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Tl'dr - I have to decide by tomorrow if I want to commit to taking on over 100k in debt to attend UC Davis Law.

I've had a very all of the place, indecisive approach to applying to law schools over the last 2 years. In 2016, I was a senior in my undergrad and invested a lot of time and energy into the application process. I was left considering whether to attend Notre Dame Law (28k/year), UC Davis Law (40k/year) or UNC Chapel Hill (20k/year). I decided to accept and defer admission to Notre Dame, as I wanted to take a year off before starting law school. I went and taught english in South America, which was awesome. When I came back in March, I (possibly foolishly) decided to remove my seat from Notre Dame's class starting in 2017, as I was unsure I wanted to attend this coming year.

Fast forward to May and I was kicking myself for making the decision I did. I was (and am) worried I shouldn't put off law school any longer. It's something I want to do and I understand the immense value a quality legal education can provide. Most schools' application deadlines had passed, but I was able to reapply to UC Davis, where I was accepted a few weeks later. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) my financial gift package is much different this cycle than last. I was only offered $20,000/year, leaving me likely to have to take out over $100,000 in student loans. I can't look back and be saying what if. But I also don't want to miss out on potentially another great opportunity. I'm from Northern California, and have gained a large amount of respect and admiration for Davis. But I am undoubtedly concerned about the debt attending will entail, and can't ignore the prospective that waiting another cycle will have a positive impact on my life. My GPA is 3.45 and my LSAT is 165. Would be grateful for any words of advice or direction anyone may have.

What are you hoping to do with a law degree and where do you want to do it? Big private firm? Small private firm? Local government? Federal government? Non-profit organization?

Until you tell us what type of job you want out of law school, no one can advise you on whether UC Davis makes any sense (although initially my impulse is already retaking and reapplying for better options and better financial options, but the goal stuff matters no matter what school we're talking about, so best to g etc it out of the way).

UVA2B wrote:Until you tell us what type of job you want out of law school, no one can advise you on whether UC Davis makes any sense.

Even without knowing this, I'm willing to say it doesn't.

OP, you had 40K/year, and now you're stuck with 20K/year only because of you reapplied in the middle of the summer. You will likely get the 40K/year offer or something comparable if you just reapply again early in the upcoming cycle. You should get a job for a year, wait it out, and reapply. Otherwise, you're leaving over $60,000 on the table.

I'm not sure what you mean by the immense value a quality legal education can provide. If you mean it can give you a massive increase in your earning potential, that might make sense at a T-14, but we're talking about UC Davis where less than 20% of the class gets biglaw or federal clerkships. I wouldn't count on it. And I'm also not sure why you need it right this second.

Law school isn't going anywhere. You only took one year off after undergrad. Two is normal. Go work for another year, reapply, and see if you still want to do this. While you're at it, might want to retake the LSAT for even better offers.

You sound worried about the debt and 100K is a lot of money to pay off even on a biglaw salary. Don't sail off to Davis for 100k in loans just because you see it as the lesser of two bad options. Not going to law school and doing something else or applying again next year is a good option because it doesn't cost you anything. You sound rushed and stressed. Wait until you have an option that you are genuinely enthusiastic about before pulling the trigger. GL

FWIW you may be underestimating costs OP. https://www.lstreports.com/schools/davis/costs/