Top Law Schools

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I'm interested in this!

Good forum idea. Created a throwaway account since my usual one would readily out me.

My options: S/Y with a large grant (30/20/20) vs. CCN with $$ and a full ride at UVA.
Pick: SLS.
Debt load: $155,000 at graduation.
Outcome: Median grades, no LR, CA Biglaw, federal clerkship in one of the tough districts (SDNY, DDC, or ND Cal).

Regrets: No.

Due to not having crazy-high numbers, I got only about 60k less at Stanford and Yale than I did at the middle of the T14. So, for me, it was a no-brainer. I loved my time at SLS, and got the actual "best case" outcome I wanted for myself when I came into law school - a clerkship and biglaw in my preferred markets, despite graduating with a hefty slew of Ps and taking a large selection of "fluff" law school classes.

My caveat: Even with my large grant, I would take the Ruby in a heartbeat and never look back (and I didn't really like Chicago when I visited). It's far too good a deal. I'd probably also take the Hamilton, since it would've shaved about $70-$80k off of my debt load. Even with a huge grant, this is a veritable fuckton of money to pay off. This advice only changes if your parents are paying for law school AND they won't just give you the money that you'd otherwise save them AND your chosen career is something that HYS is particularly known for. Otherwise, take the money and never, ever, ever look back.

Solid thread idea. I'm also interested.

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PaulRudd13 wrote:Good forum idea. Created a throwaway account since my usual one would readily out me.

My options: S/Y with a large grant (30/20/20) vs. CCN with $$ and a full ride at UVA.
Pick: SLS.
Debt load: $155,000 at graduation.
Outcome: Median grades, no LR, CA Biglaw, federal clerkship in one of the tough districts (SDNY, DDC, or ND Cal).

Regrets: No.

Due to not having crazy-high numbers, I got only about 60k less at Stanford and Yale than I did at the middle of the T14. So, for me, it was a no-brainer. I loved my time at SLS, and got the actual "best case" outcome I wanted for myself when I came into law school - a clerkship and biglaw in my preferred markets, despite graduating with a hefty slew of Ps and taking a large selection of "fluff" law school classes.

My caveat: Even with my large grant, I would take the Ruby in a heartbeat and never look back (and I didn't really like Chicago when I visited). It's far too good a deal. I'd probably also take the Hamilton, since it would've shaved about $70-$80k off of my debt load. Even with a huge grant, this is a veritable fuckton of money to pay off. This advice only changes if your parents are paying for law school AND they won't just give you the money that you'd otherwise save them AND your chosen career is something that HYS is particularly known for. Otherwise, take the money and never, ever, ever look back.

Solid post. Hoping to hear from others.

The honest answer is that I'm not sure.

I chose HLS over the Hamilton and a full-ride at NYU, in large part because I went into law school wanting to avoid biglaw, and the institutional support at HLS just seemed to be a lot better for my interests. (I have no idea if that's actually true - but that's what I thought.) I had significant personal savings due because I worked for a few years before law school, and graduated with about 120k in debt.

I did very well at HLS, but wasn't able to get the public service job that I wanted because hiring was cut dramatically. I considered taking a different public service job, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted. In the absence of debt, I would have taken that job anyway, but I thought that I shouldn't take a 100k pay cut and have a still-considerable debt burden even with LIPP for a job that had, in my mind, some serious drawbacks. (On a side note: LIPP is not great: if you look at the scale, you still have to contribute around 6k if you're making in the low 60s. That's tough if you're living in SF, NYC, DC.)

So instead I went back into biglaw in September. As I've previously described on this board, I've hated almost every moment of it, even though I've gotten do some things that are (1) very interesting, and (2) will look great on my resume. During one of the darkest points of the year, when the job had really taken a toll on my mental health, I miraculously landed a clerkship that begins this summer.

I wouldn't have gone into biglaw if I had taken the full-rides, but then I also probably would not have gotten the clerkship since it was orchestrated by a very connected HLS professor. I will say that biglaw is absolutely miserable, and a big part of my stress was feeling like I was trapped in it because of the debt. I also have about 90k debt left, and anticipate having about 75k left after I finish clerking, and I'm not sure how quickly I'm going to be able to get rid of it because I'm certainly not going back into biglaw. If I could have a do-over, I would take the full-ride, but I'm also aware (and appreciative of) the fact that HLS has in fact opened some doors that I'm not sure would be open otherwise. But before I got the clerkship and found a way out, I very much regretted taking on a life-altering amount of debt from Harvard.

This is a great thread -- thanks for the honest answers. As a current HYS student planning to pursue a public interest career, it's helpful to hear the perspective of someone who has already graduated and actually experienced this debt. Right now, I can definitely say I don't regret my choice to turn down significant scholarships to other T14s, but I could certainly see how that perspective may shift a few years out.

AnonDane wrote:This is a great thread -- thanks for the honest answers. As a current HYS student planning to pursue a public interest career, it's helpful to hear the perspective of someone who has already graduated and actually experienced this debt. Right now, I can definitely say I don't regret my choice to turn down significant scholarships to other T14s, but I could certainly see how that perspective may shift a few years out.

Did you get any grants from HYS?

This is a great thread. Thanks for the advice!

Hey PaulRudd, I shot you a PM. Just wanted to post here in case you don't check the new account. Thanks! I really appreciate everyone's advice and perspective so far, keep it coming!

So happy someone made this thread.

wtrc wrote:So happy someone made this thread.

+1, tagging.. even though i prob wont get hys this discussion might be relevant to ppl with ccn vs full ride at lower t14s.

I appreciate the honesty as well! This thread was a great idea. The trade off isn't something family and friends appreciate. They suggest I just take a crazy amount of debt.

ttime97 wrote:I appreciate the honesty as well! This thread was a great idea. The trade off isn't something family and friends appreciate. They suggest I just take a crazy amount of debt.

Yea, I can't believe how every one I talk to IRL just tell me to pony up for HYS, as if they don't realize how much 100k+ USD is.
From every anecdotal piece I've seen on TLS, there are much more people who regret turning down their full ride to T6 for HYS, than the other way around.

paglababa wrote:

ttime97 wrote:I appreciate the honesty as well! This thread was a great idea. The trade off isn't something family and friends appreciate. They suggest I just take a crazy amount of debt.

Yea, I can't believe how every one I talk to IRL just tell me to pony up for HYS, as if they don't realize how much 100k+ USD is.
From every anecdotal piece I've seen on TLS, there are much more people who regret turning down their full ride to T6 for HYS, than the other way around.

That's just the nature of the beast - I have no way of knowing how my school affected my ability to get my first job, and no way of projecting how it will impact my future career. I do know that I'm not doing anything I couldn't have theoretically done from marginally lower ranked school, and that paying back these loans is painful.