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Hello!

I'm on the fence about choosing schools (UCLA vs NYU). I'm a California native, who has been living in NY for the past 5.5 years and I still love it here. I have been working in advertising for several years, but Bryan Stevenson's book "Just Mercy" and some volunteer work I was doing for a legal aid organization has prompted me to apply to law school. I initially was thinking of working in criminal justice reform, but as of now, I think I'm open to different types of legal work in the public service sector.

UCLA: COA= probably around $80-$100K depending on housing my 2nd/3rd years (financed mostly through loans)
NYU: COA= probably around $240K (financed mostly through loans)
Some context: LSAT 170 (took it twice)/GPA: 3.65

Like I mentioned above I still love living in NYC, though I'm not completely closed to the idea of moving back home (mostly because of my family). NYU is a higher-ranked school and my hero Bryan Stevenson teaches there, which is a large part of why I want to attend. Also, I have heard (from current and former students) that the school focuses heavily on public interest, but the amount of debt is pretty terrifying to me.

Any advice?

For students in your situation, it is best to evaluate the cost of attending the law school and whether there is a particular area of law you would like to go into. If there is, look to see if either school has job or internship opportunities in that area of law, such as the public service sector.

It can help to make a list of pros and cons for each school to help make your decision a little easier. For most students, it comes down to cost and what is the most affordable. You may also want to consider where you would like to initially practice. Is it in California or in New York?

I am at MVP and I don't mean to burst your PI bubble, but a lot (75%) of the students I knew that came in wanting to do PI work ended up doing Biglaw to payoff their loans. This includes those whose choice to take biglaw meant they had to pay back scholarship money intended for PI Applicants. Compounding 8% loan interest is real.

Taking that into consideration, I would definitely pick NYU. There is a significantly higher COA, but NYU probably gives you an 80% chance at getting a biglaw job (vs. 30% at UCLA). While you may not want it now, you really should not close off that opportunity. NYU also has a great Loan Assistance Program for those in PI. I also wouldn't worry about getting back to CA. I was a summer at an NYC firm and am now starting in LA. NYC is not going to exclude you from transferring back to LA. Going from LA to NYC is difficult.

Going to UCLA gives you a short term gain on debt load, but leaves things on the table you may not be able to get later. In contrast, at NYU, you are paying a premium for opportunity that cannot be purchased later.