W&L for free vs BC Forum

[mwels7070]

So here is my dilemma,

I have a full ride to Washington and Lee Law. Before this, I was planning on attending BC. I want to practice in Boston and I am from the area. To attend BC, however, I would be paying the sticker price. My question is, should I take the money and go to my second choice or should I just bite the bullet, take the loans and go to BC.

I don't mind being in Lexington and I like everything I have heard about W&L, but again, my goal is to practice in Boston

Thanks for any advice you can give

[tennisking88]

So here is my dilemma,

I have a full ride to Washington and Lee Law. Before this, I was planning on attending BC. I want to practice in Boston and I am from the area. To attend BC, however, I would be paying the sticker price. My question is, should I take the money and go to my second choice or should I just bite the bullet, take the loans and go to BC.

I don't mind being in Lexington and I like everything I have heard about W&L, but again, my goal is to practice in Boston

Thanks for any advice you can give

If you have significant ties to the Boston-area, you should be fine with going to WL. Alhough BC places well in BigLaw, especially in Boston, I don't know if it's worth that much more than WL.

[danielhay11]

Best-case scenario from BC: You are able to snag a Boston BigLaw job, but you're paying $30,000 per year to service a $210k debt.

Almost-worst-case scenario from W&L: You can't get a job outside of VA, and you make slightly less that the BigLaw market rate in private practice. But this is offset by (a) a lower COL and (b) less than a third of the monthly loan payments.

These schools are roughly equal. All things being equal, I'd say take BC for the Boston connection. But $210k is a huge premium for a slightly easier path to a job. You can get to Boston from W&L; it will just be more difficult.

Edit: Oh, but TCR is try to negotiate with BC. If they'll meet W&L in the middle, go with them.

[cinephile]

I would absolutely take the full ride. Unless you really, really want Boston biglaw, in which case you should retake. The likelihood of getting biglaw at BC/BU is not great, like 20%. So are you willing to go into a ton of debt with an 80% chance that you won't get what you want?

[tennisking88]

The likelihood of getting biglaw at BC/BU is not great, like 20%. So are you willing to go into a ton of debt with an 80% chance that you won't get what you want?

BC placed 34% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. That's more than Duke, UCLA, Vandy, TX etc.

BU placed 30% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. More than Vandy, TX, USC, GW, etc.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... slreturn=1

BC is legit. The problem is paying sticker price for it. I assume that since so many ppl get biglaw from BC, that around 50-55% of the class is employed very well, as in, BigLaw+BigFed+Fed/State Clerkships+midlaw (whatever that is).

[emptyflare]

TCR is try to negotiate with BC. If they'll meet W&L in the middle, go with them.

[lawyerwannabe]

The likelihood of getting biglaw at BC/BU is not great, like 20%. So are you willing to go into a ton of debt with an 80% chance that you won't get what you want?

BC placed 34% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. That's more than Duke, UCLA, Vandy, TX etc.

BU placed 30% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. More than Vandy, TX, USC, GW, etc.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... slreturn=1

BC is legit. The problem is paying sticker price for it. I assume that since so many ppl get biglaw from BC, that around 50-55% of the class is employed very well, as in, BigLaw+BigFed+Fed/State Clerkships+midlaw (whatever that is).

Re-read the list in the link you provided . . .

Also, those stats aren't even the most recent. Here you go: http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2543436520

To OP: if you want Boston BigLaw, I would not attend either of these schools. However, purely on the money and placement aspects disregarding any desires you may have, W&L is by far the better choice because BC at sticker is not a sound decision.

[tennisking88]

The likelihood of getting biglaw at BC/BU is not great, like 20%. So are you willing to go into a ton of debt with an 80% chance that you won't get what you want?

BC placed 34% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. That's more than Duke, UCLA, Vandy, TX etc.

BU placed 30% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. More than Vandy, TX, USC, GW, etc.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... slreturn=1

BC is legit. The problem is paying sticker price for it. I assume that since so many ppl get biglaw from BC, that around 50-55% of the class is employed very well, as in, BigLaw+BigFed+Fed/State Clerkships+midlaw (whatever that is).

Re-read the list in the link you provided . . .

Also, those stats aren't even the most recent. Here you go: http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2543436520

My bad. That's right. Yeesh.

[freaknroll]

The likelihood of getting biglaw at BC/BU is not great, like 20%. So are you willing to go into a ton of debt with an 80% chance that you won't get what you want?

BC placed 34% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. That's more than Duke, UCLA, Vandy, TX etc.

BU placed 30% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. More than Vandy, TX, USC, GW, etc.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... slreturn=1

BC is legit. The problem is paying sticker price for it. I assume that since so many ppl get biglaw from BC, that around 50-55% of the class is employed very well, as in, BigLaw+BigFed+Fed/State Clerkships+midlaw (whatever that is).

Re-read the list in the link you provided . . .

Also, those stats aren't even the most recent.

lol, he probably just rounded the number dude. Don't get your panties in a wad. Also, I realize this may be somewhat optimistic but I imagine that the NLJ 250 data will return to those levels, or at least close to them, by the time 0L's go through OCI. Shame that it's very unlikely that we will ever get back to the boom days of the mid 00's

[lawyerwannabe]

The likelihood of getting biglaw at BC/BU is not great, like 20%. So are you willing to go into a ton of debt with an 80% chance that you won't get what you want?

BC placed 34% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. That's more than Duke, UCLA, Vandy, TX etc.

BU placed 30% of its class into BigLaw in 2010. More than Vandy, TX, USC, GW, etc.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... slreturn=1

BC is legit. The problem is paying sticker price for it. I assume that since so many ppl get biglaw from BC, that around 50-55% of the class is employed very well, as in, BigLaw+BigFed+Fed/State Clerkships+midlaw (whatever that is).

Re-read the list in the link you provided . . .

Also, those stats aren't even the most recent.

lol, he probably just rounded the number dude. Don't get your panties in a wad. Also, I realize this may be somewhat optimistic but I imagine that the NLJ 250 data will return to those levels, or at least close to them, by the time 0L's go through OCI. Shame that it's very unlikely that we will ever get back to the boom days of the mid 00's

Actually, the link just gives the school names out of order for some reason.