Top Law Schools

Options:
1. Waiting on BU and BC (164/3.70)
2. 75k scholarship at GW
3. Full-ride at American/Temple/Northeastern/Indiana
4. Retake and apply next cycle

My top choices are BU/BC, and would happily attend with a >75k scholarship. If not, my next choice is GW with a higher scholarship or Northeastern. GW’s deposit is April 15, and I’m not sure if I will hear back from BU/BC by then.

Should I should start negotiating? Do I have any leverage?

On retake and next cycle:
- I studied as much as I could with a full-time job and was PTing around 164-167, so I’m not quite positive that I could break 170.
- I’m over 30, so I’d like to go to law school this fall than later.
- My employment contract ends at the end of this year. If I were to apply next cycle, it will be difficult to find a job for 6-7 months in a country with little flexibility.

Financing: I went to college on a full-ride, so I don’t have outstanding loans and can finance three years of COL with savings. My family is willing to cover tuition, but I don’t want to receive more than 100k because an amount beyond that may become a financial burden.

Geographic preference: I’m an international student from Asia with strong ties to DC/NY/Boston. I have no doubt I can survive or even enjoy Bloomington and work in the Midwest, but I want to be in DC/Boston because of personal relationships.

Career goals: I will most likely have to go for Biglaw to work in the States. I know that will be highly unlikely by attending the schools that gave me full-rides, but I’m willing to take the chance with GW/BU/BC. I am also open to practicing overseas.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Will your overseas practice options from GW/BU/BC be good enough to pay off your debt?

None of these are good options for biglaw, and you shouldn't be taking a chance on it with that much money on the line. But what are your actual career goals? It sounds like you just want a biglaw position to stay in the US. Do you want to eventually work in-house?

cavalier1138 wrote:Will your overseas practice options from GW/BU/BC be good enough to pay off your debt?

None of these are good options for biglaw, and you shouldn't be taking a chance on it with that much money on the line. But what are your actual career goals? It sounds like you just want a biglaw position to stay in the US. Do you want to eventually work in-house?

I will not be in debt, but I do understand that the opportunity cost is still huge.

And yes, my goal is to work in-house. I believe this is possible straight out of law school in my country, but I think biglaw experience in the U.S. would open many more doors.

hufsinterpreter wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:Will your overseas practice options from GW/BU/BC be good enough to pay off your debt?

None of these are good options for biglaw, and you shouldn't be taking a chance on it with that much money on the line. But what are your actual career goals? It sounds like you just want a biglaw position to stay in the US. Do you want to eventually work in-house?

I will not be in debt, but I do understand that the opportunity cost is still huge.

And yes, my goal is to work in-house. I believe this is possible straight out of law school in my country, but I think biglaw experience in the U.S. would open many more doors.

Your goals make sense, but given these options they don't seem realistic. Will you need an H1B visa to work here? Based on needing Biglaw, I am guessing so. And none of your current options give you a great shot at Biglaw anywhere (GW>DC, BU/BC>Boston, Indiana>Chicago/midwest).

Obviously there are opportunity costs with going to law school now and waiting and retaking given you'd have a gap in employment. But if your goal is getting employed in the U.S. requiring an H1B as an attorney, none of your current options make enough sense. The retake and reapply is the best advice to put you in a school that will give you the outcome you want.