Top Law Schools

Hi everyone! I have already created an excel sheet with employment rates, rankings, and clinic opportunities; however, I am still super confused. I can't retake and reapply. Could you all weigh in on my decision-making process? Eh.

These are my options:

1. Penn State-- Dickinson School of Law: I got a full ride + 30,000 housing stipend. I am really considering this option because I am already drowning in debt. They also rose in rankings from 90 to 65??

2. Hastings: with a 75,000 over three years. I live in Northern California and it would be nice to be around family, but I don't know if I can afford living in the bay area.

3. Indiana-- Maurer: 36,000 scholarship over three years. This school has really cool clinic opportunities.

4. Ohio: 36,000 scholarship over three years. Ohio State is the probably the best option in relation to employment outcomes. Columbus is affordable.

I am still waiting on hearing back from UC Davis.

What do you all think?

I think you need to clarify your goals for a law degree first. What type of job do you want? Where do you want that job to be?

And when you say already drowning in debt, what exactly does that mean?

erh2254 wrote:Hi everyone! I have already created an excel sheet with employment rates, rankings, and clinic opportunities; however, I am still super confused. I can't retake and reapply. Could you all weigh in on my decision-making process? Eh.

These are my options:

1. Penn State-- Dickinson School of Law: I got a full ride + 30,000 housing stipend. I am really considering this option because I am already drowning in debt. They also rose in rankings from 90 to 65??

2. Hastings: with a 75,000 over three years. I live in Northern California and it would be nice to be around family, but I don't know if I can afford living in the bay area.

3. Indiana-- Maurer: 36,000 scholarship over three years. This school has really cool clinic opportunities.

4. Ohio: 36,000 scholarship over three years. Ohio State is the probably the best option in relation to employment outcomes. Columbus is affordable.

I am still waiting on hearing back from UC Davis.

What do you all think?

the only option that is remotely justifiable is penn state. However, you need to know that it doesn't place outside of the region and content yourself with the likelihood that you'll be making a middling salary (although this is true of all of your other options).

Yeah, career and region goals are essential here.

Not to be flipped, but if you are already drowning in debt, why not just start working to pay off the debt?

None of these schools place well enough into big law (the jobs that will help you stay above water with your "drowning" debt), so my answer is none.

If your debt really isn't that bad, PSU is the only defensible choice here simply bc it is free.

UVA2B wrote:I think you need to clarify your goals for a law degree first. What type of job do you want? Where do you want that job to be?

And when you say already drowning in debt, what exactly does that mean?

Hi yeah! I could have been more clear! I took out a lot of loans to pay off school during my undergrad years. I am not interested in big law firms. I am not exactly sure what kind of law I want to practice, but I do want to create social change. So, I have looked into public interest, education, environmental, immigration, family, or civil law.

I am a minimalist-- I am not looking to make a lot of money. Yet, I do want to pay off my loans from undergrad. After that, I am fine with making less than a 6 figure salary.

silenttimer wrote:Not to be flipped, but if you are already drowning in debt, why not just start working to pay off the debt?

lol nah it is cool! i actually thought about it a lot and just decided... I will pay it back after law school. I don't know if it is the right choice, but it is the choice I am sticking with

erh2254 wrote:

UVA2B wrote:I think you need to clarify your goals for a law degree first. What type of job do you want? Where do you want that job to be?

And when you say already drowning in debt, what exactly does that mean?

Hi yeah! I could have been more clear! I took out a lot of loans to pay off school during my undergrad years. I am not interested in big law firms. I am not exactly sure what kind of law I want to practice, but I do want to create social change. So, I have looked into public interest, education, environmental, immigration, family, or civil law.

I am a minimalist-- I am not looking to make a lot of money. Yet, I do want to pay off my loans from undergrad. After that, I am fine with making less than a 6 figure salary.

Seems like your only choice than is Penn State, then. Since you definitely won't be paying off the UG + LS debt any time in the next 20 years otherwise lol

erh2254 wrote: I am a minimalist-- I am not looking to make a lot of money. Yet, I do want to pay off my loans from undergrad. After that, I am fine with making less than a 6 figure salary.

You won't be making a six-figure salary from any of these options, so make sure you're being realistic about that.

But if you're going for local PI work in Pennsylvania, the PSU deal isn't bad. Just don't count on making enough money to make significant payments on your existing debt. You'll likely still rely on PSLF, even if you don't take on any additional debt from law school.

Precisely how much debt are you currently in?

If your combined debt from undergrad and law school is going to cross into the six-figure range, you're going to struggle to pay that off with the jobs you'll likely get from any of these schools. Interest is no joke, and the longer you take to pay off your debt, the more you're ultimately going to end up paying off.

If your undergrad debt alone is more than $100k, then you need to not go to law school right now, and work on paying that down. That debt is going to financially crush you if you're only making $50-60k a year (which is what you're probably going to get from any of these schools). Even at Penn State, you'll likely have to take out a little bit of money to pay off the rest of cost of living (I'm assuming your $30k is over 3 years), which will just add to that amount.

Ronan wrote:None of these schools place well enough into big law (the jobs that will help you stay above water with your "drowning" debt), so my answer is none.

If your debt really isn't that bad, PSU is the only defensible choice here simply bc it is free.

+1 don't turn down free things