Money for law school
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:18 pm
Are you screwed if you don't have any money saved up before law school? Literally going in with $5 in your Debit card? All loans 

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haha, point for Kilpatrick!Kilpatrick wrote:You're applying for professional school, stop listening to your mom.
It's true that you get loans for COL, but before loans are distributed you have to put down a deposit on an apartment which requires first, last, and a security deposit - so basically three months of rent. Plus the cost of getting to the school/moving all your things out there. Yeah you'll get loans which will reimburse you for these things, but you do need some money to start out with. I spent about 6k in deposits, new furniture, and moving costs, and couldn't have done it without having some savings first.Susan_Walid wrote:Are you screwed if you don't have any money saved up before law school? Literally going in with $5 in your Debit card? All loans
cinephile wrote: It's true that you get loans for COL, but before loans are distributed you have to put down a deposit on an apartment which requires first, last, and a security deposit - so basically three months of rent. Plus the cost of getting to the school/moving all your things out there. Yeah you'll get loans which will reimburse you for these things, but you do need some money to start out with. I spent about 6k in deposits, new furniture, and moving costs, and couldn't have done it without having some savings first.
This varies by location and your credit score. I put a $150 security deposit down and first month's rent. Some schools will also float you a short-term loan for this.Adm.Doppleganger wrote:Yeah I'm surprised how much money it's gonna set me back to deposit at schools, my apartment, and move to law school before ever getting any loans. I'm looking probably around $7,000. I can always put about 2k on my credit card but for deposits and first months rent you might need about 2-4k in cash.
I don't really get how other people do this because I assume a lot don't have 3-4k in cash plus 1-2k in credit. But maybe they just move a shorter distance and get some help from mom and dad.
In sum: It's good to have a little cash saved.
+1, When I moved to FL they wanted all these crazy deposits, but here in my home state I've never paid more that a month's rent for deposit and the first month. Usually it has been like 1.5 month's rent total.blowhard wrote:This varies by location and your credit score. I put a $150 security deposit down and first month's rent. Some schools will also float you a short-term loan for this.Adm.Doppleganger wrote:Yeah I'm surprised how much money it's gonna set me back to deposit at schools, my apartment, and move to law school before ever getting any loans. I'm looking probably around $7,000. I can always put about 2k on my credit card but for deposits and first months rent you might need about 2-4k in cash.
I don't really get how other people do this because I assume a lot don't have 3-4k in cash plus 1-2k in credit. But maybe they just move a shorter distance and get some help from mom and dad.
In sum: It's good to have a little cash saved.
You should learn to keep your costs down. I managed to move to NY for under $3k (covered ticket there, rent & deposit on apartment, and a few weeks living expenses). Had law school been in the books at the time, another thousand in deposit fees would have brought my total to around $3.5k (I wouldn't have had to wait as long for my first paycheck to arrive)cinephile wrote:It's true that you get loans for COL, but before loans are distributed you have to put down a deposit on an apartment which requires first, last, and a security deposit - so basically three months of rent. Plus the cost of getting to the school/moving all your things out there. Yeah you'll get loans which will reimburse you for these things, but you do need some money to start out with. I spent about 6k in deposits, new furniture, and moving costs, and couldn't have done it without having some savings first.Susan_Walid wrote:Are you screwed if you don't have any money saved up before law school? Literally going in with $5 in your Debit card? All loans