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DISCLAIMER: I have not gotten into H yet but I am on the WL. The reason I am posting this thread, now, though is that if I were to get in off the WL, I would only have 24 hrs to decide, and I want to have my choice made ahead of time, in that event.

Harvard COA: ~$148k at graduation (I know this already because I am 100% certain I will not get a grant, and I know what my parents will be able to help me with)
NYU COA: ~$78 at graduation

Financing with loans. Married, and we're both from the Midwest (currently living in Minnesota). Probably want to return to the Midwest eventually but not necessarily right away, and we're not deadset on it if we love somewhere else more. Husband will work remotely while I'm in LS so it doesn't matter to him where we live.

General career goals: Public interest. Specifically focused on immigration/refugee/asylum/HR work, but I am interested in a lot of issues and I think I could be open to any type of PI that makes me feel like I'm "making a difference"/not just making a ton of money and making rich people richer; tempted by "prestigious" PI like ACLU, but not sure if I really want it or not. Want to keep my options open, really. Also very interested in clerking for the experience and ability to form a relationship with a judge.

I have an idea of what people will say, but I'm still making a thread to get some thought-out answers. So I'd really appreciate it if you could explain your reasoning when giving advice!

airwrecka wrote:DISCLAIMER: I have not gotten into H yet but I am on the WL. The reason I am posting this thread, now, though is that if I were to get in off the WL, I would only have 24 hrs to decide, and I want to have my choice made ahead of time, in that event.

Harvard COA: ~$148k at graduation (I know this already because I am 100% certain I will not get a grant, and I know what my parents will be able to help me with)
NYU COA: ~$78 at graduation

Financing with loans. Married, and we're both from the Midwest (currently living in Minnesota). Probably want to return to the Midwest eventually but not necessarily right away, and we're not deadset on it if we love somewhere else more. Husband will work remotely while I'm in LS so it doesn't matter to him where we live.

General career goals: Public interest. Specifically focused on immigration/refugee/asylum/HR work, but I am interested in a lot of issues and I think I could be open to any type of PI that makes me feel like I'm "making a difference"/not just making a ton of money and making rich people richer; tempted by "prestigious" PI like ACLU, but not sure if I really want it or not. Want to keep my options open, really. Also very interested in clerking for the experience and ability to form a relationship with a judge.

I have an idea of what people will say, but I'm still making a thread to get some thought-out answers. So I'd really appreciate it if you could explain your reasoning when giving advice!

In a very similar position and chose Harvard. You ultimately have to do what is right for you and your husband though and TLS can't make the decision better than you can.

Feel free to PM me about why Harvard or with questions about what it was like at ASW - I am sure H is the unpopular opinion in this thread and I'd prefer to not get bashed for my rationale by the TLS community.

NYU is an excellent school for your goals and costs significantly less so go there.

First, just a general tip--don't agonize over this. The Harvard waitlist is long. I hope you have all the success in the world, but placing the cart before the horse like this in these what ifs can be ultimately disappointing (I sort of pined for Stanford while I was sitting on the WL all summer during my cycle and that wasn't healthy.)

To the substance of your question: if "Midwest" meant somewhere like Minneapolis or Des Moines or St Louis, and your goal was to return immediately, I could see the advantages of Harvard for going back into those markets and competing with the local schools as worthwhile over NYU at this price point. If it's Chicago, or you would want to work in New York for a few years first, then I'd say NYU, since your outcome will be similar but you'll spend many fewer years paying back loans; once you're looking to lateral back to a large firm in one of those more insular markets, your firm, performance, and connections will matter a lot more than your school, which will quickly fade.

Best of luck

jbagelboy wrote:To the substance of your question: if "Midwest" meant somewhere like Minneapolis or Des Moines or St Louis, and your goal was to return immediately, I could see the advantages of Harvard for going back into those markets and competing with the local schools as worthwhile over NYU at this price point. If it's Chicago, or you would want to work in New York for a few years first, then I'd say NYU, since your outcome will be similar but you'll spend many fewer years paying back loans; once you're looking to lateral back to a large firm in one of those more insular markets, your firm, performance, and connections will matter a lot more than your school, which will quickly fade.

? OP appears to have zero interest in firm work.

I feel like either school would be fine for PI in immigration, etc., and I'd probably go with NYU for the lower debt.

NYU at your cost is a tremendous outcome. Be happy. I wouldn't spend any time worrying about wait-lists. They are strange unpredictable creatures.

You're likely going to have to find a job in a major metro area (NY/DC/SF/LA/Chi) if you want to do immigration/refugee/asylum/HR work. For that reason, the placement power of NYU and HLS is comparable in these areas and in these markets. Both schools offer similar opportunities to gain experience in law school in these subject areas.

I am going to NYU due to the less debt. As a practicing PI with a lot of debt, I can tell you that I've come across opportunities where it would be nice to have less debt in order to take on new opportunities that wouldn't be PSLF-eligible.

Thank you all for this feedback!

Like I said, I was pretty confident I knew what everyone would say (take NYU's $ and run), but I still needed someone to tell me, I guess

Nebby wrote:You're likely going to have to find a job in a major metro area (NY/DC/SF/LA/Chi) if you want to do immigration/refugee/asylum/HR work. For that reason, the placement power of NYU and HLS is comparable in these areas and in these markets.

Ehhh I would hesitate about the bolded. While I could see that being true for refugee and HR work, there is a ton of need for immigration and asylum attorneys in secondary markets as well. For example, the detention center for the NW is in Tacoma, so there's a huge need for removal defense attorneys in Washington.

Of course, this doesn't change the substantive point that OP should probably go with NYU, just wanted to chime in about the immigration stuff specifically.

Hildegard15 wrote:

Nebby wrote:You're likely going to have to find a job in a major metro area (NY/DC/SF/LA/Chi) if you want to do immigration/refugee/asylum/HR work. For that reason, the placement power of NYU and HLS is comparable in these areas and in these markets.

Ehhh I would hesitate about the bolded. While I could see that being true for refugee and HR work, there is a ton of need for immigration and asylum attorneys in secondary markets as well. For example, the detention center for the NW is in Tacoma, so there's a huge need for removal defense attorneys in Washington.

Of course, this doesn't change the substantive point that OP should probably go with NYU, just wanted to chime in about the immigration stuff specifically.

You are correct, however OP did not indicate interest in working in secondary markets unless they are in the midwest. I didn't include places like Arizona, Washington, or Texas because it didn't appear to align with OP interests.

Seeing as your husband works, the HLS LIPP (its LRAP) isn't going to do much for you anyway since it factors household income into calculation, so I'd say NYU.

Nebby wrote: You are correct, however OP did not indicate interest in working in secondary markets unless they are in the midwest. I didn't include places like Arizona, Washington, or Texas because it didn't appear to align with OP interests.

My bad, this is what i get for posting right after waking up. Carry on.

Hildegard15 wrote:

Nebby wrote: You are correct, however OP did not indicate interest in working in secondary markets unless they are in the midwest. I didn't include places like Arizona, Washington, or Texas because it didn't appear to align with OP interests.

My bad, this is what i get for posting right after waking up. Carry on.

You good brah