Need some quick advice please Forum

[lauren24]

I am in between Rutgers Newark and Rutgers Camden, I was leaning towards Newark but I received notice that Camden is giving me a much better scholarship than Rutgers Newark.

Rutgers Newark was giving me 30k divided into 3 years. But the second and third year I would need to maintain a 3.0 gpa. Rutgers Camden is giving me double the amount with no gpa requirement.

Location wise Newark is much closer and I could commute living from my parents house but the scholarship is nowhere near as good. Anything I can do to maybe get Newark to give me more money? I am really lost on what to do

[reverendt]

Look at it this way. In Newark you live for free (presumably). In Camden you have to pay.
Is that going to level the playing field as far as $$$ are concerned?
Also find out the curve at Newark. If they curve to a 2.5 or something, there's a decent chance you may lose that scholarship after a year. If they curve to a 3.0 and you feel confident that you can bust your ass, all you need to do is stay at/above median.

Also consider the job markets. Do you want to work in North Jersey or South Jersey/Philly?

[lauren24]

When I take into account moving to live closer to Camden and compare it to living for free if I attend Newark I come out owing 15k less by going to Camden (provided I keep the Newark scholarship for all 3 years).

The median of the gpa curve in Newark is a 3.0 so I would have to be in the top 50% of the class for every year to keep the scholarship.

Is there any way I can make Rutgers Newark give me more money or take out the gpa requirement or somehow sweeten the deal?

[reverendt]

You could show them the notification of the scholarship from Camden and see if they'll match it. That's been known to work sometimes. The worst thing they can say is no...
While I'm a big believer that law school grades can't be predicted, a requirement that you stay at/above median is not unreasonable...so as long as you're sure you can give it all you got I wouldn't let the 3.0 thing scare you off.

So, if Newark matches, you've probably got your answer. If they don't....you're looking at a 15K difference that will be paid over 10 years. So consider some other things:
1) What job market would you like to work in (at least initially)?
2) If you've got family close to Newark, would you rather spend the next 3 years with them or would you like go off on your own for a while? Which would make you happier? Which do you think would be better for your studies? Would your family be a good support system? Or a distraction?
3) If you have family near Newark you probably have friends there. Would you like to stay near them, or go experience something new/meet some new folks?

Anyway, good luck!

[cpboy77]

Also, financial considerations (while huge) shouldn't be the only ones. Have you ever been to Camden? Might want to check it out or at least read the bio on it on TLS.

I've been there one time and it's not somewhere I'd go back to.