When is it worth paying sticker? Forum

[gens1tb]

I think I'd pay sticker for almost any school in T1 which was in a region I could tolerate; except for schools that'd leave me with $200,000 in debt...

[174]

I'd say the entire top 14, but be ready to drop out if you are below median.

[teleste]

Oh my.

[Pilaf Rocket]

Let's branch the question out a little bit.


So how much debt is too much for a Top 20 school?

2L paying sticker at a Top20. Looking at 160k plus in debt. I have BigLaw summer job lined up with about 70% chance for permanent placement (based on previous summer classes) at big city market rate.

Job = sticker price worth it. No job = oh dear god.

IMHO, it depends on how the school performs in the market. My school, despite being outside the t14, does extremely well throughout the state.

[Hannibal]

200k in debt with a 60k starting pay job is better money than being a barista your whole life even if you don't gain pay as you gain experience.

[sighsigh]

"Top 14" should definitely be broken down into T-6, T-10 and T-14. There is actual disparity within this range, unlike schools 30 - 200.

I would pay sticker only for T-6.

[mettasutta]

T14 + in-state public schools that place well in their respective regions (i.e. W&M, UNC, UGA, Wisconsin, etc.)

[rayiner]

"Top 14" should definitely be broken down into T-6, T-10 and T-14. There is actual disparity within this range, unlike schools 30 - 200.

I would pay sticker only for T-6.

The proper distinctions are actually T3, T5/6, and T13.

[Aberzombie1892]

Most of the reasonable law schools in the Top 100 are worth full price (i.e. GW and SMU would be reasonable while Hofstra and Catholic would not). Honestly, as long as you aren't a big baby and give up if you don't get something out of OCI, you will make a lot more over your lifetime with the law degree than without the degree (assuming you aren't an engineer or something). Will most of these graduates see a lot of that money immediately after graduation? No, of course not. But they will make more than enough money over their lifetime to justify the debt.

However, I personally would not suggest paying sticker beyond HYSCC. While I do feel that over your lifetime you will make more than enough money to justify the debt, the stress of dealing with a lot of debt both prior to and post graduation is not worth the cost. So while you will most likely financially be okay over time, it's not, IMHO, worth the relatively short term toll on your psyche, emotions, and personal life (marriage/buying a house/a car/etc.).

[BrianGriffintheDog]

I said t14. Even if you don't make top 10%, you still have much greater chance at big law to pay off your debt.

[run26.2]

"Top 14" should definitely be broken down into T-6, T-10 and T-14. There is actual disparity within this range, unlike schools 30 - 200.

I would pay sticker only for T-6.

Maybe not. You have schools outside the T6 placing a higher percentage of their class into NLJ 250s. Why T6, T10, or T14? Maybe 5 out of the top 6 are worth it or 8 out of the top 10. These distinctions are simply too arbitrary, especially when no consensus has been established as to what the metric for judging "worth paying sticker" is.