Darrow v. H/S Forum

[djsnc]

- Michigan, full tuition all 3 years + $10k stipend vs. Stanford and Harvard, probably with little need-based aid because of family assets
- Financing law school through small grant from my parents, savings, and primarily, loans. Will need to borrow over $100k.
- From CA, want to end up there.
- Hopeful for a clerkship- big law- academia track

Very debt-averse applicant. Partial to a collegial feel, not super cutthroat (used to be too intense/ high anxiety so trying to keep my self-love, more zen track developed over last few years). Little into the prestige of H/S but love the vibe and people I've talked to at Michigan. Very torn.

[Npret]

If you are serious about academia, I would email prof Paul Campos from boulder who used to write the inside the law school scam blog, went to Michigan, and, is a member of the Faculty Lounge Blog. He may have some insight about Michigan and academia in the current market. I just know nothing about that.

Outside of academia and just looking for fed clerkship/ biglaw, I voted for the Darrow without hesitation.

I would calculate the exact cost and debt at repayment you will have from each school. Looking at the final numbers might help.

[Npret]

I was mistaken. Prof Campos is on the lawyergunsand money blog. I still think it’s worth an email.

He used to post here as well so maybe you could message him from this site.

[LSlyfe]

- Michigan, full tuition all 3 years + $10k stipend vs. Stanford and Harvard, probably with little need-based aid because of family assets
- Financing law school through small grant from my parents, savings, and primarily, loans. Will need to borrow over $100k.
- From CA, want to end up there.
- Hopeful for a clerkship- big law- academia track

Very debt-averse applicant. Partial to a collegial feel, not super cutthroat (used to be too intense/ high anxiety so trying to keep my self-love, more zen track developed over last few years). Little into the prestige of H/S but love the vibe and people I've talked to at Michigan. Very torn.

Seems like you’ve answered your own question. If you’re extremely debt-averse, love the feel of Mich and don’t have unicorn dream goals take the Darrow and don’t look back. The anxiety of law school is enough on its own without adding knowing you’ll be 100k+ in debt and you could’ve had a free ride.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Michigan is exactly what you want.

[Wild Card]

If you are truly needy, you should get $15,000+ per year from H/S, making them tolerable choices. Hamilton/Vanderbilt/Rubenstein, hands down yes, but Darrow/Dillard is harder.

[initfortheBiscuit]

Hey there - I'd love to hear what you end up deciding! I am in the same spot: choosing between The Darrow or HLS. I'm interested in working private, international law. Prestige is not a huge deal to me personally, but I recognize that prestige might be really important if I'm serious about going into international Big Law.

I toured Mich and totally fell in love! I tour HLS next week. The debt load at HLS would be significant: about $260K in loans all said and done + $35K from undergrad. I do have a potential interest in academia later in my career.

I worry about my potential placement abroad and/or in going in an academic direction if I choose Mich. On the other hand, I worry about the debt burden/lack of financial freedom from HLS.

Please help! I feel entirely stuck.

[Bonzeye]

Hey there - I'd love to hear what you end up deciding! I am in the same spot: choosing between The Darrow or HLS. I'm interested in working private, international law. Prestige is not a huge deal to me personally, but I recognize that prestige might be really important if I'm serious about going into international Big Law.

I toured Mich and totally fell in love! I tour HLS next week. The debt load at HLS would be significant: about $260K in loans all said and done + $35K from undergrad. I do have a potential interest in academia later in my career.

I worry about my potential placement abroad and/or in going in an academic direction if I choose Mich. On the other hand, I worry about the debt burden/lack of financial freedom from HLS.

Please help! I feel entirely stuck.

I simply can't imagine justifying that much extra debt, even if prestige was all you cared about. Think about how many extra years you would need to work in BigLaw to make your payments.