When does affordability trump prestige? Forum

[Overcomer]

Hey everyone I'm looking for some advice. I have a 161 lsat and low 3.0s gpa, I'm also a urm. I want to work in NJ after graduation, and I'm not opposed to NY later on. I've been admitted into:

Seton Hall about 90% scholarship
Rutgers about 90% scholarship
Fordham with 20K
Penn State on a full ride
Cardozo with 30K
I've been waitlisted at U Michigan
and I'm still waiting to hear back from 2 other T14's.

I want to do PI work, and would like to clerk (a reach goal would be federal clerkship, but I don't mind a state supreme court clerkship). Another reach goal would be academia one day. I don't have big law aspirations, so I don't feel like its necessary for me to go into a T14. I'm leaning toward one of the schools in Jersey, but I can't stop feeling like I'm selling myself short. I also thought that with my urm status I would have gotten much better scholarships to Fordham and cardozo. I'd love to go to a T14, but even if I get accepted it will probably be at sticker price, which I'm not willing to do. So when is it okay to go with money over prestige? With my numbers should I have been shooting for more T25 or T30 schools? Any advice is welcome

[objctnyrhnr]

This is tough. It might be very difficult to accomplish those goals (particularly clerking at a high level) from these schools. Fordham at 20k isn’t a good bet, but also isn’t a horrible bet in a good economy. That said, by the time you graduate, we are likely to be in a very different place economically. Fordham’s placement was abysmal during the last crash.

You probably don’t want to hear this, but especially as a URM, you have a ton to gain by retaking here and landing at a UT, WUSTL, UCLA, BC, BU, USC with a decent chunk of change. Clerking from these spots will still be tough, but it could get easier if you get a reasonably prestigious PI job (which will be doable for you due to the lack of debt in this scenario).

[nealric]

If you want to do PI, you might consider what sort of loan repayment assistance Michigan offers for public interest. If it's reasonably generous, I'd consider writing a letter of continuing interest highlighting your commitment to PI (especially if there is some specific niche you are interested in).

[Overcomer]

If you want to do PI, you might consider what sort of loan repayment assistance Michigan offers for public interest. If it's reasonably generous, I'd consider writing a letter of continuing interest highlighting your commitment to PI (especially if there is some specific niche you are interested in).

If I do get in, this is something I was considering. But I've been doing research and I heard that these lrap are unreliable, and only a small percentage of people have actually gotten their loans forgiven. Do you have any insight on this?

[nixy]

If you want to do PI, you might consider what sort of loan repayment assistance Michigan offers for public interest. If it's reasonably generous, I'd consider writing a letter of continuing interest highlighting your commitment to PI (especially if there is some specific niche you are interested in).

If I do get in, this is something I was considering. But I've been doing research and I heard that these lrap are unreliable, and only a small percentage of people have actually gotten their loans forgiven. Do you have any insight on this?

I think you’re thinking about the federal PSLF program. I don’t know if Michigan’s LRAP is tied to that, but only a small percentage have had their loans forgiven under PSLF because the first cohort eligible was only recently (last year?) and it’s likely that a lot of people when it first started didn’t understand/were poorly advised as to the requirements. For instance I understand a lot of people who were denied weren’t on the right payment plan to qualify. Also, not all LRAP programs rely on PSLF to pay off the loans.

[jdmerk]

If you're absolutely sure you want to work in NJ after graduation and do PI, I think that deal at Seton Hall is very difficult to pass up. Great alumni network and a huge percentage of their students do a clerkship (granted mostly in state court). With what you want, I just don't see the benefit for you to chase the best ranked school if it takes you out of the region and especially if it'll cost you more money. For the record, I'm a NY native who went to law school in the south and now lives in NJ so there is no bias here.

[nealric]

If you want to do PI, you might consider what sort of loan repayment assistance Michigan offers for public interest. If it's reasonably generous, I'd consider writing a letter of continuing interest highlighting your commitment to PI (especially if there is some specific niche you are interested in).

If I do get in, this is something I was considering. But I've been doing research and I heard that these lrap are unreliable, and only a small percentage of people have actually gotten their loans forgiven. Do you have any insight on this?

As the other poster said, you are thinking of the federal program. Many T14 schools have their own separate programs from the federal program, which may provide protection if the federal program does not come through.

[cavalier1138]

What kind of PI are you thinking of doing?

I agree that Seton Hall, etc. would be ideal for doing PI work in New Jersey, but a federal clerkship wouldn't provide much help for the kinds of organizations you'd likely be working for. So are you thinking of working for local organizations in the region? Or are you more interested in working for an office of a nationwide advocacy group on the scale of the ACLU? Because if it's the latter, that changes things.

Also, +1 to the information about PSLF. Everything I've heard about those issues has indicated that the people involved didn't get on the proper payment plans. There may have been some shady stuff going on with the lenders, but that doesn't appear to be the norm.

[Overcomer]

What kind of PI are you thinking of doing?

I agree that Seton Hall, etc. would be ideal for doing PI work in New Jersey, but a federal clerkship wouldn't provide much help for the kinds of organizations you'd likely be working for. So are you thinking of working for local organizations in the region? Or are you more interested in working for an office of a nationwide advocacy group on the scale of the ACLU? Because if it's the latter, that changes things.

Also, +1 to the information about PSLF. Everything I've heard about those issues has indicated that the people involved didn't get on the proper payment plans. There may have been some shady stuff going on with the lenders, but that doesn't appear to be the norm.

I'm not sure. I'm going to law school because I care about social justice and inequalities. I can't see myself working in corporate law for too long, if at all. Due to my uncertainty for my career, I feel going to school on a full ride would be my best option. Of course working for the ACLU would be a dream. However, I feel like the likely hood of landing that job is slim even at a top school. I also wouldn't mind government work. Also for PI work, I'm not sure if going to a top school on a lrap would land me at much better outcome in comparison to going to a tier 2 on a full ride. I'm also hesitant about the lrap because while I want to do PI work, I would still like the option to possibly try out big law if I wanted too. And the lrap would leave me trapped into PI

[albanach]

Due to my uncertainty for my career, I feel going to school on a full ride would be my best option. Of course working for the ACLU would be a dream.

Assuming you really do want to be a lawyer - uncertainty going in to this is not a good thing, since a JD doesn't qualify you to be anything other than a lawyer - then I think you should retake. You are correct to be debt adverse. Your GPA isn't going to help, but it's not going to hold you back too much if you can get into the mid-high 160s.