William & Mary Forum

[klussy]

New in-state tuition is $23,800 and out-of-state $33,800. That's a pretty high rate of increase - nearly 10% for in-state....arggh. I just hate debt so much, and this now means I can safely predict an extra $8k or so over the next 3 years.

whoa that is a lot! hopefully it won't increase again each subsequent year...but according to the Post article I read it almost certainly will.

[APHill]

gd. all I have to say.

[APHill]

it sucks that the rate of increase for in-state was so much higher...even though they are still the cheapest.

when i was in undergrad they did it every year - 1600-1800 increase in tuition. My scholarship did not increase and stayed the same, resulting in extra 6000 of debt.

hopefully we will be able to work it off during the summers...

[WMCowgirl]

it sucks that the rate of increase for in-state was so much higher...even though they are still the cheapest.

when i was in undergrad they did it every year - 1600-1800 increase in tuition. My scholarship did not increase and stayed the same, resulting in extra 6000 of debt.

hopefully we will be able to work it off during the summers...

Don't feel too bad...23,000 is a lot of money but it is NOTHING for law school--especially one as good as WM. Equivalents are often close to 70,000 a year (aka George Washington). So feel better

[T14_Scholly]

it sucks that the rate of increase for in-state was so much higher...even though they are still the cheapest.

when i was in undergrad they did it every year - 1600-1800 increase in tuition. My scholarship did not increase and stayed the same, resulting in extra 6000 of debt.

hopefully we will be able to work it off during the summers...

Don't feel too bad...23,000 is a lot of money but it is NOTHING for law school--especially one as good as WM. Equivalents are often close to 70,000 a year (aka George Washington). So feel better

Well that's not accurate, because 70,000 isn't GW's tuition.

[NU_Jet55]

it sucks that the rate of increase for in-state was so much higher...even though they are still the cheapest.

when i was in undergrad they did it every year - 1600-1800 increase in tuition. My scholarship did not increase and stayed the same, resulting in extra 6000 of debt.

hopefully we will be able to work it off during the summers...

Don't feel too bad...23,000 is a lot of money but it is NOTHING for law school--especially one as good as WM. Equivalents are often close to 70,000 a year (aka George Washington). So feel better

Well that's not accurate, because 70,000 isn't GW's tuition.

lol. Credited.

[WMCowgirl]

it sucks that the rate of increase for in-state was so much higher...even though they are still the cheapest.

when i was in undergrad they did it every year - 1600-1800 increase in tuition. My scholarship did not increase and stayed the same, resulting in extra 6000 of debt.

hopefully we will be able to work it off during the summers...

Don't feel too bad...23,000 is a lot of money but it is NOTHING for law school--especially one as good as WM. Equivalents are often close to 70,000 a year (aka George Washington). So feel better

Well that's not accurate, because 70,000 isn't GW's tuition.

Well not flat out. But once you add room and board it is estimated to be about 70k a year

lol. Credited.

[APHill]

I know it is still the cheapest one of the T30 schools, but.... I just wonder why they came up with round numbers this year - 23800 and 33800 seriously? It is like they convened and resolved - those law admits will pay about 24 grand for sure, let us make it 23.8K even. Before tuition increases seemed to be on some kind of percentages, arriving at uneven numbers, but this year it seemed like they just decided to put an even price tag...

Well, with 48% increase in applications I guess they are somewhat justified based on supply-demand side of things. UVA , which is also a public schol, charges 50K for non-residents - because it is the market and admits and waitlisters will gladly pay it.

[tommytahoe]

I know it is still the cheapest one of the T30 schools, but.... I just wonder why they came up with round numbers this year - 23800 and 33800 seriously? It is like they convened and resolved - those law admits will pay about 24 grand for sure, let us make it 23.8K even. Before tuition increases seemed to be on some kind of percentages, arriving at uneven numbers, but this year it seemed like they just decided to put an even price tag...

Well, with 48% increase in applications I guess they are somewhat justified based on supply-demand side of things. UVA , which is also a public schol, charges 50K for non-residents - because it is the market and admits and waitlisters will gladly pay it.

Yes, that is all interestingly uniform-looking. Oh, and not to quibble, but the cheapest in the Top-30 is UNC —Chapel Hill: something like $17,000/$29,000

[Unadilla Kayaker]

Ah...the money horrors begin, and I've yet to even sign for my loans!

Though the doom and gloom amongst lawyers, law students, and prospective law students seems to make everyone want to minimize debt, you must remember that law school is an investment. I don't mean it in the sense that you will get a Biglaw job out of school and make $100,000+, but rather that you are investing in your future by making yourself more intelligent through the practice of reading and analytical skills (among others).

I am a very debt averse individual but feel that one of the few areas in life for which onto take on debt is education. You wouldn't catch me buying a house as an investment, but I believe that law school in the end will serve me much better. William & Mary will cost me about double what a (formerly) comparable school would have. But it's the right decision for me.

I don't know what everyone plans to do with their law degree, but assuming you mustn't live at the poverty level to do the type of law you'd like, you'll be able to keep up with debt payments. I recently spoke with a friend who lives in DC. We worked out a budget (using the amount of debt I will have after law school--including UG debt--under the assumption that I make 55k/year working for the government) and found that living in DC in modest-to-comfortable lifestyle would be possible. Maybe you won't be able to work the exact job you want, but compromises have to come somewhere. It's not help fellow man OR biglaw. There is plenty of work in the middle (certainly assuming you can get it).

Perhaps I'm living with my head in the sand, but if you're choosing to go to law school and choosing to take on debt for law school then make the choice and take what comes. Is tuition at W&M law going up next year? YES! How much? Figure on at least as much as this year. You'll be able to cover it with loans (at least most students will) and since you've made your decision, live with it. If you can't, maybe going to law school isn't the right decision for you. With a little ingenuity and some flexibility, you can find a job (even ITE) that won't put you into debt like law school will.

I'll close with a story. As I formerly posted on this thread, I'm traveling in SE Asia this month and next. I went to some very remote islands in Malaysia last week and ended up in a small provincial capital on the East Coast of Malaysia over the weekend. I stayed in a dorm room at a hostel with a Spanish couple and Sam, another American. I didn't see much of Scott until right before bed. We talked a bit about ourselves, him asking me questions about my past and future. Then he told me about how he's traveling and will be returning to Spain with his Spanish wife. I think I then asked him how he decided to come to SE Asia to travel, and he said, "Well, I graduated from NYU Law School after going to Davidson College. I worked for a big firm in New York for about five years but got laid off last year. After that, my priorities changed and I decided I wasn't interested in working in law anymore. I had some savings and decided to travel in Europe. I made some money while there, met my wife, and we decided to do more traveling. Now I'm going back to Spain with her. We may stay there or go to California. All I know is I don't want to work eight hours a day in an office."

Take this story to mean what you will.

/rant

[Padimud]

my request to join has been pending for a few weeks.

+1, still pending

[APHill]

UNC just entered back the Top 30 so I was not aware of its lower price, but thank you for the info.

For the record, I do have a sweet laid back and well paying job and leaving it to go to law school.

[84Sunbird2000]

I was looking over those 2009 employment stats that they sent out earlier in the year, and I was even more impressed reading them again. Now, I've said again and again that firm jobs are not my goal, but how well a school places in major firms can be an indication of how well they might place into prestigious gov't and PU positions. Plus, good-paying firm jobs are a hell of a fallback.

Anyway, while W&M had 21% NLJ placement in 2009, they actually had 61 of 193 graduates (31.6% of all grads) place into firms of 250+ lawyers. 10% into non-NLJ250 250+ lawyer firms is amazing. It kind of blows holes into the TLS mindset about what constitutes BigLaw imho. They placed an additional 18 (9.3%) into 50-250 lawyer firms. I'd guess some of those grads who didn't get NLJ 250, but still got mid-large sized firm jobs are living the sweet life in Richmond or the Tidewater, since the COL is so cheap in those places. Plus, there were 9 students who landed federal clerkships (4.6%). So, 250+ and Fed Clerkships would be at 36%, and 50+ and Fed Clerkships would be nearly 46%. I think W&M, even at its new price, is a pretty damned amazing deal if they are weathering the economic storm like that.

Also, 5% into PI, and 9% into federal government positions, so I think you've got powerhouse numbers. Adding these job groups to the 50+ firm jobs, and W&M is placing 59.7% of the class into pretty damned awesome jobs of one shade or another.

Plus, I feel the urge to post on the lay prestige board and back up those who added W&M to the lay T14, because random people who have inquired about where I decided to go were blown away by W&M. Take that for what it is worth.

[jhawk0110]

Does anyone know how incoming students find roommates for off-campus housing? I've been counting on the Facebook group but can't seem to get admitted to it. Thoughts?

[WMCowgirl]

Does anyone know how incoming students find roommates for off-campus housing? I've been counting on the Facebook group but can't seem to get admitted to it. Thoughts?

google the William and Mary SIN (student information network). There is a whole bunch of information on there, including a page about off-campus housing and roommate finder. It is mainly an underclassmen website, but graduate students use it too.

[Mich33]

Hey! I already sent my deposit but i Havent been invited to the facebook group! Can anyone tell me where to find it or how to get added? Thanks!

[Ben2010]

Does anyone one know where to find the most recent employment data (Class of 2009) for William and Mary?

[krispykitten]

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[sdb444]

Hey yall, just an update on the W&M Facebook group-- they just approved some more requests (including mine) and the current member total is up to 109, fwiw. (Although I would say that probably about 9 of those are current students.) Hope that helps for the waitlisters.

What's the group called? I don't know what to search for because William & Mary Law isn't coming up

[krispykitten]

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[84Sunbird2000]

Does anyone one know where to find the most recent employment data (Class of 2009) for William and Mary?

They sent them to me (and others) soon after being admitted. I can transcribe them in their entirety on here if my summary analysis on the page before was not enough.

[laureng05]

I just posted this on the W&M message board, but I was wondering if anyone living in the DC area was interested in meeting up at some point. I know I have a lot of questions and it would be nice to get to know some people before starting school. Just let me know! I live in Arlington but could meet anywhere in DC too.

[and the beast]

I just posted this on the W&M message board, but I was wondering if anyone living in the DC area was interested in meeting up at some point. I know I have a lot of questions and it would be nice to get to know some people before starting school. Just let me know! I live in Arlington but could meet anywhere in DC too.

Hi Lauren,

I was waitlisted but live in DC and work in Arlington. If I get in off the WL, let's definitely meet up. I'll let you know!!

atb

[342848386278]

Just withdrew with 66k fellowship ; am opting to work one more year before heading to law school. Good luck to those still waiting!

[krispykitten]

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