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Hi all,

Does anyone go to- or know of- law schools that are family friendly? That offer possible COL for families (where the primary student is also the head of the household), or schools that offer family scholarships? What about family housing (that allow children)?

I would say that UVA is quite family friendly. There seems to be a strong group of married couples. I think there's one group where the couples have kids and one group where they don't. The student association will actually put on events for children of students + faculty now and then. I think there's something for Halloween and for Easter. On top of that, the cost of living in Charlottesville is quite reasonable, the public schools are good, and the neighborhood is safe.

You may want to check with the finaid people at the schools to which you are applying. I know that they can tweak their COL calculations for students based on a variety of criteria (i.e. major car repairs, need laptop, etc.) to help them get more money in loans.

Bert wrote:You may want to check with the finaid people at the schools to which you are applying. I know that they can tweak their COL calculations for students based on a variety of criteria (i.e. major car repairs, need laptop, etc.) to help them get more money in loans.

The only thing that concerns me... is that the more debt I accrue, the more WE are stuck paying back. I don't want to be endebted forever (on top of my UG) and then have to look at my daughter one day and have to say "I'm sorry Santa couldn't come this year, mommy needed law school." You know? :\

I appreciate the advice though; if any of the schools I apply to show interest (which I hope they do!) I will see what they can't tweak up. I get a family scholarship at the moment for my UG, and that was nice. I learned this semester too that schools can tweak scholarships... I so wish I would have known that sooner!

A school in a low cost of living area that is not a huge metro would fit the bill. A lot of the Big Ten schools plus some Southern schools may be worth a look. I know Iowa City, where I am heading, is very family-friendly.

Most schools, especially larger ones, have graduate/family housing. Law students, graduate students and undergrads with families can live with similarly situated students. UCLA and Penn State have them for sure. I'd bet that many others do too. I personally am holding out for a school that really goes the extra mile. My babies want pony rides while Daddy studies.

What are your stats? That will help narrow it down some.

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YCrevolution wrote:

bree wrote:I would say that UVA is quite family friendly. There seems to be a strong group of married couples. I think there's one group where the couples have kids and one group where they don't. The student association will actually put on events for children of students + faculty now and then. I think there's something for Halloween and for Easter. On top of that, the cost of living in Charlottesville is quite reasonable, the public schools are good, and the neighborhood is safe.

+1

There's a large law student-family association (I think it's called Virginia Law Families), and Charlottesville would be a great place to raise a family.

To get to VLF, just take a left on Sesame street right before you get to campus, then drive about three blocks till you get into Mr. Rodgers neighborhood. You cant miss it, and its very family friendly.

YCrevolution wrote:

bree wrote:I would say that UVA is quite family friendly. There seems to be a strong group of married couples. I think there's one group where the couples have kids and one group where they don't. The student association will actually put on events for children of students + faculty now and then. I think there's something for Halloween and for Easter. On top of that, the cost of living in Charlottesville is quite reasonable, the public schools are good, and the neighborhood is safe.

+1

There's a large law student-family association (I think it's called Virginia Law Families), and Charlottesville would be a great place to raise a family.

I really appreciate the heads up. While I want a great school, I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere with a child, nor do I want to be in any place that is unsafe. I know some schools aren't necessarily family-friendly, so I appreciate the advice.

Obviously stay away from the big cities or anywhere with a high COL. Stay away from debt too. With a family it would be harder to try to count on big law to pay back your loans (even if you do get into a T10 school that can give you a good shot because you may not want to do it). PI and LRAP could offset that but I don't know if starting at 50-60k is really enough for someone with kids who sacrificed 3 years to get through school. I didn't get to go visit but Michigan has been recommended to me as being very family friendly with low COL. I looked at private house rentals near campus and prices are much lower than what I expected. Texas is great too. UVA is great. Duke ok, I am not too crazy about the area right outside of the campus though. I don't consider T6 being family friendly but I will have to make sacrifices so I could attend.