kind of how I'm feeling but it's a bummer. Duke, Michigan, and Stanford were the 3 T14s I didn't apply to (probably should have applied to Duke and Mich). I applied at some other places not on the list in the OP hoping for more scholarship options but Cornell was the highest offer I received. Got WL at Penn and UVA and withdrew, got scholarship offers at Emory, GWU and Vanderbilt that weren't enough to keep them on the table/left similar COAs to my current options.

[existentialcrisis]

I guess it wouldn't make it all that much cheaper than Cornell (maybe not even cheaper at all with a higher COL?) But have you considered sitting out a cycle and then EDing NU for the 150k? I would think your numbers would give you a pretty good shot, and you mentioned you were hoping for more money from the Chicago schools.

[archipm]

I guess it wouldn't make it all that much cheaper than Cornell (maybe not even cheaper at all with a higher COL?) But have you considered sitting out a cycle and then EDing NU for the 150k? I would think your numbers would give you a pretty good shot, and you mentioned you were hoping for more money from the Chicago schools.

I hadn't really considered this, but it's definitely an idea for next year if negotiations don't pan out this year.

[cron1834]

Honestly, retake and reapply isn't a bad idea. That is, ED NU would trump these other options if you got it, you really need to apply to every non-Yale T14, and, generally speaking, you'll give yourself another chance to get lucky. Debt load is just too high here.

[archipm]

Honestly, retake and reapply isn't a bad idea. That is, ED NU would trump these other options if you got it, you really need to apply to every non-Yale T14, and, generally speaking, you'll give yourself another chance to get lucky. Debt load is just too high here.

Thanks again for the input. Never hurts to take the LSAT again too, I'm sure something higher than a 173 would also bring out bigger offers if I'm able to, even just a couple more points.