Princeton or Scholarship School for undergrad? Forum

[NYstate]

OP: I was incorrect about grade inflation at Princeton but I think that deflation is compared to the out of control inflation at the other Ivy League schools, with which I am more familiar. Princeton gives A+ which USC doesn't. Not sure how Princeton grading compares to USC or Wash U overall.

Still voting for Princeton.


Wait: when did the guaranteed acceptance to medical
School enter this equation? If you want medicine, take wash u. A guaranteed slot at a solid medical school is something you shouldn't pass up unless you have no interest in medicine.

You need to give us the whole story from the beginning.

[Gunnar Stahl]

If you go to a school like Princeton, it doesn't really matter. I have friends who graduated with degrees in Econ, physics, English, etc., and they all took jobs that were not related to their degrees. Major in what you would enjoy most, but start showing interest in possible career paths through concentrated coursework and internships.

[fluffythepenguin]

I would go to USC, although I have no idea how important UG prestige is, as I did not go to a prestigious UG. If you do end up in law school though, whether you went to Princeton or USC is not really going to matter, as far as I understand, particularly if you end up at HYS (which should certainly be the goal). As long as you don't major in a STEM field, all you have to do is show up to class and do your work and your grades will be excellent. Then, when you get a 170+ on your LSAT in a few years, you can graduate debt-free from the T6.

While in school, try and do some dense reading outside of class to improve your reasoning and critical reading skills (political blogs, national newspapers (WSJ, NYT, etc.), content-heavy magazines such as the New Yorker or Economist). I did a ton of outside reading while in UG, and thought it really helped my reasoning abilities both in general and on the LSAT.

Also, quality of life in Southern California >>> Princeton, NJ.

[NanaP]

I would say go to Princeton. If you decide to go to law school, I assume you are smart, you will probably get a pretty good scholarship anyway to top schools, if not free ride. If you decide not to go to law school, you will have one of the best schools in the country on your resume that will open doors.

[gronkisgronk]

I really don't care much for medicine. I applied to the program because the application was easy. My interview went well, and they offered the guaranteed acceptance to Med School at WUSTL to me. Unfortunately, "guaranteed" is a bit of a misnomer. I still have to maintain a 3.8 GPA. Since I'm not that interested in medicine, that program wasn't a very integral part of my decision.

[NYstate]

I really don't care much for medicine. I applied to the program because the application was easy. My interview went well, and they offered the guaranteed acceptance to Med School at WUSTL to me. Unfortunately, "guaranteed" is a bit of a misnomer. I still have to maintain a 3.8 GPA. Since I'm not that interested in medicine, that program wasn't a very integral part of my decision.

lol. Jesus Christ I agree that a 3.8 GPA is not a guarantee. I'm back to Princeton.

[WhiskeynCoke]

I would say go to Princeton. If you decide to go to law school, I assume you are smart, you will probably get a pretty good scholarship anyway to top schools, if not free ride. If you decide not to go to law school, you will have one of the best schools in the country on your resume that will open doors.

I think the posters in this thread have revealed their East Coast biases pretty blatantly. USC for free vs. $171K (57x3) for Princeton, when your goal is law school should be the easiest decision you've ever made. USC is well respected on the west coast and will get you solid job opportunities, especially in CA. Don't look at the decision like its Princeton = $$$$ vs. USC = working at McDonalds (if no law school). You're smart enough to get a full ride, you'll do fine at either.

Heres why you should not hesitate choosing USC:
- If you DO go the law school route, you'll soon realize that blowing all your allocated money on Princeton UG was the worst financial decision you've ever made. If you get into HYS, you'll then have to go $200k+ in debt to pay for it. You will get no scholarships from HYS, as those are all need based. Your parents seem loaded so you'll get zilch. Say hello to the debt monster.
- Princeton won't help you get into a top school (maybe a sliver). You need the LSAT.
- As your stressful, elitist/aspie-strewn Princeton experience winds down and you realize that law school really is your chosen path, the impact of the above realization will start hitting you like a ton of bricks. No more $$$ from parentals.
- UG is for having fun. Ask anyone. You will have 10x more fun at USC, especially knowing that you've still got your nest-egg ready for whatever grad school route you choose. Princeton is full of aspies and uggos. Go spend four relaxing years of your youth basking in the SoCal sun with hotties, drinking beer, and getting A's.
- FREE LAW SCHOOL DUDE..... HOW CAN YOU PASS THAT UP???

Edit: Just realized that I calculated the cost of Princeton for UG based on 3 years, not 4. It's actually $212k for tuition alone, leaving only $28k of your parents' money for 4 years of living expenses. Yikes.

[NYstate]

I would say go to Princeton. If you decide to go to law school, I assume you are smart, you will probably get a pretty good scholarship anyway to top schools, if not free ride. If you decide not to go to law school, you will have one of the best schools in the country on your resume that will open doors.

I think the posters in this thread have revealed their East Coast biases pretty blatantly. USC for free vs. $171K (57x3) for Princeton, when your goal is law school should be the easiest decision you've ever made. USC is well respected on the west coast and will get you solid job opportunities, especially in CA. Don't look at the decision like its Princeton = $$$$ vs. USC = working at McDonalds (if no law school). You're smart enough to get a full ride, you'll do fine at either.

Heres why you should not hesitate choosing USC:
- If you DO go the law school route, you'll soon realize that blowing all your allocated money on Princeton UG was the worst financial decision you've ever made. If you get into HYS, you'll then have to go $200k+ in debt to pay for it. You will get no scholarships from HYS, as those are all need based. Your parents seem loaded so you'll get zilch. Say hello to the debt monster.
- Princeton won't help you get into a top school (maybe a sliver). You need the LSAT.
- As your stressful, elitist/aspie-strewn Princeton experience winds down and you realize that law school really is your chosen path, the impact of the above realization will start hitting you like a ton of bricks. No more $$$ from parentals.
- UG is for having fun. Ask anyone. You will have 10x more fun at USC, especially knowing that you've still got your nest-egg ready for whatever grad school route you choose. Princeton is full of aspies and uggos. Go spend four relaxing years of your youth basking in the SoCal sun with hotties, drinking beer, and getting A's.
- FREE LAW SCHOOL DUDE..... HOW CAN YOU PASS THAT UP???

I admitted to my biases. But my biases are shared by a number of employers that can get OP into a strong career path. I am hoping that OP can get the life he wants without being a lawyer. And with applications dropping, who knows where he will stand in 4 years?

These schools are completely different. Perhaps OP needs to decide what cultural experience he wants. This is also an odd combination of schools strewn across the country. Your argument makes sense if OP knows for sure what he wants to do. Or if OP just prefers California instead of Princeton.

I'm not convinced the parents won't fork any money over for law school if he wants to go later, but that is total speculation based on what I have seen happen to other people.

[Brassica7]

I agree with what has been said already about Princeton and USC: Princeton gives you more diverse career options; USC is better if you end up going to law school because it's free and you will probably get a higher GBA there. I am writing to say do not go to the University of Washington. I believe that it is a good school, but it is comparable to USC. Therefore, it is not worth paying an extra $120,000 for.

I think UWash's "guarantee" of acceptance into medical school misleading, because it requires you to have a 3.8 GPA. If you major in a hard science and get a GPA above 3.8, you will be able to get into good medical schools anyways, so this "guarantee" does not really add anything. I suppose getting directly into the medical school would save you the bother of taking the MCAT and actually applying to medical schools, but it is of minimal value.

[CyanIdes Of March]

I feel as if this thread is way too pro Princeton

Going to Princeton at sticker with no fin aid equals 57k a year, so your graduating with over 300k in debt and the average starting salary (probably bullshit) is about 67k with a mid career average (self selection on reporting probably inflates this) is 130k.

You will probably be in debt your entire life, if you paid sticker. But I guess parents money makes the investment worth it

He said his parents were going to pay the price of attending sticker so why are you worrying about that? This kid seems to be loaded, I'd go with Princeton and just keep your grades as high as possible. Then, if you still want law school, you'll have all the scholarship info you want and, let's face it, your parents will probably help you out with law school loans too and the salary you'd get coming out a top school will make up the difference. Also, something no one seems to be mentioning, LSN data seems to suggest that HYP gives you a slight advantage over others of equal stats.

EDIT: Whoops missed the second page, so maybe someone mentioned what I said.

EDIT 2: Then again Whiskey makes some damn good points... We'd need more information (maybe some too personal about your life and your family to supply here) to really decide the pros and cons of each for you personally.

[jselson]

I went to USC on a full-ride and loved everything about the school and about LA. Princeton's a nice place, too, and it gets a boost in apps. I went to USC under very unique circumstances, but it's worked out well for me for law schools, and I'll probably be at HLS in the fall. I would kill to have a quarter of a mil guaranteed at this point for law school. So if you def want to do law school, I'd say SC. (Although Yale only has 3 SC students right now, so there's a possibility of a prestige hit.) If you aren't sure but want to study in a field outside of the humanities/social sciences, do SC. If you aren't sure and want to major in the humanities/social sciences, then Princeton by a long shot. And I did English and Art History at SC, and did not want to do law when I entered.

[BlakcMajikc]

I am writing to say do not go to the University of Washington. I believe that it is a good school, but it is comparable to USC. Therefore, it is not worth paying an extra $120,000 for.

It's Washington University in St. Louis aka WashU or WUSTL. (sidenote, but i dont think relevant to OP: happens to have one of the top 10 med schools in the country.)
My advice stands. Go for a visit to all the schools before you make your decision. Personally I couldnt stomach full tuition Ivy for my undergrad.

[John_rizzy_rawls]

I went to USC on a full-ride and loved everything about the school and about LA.

Same. It's just an awesome school. PM me if you've got any questions.

So if you def want to do law school, I'd say SC. (Although Yale only has 3 SC students right now, so there's a possibility of a prestige hit.)

Yeah. I mean, I'll say it again: SC is that same level below HYS, like Berkeley/UCLA/NYU/lower Ivies, where no one's gasping and it probably won't give you an app boost or anything, but it certainly has cache and people know you're at a higher echelon school.

[futureesqperhaps]

Go to Princeton, do what you gotta do, and go into Finance. Law School is so TTT.

On a side note, please, please do not choose USC. I'm not bashing on USC, but come on, it's Princeton— arguably the best school in the nation for undergrad. Your peers and mentors at Princeton are going to be some of the brightest individuals in the world, and you don't want to give this opportunity up.

Sure you probably won't get as high a GPA at Princeton as you would at USC, but you're young and obviously talented. You may realize that law isn't for you two years down the line.

[futureesqperhaps]

I went to USC on a full-ride and loved everything about the school and about LA.

Same. It's just an awesome school. PM me if you've got any questions.

So if you def want to do law school, I'd say SC. (Although Yale only has 3 SC students right now, so there's a possibility of a prestige hit.)

Yeah. I mean, I'll say it again: SC is that same level below HYS, like Berkeley/UCLA/NYU/lower Ivies, where no one's gasping and it probably won't give you an app boost or anything, but it certainly has cache and people know you're at a higher echelon school.

Absurd. SC may share a level with Berkeley, UCLA, and NYU, but lower Ivies? Top 10-15 privates? Please

[IAFG]

CA bitches vs NJ bitches, how is this even a question

[Lagunitan]

.

[BlakcMajikc]

Princeton, and this isn't close. The doors that will be open to you there will be far, far greater than what you'll have coming out of USC or WashU. I turned down a lot of scholarship money to go to a top undergrad school, and I don't regret it in the least.

Two can play this game. WashU and it isnt even close... The doors that opened up for me from there were ridiculous. And it's the happiest undergrad ever. I took the scholarship money and now using what I woud have spent for undergrad at H. I don't regret it in the least.

Good luck OP. Exiting the thread. PM me about WashU if you have any questions. No matter what, you are in a winning situation, enjoy!

[jackattack17]

Go to Princeton. If your stingy parents are putting up $240k for your UG/Grad education, that should leave $60-70k or so after Princeton. If you still want to do law school and the market has improved in 4 years, use that $60k to go toward a good LS. If you don't do law school, you'll be a Princeton grad with no debt. Seems pretty clear to me, assuming your parents come through and you don't mind taking from their retirement.

[MapsMapsMaps]

This thread clearly shows that there is no right or wrong choice. Go visit both, and do what feels right.

[zman]

go to princeton if you are not sure about law school but if you are 10000% you might take the full ride and save some money. USC does send people to Yale and harvard law every year so you can get into any law school you want from USC undergrad.

[kwais]

People keep saying "USC if you KNOW you want law school"
Since you can't KNOW this, go to Princeton. Keep all doors open.
I venture to say you will not regret attending the top UG in the country

[howlery]

People keep saying "USC if you KNOW you want law school"
Since you can't KNOW this, go to Princeton. Keep all doors open.
I venture to say you will not regret attending the top UG in the country

Seconded. As someone who will be graduating from an UG ranked way behind both P and USC, I would definitely take Princeton for all the opportunities that will be shoved at you. Just join an eating club. I'm sure you'll be casually offered a plum job over brunch before you graduate.

You can still go to law school for very cheap or close to free, just not HYS. Keep your grades up (do your research and take the easiest classes possible) and do very well on the LSAT. Even with a bullshit degree you can at least land a biglaw paralegal gig that pays pretty well (don't worry, they'll come to your campus for interviews so you can avoid riding the subway).

[Ave]

People keep saying "USC if you KNOW you want law school"
Since you can't KNOW this, go to Princeton. Keep all doors open.
I venture to say you will not regret attending the top UG in the country

[Borg]

These are massively different places, and you should probably take that into account much more than which one will offer the highest GPA. Princeton is obviously the most prestigious, but it's also a very quirky place that definitely isn't for everyone. The social scene is monolithic, and if you're not in an eating club you're going to be very lonely. It's also a somewhat conservative place with a lot of old east coast money. I considered it briefly for undergrad but knew I didn't like that scene (let's face it, bulldogs are cooler than tigers anyway). Stop thinking about law school so much and try to get a high GPA to land a job in consulting instead. Reconsider later if you don't like it.