Duke Law c/o 2018 Forum

[radio1nowhere]

Just withdrew from Duke. Hope the $$ goes to one of y'all! Good luck!

[Winston1984]

Checking in!

[lnick93]

Just withdrew my application. Good luck everyone!

[meachum]

Has anyone started securing housing for next year? If so, which properties? I'm currently checking out Pinnacle Ridge and Century Trinity Estates. They seem comparable in price/quality, but Century has a good bit of negative reviews on different websites. There's mostly positive feedback for Pinnacle Ridge.

Interested to see what everyone else is thinking regarding housing.

[idissent]

Has anyone started securing housing for next year? If so, which properties? I'm currently checking out Pinnacle Ridge and Century Trinity Estates. They seem comparable in price/quality, but Century has a good bit of negative reviews on different websites. There's mostly positive feedback for Pinnacle Ridge.

Interested to see what everyone else is thinking regarding housing.

I'm sending in my deposit tomorrow (yay!), so I'm starting to focus in on housing. I really liked Pinnacle Ridge, but I'm also considering scoping out downtown to see if I can get within walking distance of bars and restaurants.

[NoLieAbility]

With a wife and two large dogs, I'm looking pretty hard at Beech Lakes and The Forest. Dog weight limits suck...

[DetroitRed]

Has anyone started securing housing for next year? If so, which properties? I'm currently checking out Pinnacle Ridge and Century Trinity Estates. They seem comparable in price/quality, but Century has a good bit of negative reviews on different websites. There's mostly positive feedback for Pinnacle Ridge.

Interested to see what everyone else is thinking regarding housing.

I've all but deposited for a place at University Apartments. Seems like a solid combination of price, amenities, and location.

[ithrowds]

How are you guys finding roommates? Just through the FB book? I'm heading out but I don't know anyone at Duke or from that area so I'm literally going in blind. I'd prefer to live somewhere with 2ish roommates, is that possible at pinnacle ridge?

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

[ggwalton]

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

I was looking at a similar difference in scholly money from Cornell and just deposited at Duke. It may be easier to rationalize when you look at the much cheaper COL, the "price" of better weather, and a top-notch basketball team. But consider me biased.

[ithrowds]

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

I was looking at a similar difference in scholly money from Cornell and just deposited at Duke. It may be easier to rationalize when you look at the much cheaper COL, the "price" of better weather, and a top-notch basketball team. But consider me biased.

Those are pretty much the exactly the reasons I'm currently using o rationalize my decision. I just can't tell if its worth the difference in cost. It is nice to hear other people in the same predicament though. Congrats on depositing!

[NoLieAbility]

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

As a disclaimer, I don't think Duke is worth 50k more than Cornell. The cost of living difference will close that gap a bit, but the life of the loan will exacerbate it, and you're talking about some very real money. Duke with 50k is very defensible, but Cornell with 100k is an excellent option for most goals. Based on my own priorities, I would be Ithaca-bound if I were in your shoes.

The only thing that I can think of which might serve as some justification for Duke over Cornell is the placement differential. I'm from the south, and I intend to return to the south, and (depending on where you're looking) there are people in hiring positions who might look at a Cornell degree as belonging to a carpetbagger. There's some kind of inane bias against the Ivy League down here that I have never really understood. I would like to imagine that most attorneys are beyond that kind of prejudice, but: A) they aren't and B) why risk it when most of the south seems to artificially inflate Duke's prestige?

I love Duke. I love their staff, I love their campus, I love the fat stacks of cash that they offered me before a number of schools had even gotten around to offering me admission, and I really love their metrics. That being said, I'd work very hard to avoid letting those things weigh more than a 50k face value loan.

[Vermonster]

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

As a disclaimer, I don't think Duke is worth 50k more than Cornell. The cost of living difference will close that gap a bit, but the life of the loan will exacerbate it, and you're talking about some very real money. Duke with 50k is very defensible, but Cornell with 100k is an excellent option for most goals. Based on my own priorities, I would be Ithaca-bound if I were in your shoes.

The only thing that I can think of which might serve as some justification for Duke over Cornell is the placement differential. I'm from the south, and I intend to return to the south, and (depending on where you're looking) there are people in hiring positions who might look at a Cornell degree as belonging to a carpetbagger. There's some kind of inane bias against the Ivy League down here that I have never really understood. I would like to imagine that most attorneys are beyond that kind of prejudice, but: A) they aren't and B) why risk it when most of the south seems to artificially inflate Duke's prestige?

I love Duke. I love their staff, I love their campus, I love the fat stacks of cash that they offered me before a number of schools had even gotten around to offering me admission, and I really love their metrics. That being said, I'd work very hard to avoid letting those things weigh more than a 50k face value loan.

I agree with above. I would take Cornell in this situation. But it just comes down to how much you personally value going to Duke-which obviously varies tremendously from person to person. Also maybe Duke would be better if you were targeting the South as mentioned above.

[DetroitRed]

How are you guys finding roommates? Just through the FB book? I'm heading out but I don't know anyone at Duke or from that area so I'm literally going in blind. I'd prefer to live somewhere with 2ish roommates, is that possible at pinnacle ridge?

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

To provide something of a counterpoint:

Duke is a better choice (even at that price differential) assuming either of the following goals:

(1) Clerking: According to the most recent clerkship data, 14.3% of Duke's student body landed a federal clerkship, whereas only 7.3% did at Cornell. Sure, you can argue that some of that differential is a result of self-selection, but I don't think that can account for too much more than a couple percentage points. So choosing Duke over Cornell, even at a 50k difference, is quite defensible if you want to clerk.

(2) Non-NYC Biglaw: Over half the class at Cornell ends up in NYC Biglaw; the largest non-NYC market (California) got only 13/191 grads (6.8% of the class). The numbers are even lower for D.C. (11/191, or 5.7%), the third largest market after CA. At Duke ~ 20% of the class ends up in NYC, ~15% in DC, and then CA, TX, the broader South in varying percentages. So if you are ok with NYC Biglaw (which frankly you probably should be if you're going to law school at all, but you can have a preference), Cornell is a good option. If you want DC/TX/the South/CA, Duke is a stronger option.

tl;dr: Duke is a better option if you want to clerk or work in non-NYC Biglaw. Whether those advantages apply to you, and whether they warrant an extra 50k, is up to you. FWIW, I would choose Duke in your shoes.

(Also, if you take the less dismal tack on law school selection, it might be the case that you just like Duke better, and that's fine. I think that TLS' focus on money is very helpful, but I also think it can sometime distract from other relevant selection metrics.)

[ticklemesilly]

Anyone still waiting on a scholarship appeal response?

[ggwalton]

(Also, if you take the less dismal tack on law school selection, it might be the case that you just like Duke better, and that's fine. I think that TLS' focus on money is very helpful, but I also think it can sometime distract from other relevant selection metrics.)

Examples of a relevant selection metric being whether you look best in red or blue.

[Sue_Lawyer]

Is anyone thinking about doing a JD/LLM for International Law? Is it worth the extra semester of tuition to do it or just engage heavily in international course work. With my scholarship it will cost me an extra 20k to create 136k of debt vs. 116k of debt

[hill1334]

(Also, if you take the less dismal tack on law school selection, it might be the case that you just like Duke better, and that's fine. I think that TLS' focus on money is very helpful, but I also think it can sometime distract from other relevant selection metrics.)

Examples of a relevant selection metric being whether you look best in red or blue.

I mean he is right and you are wrong though. Feel and fit and whether you would be more happy at one place or another do matter, both because 1) being relatively more happy at one place over another during a three year period of your life is very worthwhile (and, if you need to monetize that value, potentially worth $10,000 dollars or more to some people) and 2) feeling comfortable and happy in an environment can definitely translate to better performance on exams, which largely determines post law school outcomes. Obviously TLS' rightly focuses on money and employment outcome is generally a positive, but other metrics do matter.

[ggwalton]

(Also, if you take the less dismal tack on law school selection, it might be the case that you just like Duke better, and that's fine. I think that TLS' focus on money is very helpful, but I also think it can sometime distract from other relevant selection metrics.)

Examples of a relevant selection metric being whether you look best in red or blue.

I mean he is right and you are wrong though. Feel and fit and whether you would be more happy at one place or another do matter, both because 1) being relatively more happy at one place over another during a three year period of your life is very worthwhile (and, if you need to monetize that value, potentially worth $10,000 dollars or more to some people) and 2) feeling comfortable and happy in an environment can definitely translate to better performance on exams, which largely determines post law school outcomes. Obviously TLS' rightly focuses on money and employment outcome is generally a positive, but other metrics do matter.

I was being sarcastic. I completely agree with both you and DetroitRed. TLS can become so bogged down in numbers and minutiae (see: Latest employment numbers thread) and I thought I would take a moment to make light of the situation. As well as make a joke on DetroitRed's username. I'm not trying to stir the pot.

[legallybrunette93]

Has anyone had success using a Georgetown offer to negotiate with Duke? Georgetown is only offering me $15k more than Duke so I'm debating if it's even worth it to try.

[Brady199]

Is anyone thinking about doing a JD/LLM for International Law? Is it worth the extra semester of tuition to do it or just engage heavily in international course work. With my scholarship it will cost me an extra 20k to create 136k of debt vs. 116k of debt

I think there is an extra scholly for the JD/LLM program. If you have a substantial scholly for the regular JD, then I think they will bump your award by the total tuition cost of the LLM sem later.

[SplitMyPants]

Also I'm on the verge of depositing at duke with a 50k scholly when Cornell is offering me 100k....someone reassure me I'm not stupid D:

As a disclaimer, I don't think Duke is worth 50k more than Cornell. The cost of living difference will close that gap a bit, but the life of the loan will exacerbate it, and you're talking about some very real money. Duke with 50k is very defensible, but Cornell with 100k is an excellent option for most goals. Based on my own priorities, I would be Ithaca-bound if I were in your shoes.

The only thing that I can think of which might serve as some justification for Duke over Cornell is the placement differential. I'm from the south, and I intend to return to the south, and (depending on where you're looking) there are people in hiring positions who might look at a Cornell degree as belonging to a carpetbagger. There's some kind of inane bias against the Ivy League down here that I have never really understood. I would like to imagine that most attorneys are beyond that kind of prejudice, but: A) they aren't and B) why risk it when most of the south seems to artificially inflate Duke's prestige?

I love Duke. I love their staff, I love their campus, I love the fat stacks of cash that they offered me before a number of schools had even gotten around to offering me admission, and I really love their metrics. That being said, I'd work very hard to avoid letting those things weigh more than a 50k face value loan.

Cornell costs $5k more per year and has a higher cost of living. We're talking $35k difference in tuition, minus CoL, minus 10-month winter QoL -- at which point they start looking about even.

[Winston1984]

Does anyone know the exact dates of orientation? I saw August 2015 on the website, just checking if there is a firm date out there.

[SplitMyPants]

Does anyone know the exact dates of orientation? I saw August 2015 on the website, just checking if there is a firm date out there.

August 18th

https://law.duke.edu/sites/default/file ... lendar.pdf

[Winston1984]

Does anyone know the exact dates of orientation? I saw August 2015 on the website, just checking if there is a firm date out there.

August 18th

https://law.duke.edu/sites/default/file ... lendar.pdf

Thank you very much!

[ticklemesilly]

Just got my reconsideration request fulfilled. 3.6X, 170, 75K. Do you guys think this is a good deal?