Does HYS make sense for me? AA Male Forum

[mt2165]

Hey yall, so basically I am a AA Male Student athlete graduating from Binghamton University next year. I have a 3.62 GPA that I am planning to get closer to 3.7 before I apply during the next cycle (probably around the first week of January). I am registered for the october lsat and have been preptesting pretty well, usually around the high 160's. I want to end up doing government work, getting into politics, or plaintiff side work. Obviously this doesn't bar biglaw, if that's advantageous to my end goals (??). But basically I want to know does it really make sense to choose a HYS over a CCN considering I want to do, specifically as a AA male? Also assuming that I would qualify for substantial scholarships from the latter. I know that HYS tend to have some of the best LRAPs but surely this doesn't offset tens of thousands? Why would anyone high scoring high achieving who doesn't have astronomical goals choose HYS at the assumption of significantly more debt? Thanks in advance.

[californiauser]

Come back when you have an LSAT score + acceptances in hand.

[twenty]

I know that HYS tend to have some of the best LRAPs

Definitely not automatically true.

And yeah, come back with an LSAT and also acceptances.

[mt2165]

Alright, I understand I am speaking hypothetically, which seems to be pretty commonplace here. But just for you guys sake, let me rephrase the question. Why would someone likely to receive substantial aid at a top 6-10 elect HYS with the assumption of more debt? What goals would you have to have in order to justify this choice?

[twenty]

Why would someone likely to receive substantial aid at a top 6-10 elect HYS with the assumption of more debt? What goals would you have to have in order to justify this choice?

The goal where you get to enjoy not putting slightly more than 30k a year into loan payments. Example:

UPenn: Fed clerkships + biglaw + public interest = 82.3% of the class.
Harvard: Fed clerkships + biglaw + public interest = 82.8% of the class.

From Harvard, an extra 7% of the students got to go to federal clerkships.

However, if we were to make the massive assumption that a person who got into Harvard also got into Penn with a full ride, you would be stupid to drop Penn if your goal was biglaw, or even clerking. The only place HYS makes sense over T10-ish school with a full ride is if you go into law school being absolutely dead-set on working for the DOJ. And even that goal is pretty lofty coming from Harvard.

The vast majority of Harvard grads are working alongside NYU/UVA/Penn/etc. grads. The only difference is that a lot of those graduates aren't paying $2600 a month in student loans.

[IAFG]

Alright, I understand I am speaking hypothetically, which seems to be pretty commonplace here.

Sorta. It's commonly met with, come back with a score and acceptances. Daydreaming is a solo activity. It's like masturbating. When you bring in other people, it's just awkward and sad.

[mt2165]

Well I had to objectify the scenario since apparently my very reasonable hypothetical situation is aloof daydreaming. I'm simply asking, for a URM who would receive significant aid from a top 14, why would I elect HYS? I realize I am not in the situation as we speak, but I think it's a rather feasible one considering. If you're just going to tell me to wait, I'd rather you answer with your silence and let it die. There are many URMs getting significant grant/scholarship with fairly unimpressive stats and I'm just curious.

[guano]

With an LSAT "in the high 160s", it's hard to predict whether this conversation will have a point. Keep in mind that Y at least can be very generous with need based aid, if you qualify.

If your goal is "biglaw", it might not be worth the extra money, but it's not that cut and dry. Also, Yale offers the best insurance policy in education

[hephaestus]

Alright, I understand I am speaking hypothetically, which seems to be pretty commonplace here.

Sorta. It's commonly met with, come back with a score and acceptances. Daydreaming is a solo activity. It's like masturbating. When you bring in other people, it's just awkward and sad.

Tremendous analogy.

[mt2165]

Forget my personal situation. Since clearly its becoming a point of mockery. Is Yale's LRAP so much better as to offset potentially tens of thousands difference in debt? Opportunities that much greater?

[lawprospie]

If you were to get into HYS and get a full ride at CCN, it would be a difficult choice that honestly only you can answer. I was in this predicament and choose CCN. PM me if you want my thought process, but study like crazy for the LSAT. And honestly even if you get in the low 160's still apply! You would have a pretty good shot even with that sort of score.

[twenty]

Is Yale's LRAP so much better as to offset potentially tens of thousands difference in debt? Opportunities that much greater?

In some cases, Yale's LRAP is worse.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=211835

[mt2165]

Thanks guys. The reason I'm so curious is because I was on the URM results page from the last cycle and it seems like many URMs were passing on significant $$$ to go to HYS and I don't completely grasp the justification behind this decision.

[conwaystern]

Go to a school where you'll enjoy your life and do well in three years of legal study.

Honestly. You might think you want to do government work now, and then your 2L year take a class in natural disaster law and decide you want to work for the American Red Cross.

Long story short -- you have no idea what you want. Go to a school where you're comfortable and it'll all fall into place.

[Davidbentley]

Thanks guys. The reason I'm so curious is because I was on the URM results page from the last cycle and it seems like many URMs were passing on significant $$$ to go to HYS and I don't completely grasp the justification behind this decision.

For many, the gap in $$$ proves to be miniscule, or at least not as big as it would seem at first glance. Speaking only for myself and S (I Didn't bother filling out the aid paperwork for Y and H), the need-based aid was roughly equivalent to the merit-based aid anywhere else in the t-14. The only exceptions were the full tuition scholarships. Bearing in mind the higher cost of living compared to certain other schools, it will end up costing me approximately $60,000 more in debt to attend Stanford, versus, say, Michigan. A personal decision to be sure, but one that I am very happy with. Some folks in my class also have significant undergrad debt and I don't know that I would have made the same decision if I had been in their shoes.

[AllTheLawz]

You shouldn't bet on an insane amount of money from CCN. I was AA w/ significantly better stats (3.7ish and 175+) and my first-year financial aid from HYS came close to matching what I got in merit from CCN (highest of which was about $33k/year).

[VyingDestiny]

Dear previous poster, I hate to be that person, but there is zero chance that you had the numbers you claim (3.7ish, 175+), and got a maximum of 33k from CCN. When I say zero, I really do mean: absolutely zero. I will not get into any debate about it, so please don't feel obligated to reply with hostility. You've made a claim, and I'm calling BS.

Anyway, in regards to the original poster, if you want to go into politics, forego law school. If you want to go into government, you can't really go wrong, so your concern should most likely be debt related.

I think your biggest problem is that you are an undergraduate who believes you know exactly what you want to do in the future. There is a slim chance you are correct. However, that chance is...slim.

I don't care what anyone says, if you are choosing between T6 schools, your only concerns should be financial. Unless you believe there is some slim chance you want to teach law, go to the most cost effective school.

Lastly, do not assume your LSAT will go the way you imagine it to. I genuinely hope you do well on the exam, but as someone who was practicing damn near 180, getting a 172 was disappointing, but that's life. Practice unfortunately does not correspond to reality the way we would like it to.

[IAFG]

Dear previous poster, I hate to be that person, but there is zero chance that you had the numbers you claim (3.7ish, 175+), and got a maximum of 33k from CCN. When I say zero, I really do mean: absolutely zero. I will not get into any debate about it, so please don't feel obligated to reply with hostility. You've made a claim, and I'm calling BS.
.

He said he got $33k/yr or a total package of $99k, which in previous cycles was hardly impossible, but you don't have to feel obligated to reply either.

[AllTheLawz]

Dear previous poster, I hate to be that person, but there is zero chance that you had the numbers you claim (3.7ish, 175+), and got a maximum of 33k from CCN. When I say zero, I really do mean: absolutely zero. I will not get into any debate about it, so please don't feel obligated to reply with hostility. You've made a claim, and I'm calling BS.

Anyway, in regards to the original poster, if you want to go into politics, forego law school. If you want to go into government, you can't really go wrong, so your concern should most likely be debt related.

I think your biggest problem is that you are an undergraduate who believes you know exactly what you want to do in the future. There is a slim chance you are correct. However, that chance is...slim.

I don't care what anyone says, if you are choosing between T6 schools, your only concerns should be financial. Unless you believe there is some slim chance you want to teach law, go to the most cost effective school.

Lastly, do not assume your LSAT will go the way you imagine it to. I genuinely hope you do well on the exam, but as someone who was practicing damn near 180, getting a 172 was disappointing, but that's life. Practice unfortunately does not correspond to reality the way we would like it to.

I absolutely assure you it is possible and that it happened (applied for Fall 2011 start). Got full scholarships and more from basically all schools below CCN but didn't get the full scholarships at any of CCN. If you don't get full scholarships at CCN the next scholarship down is around the 30k/yr range (which coincidentally is pretty close to max need-based aid at HYS).

[vanwinkle]

Dear previous poster, I hate to be that person, but there is zero chance that you had the numbers you claim (3.7ish, 175+), and got a maximum of 33k from CCN. When I say zero, I really do mean: absolutely zero. I will not get into any debate about it, so please don't feel obligated to reply with hostility. You've made a claim, and I'm calling BS.
.

He said he got $33k/yr or a total package of $99k, which in previous cycles was hardly impossible, but you don't have to feel obligated to reply either.

I feel obligated to reply, just to agree with IAFG.