Top Law Schools

I have been committed to Berkeley since March at sticker. I am a Los Angeles native and want to stay in California in the long run. Out of law school I want to do big-law. I have roots in LA and in the bay area, and being closer to family is important, but not an absolute deal breaker. I was taken off the wait-list at NYU and offered a generous 62.5K scholarship. With my calculations the total COA for both schools when everything is taken into account is almost equal, with NYU being around 10k cheaper total. In this calculation I used Law School Transparency's tools, taking into account NYU's rising tuition, cost of living in each city, plus travel and living expenses each school would entail. So as far as the money is concerned, the difference is, to me, negligible.

I am, however, torn between the two schools. Berkeley seems like the safer option. Its in California, close to family and friends, the weather is something I am used to, and it will give me more connections in California, where I want to end up long term.

NYU is the more exciting option. With a generous scholarship off the waitlist, it seems like a bargain for a very good school. I have never been to New York though, and I am not sure how I will like it. The more expensive cost of living, combined with distance from family and friends, and having to move back to California after going to school in NY makes it the less rational choice. But it is better ranked and I may love the city, as love the big city feel of LA.

Which would you guys choose? I have until Friday the 17th to decide.

Go to NYU man...you have 62500 reasons to do it

If the response timeline was shorter I would try to get Berkeley to match the scholarship. Take the choice that makes achieving your goals the easiest.

Goldchain wrote:If possible try to get Berkeley to match the scholarship. It may allow you to attend Berkeley at an even more reduced price.

Yeah I tried that and heard back just today. Berkeley rejected to match the scholarship or offer any other need based or merit aid.

I would probably chooses NYU but Berkeley would probably better help your goals.

Checked it out and was surprised to discover that NYU was $11K more in tuition last year than Berk for a California resident. Going forward that's likely to result in NYU costing $35-40K more in tuition alone over the next three years, so if the COL for NYU is even slightly higher your estimate that NYU with $62K is going to be only very slightly cheaper than Berkeley at sticker is probably correct.

Under those circumstances I'd definitely pick Berkeley in your situation, since you want to stay in California. OTOH I don't think anybody should go to Berkeley at sticker (no knock on them in particular -- sticker at any T-14 is just obscene now).

jnwa wrote:Go to NYU man...you have 62500 reasons to do it

No, OP actually has only 10,000 reasons to do it.

OP: Given that the cost is basically equal, and given that you want to remain in California, I don't see the argument for picking NYU over Berkeley. But, yeah, like others are saying, Berkeley at sticker isn't a great idea.

If you got into those schools and 62k at NYU, then didn't you get a deep discount at USC and UCLA?

Sticker is scary.

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When I visited HLS as a CA resident, they told me that if I wanted to stay in Cali they might have told me that Berkeley or Stanford was the better choice. I don't plan on going back to the Bay so I didn't take that advice, but if you're that confident that you want to be in California I personally would choose Berkeley given the negligible cost difference. You already have ties, sure, but you will be able to build a legal network while you're in school that you probably wouldn't at NYU. NYU is an amazing school, but if you want to stay on the West Coast I don't know if it makes sense.

That being said, if you're considering in any way a relocation outside of California this may not apply. Also, if you think NYU is your only chance to experience NYC/East Coast life, and you want that, go for it. You will definitely still be able to get a CA job after if that's your focus, but it might take a little more initiative on your end than it would at Berkeley. I know several NYU alums happily working at great jobs in the Bay Area.

Disclaimer: I'm a 0L so you probably shouldn't listen to anything I say.

Where are all the retake responses? Retake OP and reapply with a score that won't lead to massive 6 figure debt.

deant286 wrote:Where are all the retake responses? Retake OP and reapply with a score that won't lead to massive 6 figure debt.

Looking at OP's profile, I have to agree. 3.91 is a fantastic GPA, and improving even to a ~171 gives you a shot at t3 and a good shot at money from Chicago (http://mylsn.info/gbymeh/)

If you can get it up to a 174, then your shot at Harvard is fantastic, and your chances at money from Berkeley go up (not to mention the strong possibility of more money from NYU/Columbia) (http://mylsn.info/a6pz3o/)

Smibea wrote:

deant286 wrote:Where are all the retake responses? Retake OP and reapply with a score that won't lead to massive 6 figure debt.

Looking at OP's profile, I have to agree. 3.91 is a fantastic GPA, and improving even to a ~171 gives you a shot at t3 and a good shot at money from Chicago (http://mylsn.info/gbymeh/)

If you can get it up to a 174, then your shot at Harvard is fantastic, and your chances at money from Berkeley go up (not to mention the strong possibility of more money from NYU/Columbia) (http://mylsn.info/a6pz3o/)

Ah ok, that confirms my suspicion. I assumed OP was a reverse splitter based on these specific acceptances and lack of scholarship.

Listen OP, it's going to be so hard to say no to two amazing and elite options, but objectively the right move (in terms of finances) is to retake, not waste that GPA, and reapply with a score that can land you significant scholarship. You have the opportunity to have the same career but with much more money left in your pocket every time you're paid. Do that. You don't even need to hit the 170s for good t14 money.

I know I'm just being annoying and echoing traditional TLS sentiment, but it's not wrong.

Unless you really don't give a fuck then do your thing. But know there is a better option.

If OP reapplies to schools he/she was previously accepted to, is it acceptable to just recycle essays with minor changes?

Out of curiosity, what did you end up choosing OP?