UCLA full ride or Harvard Sticker? Forum

[Laker1024]

I received a 40K per year scholarship at UCLA (would leave me with about 9k tuition per year plus living expenses) and I decided to SIR there as well over Berkeley with 25k/year scholarship and Columbia sticker.

Now, I am on the waitlist to Harvard and am trying to make a decision as to what I would do if I were to get off the waitlist and pay sticker price.

I'm 99% sure I want to practice in southern California, I want to go into Clerkship/BigLaw, and have lived in southern California all my life. On one hand, having little debt and already strong regional influence is great for UCLA, but also Harvard prestige could potentially be better career-wise going forward. I find myself trying to evaluate the risk/reward of going for the prestige vs. avoiding the debt and I really am unsure.

What would you all recommend and what are some important things to think about that I may have not thought about myself? Thanks!

[The Lsat Airbender]

$40k/year isn't a full ride. You're still looking at a total CoA like $100k, which would be a huge pain if you miss the biglaw train, which in turn is very possible from UCLA even when the economy is going gangbusters. Paying full freight anywhere is crazy nowadays but Harvard is "worth it" in the sense that you can rely on access to career track that can finance the debt. I would reluctantly pick Harvard here.

I would have given Berkeley more thought in your shoes, as it splits the difference in a favorable way - priced roughly in the middle of HLS and UCLA, but closer to the former in terms of prestige and big-firm placement.

[dvlthndr]

what I would do if I were to get off the waitlist and pay sticker price

Unless you know something you aren't sharing (e.g., you have an invitation to interview), you are getting way ahead of yourself. As a hypothetical, I think HLS would be worth the added cost given your goal of ultimately landing in BigLaw, but I would have said the same thing about Berkeley and CLS.

[cavalier1138]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

[trebekismyhero]

Where did you apply as well as what are your numbers? Did you only apply to CA schools and HYS? If you got $25k a year from Berkeley, you likely would have gotten more money from lower t14 that are usually more generous than UCB. Also, why would you pick UCLA over Berkeley

[decimalsanddollars]

Go to Berkeley. Consider Harvard if you get off the waitlist (although, as others said, that's a big if).

[crazywafflez]

I'm not sure UCLA would be 100k total CoA- I think this is much more likely 75-85k. I know it seems silly to parse the numbers when dealing with so much money, but I think it does make a big difference paying off 40k compared to 55k etc.
Even at 100k CoA, I think UCLA is a defensible option here. However, you've got a coin toss chance of biglaw from here. There isn't a huge back up market for UCLA either outside of Southern California- although, thinking on it, it probs places decently into Vegas (pure speculation, do not read into this as I do not know at all).
However, UCLA hampers your chance at a clerkship by quite a bit compared to Cal.
I think Cal is the right move here, for the most part. You've got a decent package there, you'll get biglaw, and it places all over, including beating out UCLA in southern california.
I would grab at H if you get in, but UCB I think is the best option here. UCLA is defensible but I don't think it is the right choice unless you've really got something holding you down in Los Angeles.
Best of luck.

[Laker1024]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

[trebekismyhero]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

When did you apply? Your numbers should have gotten you in with $$ almost everywhere besides HYS and at least in at H

[HooDat]

One way I'm starting to look at it (class of 2016, T-10) is that t-14, here Berkeley, will get you into biglaw, whereas Harvard will get you out (which adds tremendously to its value).

My t-10 degree got me my two big law jobs and district clerkship, and I'm grateful for that. Now that I'm looking to get out of law (see my post on 'transitioning to policy') an HLS degree would be killer.

For that reason, I'd pay sticker at HLS, which is painful, but the degree will continue to pay soft dividends later on. I'd pay mid-five figures for Berkeley--basically a year of biglaw to finance (which is enough of an indenture tbh). I don't think I'd pay for UCLA, in fact, I don't think I'd go for free: 3 years is worth a lot.

[Laker1024]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

When did you apply? Your numbers should have gotten you in with $$ almost everywhere besides HYS and at least in at H

Mid-December unfortunately. Also that was on a second take of the LSAT. I assumed maybe my softs weren't as compelling

[cavalier1138]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

When did you apply? Your numbers should have gotten you in with $$ almost everywhere besides HYS and at least in at H

Mid-December unfortunately. Also that was on a second take of the LSAT. I assumed maybe my softs weren't as compelling

That's definitely not it. Are there any issues that would have affected your application (character & fitness problems, personal statement written in blood, LOR that says not to accept you)? I can imagine you getting waitlisted at some of the lower T13 as yield protection, but you should be in a much better situation.

[Laker1024]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

When did you apply? Your numbers should have gotten you in with $$ almost everywhere besides HYS and at least in at H

Mid-December unfortunately. Also that was on a second take of the LSAT. I assumed maybe my softs weren't as compelling

That's definitely not it. Are there any issues that would have affected your application (character & fitness problems, personal statement written in blood, LOR that says not to accept you)? I can imagine you getting waitlisted at some of the lower T13 as yield protection, but you should be in a much better situation.

Nope, I highly doubt it. But here I am lol.

[Laker1024]

One way I'm starting to look at it (class of 2016, T-10) is that t-14, here Berkeley, will get you into biglaw, whereas Harvard will get you out (which adds tremendously to its value).

My t-10 degree got me my two big law jobs and district clerkship, and I'm grateful for that. Now that I'm looking to get out of law (see my post on 'transitioning to policy') an HLS degree would be killer.

For that reason, I'd pay sticker at HLS, which is painful, but the degree will continue to pay soft dividends later on. I'd pay mid-five figures for Berkeley--basically a year of biglaw to finance (which is enough of an indenture tbh). I don't think I'd pay for UCLA, in fact, I don't think I'd go for free: 3 years is worth a lot.

Appreciate the insight. As for your post, I'm not able to find it from your profile, but I would love to read through it.

[LBJ's Hair]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

When did you apply? Your numbers should have gotten you in with $$ almost everywhere besides HYS and at least in at H

Mid-December unfortunately. Also that was on a second take of the LSAT. I assumed maybe my softs weren't as compelling

That's definitely not it. Are there any issues that would have affected your application (character & fitness problems, personal statement written in blood, LOR that says not to accept you)? I can imagine you getting waitlisted at some of the lower T13 as yield protection, but you should be in a much better situation.

Yeah, weird cycle. Personal statement might've been bad, or no "Why X?" statements.

OP, I would take Harvard at sticker given the option, but there's no guarantee you're getting in.

I think Berkeley or Columbia are both good options; in a vacuum, I think Columbia is worth +$70K over Berkeley, but maybe not, given your California preference.

I would not have done UCLA. Berkeley and Columbia are a clear class ahead. If you can withdraw and choose either of those two, do it.

[Sackboy]

Yeah, this is a really weird cycle for those numbers, and I think you could have much better choices out there. I'd be more than happy to read over your app this weekend (personal info redacted) and try to help you focus on what, if anything, went wrong, so you can access if it'd be better to move forward with your current options or sit out and reapply in September with a modified application.

[Laker1024]

What are your numbers? I feel like you should have different options.

3.85/174. I only got acceptances at UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia. Got waitlisted to the rest of the t14 and dinged from Stanford.

When did you apply? Your numbers should have gotten you in with $$ almost everywhere besides HYS and at least in at H

Mid-December unfortunately. Also that was on a second take of the LSAT. I assumed maybe my softs weren't as compelling

That's definitely not it. Are there any issues that would have affected your application (character & fitness problems, personal statement written in blood, LOR that says not to accept you)? I can imagine you getting waitlisted at some of the lower T13 as yield protection, but you should be in a much better situation.

Yeah, weird cycle. Personal statement might've been bad, or no "Why X?" statements.

OP, I would take Harvard at sticker given the option, but there's no guarantee you're getting in.

I think Berkeley or Columbia are both good options; in a vacuum, I think Columbia is worth +$70K over Berkeley, but maybe not, given your California preference.

I would not have done UCLA. Berkeley and Columbia are a clear class ahead. If you can withdraw and choose either of those two, do it.

I appreciate the feedback. I thought it was weird that I didn't even get an interview at Harvard before the waitlist. Don't know if that's a positive or negative sign for getting accepted off of it...

[LBJ's Hair]

I appreciate the feedback. I thought it was weird that I didn't even get an interview at Harvard before the waitlist. Don't know if that's a positive or negative sign for getting accepted off of it...

I'd take it as meaning your numbers were good, but they aren't seriously considering admitting you unless they need a bump to GPA and/or LSAT late in the cycle.

[The Lsat Airbender]

I'd take it as meaning your numbers were good, but they aren't seriously considering admitting you unless they need a bump to GPA and/or LSAT late in the cycle.

This. OP's numbers are great, of course, but they're still a splitter at HLS. Harvard has a huge class to fill but they still have the luxury of rejecting 173-174's they're not thrilled about and who aren't also accretive to the GPA median.

I'm more surprised OP didn't get more scholarship love in the T14.

[cavalier1138]

I'd take it as meaning your numbers were good, but they aren't seriously considering admitting you unless they need a bump to GPA and/or LSAT late in the cycle.

This. OP's numbers are great, of course, but they're still a splitter at HLS. Harvard has a huge class to fill but they still have the luxury of rejecting 173-174's they're not thrilled about and who aren't also accretive to the GPA median.

I'm more surprised OP didn't get more scholarship love in the T14.

I wouldn't say they're a splitter at HLS. They're solidly between the 50th and 75th LSAT and the 25th and 50th GPA. I agree that Harvard can be pickier about their class, but I'm surprised at the WL (and even more surprised at the lack of enthusiasm across the T13).