Illinois $$$$ vs. BC $$ Forum

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Gitaroo_Dude

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Re: Illinois $$$$ vs. BC $$

Post by Gitaroo_Dude » Wed Jan 17, 2018 5:09 pm

You definitely want to avoid underestimating the caliber of student at those two schools. While you're not going to be competing against savants, the average student there will be bright and have demonstrated a decent work ethic. It will be very difficult to simply outwork the competition without knowing your natural aptitude for law schools exams, along with the nature of each professor's exam. The vast majority of the class will put in the requisite effort to have an understanding of the material.

icechicken

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Re: Illinois $$$$ vs. BC $$

Post by icechicken » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:03 pm

jstanhope14 wrote:Should probably retake were it not for what I see as a good arbitrage opportunity with UIUC looking to buy their way up the rankings and their employment stats outpacing their class stats.
jstanhope14 wrote:There's an arbitrage opportunity in that the placement power of UIUC, which didn't fall with its ranking fell, is currently offered at a huge discount (free), since schools with similar placement (GW, BC/BU, Notre Dame) aren't giving out that much money.
1) That's not what "arbitrage" means.

2) $45k of debt plus the opportunity cost of not working for three years is not "free".

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cavalier1138

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Re: Illinois $$$$ vs. BC $$

Post by cavalier1138 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:29 pm

jstanhope14 wrote:
Dr. Nefario wrote:
jstanhope14 wrote:Hey guys,

I'm attend a northeastern liberal arts college and an looking to apply to law school in the fall. I want to do biglaw for a number of years to save up some money before settling into something more sustainable. NYC, Boston, DC etc. are mad expensive cities to live in, so I've semi-seriously considered applying to UT and gunning for Dallas-Ft. Worth area biglaw. No ties to Texas whatsoever. Other than UT I'm eyeing schools in the CCN range.

Any tips / advice / guidance? Really have no geographic preference at this point, though eventually I'd like to settle down with a family in the New England region. It would be a lot easier to do with some $$$, though.

FWIW 180k in Dallas gives more than double the buying power of 180k NYC. Rent for a 2 bedroom is as low as $800-$900.
Here's a quote from another thread of yours. If you want to settle down in New England, UIUC is not going to get you there. What other schools have you applied to?
A handful of years of biglaw with an aggressive savings plan in a city with decent COL will give you the financial means to relocate anywhere you want. Why attend a school with slightly better placement when it means taking on significantly more debt ($100k+) and competing against objectively stronger students?
No one is advocating that you go to BC at that price. And in order to get that "handful of years in biglaw," you have to actually get biglaw.

jstanhope14

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Re: Illinois $$$$ vs. BC $$

Post by jstanhope14 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:58 pm

icechicken wrote:
jstanhope14 wrote:Should probably retake were it not for what I see as a good arbitrage opportunity with UIUC looking to buy their way up the rankings and their employment stats outpacing their class stats.
jstanhope14 wrote:There's an arbitrage opportunity in that the placement power of UIUC, which didn't fall with its ranking fell, is currently offered at a huge discount (free), since schools with similar placement (GW, BC/BU, Notre Dame) aren't giving out that much money.
1) That's not what "arbitrage" means.

2) $45k of debt plus the opportunity cost of not working for three years is not "free".
Eh, close enough. It's exploiting a pricing inefficiency in the law school market. You're not really "selling" your law school education after you "buy" it, but you're using it to use to earn money, same idea.

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Mullens

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Re: Illinois $$$$ vs. BC $$

Post by Mullens » Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:27 pm

jstanhope14 wrote:
icechicken wrote:
jstanhope14 wrote:Should probably retake were it not for what I see as a good arbitrage opportunity with UIUC looking to buy their way up the rankings and their employment stats outpacing their class stats.
jstanhope14 wrote:There's an arbitrage opportunity in that the placement power of UIUC, which didn't fall with its ranking fell, is currently offered at a huge discount (free), since schools with similar placement (GW, BC/BU, Notre Dame) aren't giving out that much money.
1) That's not what "arbitrage" means.

2) $45k of debt plus the opportunity cost of not working for three years is not "free".
Eh, close enough. It's exploiting a pricing inefficiency in the law school market. You're not really "selling" your law school education after you "buy" it, but you're using it to use to earn money, same idea.
Or you could exploit your ability to retake the LSAT and stop pretending you’ve somehow found a way to exploit the “law school market.”

There’s been several threads posted over the last week or so by people who got grades far below what they wanted. All those people claim they studied hard. I bet they did. Review those threads and realize that that might be you. Compare the responses where the OP goes to a T10 compared to a lower-ranked school. It’s night and day as to what doors were closed after only one semester of bad grades.

I also agree with MT Cicero that a disproportionate number of T1/T2 students who get biglaw have connections/URM status that you seem to lack.

UIUC is a regional school that places well in the Midwest (where you apparently don’t desire to live).

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