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Hello. I was admitted to WUSTL's class of 2017 with a full tuition scholarship, as well as Vanderbilt (not sure how much aid yet). I was wait listed at UVA, rejected from Berkeley and still waiting on the rest of the T14 decisions.

To recent WUSTL graduates/students, what is your take on how I should decided between taking the money and possibly attending a school like Penn, Duke or even Vandy with little money?

It seems like the overarching opinion is that WUSTL does not really offer one the chance to get a job in NYC or Chicago at a BigLaw or boutique litigation firm, which is ultimately my goal. I also received big scholarship offers from USC and Emory, which both seem to present similar worries and risks (the latter moreso than the former if I would like to practice in California). Thoughts?

Wait for aid

bkraut1 wrote:Hello. I was admitted to WUSTL's class of 2017 with a full tuition scholarship, as well as Vanderbilt (not sure how much aid yet). I was wait listed at UVA, rejected from Berkeley and still waiting on the rest of the T14 decisions.

To recent WUSTL graduates/students, what is your take on how I should decided between taking the money and possibly attending a school like Penn, Duke or even Vandy with little money?

It seems like the overarching opinion is that WUSTL does not really offer one the chance to get a job in NYC or Chicago at a BigLaw or boutique litigation firm, which is ultimately my goal. I also received big scholarship offers from USC and Emory, which both seem to present similar worries and risks (the latter moreso than the former if I would like to practice in California). Thoughts?

Wait for aid, and while you are waiting figure out what is important to you and how much so.

Do you want biglaw and all it entails?

Do you want to be flexible in what employment you take?

Where do you want to practice?

Where do you not want to practice?

Are you married? Have kids? A mortgage?

How comfortable are you with risk and debt?

Basically balance these things so when aid comes in you know whether you are happy to work in STL, whether you want to be locked into the biglaw or debt category etc.

Also once you get the aid numbers negotiate them up as much as possible. Set a number under which you will not attend, and if that mark isn't hit (I personally would not tell them the number, rather send a polite email saying that you love the school, but school X offered you $X and you are worried about carrying debt.) withdraw citing cost making it infeasible, you may get a last bump or the school may let you walk.