10 Waitlists in T14 Forum

[UVA2B]

Is the Vandy love ITT due to its one year employment numbers for C/O 2016? That seems silly.

OP, you've had a frustrating cycle, and that's unfortunate. But where do you want to end up? How did we go this far without establishing goals for the degree?

No, at least not in my case. Your assumption was pretty silly--and that's not tit-for-tat sass; I mean it. Vanderbilt with $100,000 in scholarship money is, at least to me, an objectively better outcome than UCLA with $60,000. Especially when you factor in interest.

Without goals, that's insufficient. Vandy for $100k wanting CA Biglaw or CA PI is not better than UCLA with $60k.

I understand your underlying intent that Vandy at $100k>UCLA at $60k because the outcomes are equal or better at Vandy compared to UCLA, but that's assuming there is no preference for a specific job outcome.

The greater point was that goals absolutely matter in making this decision, not that Vanderbilt isn't the right choice. Vandy for less is a financially safer decision, but that's not the entire calculus. Without goals, no one can give quality advice about the best option on the table.

Your post is generally correct, but your original was weird considering OP's earlier post:

Already took that advice, last year. Retook and waited a year. Now I might be starting school at 28.

I'm planning to do something tech related, so likely IP, maybe regulatory. I'm a few classes from being able to sit for the patent bar too. Plan is togo into Big Law after I graduate, at least for a while. .

I don't disagree with you in general, though.

Yeah sorry, missed that part. It's problematic that they aren't eligible for the patent bar wanting to do IP (unless they're currently taking the required classes to sit for the patent bar). Agreed that Vandy absent more specific geographic goals is equal/better and definitively better when price is less, but the patent bar eligible part should weigh large on the OP. Patent bar eligibility is a great way to shrug off rough approximations of GPA required for Biglaw because IP practices hire based more on technical experience (at least in patent practices).

Didn't mean to miss the goals, just got lost in the chatter. Vandy is a better outcome absent wanting West Coast. And getting patent bar eligibility should be the bigger focus for improving employment outcomes.