Offers coming in - Now what? Forum

[Bobnoxious]

I'm 47 years old, already have 35k in undergrad debt, and am willing to pretty much relocate anywhere to get this done with as quickly as possible. At my age I'm thinking that one extra year of lost earnings matters a whole helluva lot more now than if I were 25-30.

I also fully intend to go solo out of the gate.I was offered a full ride from Washburn Law. Considering what I'm looking to do, and the cost appears to be affordable, I think it's worth considering. At least for this curmudgeon.

I was also accepted by SLU and offered $26k/year scholarship, and by Loyola - New Orleans and offered $33k/year scholarship.

Both would require me to cover approximately $9k/year in tuition and fees as well as about $12-15k/year in living expenses. Washburn is still in the lead with the full ride and me covering living expenses. Still more to hear from, including my hometown school. I'm hoping they will throw money at me, but I'm not holding my breath.

Still waiting to hear from...

University of Arkansas at Little Rock
UMKC
Louisville
Mississippi College
The University of Memphis (home school)
Mercer University
University of Mississippi
University of Arkansas School of Law

I'm also thinking that I should be withdrawing my applications a.s.a.p. from those schools who aren't as competitive as others on the list as I see the offers. Is that correct, or should I try to negotiate first? Ideally I would like to stay and practice in Memphis, but Little Rock, New Orleans and Jackson, MS would be fine runners up.

[Ramius]

What are your stipulations on these scholarships? These are not strong schools at all, and I'm forced to believe they'll have awful stipulations as well. I won't pipe up and immediately tell you to retake YET, but that's likely your best bet, regardless of your goals.

[sublime]

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[Bobnoxious]

Washburn is a 2.8 stip
Loyola is a 2.5 stip
SLU is a big "I don't know yet."

[Ramius]

Washburn is a 2.8 stip
Loyola is a 2.5 stip
SLU is a big "I don't know yet."

I'm 47 years old, already have 35k in undergrad debt, and am willing to pretty much relocate anywhere to get this done with as quickly as possible. At my age I'm thinking that one extra year of lost earnings matters a whole helluva lot more now than if I were 25-30.

And, yes, I fully intend to go solo out of the gate.

Okay, first off, don't for a second think you're losing much by way of earnings by waiting a year going to any of these schools. You will overwhelmingly likely not ever make any sort of strong income from any of them. Second, as a seasoned adult, please understand the decision you're making for you and your family. You're essentially gambling big money on a passion. Not saying that is bad, but lots of passions end up in financial ruin.

For those stips, do you know what the curve is for each of those schools? This can greatly affect how fair or unfair the stip might be, and whenever we're talking about Washburn, slu, etc., it's probably not favorable.

[Bobnoxious]

I've *heard* that a 2.8 at Washburn is about 50%, but I can't seem to find any information on the curve at these schools. Know of any decent resources?

[Ramius]

I've *heard* that a 2.8 at Washburn is about 50%, but I can't seem to find any information on the curve at these schools. Know of any decent resources?

Yeah, absolutely don't accept that. Can you guarantee you'll be top half in an arbitrary grading curve or willing to drop out if you lose the scholly? If these are the questions you must ask yourself brutally honestly.

[Bobnoxious]

I can't guarantee a damned thing over the next three years. Hell, I could get diagnosed with lung cancer from 30 years of smoking the next time I go to the doctor. It looks like about 25% of those receiving scholarships eventually lose them at Washburn.

[Ramius]

I can't guarantee a damned thing over the next three years. Hell, I could get diagnosed with lung cancer from 30 years of smoking the next time I go to the doctor. It looks like about 25% of those receiving scholarships eventually lose them at Washburn.

Then why on earth are you betting $60k+ of your family to pursue this? Please look at lawschooltransparency.com for those schools and look at the piss poor employment prospects. This is in no way, shape or form an acceptable decision from any intelligent adult. What you need to do is retake the LSAT, get a better score, get better scholly offers and avoid putting your family into debt unnecessarily.

[sublime]

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[Ramius]

I can't guarantee a damned thing over the next three years. Hell, I could get diagnosed with lung cancer from 30 years of smoking the next time I go to the doctor. It looks like about 25% of those receiving scholarships eventually lose them at Washburn.

Then why on earth are you betting $60k+ of your family to pursue this? Please look at lawschooltransparency.com for those schools and look at the piss poor employment prospects. This is in no way, shape or form an acceptable decision from any intelligent adult. What you need to do is retake the LSAT, get a better score, get better scholly offers and avoid putting your family into debt unnecessarily.

LST isn't that useful for someone going solo.

Fair point. Neither is $60k+ of debt with the intent of going solo with no book of business.

(Not trying to be overly snarky, but I want to remain clear how bad this decision would be for a man with a family and mortgage and responsibilities).

ETA: with the context that the OP is 47 years old.

[Bobnoxious]

So far...

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/windmarkbob

[LET'S GET IT]

If you are dead set on going solo, you should go to the cheapest option. Memphis seems like the easy choice here if they give you big money which I would think they would with your numbers. I say that since your wife is there and you want to practice there. UALR will likely give you a full ride. I would never recommend this school to anyone besides you, but your situation is unique. The cost of living in LR is very low and you could easily drive to Memphis on the weekends to see your wife (it's a little under two hours depending what part of Memphis).

I'm not going to say you shouldn't pursue your dreams, just do so knowing that you will be 50/51 at graduation so you will probably be paying off loans until retirement. I'm pretty familiar with both the Arkansas schools so feel free to ask me if you have any questions about them, or Arkansas in general. Best of luck to you.

[kbiman]

Bobnoxious, I was close to your age when I went to Washburn five years ago. As with everything, there are pros and cons. Some of the pros: 1. It is easy , no one flunks out which is amazing as they let almost anyone in! 2. Cheap, quick residency but I guess that doesn't apply as you have a full ride. 3. If you stay in KS it is pretty well accepted.
Cons: 1. This may have changed, but when I went there older students just were not accepted well. 2. Outside of KS, no one knows about Washburn or has high regard for it. Most KU law students look down on WL. 3. I had started law school at Cornell several years earlier and had to quit after one semester for financial reasons. Washburn just isn't a classy, professional school in comparison. This may have changed, but when I went there none of the professors went to good schools. KU has a more elite faculty by far.
If I had it to do over , I would have gone to KU even though it was more expensive.

[Bobnoxious]

Well, I paid my seat deposit today. I was offered a full tuition scholarship at Ole Miss. I figure it's at least as strong as the University of Memphis in the Memphis market and substantially stronger than the University of Memphis in any other market, so I'll move, borrow to cover COA, and go to law school in Oxford. Besides, it's a helluva lot closer to the wife than Topeka, KS and Jackson, MS.

[sublime]

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[LET'S GET IT]

Congrats! How far is Oxford from Memphis?

[Bobnoxious]

Thanks. The school is about 90 minutes from my house.