Graduated Law School Debt Free - Taking Questions
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:49 pm
May 2011 graduate of a T2 in Chicago.
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Job?Giddy-Up wrote:May 2011 graduate of a T2 in Chicago.
JAGJob?
First year I went full time with a full ride. Paid living expenses with savings. After the first year, I switched to the evening program and worked during the day. The school let me keep the full scholarship even though I switched divisions.egirarde wrote:Did you go in with a full ride? If not, what did you do? Writing competitions, external scholarships, live in your car, work?
If you could do it again, would you take a T14 with debt over T2 with no debt?Giddy-Up wrote:First year I went full time with a full ride. Paid living expenses with savings. After the first year, I switched to the evening program and worked during the day. The school let me keep the full scholarship even though I switched divisions.egirarde wrote:Did you go in with a full ride? If not, what did you do? Writing competitions, external scholarships, live in your car, work?
No. In the vast majority of cases it doesn't. You are an idiot.LoyalRebel wrote:Um, doesn't the military pay for law school for JAG officers??
Hmmm... Thanks for the perspective.Giddy-Up wrote:Yes, doing it all over again I would go the T2 route. I only got into the very bottom of the T14. Fortunately I did well in law school, so my options were pretty wide open. Certainly if I was closer to median, perhaps I would feel differently but I may have been equally screwed even at a lower T14 at median. As a non-trad with a family to support, the debt scared me a lot more. If I had lost my scholarship at the end of the 1st year I like to think I would have made the right decision and thrown in the towel. Certainly there are times when I wonder "what if" For instance, I never participated in OCI or the Loyola Patent Fair. Overall I am happy with my lot.
lol at you calling anyone an idiotMTal wrote:No. In the vast majority of cases it doesn't. You are an idiot.LoyalRebel wrote:Um, doesn't the military pay for law school for JAG officers??
What makes you say that?TheFactor wrote:lol at you calling anyone an idiotMTal wrote:No. In the vast majority of cases it doesn't. You are an idiot.LoyalRebel wrote:Um, doesn't the military pay for law school for JAG officers??
IBTMTal talks about how much smarter he is than the rest of us for dropping out of law school and how much better of a life he has than the rest of us because of it.MTal wrote:What makes you say that?TheFactor wrote:lol at you calling anyone an idiotMTal wrote:No. In the vast majority of cases it doesn't. You are an idiot.LoyalRebel wrote:Um, doesn't the military pay for law school for JAG officers??
.....duhh???TheFactor wrote:Why go to law school when you could be a manager at American Eagle?
Graduating without debt isn't really a science. Scholarship + making 31,000k as an SA + having a decent amount of savings = no debt when you graduate.Giddy-Up wrote:May 2011 graduate of a T2 in Chicago.
31,000,000? Should be enough to cover COL.Blindmelon wrote:Graduating without debt isn't really a science. Scholarship + making 31,000k as an SA + having a decent amount of savings = no debt when you graduate.Giddy-Up wrote:May 2011 graduate of a T2 in Chicago.
Where did you finish in your class? What were your options like?Giddy-Up wrote:May 2011 graduate of a T2 in Chicago.
I finished #3 in my class. It is hard to say what my options were. I did not participate in OCI or the Patent Law fair since I was already working a legal job that I enjoyed. I like to think my options were pretty good, I had good law grades, an undergrad and Masters in Mechanical Engineering and relatively strong pre-law work experience. The biggest negative for biglaw would have probably been my age. I did not start law school until I was 30, with a family to support, which probably explains my heightened aversion to debt.Where did you finish in your class? What were your options like?
I did not attempt to transfer. My goal was to minimize debt. At the time I landed my job, I was attending law school full time and did not apply to any other positions. I think my employment status had little to no bearing on my JAG selection. I did participate in Law Review, but only at the lowest level, I did not seek a position on the board.Jack Smirks wrote:Thank you for the reply. Did you attempt to transfer after 1L? Do you feel like working FT and going to law school PT helped you in interviews and job searching? Were you able to do journal or any other extracurriculars with your demanding schedule?