UVA ($$$) vs. NYU ($) Forum

[charlie'sunclejack]

UVA
COA: I received a Dillard so I am just paying COL. Figure 18k (between rent, living, and traveling to NY) a year totaling $54,000

NYU
COA: A small award, plus the ability to live home brings by COA to around $110,000 (edit: this might be more like 115-120K).

Just looking for some opinions as deadlines approach. I'm from NYC and live/work here currently, so definitely prefer to stay. But I am leaning towards UVA as the offer is just too much more. I currently have around 20k in savings, so most financing will be from loans. I would like to clerk if I do well enough in school, and am still figuring out what kind of law I will get into. If I enter biglaw it would hopefully be in NYC. Is NYU worth 60-70k more than UVA? As one last question, how does UVA compare to Duke? I never tried to negotiate anything higher at Duke, but regret that looking back now.

Thanks!

[existentialcrisis]

UVA
COA: I received a scholarship so I am just paying COL. Figure 18k (between rent, living, and traveling to NY) a year totaling $54,000

NYU
COA: A small award, plus the ability to live home brings by COA to around $110,000.

Just looking for some opinions as deadlines approach. I'm from NYC and live/work here currently, so definitely prefer to stay. But I am leaning towards UVA as the offer is just too much more. I currently have around 20k in savings, so most financing will be from loans. I would like to clerk if I do well enough in school, and am still figuring out what kind of law I will get into. If I enter biglaw it would hopefully be in NYC. Is NYU worth 60-70k more than UVA? As one last question, how does UVA compare to Duke? I never tried to negotiate anything higher at Duke, but regret that looking back now.

Thanks!

I would take UVA here, but, in a vacuum, I think NYU at 110k COA is defensible. If you want NY biglaw, you will likely be able to get it from UVA, but NYU does offer some insurance at the margins. I don't think this insurance is worth 70k, but along with your preference for staying in NY for 3 years, I guess I can see how it theoretically could be for you. That being said, I'd definitely go UVA.

UVA and Duke are peer schools, and I don't think either has any meaningful advantage over the other in terms of NY placement. I know that UVA does have a hybrid lottery/pre-select OCI, while Duke's is pure lottery. People on TLS seem to have differing views on the merits of both though. You will need a car for Durham though, while you won't one at UVA (although I don't know if this matters to you at all).

[seagan823]

NYU placed 64% of grads in big law last year and 7 % in clerkships. 70% grads in NYC. UVA was 52 and 15. 20 % in NYC. I imagine the location for UVA grads has a lot to do with targeting non NY markets rather than not doing well in NYC job search given how much easier people report NYC big law jobs are to get than other markets.

I think if you want to clerk and then head to big law, UVA is the choice.

[ih8makingscreennames]

UVA
COA: I received a scholarship so I am just paying COL. Figure 18k (between rent, living, and traveling to NY) a year totaling $54,000

NYU
COA: A small award, plus the ability to live home brings by COA to around $110,000.

Just looking for some opinions as deadlines approach. I'm from NYC and live/work here currently, so definitely prefer to stay. But I am leaning towards UVA as the offer is just too much more. I currently have around 20k in savings, so most financing will be from loans. I would like to clerk if I do well enough in school, and am still figuring out what kind of law I will get into. If I enter biglaw it would hopefully be in NYC. Is NYU worth 60-70k more than UVA? As one last question, how does UVA compare to Duke? I never tried to negotiate anything higher at Duke, but regret that looking back now.

Thanks!

I would take UVA here, but, in a vacuum, I think NYU at 110k COA is defensible. If you want NY biglaw, you will likely be able to get it from UVA, but NYU does offer some insurance at the margins. I don't think this insurance is worth 70k, but along with your preference for staying in NY for 3 years, I guess I can see how it theoretically could be for you. That being said, I'd definitely go UVA.

UVA and Duke are peer schools, and I don't think either has any meaningful advantage over the other in terms of NY placement. I know that UVA does have a hybrid lottery/pre-select OCI, while Duke's is pure lottery. People on TLS seem to have differing views on the merits of both though. You will need a car for Durham though, while you won't one at UVA (although I don't know if this matters to you at all).

I'd say if you don't want to go absolutely nuts, you need a car at UVA.

[existentialcrisis]

UVA
COA: I received a scholarship so I am just paying COL. Figure 18k (between rent, living, and traveling to NY) a year totaling $54,000

NYU
COA: A small award, plus the ability to live home brings by COA to around $110,000.

Just looking for some opinions as deadlines approach. I'm from NYC and live/work here currently, so definitely prefer to stay. But I am leaning towards UVA as the offer is just too much more. I currently have around 20k in savings, so most financing will be from loans. I would like to clerk if I do well enough in school, and am still figuring out what kind of law I will get into. If I enter biglaw it would hopefully be in NYC. Is NYU worth 60-70k more than UVA? As one last question, how does UVA compare to Duke? I never tried to negotiate anything higher at Duke, but regret that looking back now.

Thanks!

I would take UVA here, but, in a vacuum, I think NYU at 110k COA is defensible. If you want NY biglaw, you will likely be able to get it from UVA, but NYU does offer some insurance at the margins. I don't think this insurance is worth 70k, but along with your preference for staying in NY for 3 years, I guess I can see how it theoretically could be for you. That being said, I'd definitely go UVA.

UVA and Duke are peer schools, and I don't think either has any meaningful advantage over the other in terms of NY placement. I know that UVA does have a hybrid lottery/pre-select OCI, while Duke's is pure lottery. People on TLS seem to have differing views on the merits of both though. You will need a car for Durham though, while you won't one at UVA (although I don't know if this matters to you at all).

I'd say if you don't want to go absolutely nuts, you need a car at UVA.

It's definitely better to have one, but at least doable without one. You can essentially live right across the street from the law school and Barrack's Road has a bunch of grocery stores and such right there.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Haven't read the other posts but I imagine they are predominantly pro-UVA. For starters, create a poll.

I think it would be a substantial mistake to go to NYU. There's just no way the (slightly more than) marginal increase at the possibility of getting a NYC biglaw job is worth the cost of going to NYU. For UVA and most T14 grads, especially those that go on near-full rides, NYC biglaw jobs grow on trees.

My COA at a lower T14 is similar to what yours would be at UVA. I must tell you that my stress was significantly lowered, and 1L grades definitely increased, when I headed into 1L finals knowing that if I fucked up I wouldn't have a 5,000 pound debt anchor attached to my ankle.


ETA: Your COA to NYU is "defensible." But assuming you go to NYU and pay $1,000 per month at the current 6.8% interest rate the feds will give you, it will take you 173 months to pay that off. AKA $173,000. That's fucked up. See https://www.creditkarma.com/calculators/debtrepayment.

What I'm trying to say is that your COA to NYU must factor in interest rates and the (unlikely) possibility you fuck grades up and don't get biglaw.

[ih8makingscreennames]

UVA
COA: I received a scholarship so I am just paying COL. Figure 18k (between rent, living, and traveling to NY) a year totaling $54,000

NYU
COA: A small award, plus the ability to live home brings by COA to around $110,000.

Just looking for some opinions as deadlines approach. I'm from NYC and live/work here currently, so definitely prefer to stay. But I am leaning towards UVA as the offer is just too much more. I currently have around 20k in savings, so most financing will be from loans. I would like to clerk if I do well enough in school, and am still figuring out what kind of law I will get into. If I enter biglaw it would hopefully be in NYC. Is NYU worth 60-70k more than UVA? As one last question, how does UVA compare to Duke? I never tried to negotiate anything higher at Duke, but regret that looking back now.

Thanks!

I would take UVA here, but, in a vacuum, I think NYU at 110k COA is defensible. If you want NY biglaw, you will likely be able to get it from UVA, but NYU does offer some insurance at the margins. I don't think this insurance is worth 70k, but along with your preference for staying in NY for 3 years, I guess I can see how it theoretically could be for you. That being said, I'd definitely go UVA.

UVA and Duke are peer schools, and I don't think either has any meaningful advantage over the other in terms of NY placement. I know that UVA does have a hybrid lottery/pre-select OCI, while Duke's is pure lottery. People on TLS seem to have differing views on the merits of both though. You will need a car for Durham though, while you won't one at UVA (although I don't know if this matters to you at all).

I'd say if you don't want to go absolutely nuts, you need a car at UVA.

It's definitely better to have one, but at least doable without one. You can essentially live right across the street from the law school and Barrack's Road has a bunch of grocery stores and such right there.

See I liken that level of insularity to nuts. I did love that Harris Teeter though.

[SplitMyPants]

I know that UVA does have a hybrid lottery/pre-select OCI, while Duke's is pure lottery.

UVA has part pre-select OCI? That's pretty TTT

[existentialcrisis]

I know that UVA does have a hybrid lottery/pre-select OCI, while Duke's is pure lottery.

UVA has part pre-select OCI? That's pretty TTT

It's mostly lottery I think. 70-30 or 80-20 maybe?

Also, lottery vs. preselect almost certainly means nothing to 0Ls, so I probably shouldn't have even brought it up in the first place.

[charlie'sunclejack]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies from everyone. I'm leaning towards UVA for the cost savings, and I already have a car so I'm not worried about that. Hoping that NYU will boost my award a bit in these next few days so that I have a shot to stay in NYC, so we'll see what happens.

[Nebby]

NYU if you want to work in NYC; UVA if you want to work in DC. Make your pick

[existentialcrisis]

NYU if you want to work in NYC; UVA if you want to work in DC. Make your pick

I don't get this. It's definitely easier to get NY than DC at UVA, and it's 50k cheaper.

[charlie'sunclejack]

just wanted to bump this to get a few more poll responses before i pay the deposit. thanks everyone for the advice.

[ponderingmeerkat]

just wanted to bump this to get a few more poll responses before i pay the deposit. thanks everyone for the advice.

UVA.

[pittsburghpirates]

just wanted to bump this to get a few more poll responses before i pay the deposit. thanks everyone for the advice.

0L, but I voted UVA. Congrats on great outcomes!