Fordham ($) Vs. Cardozo ($$) Forum

[mhassan72]

Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it.

[cavalier1138]

What are your career goals? Where do you want to work? GPA/LSAT?

[Mikey]

That is a crap ton of debt from both schools

Goals? LSAT/GPA??

[Ferrisjso]

If you would be commuting to Cardozo(like I would be) 28k would leave you less than 100k in debt(even accounting for likely tuition increases). I think that's pretty reasonable and the right choice here. If you are paying for housing that's a completely different story. Fordham I think is to much here.

[UVA2B]

If you would be commuting to Cardozo(like I would be) 28k would leave you less than 100k in debt(even accounting for likely tuition increases). I think that's pretty reasonable and the right choice here. If you are paying for housing that's a completely different story. Fordham I think is to much here.

Important assumptions being made here that need to be addressed.

1. origination fees and interest rates still exist. While half tuition off would mean <$100k (barely) in a debt freeze frame, that doesn't account for tuition increases, all fees related to origination, and the interest that will be accruing from day one. So you might think it's <$100k, but tuition alone will end up being >$100k at graduation.

2. Living at home means $0 for CoL. That's a huge and ridiculous assumption. That's effectively saying mom and dad will be footing the bill for literally every one of your life expenses. Are they giving you an allowance? Will they pay for your subway, etc. costs? As an adult, are you comfortable continuing to let your parents pay for your entire life while you pursue a 2/3 chance of any legal job?

3. Making a decision in a vacuum never exists. You're right that Cardozo is the "right" choice here when specifically and narrowly looking at these two schools at that debt level, but that does not in any way make it a "good" choice. 2/3 Cardozo grads become lawyers period. $100k+ debt happens no matter your outcome. So while it might be a "right" choice to go to Cardozo at this cost vs. the cost at Fordham, it's miles from being a good decision.

OP hasn't addressed any of the important questions here to make even a slightly informed decision, and given the reckless assumptions mentioned above, it's unlikely this will ever be a good decision. To give good advice, OP needs to provide job goals and calculated COA based on their specific circumstances. They also should provide LSAT/GPA for context of their opportunities for better options.

Likely this will never be a good decision, but I'll await more information before casting that in iron.

[Ferrisjso]

If you would be commuting to Cardozo(like I would be) 28k would leave you less than 100k in debt(even accounting for likely tuition increases). I think that's pretty reasonable and the right choice here. If you are paying for housing that's a completely different story. Fordham I think is to much here.

Important assumptions being made here that need to be addressed.

1. origination fees and interest rates still exist. While half tuition off would mean <$100k (barely) in a debt freeze frame, that doesn't account for tuition increases, all fees related to origination, and the interest that will be accruing from day one. So you might think it's <$100k, but tuition alone will end up being >$100k at graduation.

2. Living at home means $0 for CoL. That's a huge and ridiculous assumption. That's effectively saying mom and dad will be footing the bill for literally every one of your life expenses. Are they giving you an allowance? Will they pay for your subway, etc. costs? As an adult, are you comfortable continuing to let your parents pay for your entire life while you pursue a 2/3 chance of any legal job?

3. Making a decision in a vacuum never exists. You're right that Cardozo is the "right" choice here when specifically and narrowly looking at these two schools at that debt level, but that does not in any way make it a "good" choice. 2/3 Cardozo grads become lawyers period. $100k+ debt happens no matter your outcome. So while it might be a "right" choice to go to Cardozo at this cost vs. the cost at Fordham, it's miles from being a good decision.

OP hasn't addressed any of the important questions here to make even a slightly informed decision, and given the reckless assumptions mentioned above, it's unlikely this will ever be a good decision. To give good advice, OP needs to provide job goals and calculated COA based on their specific circumstances. They also should provide LSAT/GPA for context of their opportunities for better options.

Likely this will never be a good decision, but I'll await more information before casting that in iron.

1 yes interest rates still exist and they are high af. All I know is I have 25k a year from Dozo and right now with usual tuition increases I would barely miss 100k(barely, barely). OP would be paying closer to 90k. This is all dependent on his ability to commute.

2 Just a bunch of judgmental weird conservative BS.

3 The OP asked a very specific question with two choices and I picked one and like you acknowledged between those two choices it would probably be seen by most as the correct choice. A huge problem on here is people refusing to answer questions and assuming the OP just came on here after doing 0 research and is completely ignorant. There are two choices, pick one and unless they are both objectively bad decisions(and these are not those, schools with bad conditional scholly's and section stacking are) we should be sticking to that. I think a lot of people are being tired at being told that good outcomes aren't that by a population with experiences that are not representative of practicing lawyers. I actually am fine with people not providing LSAT/GPA in cases like this because unless it's near perfect people will just ignore the question and start screaming retake and people want answers to their questions. Seeing that OP specifically said they were fine with a little debt I think it's very likely this is the reason OP didn't provide these numbers. Also why do people expect people to know exactly what type of law they should be into going into Law school? What if they like a few things and want exposure in all of them to make a choice? This isn't UG where "find out what you like" is a bunch of BS, these are sub fields within a profession.

Note to OP: You should try negotiating with Fordham/Cardozo though. If you can commute/double your scholly to 20k Fordham becomes a viable choice(not necessarily right but not insane either). Also lowering your debt load at Cardozo can't really hurt. Cardozo will give you a response by the end of march(according to my experiences and that of everyone on the Dozo page, that is their standard protocol) . I'm going to be honest OP you should take your questions to the Dozo and Fordham C/O 2020 pages they tend to be far more friendly there and the retake group tends to not go there.

[UVA2B]

I'm gonna have to ask you to show your math, because half tuition leaves approximately $28k in tuition to pay through loans. $28k x 3=$84k. Assuming typical increases, the $90k seems like a reasonable estimate. But let's jump to origination fees, which are 1-4% of the loan amount. That'll push you up to ~$95k across three years. Now interest. 5-6% interest that is accruing all three years. You're now over $100k easy, and that's not even accounting for any CoL.

My point on CoL had nothing to do with conservative bs, they were legitimate questions (ok the last question was a bit boomerish, but that was meant more to consider these costs in the light of the situation). How are you getting the non-rent costs of life covered? If you truly have everything else covered, then so be it. But make sure you do, cause there is more to cost of living (books, food, transportation, clothing, etc.).

I had so much hope you were getting smarter about this. Oh well.

[cavalier1138]

3 The OP asked a very specific question

When? When did the OP ask a specific question?

Of the very few pieces of information that are asked for on this forum when posting about school choices, the OP provided one of them: the names of the schools. The OP did not state (though you are assuming) whether the scholarship offers were total or yearly. The OP did not state career goals. The OP did not indicate where he wanted to work. The OP did not provide his LSAT/GPA. The OP did not indicate if he would have special housing circumstances during school. The OP did not indicate how he would be financing his education outside of scholarships. And the OP didn't give total COA estimates for either school.

So no, the OP did not ask a very specific question. The OP asked an incredibly vague question that has no answer at this point, because we don't know enough. However, assuming that the OP doesn't have any unique circumstances (and even assuming the scholarship numbers are per year), both of these options are shit choices.

[Ferrisjso]

3 The OP asked a very specific question

When? When did the OP ask a specific question?

Of the very few pieces of information that are asked for on this forum when posting about school choices, the OP provided one of them: the names of the schools. The OP did not state (though you are assuming) whether the scholarship offers were total or yearly. The OP did not state career goals. The OP did not indicate where he wanted to work. The OP did not provide his LSAT/GPA. The OP did not indicate if he would have special housing circumstances during school. The OP did not indicate how he would be financing his education outside of scholarships. And the OP didn't give total COA estimates for either school.

So no, the OP did not ask a very specific question. The OP asked an incredibly vague question that has no answer at this point, because we don't know enough. However, assuming that the OP doesn't have any unique circumstances (and even assuming the scholarship numbers are per year), both of these options are shit choices.

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

[cavalier1138]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

[mhassan72]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

[cavalier1138]

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

If you don't have a specific career goal, what are your general career goals? How are you planning on paying off your debt (i.e. expected salary after school)? What is your total estimated COA at each school? Are your scholarship numbers per year or total?

And retaking is always an option, especially if your current school choices leave you without a viable means of paying off six figures of debt.

[Ferrisjso]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Did you apply late? Those scholly's seem a little low given your numbers, especially for Cardozo(Fordham has a rep for not giving out much scholly money). Seriously though awesome GPA.

[BigZuck]

How long do you plan on living with your parents? There's a pretty strong chance you might have to keep living with them after law school if you want to be able to service your debt on the types of jobs you're likely to end up with from either school.

[Mikey]

3.7/160 should be getting you a shit ton of money at Cardozo. They low balled you, don't go at that price unless you can negotiate.

Fordham at 10k ( per year I'm guessing? ) is basically paying sticker. Are there no other schools you got into?

[Smash_Box_Theta]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Retake and be debt free.

[mhassan72]

3.7/160 should be getting you a shit ton of money at Cardozo. They low balled you, don't go at that price unless you can negotiate.

Fordham at 10k ( per year I'm guessing? ) is basically paying sticker. Are there no other schools you got into?

All my scholly info are per year
Got into Seton Hall 20K, waitlisted by columbia, NYU and Georgetown
I got lowballed bad I believe esp by Dozo, kind of disappointed but w.e

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Retake and be debt free.

Don't even have to retake....just re-apply to Dozo in September...

[mhassan72]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Retake and be debt free.

Don't even have to retake....just re-apply to Dozo in September...

Why re-apply....I acctually applied pretty early (late october)

[Mikey]

3.7/160 should be getting you a shit ton of money at Cardozo. They low balled you, don't go at that price unless you can negotiate.

Fordham at 10k ( per year I'm guessing? ) is basically paying sticker. Are there no other schools you got into?

All my scholly info are per year
Got into Seton Hall 20K, waitlisted by columbia, NYU and Georgetown
I got lowballed bad I believe esp by Dozo, kind of disappointed but w.e

Yeah you did get low balled pretty hard by them.. Fordham isn't surprising that they gave you 10k/yr. if you look around, they give quite a bit of people 10k/yr and they know they can attract people to take the offer, but seriously you'll basically be paying sticker. Fordham at that price is not a good idea at all.

Would you at all consider reapplying next cycle? Maybe dozo will give you more money because they really shit on you with that offer.

[Smash_Box_Theta]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Retake and be debt free.

Don't even have to retake....just re-apply to Dozo in September...

Why re-apply....I acctually applied pretty early (late october)

A 163 will cop you some serious loot from any of those schools. A 3.7 is a solid GPA, no need to waste it, and tens of thousands of dollars of debt is pretty serious business.

[Ferrisjso]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Retake and be debt free.

Don't even have to retake....just re-apply to Dozo in September...

This argument has merit. You should have gotten more money.

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

"Fordham w 10k or Cardozo w 28k
Completely torn about this, either way looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it."

I don't know about you but this seems like a very specific question, Option A or Option B. He's not asking where he should apply in which case his LSAT and GPA are relevant he's asking which of the schools he's considering he should attend, I don't see the relevance of LSAT/GPA there unless you want to tell the kid a third option like retake:) Also dude come on, it's pretty clear those scholarships are yearly, I know he's going to be a lawyer and he should be more specific but come on we both know those scholarships are yearly one doesn't get into Fordham and get less than 10k a year from Dozo. Both of those schools aren't "shit options" you just are in a good enough situation where to you it seems that way, that doesn't mean it's reality. Only bit I agree with you on is the commute or not commute because that makes a HUGE difference. Also the OP said "either way it looks like ill have some debt but I'm cool with it".

Again, that's a hugely vague question. You're filling in the blanks (to the point of speculating about living at home, which is just ridiculous). You're also making assumptions about the scholarships, and since the OP hasn't given anything resembling real information, you can't be certain of their actual situation.

And yes, both of these schools at $100k+ debt are bad options. The OP said that they were "cool" with debt, but I imagine the OP hasn't even begun to think about how they're going to pay down their debt after school beyond making tons of cash off their hypothetical biglaw job.

You cannot claim that the OP has been anything close to specific simply because they only named two schools. Something you don't appear to have grasped yet is that you don't have to coddle the OP. Just because they asked an either/or question doesn't mean you need to ignore that they didn't provide enough information to answer that question. It also doesn't mean that the answer isn't "none of the above".

GPA is 3.7 LSAT 160
Cost of living is covered, I'm living with my parents, tuition is all I am factoring here....
Retake is not an option, I'm done with LSAT and I've already taken it twice
I'm going with a very open mind, dont have a specific career goal, but with cost of tuition in mind I also want to attend a school that gives me the best opportunity, I know Fordham does and I'm leaning towards it, but I also cannot ignore the extra 18k from Dozo

Retake and be debt free.

Don't even have to retake....just re-apply to Dozo in September...

Why re-apply....I acctually applied pretty early (late october)

Wow...then with a 3.7/160 then you got insanely low-balled. You got so much less than you deserve that I literally thought you applied last week or something lol

[Npret]

Maybe go back and ask for more money? Tell them you know other people with similar numbers are getting more.

I hate to see you undertake so much debt.

[elendinel]

I third asking Dozo for more money. Tell them Fordham gave you a scholarship too but you'd rather go to Cardozo if they can give you close to sticker. Worst case scenario is they say no.