Vanderbilt ($) vs. WashU ($$) Forum

[Cocoab]

Anyone have opinions on Vanderbilt ($10k/year) or WashU ($25k/year)??

[cavalier1138]

What are your career goals? Where do you want to work? LSAT/GPA? Total COA at each school?

[john1990]

While it is difficult to say without knowing where you want to practice, i would say WashU

[acr]

Neither.

It's excruciatingly easy to obtain a full ride from WUSTL, and Vandy isn't worth attending with a mere 30K. Attending either school will leave you over 100K in debt, which is not a good outcome from either school.

Retake for better options.

If retakes are used up, and you have to go to law school, then WUSTL.

[Cocoab]

Yeah, my retakes are up. Goal would be working for a bigger firm of 100+, but I have no particular preference for location. Worked as a paralegal in NY so that would be the most Direct Law-related network for me. Based on the schools' estimates, it looks like COA for Vanderbilt would be $234,180 and for WashU, it would be $229,224. I'd be borrowing the money from my parents, and they're saying that the difference in expense wouldn't be a big deal for them, but it would definitely weigh on my mind. Also, does either school have a reputation for making it difficult to back out post-deposit? Thanks for the responses!

[sublime]

Yeah, my retakes are up. Goal would be working for a bigger firm of 100+, but I have no particular preference for location. Worked as a paralegal in NY so that would be the most direct law-related network for me. Based on the schools' estimates, it looks like COA for Vanderbilt would be $234,180 and for WashU, it would be $229,224. I'd be borrowing the money from my parents, and they're saying that the difference in expense wouldn't be a big deal for them, but it would definitely weigh on my mind. Also, does either school have a reputation for making it difficult to back out post-deposit? Thanks for the responses!

I'm not endorsing either, but WUSTL inflates COL so students can take more in loans if they choose to. STL isn't that more expensive to live in than Nashville.

[cavalier1138]

Yeah, my retakes are up. Goal would be working for a bigger firm of 100+, but I have no particular preference for location. Worked as a paralegal in NY so that would be the most direct law-related network for me. Based on the schools' estimates, it looks like COA for Vanderbilt would be $234,180 and for WashU, it would be $229,224. I'd be borrowing the money from my parents, and they're saying that the difference in expense wouldn't be a big deal for them, but it would definitely weigh on my mind. Also, does either school have a reputation for making it difficult to back out post-deposit? Thanks for the responses!

Well, for starters, your retakes aren't up. You would just have to wait a bit before retaking. But since you haven't provided your LSAT/GPA to evaluate whether or not a retake would help you...

Biglaw is attainable from both these schools, but it certainly won't be easy. And I would urge you to feel more weighed down by the amount of money you're making your parents pay when WashU will basically throw money at you with a higher LSAT. You are not locked in here, and no school can make it difficult to back out post-deposit. Your deposit is not a legally binding contract to attend law school this year.

Without your numbers, it's difficult to say, but neither of these schools is worth $200k+, especially when you can likely just wait and eliminate most of the COA (or get into a school that better suits your ambitions).

[Hikikomorist]

Yeah, my retakes are up. Goal would be working for a bigger firm of 100+, but I have no particular preference for location. Worked as a paralegal in NY so that would be the most direct law-related network for me. Based on the schools' estimates, it looks like COA for Vanderbilt would be $234,180 and for WashU, it would be $229,224. I'd be borrowing the money from my parents, and they're saying that the difference in expense wouldn't be a big deal for them, but it would definitely weigh on my mind. Also, does either school have a reputation for making it difficult to back out post-deposit? Thanks for the responses!

I'm not endorsing either, but WUSTL inflates COL so students can take more in loans if they choose to. STL isn't that more expensiveis significantly cheaper to live in than Nashville.

[TragicBronson]

I'd try to bid Vandy down with the WUSTL offer. That being said, even if it's a no I'd probably deposit there. Nashville is significantly cooler than St Louis and Vandy's placement differential over WUSTL is more than the small difference in ranking would make you believe. The difference in COL isn't near enough to make up for the employment outcomes.

[oidsedidy]

As has been said, both options are really rough. If you're going to make the plunge though, I'd recommend Vandy.

[Yeezus Wept]

When you say "borrow" money from your parents, what does that entail?

[bostonbred]

pretty similar schools in many respects, the COL is pretty similar in both and job prospects. You should just take the $$

[Shootin]

How many years till your next retake is available? Taking some more time to work and to improve your scholarships will be well worth your while. Currently, if you miss the big law boat (which is the likely scenario) you would not be happy servicing that debt for the next 20 years.

[arklaw13]

Vandy grad here.

Neither school is worth attending at those prices. Period.

[Jmart082]

Retake or don't go.

[deadpanic]

234k+ of debt for a tiny chance of BigLaw in New York City? Obviously, below is the correct advice.

Retake or don't go.

[Cocoab]

Well, I'm a little surprised by the poll results, but it looks like I am indeed sitting out this cycle so maybe someone on either WL will end up happier this week. Question for anyone currently attending WUSTL. I just heard about the troubling number of transfers from last year's 1L class, and I was wondering, was that 1L year just particularly dissatisfied/competitive or is that the typical WUSTL atmosphere? Been skimming some of the WashU threads, and it seems like the general issue was with transfer-seeking students exhibiting certain behavior during exams? If it really was such a prevalent issue (I think I saw an estimate of 60-70 applications and 30 actual transfers?), is that trend something administration/profs will be planning to avert for upcoming classes, or is it something I should keep in mind when applying to WashU in the future?

And I guess if anyone reading this goes to Vandy, I imagine that every school has a competitive vibe, but are the students at Vandy just more...content?

[arklaw13]

Well, I'm a little surprised by the poll results, but it looks like I am indeed sitting out this cycle so maybe someone on either WL will end up happier this week. Question for anyone currently attending WUSTL. I just heard about the troubling number of transfers from last year's 1L class, and I was wondering, was that 1L year just particularly dissatisfied/competitive or is that the typical WUSTL atmosphere? Been skimming some of the WashU threads, and it seems like the general issue was with transfer-seeking students exhibiting certain behavior during exams? If it really was such a prevalent issue (I think I saw an estimate of 60-70 applications and 30 actual transfers?), is that trend something administration/profs will be planning to avert for upcoming classes, or is it something I should keep in mind when applying to WashU in the future?

And I guess if anyone reading this goes to Vandy, I imagine that every school has a competitive vibe, but are the students at Vandy just more...content?

If I had to throw out an ad-hoc unfounded assumption regarding transfers at WUSTL vs Vandy, it would be that Vandy has 1) slightly better job prospects, lessening the need to transfer; and 2) a lot of people go to Vandy with specific geographic preferences in mind, making transferring not really worth it. If you want the south and are high enough in the class to transfer, where are you going to go? Your outcomes won't be any different at UVA/Duke, and it doesn't make sense to transfer to somewhere like Michigan. Maybe WUSTL is somewhat like that with the Midwest, but I dunno. HYS aren't going to take more than 1-2 people max from either school, so the difference in numbers would be from the other schools.

[Jmart082]

Well, I'm a little surprised by the poll results, but it looks like I am indeed sitting out this cycle so maybe someone on either WL will end up happier this week. Question for anyone currently attending WUSTL. I just heard about the troubling number of transfers from last year's 1L class, and I was wondering, was that 1L year just particularly dissatisfied/competitive or is that the typical WUSTL atmosphere? Been skimming some of the WashU threads, and it seems like the general issue was with transfer-seeking students exhibiting certain behavior during exams? If it really was such a prevalent issue (I think I saw an estimate of 60-70 applications and 30 actual transfers?), is that trend something administration/profs will be planning to avert for upcoming classes, or is it something I should keep in mind when applying to WashU in the future?

And I guess if anyone reading this goes to Vandy, I imagine that every school has a competitive vibe, but are the students at Vandy just more...content?

I attend WUSTL, and I can tell you that the reason for this is largely due to the fact that the school gets a lot of splitters who are smart enough to go to a T-14, but who for whatever reason either didn't test well, or fucked up in undergrad. So what happens is that some of these people do well first year and then move on to aforementioned T-14 schools. Also, every class has its fair share of prestige whores, and those people account for a portion of the transfers as well. That about sums it up.