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Hi friends, I'm back! I just got off the WL at BU, so I'm pretty excited about that. My previous choosing thread was here.

I do want to go into public interest law, and I'm trying to gauge what the difference will be, ultimately, in outcomes. I suppose I also don't want to fully close myself off from big law.

Here are my thoughts:

(A) Finishing all three years at Dozo, debt at repayment will be ~80k (for COL alone) over 10 years. Their LRAP is weird (they cap it at the debt ceiling being 60k).

(B) Transferring to NYU. I know this isn't a guarantee, but it's an option. If I do the last two years at sticker, the total would be $160 with COL, which would bump me up to qualify for PAYE under PSLF, meaning my total repayment over 10 years would amount to 35k (assuming an ADA salary of 60k).

(C) BU - They are offering me 20k a year. Again, with PAYE under PSLF, I would be taking on 200k, and total repayment over 10 years would be 39k. There are also stipulations with this scholarship (renewable pending good academic standing).

Hoping someone can talk me off this ledge. It seems silly to pay 80k for a Cardozo degree when I can pay 35-40k for BU or NYU. I know there are no guarantees, but this is a hard decision and I'm hoping people can chime in with some direction. Obviously this is hedging on a whole lot of hypotheticals, and if I decide to no longer do PI for whatever reason, I'd be saddled with a shitton of debt. Thanks everyone.

ETA: I've already deposited at Cardozo, and I will have to let BU know by Monday.

I saw you plan on returning back to NY after graduating. BU does have decent placement in NY but IMO you should stay in the same city/state as where you want to practice. You'll want to be networking and it makes staying in touch with the DA's office a lot easier.

It's also tough to say no to a full ride at Dozo. If I was in your position I would go with Dozo.

If your test anxiety is so high you can't retake, why do you think you'll do well enough on a series of 8-10 law school tests to be able to transfer?

Also, doesn't choosing to deposit at Dozo instead Fordham with 60k mean you already decided you'd rather take the 80k in debt and try to pay it off completely instead of taking out 150+ and relying on PAYE?

I think you already made your decision and should stick to it. (fyi, I'm pretty sure if you were to ask BU at sticker v Fordham with 60k scholarship and you absolutely won't retake with your stated goals, no one would say BU).

Thanks for the advice so far.

I updated the OP with the scholarship amount. Honestly floored they gave me anything, let alone that much. I think I'll also try negotiating because why not.

Re: a retake. I think the test day anxiety associated with the LSAT is a lot different than actual exams. In UG, I never had anxiety because I think exams that are content based are a lot less daunting for me. I guess you could argue that the LSAT is content based in the sense that you can "study" for it. But, I think because I was studying for as long as I was (dragging it out over 2 years), I'm sure that didn't help the anxiety either.

Re: Fordham - I turned Fordham down because outcomes wise, I didn't think Fordham was worth that much more.

How is transferring to NYU an option? That's a potential path, but it's hardly something you'll get to choose.

And as already mentioned, stay with Cardozo for NYC, even though retaking is the much, much, much better choice.