UVA tuition free or stanford/harvard full tuition Forum

[neimanmarxist]

just my $0.02, I would say go to Harvard and eat the cost.

This is a world in which prestige matters, lots and lots. The difference between Harvard and UVA isn't the same as the difference between Harvard and Columbia. People that aren't directly plugged into the law school rankings world don't know what UVA means. They know what Harvard means. It will open doors for you for the rest of your life.

I know people who have chosen lesser schools in the name of happiness or scholarly preference or whatever in the past. They are still kicking themselves.

[vanwinkle]

Go to UVA.

If your grades turn out to be excellent and you start regretting going to UVA, you can always apply to transfer to H/S. Your first year of law school is paid for so that saves you about $40K, and then you have the choice of whether you want to continue at UVA or transfer up. Or you can stick around and gun for the best PI jobs with your ballin' GPA and low post-graduation debt.

If you don't do well enough to get those kind of grades, you probably wouldn't have done that well at H/S either, and it's okay, at least you're at a school where your tuition is paid for and you're not accruing that much debt. That'll make it easier to finish even if your grades mean you can't get the most prestigious jobs you want most. You'll still be able to find something that pays well enough to service your small remaining debt.

Either way UVA is a winner.

[EijiMiyake]

That is assuming you have 0 assets, etc.

The part that I am curious about is parental contribution. I understand that a student will be expected to pay everything they have.

[Cavalier]

People that aren't directly plugged into the law school rankings world don't know what UVA means. They know what Harvard means.

Not true. Sure, most people (especially west of the Mississippi) do not know what "UVA" means, and think the University of Virginia is just another state school, but every lawyer knows that UVA is a damn good law school. Unless you need to impress people outside of the legal profession, or are going into a field dominated by people who went to HYS (the very top government jobs, Watchtell, etc.), the difference is minor.

[dresden doll]

Seeing how H and S give out need based money rather generously (even to transfers, mind you), I have a hard time thinking many people find themselves in this position. If you got into H, you probably got some money, too.

[vamedic03]

If you want to do PI/PS, then you should go to UVA . . . why? b/c debt is a bitch and the difference between 50k and 100k is huge. You will have much more freedom and choice in what you choose to do if you don't have a massive debt burden. Another thing to consider is that many federal positions will price you out of everyone's LRAP's, yet you'll still have significant debt to deal with. The peace of mind that comes with minimal debt is amazing.

UVA has made a significant effort towards improving its public interest/public service program. They have a very dedicated public service director and are piloting a special public service track/program.

[am060459]

UVA BECAUSE DEBT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Notor]

If you didn't take the full scholarship you would be an idiot.

[UFMatt]

It boils down to how career/prestige obsessed you are. Harvard has the wow factor and is not somewhere that many get to go for law school. It'll open up doors for academia and most likely top government positions that other schools (except Yale and possibly Stanford) cannot.

UVA is still a fantastic school with great big law and other opportunities. I have a hard time believing that you won't get a stellar PI position coming from there. You'll have far less debt to boot.

You just have to ask yourself what do you plan on doing for your career. If definitely PI, I'd be reluctant to pay $$$ for Harvard (high tuition and high CoL in Boston).

[dakatz]

If you didn't take the full scholarship you would be an idiot.

+1

Out of UVA, you will get a wonderful job, plus you will be debt free. I mentioned it before, but I have a friend who graduated from Harvard and he says his biggest regret is not going to a lower T14 for free. He says his job prospects wouldn't have been so much worse as to justify paying full price at Harvard,

[dextermorgan]

PI= UVA
Everything else= H/S

[JRMjr]

it wont matter where you went if you have a change of direction during law school and are forced to do something due to the 120k+ of debt. UVA (and Michigan for a previous poster) are good enough that VERY FEW doors will be closed ifyou bust your butt and do well. Additionally, you will have the flexibility later in life (or after school) to literally do whatever you want since you're debt free.

Also- think about the QOL while in school.... Michigan/UVA >>>>>>>>>> Harvard.

Summary: if youre a prestige whore and care what others think, go to Harvard. If you are comfortable with yourself and want to have flexibility in your life, go to UVA and work hard.

[98234872348]

Harvard for sure.

[itsfine]

harvard.

dont be scared of the debt. YOURE HARVARD MATERIAL GOSH DARNIT

[kurla88]

You might want to make a poll, although it'd probably be evenly split.

I vote UVA though. LRAP and PI scholarships are just not the same as NOT owing any money. And this is like 140K, no small chunk of change (at least to me), even over an entire career.

Going to UVA not only gives you a great shot at PI without having to worry about loan $$, but in case you change your mind and want to do something that pays better, still leaves you 140K ahead of the competition.

[YCrevolution]

..

[JRMjr]

FYI- for all those that say "the debt will go away! go to the best school! yay harvard!!!!".... its a pretty bad argument for everyone that doesnt plan to go BigLaw. Arguments like that are why people end up miserable in their later years and blame others for their own bad choices.

This is coming from a guy going to Michigan because its the best school (but I know I'm going to work 100 hour weeks and sell my soul to BigLaw)

[rowlf]

Depends on what you want to do.

If you want to do public interest as one of the above posters stated, then being debt-free really helps. You should check out "Broken Contract," an interesting book on HLS that describes how the large debt load and prestige obsession of many HLS'ers sort of 'infects' them with the desire to go into corporate law. It basically looks at how, upon entry into law school, something like 70% claim to be going for public interest; 3 years later, they all go work for Wachtell.

On the other hand, if you want to go BigLaw or something of the sort, then HLS will make that path a lot smoother -- and the money you make will make up for the debt quickly.

+1

Also, if you are considering academia you might want to spring the extra cash for Harvard.

I'm pretty dead-set on going for academia. I also want to do a clerkship after grad.

I have a full scholarship to UVa. Also applied for Darrow. Conventional wisdom + stats suggest that HS - esp H- is markedly better in this category. Is it worth it to go for HS? Probably won't get any fin aid (although I'll apply, why not?), but will get help from my folks with COL for sure and maybe some school debt. Thoughts?

[Vincent Vega]

H

[grifter]

From a logical standpoint, taking into consideration the objective facts (possible $120+K debt, LRAP, Public Interest career, relative rankings) it would absolutely nonsensical to pick harvard over UVA in this case. If there are other considerations with reagrds to this decsion making, then they must be ones personal to you...ones that twirl your knobs.

[Vincent Vega]

H opens more options than V. Certainly, you won't be constrained to BS work with a UVA degree, but if you for any reason decide that public interest isn't for you, you're much better served to have gone to Harvard.

Additionally, it's not that bad, even if you do get into public interest, considering H's LRAP.

[iamtaw]

i went to a talk on my campus by HLS. i believe if you go the public service route then HLS assists you in paying your debt. the degree of assistance im not really sure of, but i think this further pushes towards the HLS side.

personally, i would go to HLS at sticker.

[Cavalier]

I guess I'm going to be the only 'Hoo on this thread who would say take Harvard over UVA unless you really really hate debt and/or MA/New England.

Traitor!

[fortissimo]

-

[vanwinkle]

If PI, UVA.

If anything else, Harvard, including if you want to work outside of the legal field. People don't know what UVA is outside of law (well, my parents STILL confuse it with virginia tech), but everyone knows what the H-bomb is.

This is terribly stupid. If you know before you go to law school that you want to work outside of the legal field, the correct answer is don't go to law school, not this.

It does not matter what people think of a school outside of the law. You go to law school to become a lawyer, and lawyers know UVA's value as a degree. Lay prestige should be of exactly 0% importance in a decision like this.