Wash U (full ride) or Cornell (40k/year) Forum

[Keenedge]

I'm looking to get into public interest, perhaps immigration law with my language background.

Full tuition ride at Wash U or Cornell with a 40k/year tuition scholarship?

How much can I depend on Cornell's LRAP? Is it worth the gamble?

Thanks

[QContinuum]

Could you elaborate a bit more on your PI interests? By "immigration law", do you mean a position with ACLU or Amnesty? With the federal government? Or a position with a local legal aid nonprofit providing "in-the-trenches" counseling to indigent asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants?

Do you have any other offers in hand?

Where do you want to practice after graduation? The Midwest? NYC? Neither?

[Keenedge]

I am okay with both national and local non-profits, not interested in working on the federal end.

I was waitlisted by UPenn and UVA, received less aid from UT Austin than from Cornell, and got a full ride to Indiana which was my safety school.

Also open minded about working wherever I can, but California/NYC/DC would be ideal. I am flexible, I suppose I'm curious as to how reliable LRAP is.

[trebekismyhero]

Cornell

[Throwaway5818]

Cornell. It's a much better schools and 40k/year is a great scholarship.

[Sackboy]

Cornell is the right answer here, because you want to end up in NYC/DC/CA. WashU is just going to have a harder time getting you out there. Even with Cornell's very NYC-centric network, the T13 branding will carry well into markets where it doesn't have a great presence. The same does not hold true to nearly the same extent for WashU.

[Keenedge]

Thanks everyone!

So I take it the LRAP is taken seriously as a reliable financier? My concern would be that PSLF would cease to exist before the decade is up

[Sackboy]

Thanks everyone!

So I take it the LRAP is taken seriously as a reliable financier? My concern would be that PSLF would cease to exist before the decade is up

Any top school's LRAP will be reliable.

The last budget proposal axing PSLF that was floated around grandfathered all federal loans already issued as well as federal loans in the next year or two (or something like that), so you shouldn't worry too much. Even if the program dies, you will likely be fine. Too many people currently rely on PSLF for them to be left out in the cold.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Thanks everyone!

So I take it the LRAP is taken seriously as a reliable financier? My concern would be that PSLF would cease to exist before the decade is up

Any top school's LRAP will be reliable.

The last budget proposal axing PSLF that was floated around grandfathered all federal loans already issued as well as federal loans in the next year or two (or something like that), so you shouldn't worry too much. Even if the program dies, you will likely be fine. Too many people currently rely on PSLF for them to be left out in the cold.

Yeah, the issue with PSLF/LRAP is less that the entire program will be pulled out from under one's feet and more that staying in the income/employment envelope to stay eligible will be a huge restriction on your life choices for the next 10 years.