HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov Forum

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HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Poll ended at Mon Apr 04, 2022 10:21 am

HLS ($$)
9
45%
NYU RTK
11
55%
 
Total votes: 20

talons2250

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Re: HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Post by talons2250 » Fri Apr 01, 2022 10:48 am

You can still do biglaw during your 2L summer as an RTK. You might raise some eyebrows among your fellow Roots, but it's been done before. Law firms that pride themselves on their pro bono image will love to have you.

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cavalier1138

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Re: HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Post by cavalier1138 » Fri Apr 01, 2022 5:23 pm

The RTK is an amazing outcome, but I think you're identifying the right drawbacks for someone with your aspirations. The program is heavily slanted towards non-governmental PI, and unless things have changed drastically in the last few years, other RTK scholars may be hostile to you because of your desire to work in natsec.

This is not to dissuade you from taking the money and the institutional support, but your concerns are valid. I'd probably still go with NYU, but there's a colorable argument for Harvard at half price with its LRAP helping you on the back end.

CanadianWolf

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Re: HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Post by CanadianWolf » Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:49 am

I disagree with the statement that OP's concerns are valid with respect to NYU's RTK scholarship.

OP: If you review the selection criteria & mission statement / goals of the RTK scholarship program at NYU law school, I think that your fears will be alleviated (unless your application suggested that you intended to pursue public interest law in a totally unrelated area to government policy).

Harvard law estimates total annual COA as $107,000. Because you were offered a half-tuition scholarship (a bit over $35,000), your first year COA would be about $72,000. Over 3 years, HLS wold cost you approximately $220,000. What wold your annual COA at NYU law be for your first year ($35,000 ?) & for all 3 years ($105,000 ?) ?

talons2250

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Re: HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Post by talons2250 » Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:04 am

Although in theory “public interest” does include national security and the official RTK scholarship description would include this area, the ethos of the RTK community at NYU is very conventionally “social justice” — think public defense, ACLU, immigrants’ rights, etc. That said, NYU is a big school with many students, professors, and programs. Even if you don’t fit in perfectly with your fellow roots, you’ll still be able to create a professional network relevant to your interests.

I don’t think your natsec interests will invite hostility from your fellow roots. It’s not like you want to be a prosecutor or work for ICE or something (in which case, the other Roots may very well not want to associate with you too much if you’re very open about those ambitions).

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cavalier1138

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Re: HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Post by cavalier1138 » Sun Apr 03, 2022 11:40 am

CanadianWolf wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:49 am
I disagree with the statement that OP's concerns are valid with respect to NYU's RTK scholarship.
I mean, you can disagree based on a website description, but I'm speaking from actual experience. Based on what they've been saying, I think Talons is, too.

Again, I think I'd go with NYU in this case, but I wanted to make sure the OP understood that their concerns were not off-base.

cdcd

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Re: HLS ($$) vs RTK for Fedgov

Post by cdcd » Tue Apr 05, 2022 10:10 am

Thanks everyone! It was a hard decision but I deposited at NYU for the institutional support, faculty mentorship, and freedom to not pursue OCI.

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