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Curious what my ceiling would be for school to be under 10K a year

4.0 GPA, 157 LSAT (first try. Don’t want to be told to retake)
College athlete
Student Gov president
Conference character award in football
Interned for a state senator
Interned for the county prosecutor (I get that sounds very rare in undergrad)

Thoughts are appreciated

Your "ceiling" for that price is likely a T2 or lower-T1 regional school. You're wasting a stellar GPA on that, but there you go.

The question you need to answer is what you want to do after school. Because those schools do not give you unlimited career options, and you don't appear to have anything resembling a narrow regional/career focus.

Now, I know you said you don't want to be told to retake. I know that you don't even want to think about it. But you are literally throwing away a full scholarship at a top school for no good reason. Unless your goals are going to be easily achieved from these T2 regional schools, you'd making a huge mistake to stick with these numbers.

Eggs wrote:Curious what my ceiling would be for school to be under 10K a year

4.0 GPA, 157 LSAT (first try. Don’t want to be told to retake)
College athlete
Student Gov president
Conference character award in football
Interned for a state senator
Interned for the county prosecutor (I get that sounds very rare in undergrad)

Thoughts are appreciated

Are you NCAA eligible for law school?

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:Are you NCAA eligible for law school?

Stop it.

Eggs wrote:Curious what my ceiling would be for school to be under 10K a year

4.0 GPA, 157 LSAT (first try. Don’t want to be told to retake)
College athlete
Student Gov president
Conference character award in football
Interned for a state senator
Interned for the county prosecutor (I get that sounds very rare in undergrad)

Thoughts are appreciated

My thought is that you are wasting all the work you put in to get a 4.0 because you won’t study and retake.

Do you have any idea of what kind of law you want to practice? Where you want to live?

When you say 10k a year- what do you mean exactly? Amount of debt? Tuition? COL?
I can’t think of any school that is that inexpensive.

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=225176

Completely irrelevant to admissions chances. Again, stop it.

cavalier1138 wrote:

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=225176

Completely irrelevant to admissions chances. Again, stop it.

You don't think admissions would work w a coach if they needed to recruit a new tight end or lineman? If he won an award he's clearly an asset

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=225176

Completely irrelevant to admissions chances. Again, stop it.

You don't think admissions would work w a coach if they needed to recruit a new tight end or lineman? If he won an award he's clearly an asset

This is law school, not undergrad admissions.

You're derailing things, so just find something else to occupy your time. Read a book. Study for exams. Anything would be more productive

I honestly don’t know if any schools that cost 10k a year. Even with a full tuition scholarship, there are other expenses. A very few scholarships have stipends in the entire country.

I think you are being unrealistic as to both cost and possible admissions chances.

We need more I formation before we can give you any advice, where you want to live and what type of job you want are important. Few law schools have national reach. With that LSAT it would be a waste of money to apply to them. So you’re down to going to school where you want to live and practice.

Npret wrote:I honestly don’t know if any schools that cost 10k a year. Even with a full tuition scholarship, there are other expenses. A very few scholarships have stipends in the entire country.

I think you are being unrealistic as to both cost and possible admissions chances.

We need more I formation before we can give you any advice, where you want to live and what type of job you want are important. Few law schools have national reach. With that LSAT it would be a waste of money to apply to them. So you’re down to going to school where you want to live and practice.

I know from personal experience that certain midwest locations would allow for it if you had healthcare expenses already covered by your parents. Some Big10 schools, etc.

But op, you have to retake. I had a similar gpa to you and similar first LSAT. I retook just a few months later, improved by 10+ points, and got into 6 of the t13 (one of the t6 and others at big discounts) and multiple full rides just outside of the t13. Life changing decision for me to retake, even when my family and friends thought it was stupid.

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:

Johnnybgoode92 wrote:http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=225176

Completely irrelevant to admissions chances. Again, stop it.

You don't think admissions would work w a coach if they needed to recruit a new tight end or lineman? If he won an award he's clearly an asset

Haha I played QB and I am definitely out of eligibility

For more information, I am talking about tuition per year being under 10K. I am from the Midwest and would like to stay there. I don’t want to live in a giant metro so that kind of eliminates BigLaw stuff. Omaha or Des Moines would be my preference. I really enjoy prosecution but would definitely enjoy the salary of corporate work.

I will be married by June. My fiancé wants to be a forensic autopsy technician. That makes Des Moines attractive because of the state crime lab being there.

I graduated December of 2018. I’m doing taxes for 6 months before law school. I don’t want to make my fiancé put her life on hold longer than I already am

Wubbles wrote:

Npret wrote:I honestly don’t know if any schools that cost 10k a year. Even with a full tuition scholarship, there are other expenses. A very few scholarships have stipends in the entire country.

I think you are being unrealistic as to both cost and possible admissions chances.

We need more I formation before we can give you any advice, where you want to live and what type of job you want are important. Few law schools have national reach. With that LSAT it would be a waste of money to apply to them. So you’re down to going to school where you want to live and practice.

I know from personal experience that certain midwest locations would allow for it if you had healthcare expenses already covered by your parents. Some Big10 schools, etc.

But op, you have to retake. I had a similar gpa to you and similar first LSAT. I retook just a few months later, improved by 10+ points, and got into 6 of the t13 (one of the t6 and others at big discounts) and multiple full rides just outside of the t13. Life changing decision for me to retake, even when my family and friends thought it was stupid.

I wonder if OP will return but I did some research on COA minus tuition at some big 10 schools though I have my doubts with that LSAT that OP will get full tuition scholarships. I thought the numbers are instructive even if OP fails to return out of fear of being told to retake.

I had to look up big10 because I don’t know those schools. I’m leaving out Michigan and Northwestern for obvious reasons that OP won’t get in there without a retake. We know their costs are not 10k a year anyway. I included Rutgers and Maryland even though you said Midwest

Let me know if these schools are wrong. I’m not a college sports fan.

Anyway
Ohio State - $19,928
Wisconsin - $20,928
UIUC- $19,789
Penn state -$22,980
Michigan State -$18,604
Minnesota -$18,874
Indiana -$21,808
Iowa - $17,760
Nebraska - $17,490
Maryland - $24,167
Rutgers - $19,471

I’m not sure where OP can go to law school for 10k in living expenses - as I’m guessing he’s expecting full tuition? I don’t know where he gets full tuition with those numbers. I feel I’ve done enough research for OP and anyone else reading this thread, hopefully OP posts again.

Eggs wrote: 4.0 GPA, 157 LSAT (first try. Don’t want to be told to retake)

Maybe I'm misreading here. You say first try. Does that mean you already know you'll retake or that you are determined not to.

If you're not retaking, maybe think about other career options.

If you are retaking, the sky is the limit.

albanach wrote:

Eggs wrote: 4.0 GPA, 157 LSAT (first try. Don’t want to be told to retake)

Maybe I'm misreading here. You say first try. Does that mean you already know you'll retake or that you are determined not to.

If you're not retaking, maybe think about other career options.

If you are retaking, the sky is the limit.

I read it as “I’m only taking this once.” I hope I’m wrong and he is retaking.

Eggs wrote:For more information, I am talking about tuition per year being under 10K. I am from the Midwest and would like to stay there. I don’t want to live in a giant metro so that kind of eliminates BigLaw stuff. Omaha or Des Moines would be my preference. I really enjoy prosecution but would definitely enjoy the salary of corporate work.

I will be married by June. My fiancé wants to be a forensic autopsy technician. That makes Des Moines attractive because of the state crime lab being there.

I graduated December of 2018. I’m doing taxes for 6 months before law school. I don’t want to make my fiancé put her life on hold longer than I already am

If you retake and get your score in the 160s, you're going to Iowa for free. That's your best bet based on what you said. There's another LSAT in January, so there's no reason you can't study between now and then to get that full ride.

You'll have a great chance at local prosecution in Iowa from there. Maybe some corporate work, too, but you probably want to speak with some lawyers in each of those fields. Corporate law and prosecution are polar opposites in terms of career path and substantive work. Unless you meant white collar, which I imagine is going to be difficult to find in those cities.

So if I want to live in Des Moines, what advantage would going to Iowa offer me when it seems from everyone on here that Drake actually places better within the city than Iowa does. I have an offer from Drake that would make tuition 4K per year (no stips) with a similar offer from Creighton. I would be pretty optimistic that I should be able to negotiate those to full tuition. I'm sure I'm too late in the process (if I took the January LSAT) to receive the Opperman Scholarship that takes on a 10K stipend to the full tuition because they obviously don't have a unlimited resources to give those out. They are probably already gone.

It's pretty clear that Drake does not place better than Iowa. While more Drake grads stay there than Iowa grads, it's because they have to. Iowa is a significantly better school which is why it has some pull in Chicago, etc.

https://www.lstreports.com/schools/iowa/

https://www.lstreports.com/schools/drake/

Eggs wrote:So if I want to live in Des Moines, what advantage would going to Iowa offer me when it seems from everyone on here that Drake actually places better within the city than Iowa does. I have an offer from Drake that would make tuition 4K per year (no stips) with a similar offer from Creighton. I would be pretty optimistic that I should be able to negotiate those to full tuition. I'm sure I'm too late in the process (if I took the January LSAT) to receive the Opperman Scholarship that takes on a 10K stipend to the full tuition because they obviously don't have a unlimited resources to give those out. They are probably already gone.

You have a 4.0 and you want to go to Drake?
I hope you reconsider.

Eggs wrote:I'm sure I'm too late in the process (if I took the January LSAT) to receive the Opperman Scholarship that takes on a 10K stipend to the full tuition because they obviously don't have a unlimited resources to give those out. They are probably already gone.

I'm sure you aren't. Even if the named scholarship is gone, you will get a full ride at Iowa if you can raise your score 6-8 points, which should be extremely easy based on your first take.

And ditto to what the others said. Someone with your credentials taking Drake is just a waste.

Npret wrote:

Eggs wrote:So if I want to live in Des Moines, what advantage would going to Iowa offer me when it seems from everyone on here that Drake actually places better within the city than Iowa does. I have an offer from Drake that would make tuition 4K per year (no stips) with a similar offer from Creighton. I would be pretty optimistic that I should be able to negotiate those to full tuition. I'm sure I'm too late in the process (if I took the January LSAT) to receive the Opperman Scholarship that takes on a 10K stipend to the full tuition because they obviously don't have a unlimited resources to give those out. They are probably already gone.

You have a 4.0 and you want to go to Drake?
I hope you reconsider.

First disclaimer: I (mostly) get how this all works.

However, I want to live in Des Moines and would like to allow my fiancé to start her career without 3 years of delay too. I am not saying that Drake does not give me pause. I am evaluating that decision.

It is frustrating how stupid this process is. You can’t tell me that Iowa (or another school) actually gives you that much better of an education. I wish the legal world did not appear to be such ranking whores.

With that rant out of the way, I am going to retake in January. So, Iowa full tuition should be my goal? I also really like Omaha. Creighton seems to do a bit better than Drake as about 12% of grads worked in big (by Omaha standards and my opinion) firms. This could be helped by the fact Omaha is bigger than Des Moines and Nebraska isn’t nearly as good as Iowa. So, what’s the best path to solid (doesn’t have to be necessarily the biggest firm) employment in Omaha?

Be from Omaha, go to school in Omaha, do really well in school, network/intern/get to know as many lawyers as you can, profit. (Or be from Omaha, go away to a T14, come back, though frankly I’m not sure it’s really a better path if you know for certain you want to be in Omaha.)

nixy wrote:Be from Omaha, go to school in Omaha, do really well in school, network/intern/get to know as many lawyers as you can, profit. (Or be from Omaha, go away to a T14, come back, though frankly I’m not sure it’s really a better path if you know for certain you want to be in Omaha.)

So Creighton should be the choice?

Eggs wrote:

Npret wrote:

Eggs wrote:So if I want to live in Des Moines, what advantage would going to Iowa offer me when it seems from everyone on here that Drake actually places better within the city than Iowa does. I have an offer from Drake that would make tuition 4K per year (no stips) with a similar offer from Creighton. I would be pretty optimistic that I should be able to negotiate those to full tuition. I'm sure I'm too late in the process (if I took the January LSAT) to receive the Opperman Scholarship that takes on a 10K stipend to the full tuition because they obviously don't have a unlimited resources to give those out. They are probably already gone.

You have a 4.0 and you want to go to Drake?
I hope you reconsider.

First disclaimer: I (mostly) get how this all works.

However, I want to live in Des Moines and would like to allow my fiancé to start her career without 3 years of delay too. I am not saying that Drake does not give me pause. I am evaluating that decision.

It is frustrating how stupid this process is. You can’t tell me that Iowa (or another school) actually gives you that much better of an education. I wish the legal world did not appear to be such ranking whores.

With that rant out of the way, I am going to retake in December. So, Iowa full tuition should be my goal? I also really like Omaha. Creighton seems to do a bit better than Drake as about 12% of grads worked in big (by Omaha standards and my opinion) firms. This could be helped by the fact Omaha is bigger than Des Moines and Nebraska isn’t nearly as good as Iowa. So, what’s the best path to solid (doesn’t have to be necessarily the biggest firm) employment in Omaha?

I want to encourage you to study and get the highest score possible. When you get your results, you may have more choices or you may not. Don’t limit yourself at this point.

I understand caring about your fiancés career. I really do. But you may not know all the possible options available yet and you may also want to think longer term about your future together.

Are there any other schools or locations that she could start her career? I know nothing about this. But that may be open for exploration.

Everyone posting here wants to help you reach your goals.I want to help you, as you can see from the research I did about school costs.

We need to know your next score to give you advice. But with your GPA you should be able to get substantial scholarships.