URM 2016-2017 Cycle Thread Forum

[call-me-bubbles]

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[lnsl123]

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[crookedsmile]

What are your/other people's thoughts on Chicago at sticker? Their 75th percentile scholly award is only $30,000 which ain't much...and I'm a reverse splitter, so I'm not expecting even that much...but the prestige factor is definitely there, and they have incredible employment numbers with an average starting salary of $160,000 for grads. I am TERRIFIED of the prospect of so much debt, but I'm equally terrified about striking out job-wise from a lower-ranked school. Tried asking on UChi threads and got the usual "dude chill out" response...

I think that that amount of debt, whether it is sitting gaining interest while you pay the minimum through LRAP knowing it will be forgiven or you are paying it down monthly on a big law salary, is really restricting and it would take a lot for me to consider attending a school anywhere near sticker. Chicago has great employment numbers, and so you will most likely have a job after graduation. Some people would say, or believe, that having U Chicago on your resume and a great job is enough flexibility to forgive having more debt than the median price of a home in America. I am of the opinion that having less debt gives you more freedom regardless of whether your degree says Harvard or Virginia or Cooley.

If you haven't checked the COA spreadsheet in that one thread I would download it and really look at it. There are a ton of considerations like other offers, spouses, ~vibe~... but that money is going to stick with you.

+1, very well said.

[texcellence]

Is any non-HYS T14 ever worth sticker? The small sample size of attorneys I've talked to about this say no, but I think it depends what your career goals are (and I wonder how much being URM factors into this).

This question seems to be of outsized importance in these forums. Is it because there are a lot of PI people who are generally concerned about paying back loans with little salary?

If we look at the T6, the vast majority of graduates are going into big law. I assume (rightly or wrongly) that most of those folks are getting the $180k market salary, and can therefore pay back loans even if they paid sticker. To me it's about risk. Why would Harvard be worth sticker more so than NYU or Penn? Penn has a higher percentage of students going to big law than Harvard (for whatever reason), and their grads don't seem to have an issue finding those jobs. So to me Penn is not any riskier than Harvard at sticker. But I get that maybe the risk calculation is different for PI folks.

I think you answered your own question -- the importance of this question depends largely on if you just want biglaw or if you want unicorn PI/govt jobs. If all you want in life is biglaw, whose outcomes are more or less the same at most if not all T14s, why would you pay sticker at, say, CLS for the same professional outcome as if you'd gone to NU/Cornell with significant $$$? Even with a $180k+ salary, that sticker debt is real and impacts people's ability to buy a home, plan for their future, etc. especially if you live in an expensive market (NYC/DC), so I don't think it's of outsized importance at all.

[brinicolec]

The debt thing will always be a personal decision. I could pay sticker for NU and pay it off in less than ten years if I lived off of $80k. Not ideal, but not terrible either (to me). Some people think that's awful though. I think it's a personal cost vs. benefits situation.

[lnsl123]

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[hammy393]

re: a comment about Penn not being riskier than Harvard at sticker (if I read it right) -- Penn *is* definitely riskier than Harvard at sticker if you want to go into biglaw. The outcomes of the below-median student at each are much different. The general consensus is that the higher up you go in the rankings, the bigger the safety net if you end up at the bottom half of the class. But exactly much value you place on that safety net (among other things) is different for everybody

[scoot456]

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[AJ1010]

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

[dietcoke1]

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

wtf

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0208175645

[anervouslsater]

The debt thing will always be a personal decision. I could pay sticker for NU and pay it off in less than ten years if I lived off of $80k. Not ideal, but not terrible either (to me). Some people think that's awful though. I think it's a personal cost vs. benefits situation.

Damn girl, you got into NU? I'd definitely pay sticker for a 50/50 shot at biglaw. Maybe that's me though. Were there other T14s?

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

wtf

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0208175645

Might be from their precipitous fall to 3 to raise medians.

[PrezRand]

The debt thing will always be a personal decision. I could pay sticker for NU and pay it off in less than ten years if I lived off of $80k. Not ideal, but not terrible either (to me). Some people think that's awful though. I think it's a personal cost vs. benefits situation.

Damn girl, you got into NU? I'd definitely pay sticker for a 50/50 shot at biglaw. Maybe that's me though. Were there other T14s?

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

wtf

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0208175645

Might be from their precipitous fall to 3 to raise medians.

NU has close to 70/30 chance lol.





But yeah, sticker can be worth it if you are biglaw bust. And, another recession is probably going to happen in the next few years. I would rather attend an elite law school with 200k in debt than go to a decent/crappy one at a full-ride if I know employment numbers are going to decline

[anervouslsater]

The debt thing will always be a personal decision. I could pay sticker for NU and pay it off in less than ten years if I lived off of $80k. Not ideal, but not terrible either (to me). Some people think that's awful though. I think it's a personal cost vs. benefits situation.

Damn girl, you got into NU? I'd definitely pay sticker for a 50/50 shot at biglaw. Maybe that's me though. Were there other T14s?

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

wtf

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0208175645

Might be from their precipitous fall to 3 to raise medians.

NU has close to 70/30 chance lol.





But yeah, sticker can be worth it if you are biglaw bust. And, another recession is probably going to happen in the next few years. I would rather attend an elite law school with 200k in debt than go to a decent/crappy one at a full-ride if I know employment numbers are going to decline

Wow. You're right. https://www.lstreports.com/schools/northwestern/jobs/

And yeah, that's why I'm waiting until the last minute to send my deposit in.

[janereacher]

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

wtf

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=12 ... 0208175645

Holy! Well... it looks like I may just end up applying again next cycle. MY GRE scores were way better than my LSATs and there are far more retake opportunities.

[PrezRand]

I wonder if it will be treated like how the ACT is.

[chasima]

<3

[chasima]

<3

[Hi-So - ArshavinFan]

Guys, did yall see that Harvard Law is going to accept the GRE in place of LSAT next year?

I don't understand this.

Easy way to bring up their medians.
Increase the applicant pool so that talented takers will consider law school now, which was once LSAT exclusive. People dont want to be lawyers, so removing one major barrier will do a lot to sway that.

Of course, this wont do too much. A lot of school in undergrad dont state they dont care about standardized tests, but that really isn't true. Harvard still has to compete, and the GRE might not be equivalent.

[OnlyHumean]

Guys, I went into this cycle thinking NYU was my first choice... applied September 1 and just got rejected. But I have to say, it actually feels comforting getting rejected knowing that there's little else you could have done to prevent it, you know? But then again, I did just have a glass of sauvignon blanc before I read the e-mail, so maybe that's the key to not feeling upset about getting dinged lol

I'm sorry to here that - NYU's loss.

I hope the rest of your cycle is going okay, though!

[20171lhopeful]

Guys, I went into this cycle thinking NYU was my first choice... applied September 1 and just got rejected. But I have to say, it actually feels comforting getting rejected knowing that there's little else you could have done to prevent it, you know? But then again, I did just have a glass of sauvignon blanc before I read the e-mail, so maybe that's the key to not feeling upset about getting dinged lol

I understand this completely.

[renc56]

Extremely off-topic but how do you figure out your LSAC GPA? I realize it's somewhere on the LSAC website within CAS but for the life of me I cannot find it.......

[USayinBoalt]

Extremely off-topic but how do you figure out your LSAC GPA? I realize it's somewhere on the LSAC website within CAS but for the life of me I cannot find it.......

If you have already submitted your transcripts then go to the "Apply" tab on the website then go to the "credentials" tab and click "transcripts". On the right side of the transcripts page is your "academic summary report", click on that and on the bottom right of that it will say what your LSAC/cumulative GPA is

[renc56]

Extremely off-topic but how do you figure out your LSAC GPA? I realize it's somewhere on the LSAC website within CAS but for the life of me I cannot find it.......

If you have already submitted your transcripts then go to the "Apply" tab on the website then go to the "credentials" tab and click "transcripts". On the right side of the transcripts page is your "academic summary report", click on that and on the bottom right of that it will say what your LSAC/cumulative GPA is

Thanks. Sad thing is I was looking at this page and was wondering why the LSAC GPA was not highly visible.. my GPA is also easy af to figure out.

[chasima]

Guys, I went into this cycle thinking NYU was my first choice... applied September 1 and just got rejected. But I have to say, it actually feels comforting getting rejected knowing that there's little else you could have done to prevent it, you know? But then again, I did just have a glass of sauvignon blanc before I read the e-mail, so maybe that's the key to not feeling upset about getting dinged lol

I'm sorry to here that - NYU's loss.

I hope the rest of your cycle is going okay, though!

That's very sweet of you to say. I appreciate it And i hope your cycle is going well, too!

[2000andBeyond]

The debt thing will always be a personal decision. I could pay sticker for NU and pay it off in less than ten years if I lived off of $80k. Not ideal, but not terrible either (to me). Some people think that's awful though. I think it's a personal cost vs. benefits situation.

Girl..ain't no one paying sticker outchea! NU is going to bless us with that moneyyyy lol (i really hope)