IU Maurer v. Northeastern Forum

[nkcaz]

I need help deciding between a couple schools:

IU Maurer:
-70% scholarship (meaning I'll need to pay 16k per year for tuition)
-roughly 10k per year for cost of living
-anticipating making some money (?) during 2 summer internships

Northeastern:
-full tuition scholarship
-roughly 20k per year for cost of living
-anticipating making some money during four 3-month co-ops

Preferences:
-no major career goals at the moment, but i want to keep all options open for myself
-i have no interest in Big Law
-very debt-averse (already have 30k undergrad debt)
-not interested in retaking the LSAT


Please let me know if you need more information!

Thanks!

[chargers21]

Location is the deciding factor here. Neither degree is too portable, but both are pretty good in their smallish regions

[nkcaz]

Yes, I agree that location should be the deciding factor. Honestly, I don't care about the location all that much though. Nevertheless, it worries me that Northeastern shares a city with Harvard, BU, and BC. That being said, bottom line it is cheaper than IU. Ultimately, I just want to keep all doors open for myself (i don't want debt to force me to chase a big salary or be locked into the only job offer i get, etc.)

[floatie]

IU is a solid state flagship school but you'll likely end up in Indiana (or one of the border states). As a midwesterner I don't think that's a terrible outcome but of course, it's not for everyone.

The main issue against Northeastern is that 1) it's very regional and 2) it's not the strongest regional school in Boston. If you want Boston you need to be at BU/BC.

[chargers21]

.

[Rigo]

The strictly regional school aspect of each is the first big consideration here. Where are you even from OP? It's hard to imagine both Boston and Indiana being on someone's radar. I fell like people apply to these Midwestern flagships a lot of the time just because they are "Tier 1".

Honestly, I don't care about the location all that much though.

It's easy to say this, but you should care. You might come to realize you don't want to be stuck in the secondary city midwest if you're not from there nor have lived there.

[nkcaz]

The strictly regional school aspect of each is the first big consideration here. Where are you even from OP? It's hard to imagine both Boston and Indiana being on someone's radar. I fell like people apply to these Midwestern flagships a lot of the time just because they are "Tier 1".

I am from Ohio. I used to live in Indiana though, and a lot of my family has gone to IU. I applied to a ton of law schools, but am sure these two are my top choices.

[nkcaz]

IU is a solid state flagship school but you'll likely end up in Indiana (or one of the border states). As a midwesterner I don't think that's a terrible outcome but of course, it's not for everyone.

The main issue against Northeastern is that 1) it's very regional and 2) it's not the strongest regional school in Boston. If you want Boston you need to be at BU/BC.

Yeah, if OP is into Indiana as a place to live forever I think it's a fine choice. They dominate Indianapolis for the most part, including the "Biglaw" firms that exist if the OP managed to get lucky and finish at the top of the class and decided that was something they wanted after all. Especially since tertiary market big law isn't that bad and allows decent work life balance

Yes, I understand and agree. My only real concern with Maurer is the debt: 30k undergrad debt + 16k per year tuition + 10k per year for cost of living. I don't want to be forced to choose a job purely based on salary because of debt (in case I fall in love with public interest or something). That being said, cost of living in Boston means that Northeastern is far from free.

Can I expect to make any real money while doing summer internships?

[Rigo]

The strictly regional school aspect of each is the first big consideration here. Where are you even from OP? It's hard to imagine both Boston and Indiana being on someone's radar. I fell like people apply to these Midwestern flagships a lot of the time just because they are "Tier 1".

I am from Ohio. I used to live in Indiana though, and a lot of my family has gone to IU. I applied to a ton of law schools, but am sure these two are my top choices.

Oh okay good. I was worried you were from New England about to sign the dotted line for a life in the Midwest without ever having lived there/been.

[UVA2B]

Your goals could use refining, but I'll leave that alone for now. Stating you don't want Biglaw makes a huge difference in the decision because you're willingly claiming all you want is a job that pays significantly less. You're looking at $70-80k debt at either of them. That's not horribly unmanageable, but it's still a significant debt.

Regionality should win here (and you should pick which region you'd prefer practicing in, even though you believe you don't care right now). But also realize that you "leaving all options on the table" while "not at all interested in biglaw" means you're signing off on $45k/year after graduation pay. That means ~$3500/month take-home (totally shooting from the hip on this, but it's somewhere in that ballpark) while paying $800-900/month for ten years on student loans. That's a lot when you consider you haven't paid for anything else in your life.

Figure out which region you prefer, go from there.

[chargers21]

.

[Nonconsecutive]

Depending on how many roommates you are willing to have, 10k might actually be on the higher side for Bloomington.

[nkcaz]

Your goals could use refining, but I'll leave that alone for now. Stating you don't want Biglaw makes a huge difference in the decision because you're willingly claiming all you want is a job that pays significantly less. You're looking at $70-80k debt at either of them. That's not horribly unmanageable, but it's still a significant debt.

Regionality should win here (and you should pick which region you'd prefer practicing in, even though you believe you don't care right now). But also realize that you "leaving all options on the table" while "not at all interested in biglaw" means you're signing off on $45k/year after graduation pay. That means ~$3500/month take-home (totally shooting from the hip on this, but it's somewhere in that ballpark) while paying $800-900/month for ten years on student loans. That's a lot when you consider you haven't paid for anything else in your life.

Figure out which region you prefer, go from there.

Definitely agree that I need to refine my career goals, but I anticipate I'll learn so much about the field while in law school that my preferences now will change. Assuming I was interested in BigLaw, would that change your recommendation at all?

[Rigo]

Your goals could use refining, but I'll leave that alone for now. Stating you don't want Biglaw makes a huge difference in the decision because you're willingly claiming all you want is a job that pays significantly less. You're looking at $70-80k debt at either of them. That's not horribly unmanageable, but it's still a significant debt.

Regionality should win here (and you should pick which region you'd prefer practicing in, even though you believe you don't care right now). But also realize that you "leaving all options on the table" while "not at all interested in biglaw" means you're signing off on $45k/year after graduation pay. That means ~$3500/month take-home (totally shooting from the hip on this, but it's somewhere in that ballpark) while paying $800-900/month for ten years on student loans. That's a lot when you consider you haven't paid for anything else in your life.

Figure out which region you prefer, go from there.

Definitely agree that I need to refine my career goals, but I anticipate I'll learn so much about the field while in law school that my preferences now will change. Assuming I was interested in BigLaw, would that change your recommendation at all?

IU is slightly better for bigLaw placement. Shouldn't count on it from either though.
https://www.lstreports.com/compare/indi ... theastern/

[UVA2B]

Your goals could use refining, but I'll leave that alone for now. Stating you don't want Biglaw makes a huge difference in the decision because you're willingly claiming all you want is a job that pays significantly less. You're looking at $70-80k debt at either of them. That's not horribly unmanageable, but it's still a significant debt.

Regionality should win here (and you should pick which region you'd prefer practicing in, even though you believe you don't care right now). But also realize that you "leaving all options on the table" while "not at all interested in biglaw" means you're signing off on $45k/year after graduation pay. That means ~$3500/month take-home (totally shooting from the hip on this, but it's somewhere in that ballpark) while paying $800-900/month for ten years on student loans. That's a lot when you consider you haven't paid for anything else in your life.

Figure out which region you prefer, go from there.

Definitely agree that I need to refine my career goals, but I anticipate I'll learn so much about the field while in law school that my preferences now will change. Assuming I was interested in BigLaw, would that change your recommendation at all?

You'll be exposed generally to types of law practice, but very little will drive you toward a particular career in the time that matters (your first year). And if you're moving the goalposts for employment, then I unfortunately have to move the advice as well. As Rigo mentioned, you're looking at a 10-20% chance of a career that will comfortably pay off your debt, while the most likely scenario is exactly what I already mentioned ($45k-$60k/year depending on region and job). If you're comfortable with that scenario, then absolutely pick based on region you'd rather end up in (since you're from Ohio, I imagine IU makes more sense here and would recommend that absent other significant difference). The debt is somewhat a reality for legal education for everyone, so as long as you're comfortable with the budgetary limits you're likely facing following graduation, go to whichever you like better (like I said, IU would probably make more sense, but not so exceedingly to make Northeastern categorically bad).

[Johann]

Your goals could use refining, but I'll leave that alone for now. Stating you don't want Biglaw makes a huge difference in the decision because you're willingly claiming all you want is a job that pays significantly less. You're looking at $70-80k debt at either of them. That's not horribly unmanageable, but it's still a significant debt.

Regionality should win here (and you should pick which region you'd prefer practicing in, even though you believe you don't care right now). But also realize that you "leaving all options on the table" while "not at all interested in biglaw" means you're signing off on $45k/year after graduation pay. That means ~$3500/month take-home (totally shooting from the hip on this, but it's somewhere in that ballpark) while paying $800-900/month for ten years on student loans. That's a lot when you consider you haven't paid for anything else in your life.

Figure out which region you prefer, go from there.

My PAYE loan payment with a 40k salary and $150k in debt was less than $150/month. It's serviceable. Go where you want to practice.