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I'm considering attending a t10, where I'd more than likely be paying sticker price. Anyone on here done the same and have insight into whether or not it's a good idea?

willyj wrote:I'm considering attending a t10, where I'd more than likely be paying sticker price. Anyone on here done the same and have insight into whether or not it's a good idea?

It's really a personal decision, and a lot of it hinges on how risk-averse you are. This has been debated a lot though, try looking around, you may find some threads that help answer your question.

What do you want to do with a law degree?

If your desire is to practice in your podunk hometown, numbers that are good enough for a T10 school should be good enough for a big scholarship, if not a full ride, at the nice regional school.

Whether or not it is a good idea depends on:

1. Your goals
2. What your backup plan would be if you failed to reach those goals
3. How failing to reach those goals would affect your feelings of self-worth (and all the other aspects of your life)
4. How you would pay back the loans if you missed the prestigious job train (high-profile firm, public interest, and government work)
5. Anything I may have missed

As another poster stated, it is an extremely personal decision and you have to be willing to live with the consequences of the choice you make if things don't go well (being underemployed and under a lot of debt vs. being underemployed while not under a lot of debt).

Think of it as gambling.

There's a guy at my school who scored 170 on the LSAT and is paying sticker...

OGR3 wrote:There's a guy at my school who scored 170 on the LSAT and is paying sticker...

A bad enough GPA puts scholarships out of reach at all schools above the third tier.

Aberzombie1892 wrote:Whether or not it is a good idea depends on:

1. Your goals
2. What your backup plan would be if you failed to reach those goals
3. How failing to reach those goals would affect your feelings of self-worth (and all the other aspects of your life)
4. How you would pay back the loans if you missed the prestigious job train (high-profile firm, public interest, and government work)
5. Anything I may have missed

As another poster stated, it is an extremely personal decision and you have to be willing to live with the consequences of the choice you make if things don't go well (being underemployed and under a lot of debt vs. being underemployed while not under a lot of debt).

Think of it as gambling.
Whether or not you want to be a lawyer

FTFY

OGR3 wrote:There's a guy at my school who scored 170 on the LSAT and is paying sticker...

wow. No $ at all from pitt w a 170??? Was his GPA like sub-2.5?

I would pay sticker price for a Fisher Price.

Honestly, LRAP is pretty good at most t10's no?

ajmanyjah wrote:Honestly, LRAP is pretty good at most t10's no?

LRAP still requires you to gain, and hold, qualifying employment and then have a qualifying salary.

Harvard's LIPP is fantastic. It covers all legal employment, not just public interest. Someone making 60k contributes no more than 10k (sliding scale above and below, obviously). All loans paid off in 10 years as long as you maintain qualifying employment. For the majority of us not interested in public interest per se, it's the best, bar none.

One is great, a couple are good, a couple suck. Chicago's blows and Berkeley's extends only to $100k and necessitates enrolling in IBR. Aside from HYS, CNMP are pretty acceptable...don't really know anything about Virginia's.

ConMan345 wrote:Harvard's LIPP is fantastic. It covers all legal employment, not just public interest. Someone making 60k contributes no more than 10k (sliding scale above and below, obviously). All loans paid off in 10 years as long as you maintain qualifying employment. For the majority of us not interested in public interest per se, it's the best, bar none.

Other than covering all employment, LIPP isn't much better than a lot of other programs. Yale's is easily tops....if you make <65k in an attorney's job, you pay nothing. End of story.

edit for clarification

DreamShake wrote:One is great, a couple are good, a couple suck. Chicago's blows and Berkeley's extends only to $100k and necessitates enrolling in IBR. Aside from HYS, CNMP are pretty acceptable...don't really know anything about Virginia's.

ConMan345 wrote:Harvard's LIPP is fantastic. It covers all legal employment, not just public interest. Someone making 60k contributes no more than 10k (sliding scale above and below, obviously). All loans paid off in 10 years as long as you maintain qualifying employment. For the majority of us not interested in public interest per se, it's the best, bar none.

Other than covering all employment, LIPP isn't much better than a lot of other programs. Yale's is easily tops....if you make <65k in an attorney's job, you pay nothing. End of story.

edit for clarification

FTFY

With the exception of Yale (which does adjust your loans to a 15-year payment schedule for the first five years, back-loading benefits), it's hard to compare top LRAP's in catch-all terms. For example, Stanford's LRAP is marginally more generous than Harvard's for committed public interest people, while as an above poster pointed out, Harvard's LIPP is more flexible in terms of qualifying jobs. Some schools will have higher thresholds for requiring a contribution at all, while some will continue to award benefits at a higher income levels. TLS has helpful LRAP profiles that are worth a look.