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I've just been accepted to the GW PT program as well as a PT program in the upper TT range. Struggling to make a decision. I have a hard science background (one in high demand) and want to do patent law. I have about $60k in ug debt so I'm feeling extremely debt-adverse these days. No law school debt from my first year though (currently at a T3/T4). Married - no kids. Thought up some pros/cons for each:

GW - Pros
Known for good placement into IP law. The PT program would let me work full-time at a law firm to gain experience and minimize debt. DC is one of the main geographic areas I would like to end up.

GW - Cons
Expensive school and expensive area. COA will be $191k after interest. This is in addition to my $60k ug debt. The wife has no debt. Now that I have an acceptance, the sickening feeling of taking out more loans is sinking in. Especially since I have pre-2007 loans which means I don't qualify for IBR/PAYE. I like DC but it's so damn expensive. the wife and I would like to life somewhere low-cost like Texas or Michigan (wife wants something below the mason-dixon line but I told her that she needs to be open to everywhere). Wife and I have to find new jobs which will be difficult. I have a sub-3.0 ugpa so that will really hurt when job hunting (but I do have experience).

TT - Pros
Graduate debt free. Don't ask how, but all expenses are covered. I could possibly find something out of PLIP or from the law firm connections I've made in my current job. I might talk with or IP counsel here to see if it would be a possibility to go in-house after graduation (even though most of the attorneys here say we don't hire w/o law firm experience).

TT - Cons
Horrible job placement. No way to get law firm experience if I'm working full-time at my current job. The law firm connections I have won't get us out of the area and the wife and I hate the area and don't want to stay here.



what do you think? Still waiting on a couple of T14's but definitely not holding my breath.

Just wanted to clarify one thing. The fact that you have pre-2007 loans does in no way disqualify you from IBR. You're not the only one who is confused about this; a ton of people I know are so misinformed about it/haven't even heard of it.

"Q: Can I use IBR to pay off older federal loans?

A: Income-Based Repayment is available for any federal loans in the Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) programs, regardless of when the loan was taken out."

source: http://www.ibrinfo.org/faq.vp.html

Thanks, I dug into it a little more and you are right. That makes me feel a little better. I'm feeling a little better about making the jump to GW after my minor freakout. I know it will open up a lot more doors long-term in the IP law field. I've just been in one place for so long that the thought of uprooting my life and starting over somewhere new is pretty scary.

Yeah, you're thinking of PAYE.