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Hello

I'm currently deciding between 4 very different schools with different pros and cons. Any advice on deciding would really be appreciated. I'm interested in health law, human rights, and possibly even corporate law or IP(not patents) which I know is broad, but I want to see what type of law I'm good at and really enjoy so I don't want to choose a school just based upon one specialty incase I get there, take a class and realize I hate IP then I'm out of luck.

My dad said he would help out slightly with living expenses, but I'm not counting on much so I have to consider cost of living expenses. I'm pretty risk adverse, and I currently have no student debt but I would be willing to go into debt if my chances of a better job are worth it. Also, I've always wanted to eventually move out of the south so DC or New York, even Boston would be best location wise, but is the debt worth it? Could I go to a cheaper school in the South, get a job at a large firm with multiple offices and start in Atlanta but then transfer to a different office? Also, if I moved to Boston, DC, or NY I could sell my car and use public transportation which would slightly offset the cost of living.
Also, I think I would be happy in Atlanta for law school because I have friends there, but I don't know if I would be happy there forever. So if anyone knows about transferring offices after a few years if I got a job in a large firm it would be really helpful!

The current offers I have with the total approximate COA that I would have to take out in loans are: (These are not accounting summer jobs between 1L and 2L so could be lower depending if I got summer associate positions and if my rent costs are lower then what I'm calculating)
GA state COA, with a scholarship and stipend= $40,000
UGA COA no scholarship= $90,000
GW COA with $60,000 scholarship over three years= $165,000
BC COA with $30,000 scholarship over three years= $180,000

amanda1234 wrote:I'm interested in health law, human rights, and possibly even corporate law or IP(not patents) which I know is broad, but I want to see what type of law I'm good at and really enjoy so I don't want to choose a school just based upon one specialty incase I get there, take a class and realize I hate IP then I'm out of luck.

Don't go to any school because of a specialty.

amanda1234 wrote: I've always wanted to eventually move out of the south so DC or New York, even Boston would be best location wise, but is the debt worth it? Could I go to a cheaper school in the South, get a job at a large firm with multiple offices and start in Atlanta but then transfer to a different office? Also, if I moved to Boston, DC, or NY I could sell my car and use public transportation which would slightly offset the cost of living.
Also, I think I would be happy in Atlanta for law school because I have friends there, but I don't know if I would be happy there forever. So if anyone knows about transferring offices after a few years if I got a job in a large firm it would be really helpful!

If you want to work in Georgia, go to UGA or GA State. If you don't, don't. You may be able to transfer offices down the road, but there's a solid chance that you don't get a job with a firm that has offices in other states. Then you're talking about lateraling to a state with which you have no ties and haven't passed the bar. It's certainly possible to go to NYC or DC from those Georgia schools, but it's much, much harder. If you want to be in Boston, go to school in Boston.

amanda1234 wrote:The current offers I have with the total approximate COA that I would have to take out in loans are: (These are not accounting summer jobs between 1L and 2L so could be lower depending if I got summer associate positions and if my rent costs are lower then what I'm calculating)
GA state COA, with a scholarship and stipend= $40,000
UGA COA no scholarship= $90,000
GW COA with $60,000 scholarship over three years= $165,000
BC COA with $30,000 scholarship over three years= $180,000

If you want to stay in Georgia, that's not a horrible debt load for UGA. I'm not sure if that's actually the price with interest. You have to be comfortable with the idea that you likely won't be in biglaw, though.

How is that the COA for UGA with no scholarship? Do your parents live in Athens or something?

e: oh wow I had no idea UGA was that insanely cheap for residents.