Attend a T14 regardless of COA? Forum

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Go Nats!

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by Go Nats! » Sat Dec 01, 2018 11:02 pm

Yes, those are good points. I remember when I applied years ago I kind of internalized the red bar to mean instant denial at first and it does not mean that. I co-sign to your recommendations about ranges as well.

denise137

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by denise137 » Thu Mar 21, 2019 6:00 pm

Hopefully this thread isn't old enough where this is "necroing," but I have my scholarship offers and figured I shouldn't make another thread. Mainly, I'm between Berkeley and Duke.

Berkeley
$125k COA, $118k COA if I get in-state tuition last two years

Duke
$133k COA (I used LST to come up with the estimates.)

I'm 90% set on PI and know I will eventually want to come back to DC, although I could see myself staying in the Bay Area for awhile if I go to Berkeley. My main questions are: Does Duke's stronger DC placement (and Duke in DC program) make it a better choice over Berkeley's PI culture and number of clinics? How much of Berkeley's lack of DC placement is due to self-selection? I haven't visited Duke yet so maybe the visit will sway me, but right now I'm leaning towards Berkeley and I guess I want to be sure I'm not overlooking something, or being too wishful about my chances to get back to the east coast.

*Also, FWIW, I reread this thread and do appreciate the previous (harsh) advice, and not just because my cycle went fairly well.

The Lsat Airbender

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by The Lsat Airbender » Thu Mar 21, 2019 6:34 pm

Duke and Berkeley are peer schools and give you a similar shot at high-end outcomes, so maybe think instead about worst-case outcomes. DC is super competitive. It sounds like you'd prefer getting stuck in northern California to getting stuck in North Carolina, which seems to be a big point in favor or Berkeley.

QContinuum

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by QContinuum » Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:02 pm

The Lsat Airbender wrote:Duke and Berkeley are peer schools and give you a similar shot at high-end outcomes, so maybe think instead about worst-case outcomes. DC is super competitive. It sounds like you'd prefer getting stuck in northern California to getting stuck in North Carolina, which seems to be a big point in favor or Berkeley.
I agree that Berkeley is probably the right option here. DC PI can't be guaranteed out of any school (maybe short of Yale), but CA is terrific for PI and that wouldn't be a bad outcome at all. Berkeley will help with that, between its strong PI culture and its physical location (allowing you to do PI-oriented internships/externships/clinics and network locally during the academic year).

Duke, OTOH, isn't especially reputed for PI (though it's obviously an extremely strong law school overall, just like Berkeley). There also aren't many PI opportunities in NC. So I'd be strongly in favor of Berkeley here.

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Sls17

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by Sls17 » Fri Mar 22, 2019 1:01 am

+1 Berkeley based on this information. Make sure you research and compare LRAPs. I believe Berkeley’s is more generous (at least back when I was looking at schools in 2014) but get to know the ins and outs of both programs before deciding. The debt is still very real, and you wisely acknowledge that you might change your career goals to non-PI, but the LRAP factor could make Berkeley (already a lower COA) even somewhat more appealing financially.

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denise137

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by denise137 » Sat Mar 23, 2019 4:51 pm

Thanks, LSAT Airbender and QContinuum.
Sls17 wrote:+1 Berkeley based on this information. Make sure you research and compare LRAPs. I believe Berkeley’s is more generous (at least back when I was looking at schools in 2014) but get to know the ins and outs of both programs before deciding. The debt is still very real, and you wisely acknowledge that you might change your career goals to non-PI, but the LRAP factor could make Berkeley (already a lower COA) even somewhat more appealing financially.
I checked and apparently Berkeley covers the full loan payment if my income is under $70k a year, and will pay a prorated amount until my income reaches $100k. For Duke it's $60k, with assistance on a sliding scale until my income reaches $75k. This definitely makes Berkeley more appealing.

QContinuum

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by QContinuum » Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:36 pm

denise137 wrote:I checked and apparently Berkeley covers the full loan payment if my income is under $70k a year, and will pay a prorated amount until my income reaches $100k. For Duke it's $60k, with assistance on a sliding scale until my income reaches $75k. This definitely makes Berkeley more appealing.
Yes, that definitely makes Berkeley sound even better. Go to Berkeley. And congrats on your great offers!

objctnyrhnr

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by objctnyrhnr » Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:45 pm

Which aspect of Re-studying and re-taking the Lsat does OP dislike? The whole working hard (past the point of comfort) and studying part?

Yes law school will be great for you, OP. I promise.

QContinuum

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by QContinuum » Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:59 pm

objctnyrhnr wrote:Which aspect of Re-studying and re-taking the Lsat does OP dislike? The whole working hard (past the point of comfort) and studying part?

Yes law school will be great for you, OP. I promise.
Well, IIRC we already beat that horse to death and back over the last three pages of this thread.

Berkeley at sticker is $256k for CA residents. OP is getting to go at less than half price. That's a great outcome. Yes, they could do even better with a higher LSAT, but IMO it's reasonable not to retake if one has Berkeley and Duke at half price in the bank. To be clear, I'm not saying not retaking is the right decision; I'm saying it's a decision where reasonable minds could differ.

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denise137

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by denise137 » Sun Mar 24, 2019 12:46 pm

QContinuum wrote:
denise137 wrote:I checked and apparently Berkeley covers the full loan payment if my income is under $70k a year, and will pay a prorated amount until my income reaches $100k. For Duke it's $60k, with assistance on a sliding scale until my income reaches $75k. This definitely makes Berkeley more appealing.
Yes, that definitely makes Berkeley sound even better. Go to Berkeley. And congrats on your great offers!
Thank you!
objctnyrhnr wrote:Which aspect of Re-studying and re-taking the Lsat does OP dislike? The whole working hard (past the point of comfort) and studying part?

Yes law school will be great for you, OP. I promise.
I don't understand the point of your question. I understand why earlier ITT people kept mentioning the fact that a T14 acceptance shouldn't be the goal, it should be a T14 at a good price. Why are you suggesting I should retake when I got acceptances ~and~ 6 figure scholarships to multiple T20s? Are you saying people should always retake to get a higher score just because, regardless of how their cycle turns out?

Hordfest

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Re: Attend a T14 regardless of COA?

Post by Hordfest » Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:21 pm

What a fascinating thread to discover today. I was definitely not expecting Denise to come back, and especially wasn't expecting her to return with two nice offers from better schools. That's awesome for her though! Glad she didn't have to retake to get the scholarships she was hoping for. I'm studying for the LSAT right now and I'm definitely hoping I don't need to retake although being debt adverse, I will if I have to!

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