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I am very lucky to be choosing between these two. I will have to pay for law school using loans if I attend Columbia, but it has been my goal to go there since I started thinking about law school. Michigan is obviously great as well, and the Darrow is extremely tempting. What should I do?

Michigan 100%

i think this is one of the cases where michigan actually makes more sense than columbia.

Michigan, obviously. If it were HYS, then maybe it'd be a question. Even then having no debt gives you such opportunity that it'd be foolish to pass up.

I said Darrow. If you get HYS that might be different, but I don't feel like Columbia is worth the debt. With a Darrow-worthy app, it seems like HYS would be on the horizon for you, though!

Good luck on your tough decision... and congrats!

Well I am insanely jealous of you, I love UM so I would chose them (maybe even with out the full-ride) but UM has a great national rep, you can still get the Jobs in NYC or DC you want and its FREE...gotta go UM

is columbia aware of your michigan dinero? i'd let them in on the darrow and see what they do.

This would be an easy decision for me. I would definitely choose Michigan in this situation. It has national reach at a bargain price.

ihatelaw wrote:i think this is one of the cases where michigan actually makes more sense than columbia.

x2, unless you strongly believe that you will graduate in the bottom of your class, it doesnt really make sense to choose CLS

sbrown83 wrote:Michigan 100%

titcr

CLS, because I'm much more fun than PK...

^

NYU then

anywho, depends on what you want. for most people, darrow makes more sense. then again, for most people, hamilton makes more sense than HYS, but a HYS acceptance makes people cream their pants

and by most people, i mean "i want to make 160k"

underdawg wrote:^

NYU then

you'll come around one of these days, UD.

I agree that you should definitely let Columbia know about the scholarship, but if they don't give you like a 75% scholarship or something, I would choose Michigan and never look back. Columbia will be insanely expensive, COL is much lower at Michigan, and a Michigan degree is extremely strong. This seems like a no-brainer to me unless Columbia gives you some crazy counter-offer money. While i feel lucky to be at a T14, watching my loan debt pile up is very depressing and stressful, and knowing that I will need to get a biglaw job to pay it off while biglaw firms are firing a ton of people is very scary. To be able to go to a top school like Michigan for free and be able to come out with a full array of options (meaning not having biglaw as your only option) would be a dream. Congrats!

is columbia aware of your michigan dinero? i'd let them in on the darrow and see what they do.

true.

let them bid over you.

JJim1919 wrote:

ihatelaw wrote:i think this is one of the cases where michigan actually makes more sense than columbia.

x2, unless you strongly believe that you will graduate in the bottom of your class, it doesnt really make sense to choose CLS

what if you're a super-gunner whose life (and resume) would be incomplete without cravath?

yeah but if you want to work at a super-elite PI place (ACLU or something), government place (DoJ?), or V5 firm, and that is all your wittle heart desires, then you strongly consider CLS

Just go where you want to go, and like some of the other posters said, wait until you hear back from HYS and also from Columbia's Financial/Merit Aid Office.

I personally would pick CLS over Michigan, or at least leverage Mich's money to a school I'd rather attend. I couldn't stand to live in Ann Arbor though...

Michigan. I can't imagine a job that you could get at Columbia that you couldn't get at Michigan--you might need a slightly higher GPA, but that's it. Meanwhile, you've effectively given yourself a raise by not having to take a chunk out of your paycheck for loan payments for the next 10-30 years. Ann Arbor is gorgeous and has far lower cost of living than New York City--if you want to live in New York, move there in three years when you can pay for it.

Personally, I'd go to Michigan over Columbia even WITHOUT the money...

Meecheegin

I would send in my seat deposit to michigan today with such an offer

I can't imagine a job that you could get at Columbia that you couldn't get at Michigan--you might need a slightly higher GPA, but that's it.

I think slightly higher is a bit of an understatement. You don't need a 4.0 from michigan but median at columbia will be able to get substantially better (well, more prestigious) biglaw jobs than median at michigan. to say that your options will be the same is silly, especially if you want to work in ny.

ihatelaw wrote:

I can't imagine a job that you could get at Columbia that you couldn't get at Michigan--you might need a slightly higher GPA, but that's it.

I think slightly higher is a bit of an understatement. You don't need a 4.0 from michigan but median at columbia will be able to get substantially better (well, more prestigious) biglaw jobs than median at michigan. to say that your options will be the same is silly, especially if you want to work in ny.

I think the real answer is probably somewhere in between these two posters.

I think Michigan makes more sense.

Columbia might up your aid a bit, say to $50K, plus or minus $20K. However, that still makes CLS around $100K more expensive than Michigan...?

And wow, is Darrow winning by a landslide or what...

if you wanna live in nyc i'd take cls...if not .... can you really go wrong?