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ITE, what are people’s thoughts on GDub? Is it worth going say $100,000 in debt to attend? Is it the next best thing after the T14 and Vandy and UT? Will one be stuck living in dire poverty if they are median there? How has OCI been the past couple of years and especially this year? Any and all thoughts are much appreciated.

Also, is it regional or national? This is something I can’t seem to figure out. I know they place well in DC and NY (and I imagine in Philly or Boston if people wanna work there) but what about nationally? If one really wants to say work in San Francisco, would it better to attend GWU or go to a more regional school out there like Hastings or Davis? They seem to have some nice name power if you will, but I get the impression that they are somewhat east coast focused. Would it be impossible to make it back to the west coast?

tag

disclaimer, not going to GWU even though I would like to be...but I do know a lot about it.

first, GWU is worth 100k. some ppl on here would disagree but objectively if that is your only choice and you don't want to/can't get a better LSAT GWU is def worth 100k. is GWU worth sticker? That is about 250k in debt. I do not think it is. (as an aside, this is why I chose Tulane b/c while I could have gotten GWu by raising my LSAT a few points I could not justify paying sticker at GWU)

GWU is a regional school. as you said it does well in that area. however, in CA it will not be as strong. and if you are getting about a 150k schly to GWU I would assume you could prob get either a full ride or nearly a full ride to a Cali school like Davis or Hastings. if you sure you are looking for a Cali job then going to school in Cali for free is the way to go.

plus, if you are getting $ from GWU your numbers have to be pretty good. in that case, you could prob get into gtwon, especially if you apply to the PT program. is gtown sticker > GWU with 150k schly? IMO the prestige of gtown is worth the cost and I'd take it over the schly. just my opinion though, and I know some ppl will disagree.

overall, GWU is a good school and you will get a good job. at that cost you would be in a good position assuming you are looking for the East Coast. good luck and if you have any other Qs about the school, places to live, eat, clubs, let me know.

Disclaimer: GW 1L. I'm obviously biased.

1) Is it worth 100k?

I think so, yes. But that answer will depend on what things you're looking for in a school, and if GW can provide you with those things. I want to go into gov't, so I decided it was worth it to me to be near those internships.

2) Is it the next best thing since the T-14, UT and Vandy?

I'd argue that UCLA is the next best thing after the T-14, and equal with UT.

3) Regional or National?

I'd lean towards saying regional, though this gets into the tricky issue of self-selection. A lot of people purposefully come to GW because they want to work in DC (biglaw, fed gov't, military etc). So it's hard to know if they could have gotten jobs had they chosen to leave. Our faculty consider us a national law school, though they're clearly biased. That being said, the class of '08 sent about 6% of their class to the west coast, which doesn't scream "national law school".

I met alumni who worked in the Bay Area, and hadn't had much trouble getting jobs there (provided they were from CA originally, and therefore not flight risks). But, and this is a big but, they were doing OCI before the economy tanked. If you specifically want to work in SF, and can't get into Stanford/Cal/UCLA, I'd say go to Hastings or Davis. If you want to work anywhere outside of CA, or to have that option, I'd say GW.

4)

gwuorbust wrote: if you are getting about a 150k schly to GWU I would assume you could prob get either a full ride or nearly a full ride to a Cali school like Davis or Hastings. if you sure you are looking for a Cali job then going to school in Cali for free is the way to go.

This isn't really the case, especially in the current economy. Most of their money now is going towards lowering out-of-state cost to in-state and not much else. I received pretty good money from GW, and got only need-based money from Davis. (Disclaimer: I'm a CA resident, so I already had a "lower" tuition.)

5)

gwuorbust wrote:plus, if you are getting $ from GWU your numbers have to be pretty good. in that case, you could prob get into gtwon, especially if you apply to the PT program. is gtown sticker > GWU with 150k schly? IMO the prestige of gtown is worth the cost and I'd take it over the schly. just my opinion though, and I know some ppl will disagree.

Again, not necessarily true. There are people at GW who all got the same scholarship - some broke the T10 and T14, and some got waitlisted at a couple T-14s; some didn't break into the T-14 at all. I don't know how the change in rankings has effected GTown's PT program. It might be easier to get into still, but I'm not sure. As to it being worth sticker over GW...that would depend heavily on your end goal. Biglaw? Yeah, it's probably worth sticker over GW. Anything else? Bit dicier. Our employment percentages at 9 mos. out are pretty close.

GTown would probably make going back west easier, though.

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BoomBoom1986 wrote:Is it worth going say $100,000 in debt to attend?

Maybe. DC is tough. GW is good, but you're going to school in a market with GULC and targeted by people from many many different schools, many of them very prestigious. Also you don't really need to demonstrate ties for DC, eliminating that barrier to entry

Is it the next best thing after the T14 and Vandy and UT?

If you want to be on the eastern seaboard, probably yeah.

Also, is it regional or national? This is something I can’t seem to figure out. I know they place well in DC and NY (and I imagine in Philly or Boston if people wanna work there) but what about nationally? If one really wants to say work in San Francisco, would it better to attend GWU or go to a more regional school out there like Hastings or Davis? They seem to have some nice name power if you will, but I get the impression that they are somewhat east coast focused. Would it be impossible to make it back to the west coast?

All schools not named HYS are regional to varying degrees. GW is certainly one of them. It's viewed as a strong east coast school. I would under no circumstances go there trying to make it to Cali.

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mi-chan17 wrote: 4)

gwuorbust wrote: if you are getting about a 150k schly to GWU I would assume you could prob get either a full ride or nearly a full ride to a Cali school like Davis or Hastings. if you sure you are looking for a Cali job then going to school in Cali for free is the way to go.

This isn't really the case, especially in the current economy. Most of their money now is going towards lowering out-of-state cost to in-state and not much else. I received pretty good money from GW, and got only need-based money from Davis. (Disclaimer: I'm a CA resident, so I already had a "lower" tuition.)

have you ever heard of LSN?

5)

gwuorbust wrote:plus, if you are getting $ from GWU your numbers have to be pretty good. in that case, you could prob get into gtwon, especially if you apply to the PT program. is gtown sticker > GWU with 150k schly? IMO the prestige of gtown is worth the cost and I'd take it over the schly. just my opinion though, and I know some ppl will disagree.

Again, not necessarily true. There are people at GW who all got the same scholarship - some broke the T10 and T14, and some got waitlisted at a couple T-14s; some didn't break into the T-14 at all. I don't know how the change in rankings has effected GTown's PT program. It might be easier to get into still, but I'm not sure. As to it being worth sticker over GW...that would depend heavily on your end goal. Biglaw? Yeah, it's probably worth sticker over GW. Anything else? Bit dicier. Our employment percentages at 9 mos. out are pretty close.

GTown would probably make going back west easier, though.

PT is always been easier to get into at gtown. The way USNWR chanced the system it will not effect the difficulty of getting into gtown PT. also, I do not think many ppl are aiming for midlaw. midlaw is typically what ppl go for when they can't get biglaw. obv public interest is a different story but in that case your loans are going to be forgiven so who cares how much debt you take on?

gwuorbust wrote: have you ever heard of LSN?

*blinks* Yes? Not sure what that has to do with my observations on scholarships last cycle, though.

Your point about debt and IBR is a good one. And yeah, I've yet to meet anyone in my class aiming for the mythical "midlaw" of those that are more law firm inclined. So in terms of GTown PT sticker v. GW FT at 100k I think it's kind of a to-each-his-own situation. I would choose the latter, but I'm heinously biased and not interested in biglaw.

mi-chan17 wrote:

gwuorbust wrote: have you ever heard of LSN?

*blinks* Yes? Not sure what that has to do with my observations on scholarships last cycle, though.

Your point about debt and IBR is a good one. And yeah, I've yet to meet anyone in my class aiming for the mythical "midlaw" of those that are more law firm inclined. So in terms of GTown PT sticker v. GW FT at 100k I think it's kind of a to-each-his-own situation. I would choose the latter, but I'm heinously biased and not interested in biglaw.

take a look at Davis and sort by LSAT. They give out a lot of 90k and 60k schlys. I'd be willing to bet that most of those go to out-of-state residents where Davis wants their number combo.

gwuorbust wrote: take a look at Davis and sort by LSAT. They give out a lot of 90k and 60k schlys. I'd be willing to bet that most of those go to out-of-state residents where Davis wants their number combo.

I think you're right, but 20-30k/yr when out-of-state tuition is 51k alone, not including living expenses or other necessities, is still no where near a full ride. Based on Davis' estimated COA for in-state residents, that would still leave one 85-115k in the hole. (Provided that their fees don't go up, which isn't looking likely based on CAs budget.)

I agree that it's possible that someone with GW $$ numbers can get money at Davis or Hastings, but I think given what happened this past year (based on anecdotal and LSN evidence) that receiving more than 10-15k/yr is unusual and those that did had T-6 type numbers.

mi-chan17 wrote:

gwuorbust wrote: take a look at Davis and sort by LSAT. They give out a lot of 90k and 60k schlys. I'd be willing to bet that most of those go to out-of-state residents where Davis wants their number combo.

I think you're right, but 20-30k/yr when out-of-state tuition is 51k alone, not including living expenses or other necessities, is still no where near a full ride. Based on Davis' estimated COA for in-state residents, that would still leave one 85-115k in the hole. (Provided that their fees don't go up, which isn't looking likely based on CAs budget.)

I agree that it's possible that someone with GW $$ numbers can get money at Davis or Hastings, but I think given what happened this past year (based on anecdotal and LSN evidence) that receiving more than 10-15k/yr is unusual and those that did had T-6 type numbers.

fair enf, thats why OP should come to Tulane. We have $$$ and NATIONAL REACH!!!!

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BoomBoom1986 wrote:ITE, what are people’s thoughts on GDub? Is it worth going say $100,000 in debt to attend? Is it the next best thing after the T14 and Vandy and UT?

I would say:
T14
Vandy
UT
UCLA
Fordham
GW, USC

If you're aiming for CA, you should be looking at UCLA and USC.

im_blue wrote:

BoomBoom1986 wrote:ITE, what are people’s thoughts on GDub? Is it worth going say $100,000 in debt to attend? Is it the next best thing after the T14 and Vandy and UT?

I would say:
T14
Vandy
UT
UCLA
Fordham
GW, USC

If you're aiming for CA, you should be looking at UCLA and USC.

Really...

If Cali is your goal, then UCLA and USC. If youre comfortable with staying in DC, then by all means GW.

Good luck!

im_blue wrote:

BoomBoom1986 wrote:ITE, what are people’s thoughts on GDub? Is it worth going say $100,000 in debt to attend? Is it the next best thing after the T14 and Vandy and UT?

I would say:
T14
Vandy
UT
UCLA
Fordham
GW, USC


If you're aiming for CA, you should be looking at UCLA and USC.