Top Law Schools

CR7 wrote:How are you financing the cost? If you have savings to cover the difference I would go to Penn...if not go to duke

badgalriri9 wrote:

CR7 wrote:How are you financing the cost? If you have savings to cover the difference I would go to Penn...if not go to duke

I'll be taking loans. I guess my problem is that I love cities and I thought Philly was fun and affordable. Also I'm not K-JD but I did ask my family for advice and they're all about rankings and want me to take Chicago or Columbia over the money. So even though I know ranking won't matter in my career (standard big law to in house counsel), my family keeps making me consider it, which is why I'm still having trouble deciding.

grades?? wrote:

badgalriri9 wrote:

CR7 wrote:How are you financing the cost? If you have savings to cover the difference I would go to Penn...if not go to duke

I'll be taking loans. I guess my problem is that I love cities and I thought Philly was fun and affordable. Also I'm not K-JD but I did ask my family for advice and they're all about rankings and want me to take Chicago or Columbia over the money. So even though I know ranking won't matter in my career (standard big law to in house counsel), my family keeps making me consider it, which is why I'm still having trouble deciding.

Penn is going to end up costing you at least 60k+ more because of COL differences and the tuition differences. That is a year of tuition. Rankings don't really matter. What matters is maximizing your employment outcomes with what are the likely outcomes. Duke has the 2nd highest employment rate in the t13 (total employment) and the 3rd highest BL+FC rate, both being above Penns rates. Penn isn't that far behind, but it will cost you significantly more for slightly worse possible outcome.

Its your money, do what you want, but I rather take the better likely outcomes and save a boatload of cash while doing it.

badgalriri9 wrote:

grades?? wrote:

badgalriri9 wrote:

CR7 wrote:How are you financing the cost? If you have savings to cover the difference I would go to Penn...if not go to duke

I'll be taking loans. I guess my problem is that I love cities and I thought Philly was fun and affordable. Also I'm not K-JD but I did ask my family for advice and they're all about rankings and want me to take Chicago or Columbia over the money. So even though I know ranking won't matter in my career (standard big law to in house counsel), my family keeps making me consider it, which is why I'm still having trouble deciding.

Penn is going to end up costing you at least 60k+ more because of COL differences and the tuition differences. That is a year of tuition. Rankings don't really matter. What matters is maximizing your employment outcomes with what are the likely outcomes. Duke has the 2nd highest employment rate in the t13 (total employment) and the 3rd highest BL+FC rate, both being above Penns rates. Penn isn't that far behind, but it will cost you significantly more for slightly worse possible outcome.

Its your money, do what you want, but I rather take the better likely outcomes and save a boatload of cash while doing it.

Thanks for the insight! I know Penn isn't worth more than Duke at the end of the day. Also, all my non-legal acquaintances seem to dislike Penn for some reason. Just wondering though, how did you get the 60k figure? I've been using the figure on both schools' websites, which are similar. Also I won't need health insurance so I've been cutting that out as well.

badgalriri9 wrote:

CR7 wrote:How are you financing the cost? If you have savings to cover the difference I would go to Penn...if not go to duke

I'll be taking loans. I guess my problem is that I love cities and I thought Philly was fun and affordable. Also I'm not K-JD but I did ask my family for advice and they're all about rankings and want me to take Chicago or Columbia over the money. So even though I know ranking won't matter in my career (standard big law to in house counsel), my family keeps making me consider it, which is why I'm still having trouble deciding.

CR7 wrote:

badgalriri9 wrote:

CR7 wrote:How are you financing the cost? If you have savings to cover the difference I would go to Penn...if not go to duke

I'll be taking loans. I guess my problem is that I love cities and I thought Philly was fun and affordable. Also I'm not K-JD but I did ask my family for advice and they're all about rankings and want me to take Chicago or Columbia over the money. So even though I know ranking won't matter in my career (standard big law to in house counsel), my family keeps making me consider it, which is why I'm still having trouble deciding.

Depends on what your career track is, Penn is respected as highly as those two schools and slightly above duke in the legal world (based on my experience at east coast firms)

grades?? wrote:Duke will be cheaper, better weather, and has better employment stats? Seems like an easy decision

badgalriri9 wrote:Thanks for the advice everyone! I know Duke is the better option. Just wondering if someone could help me understand why the difference between the two schools would be $60,000, when I calculated it to be $23,000 (I subtracted medical insurance from the costs because I'll be under my parents').

If someone could help me see how the difference is $60k, I wouldn't even think for a second before depositing at Duke. I just used the COA listed on each schools' website.

Thank you!

badgalriri9 wrote:Thanks for the advice everyone! I know Duke is the better option. Just wondering if someone could help me understand why the difference between the two schools would be $60,000, when I calculated it to be $23,000 (I subtracted medical insurance from the costs because I'll be under my parents').

If someone could help me see how the difference is $60k, I wouldn't even think for a second before depositing at Duke. I just used the COA listed on each schools' website.

Thank you!

UVA2B wrote:Go to Northwestern. Like deposit right now.

TWiiX wrote:Yeah the freedom of a full ride is nothing to write off. Even if you finance 80k, you'd be looking at probably close to 100k after graduation (im rounding and estimating). With 100k in loans you will still be paying around 1200 a month for 10 years. Which is obviously not that big of a deal when you consider biglaw salary.. but once you take the step down by going in house it'll make financing a house and saving for retirement a million times easier.

Npret wrote:

TWiiX wrote:Yeah the freedom of a full ride is nothing to write off. Even if you finance 80k, you'd be looking at probably close to 100k after graduation (im rounding and estimating). With 100k in loans you will still be paying around 1200 a month for 10 years. Which is obviously not that big of a deal when you consider biglaw salary.. but once you take the step down by going in house it'll make financing a house and saving for retirement a million times easier.

I hate it when people say debt is no big deal when you look at a biglaw salary. You guys haven't even had a class yet. Try to keep some perspective.

badgalriri9 wrote:

badgalriri9 wrote:Thanks for the advice everyone! I know Duke is the better option. Just wondering if someone could help me understand why the difference between the two schools would be $60,000, when I calculated it to be $23,000 (I subtracted medical insurance from the costs because I'll be under my parents').

If someone could help me see how the difference is $60k, I wouldn't even think for a second before depositing at Duke. I just used the COA listed on each schools' website.

Thank you!

Hi people! I asked about this in the Northwestern thread but got mixed responses. Despite everyone telling me Duke was the better option, I deposited at Penn due to personal reasons (sorry). But Northwestern just gave me a full ride, and now this is a $100k scholarship at Penn versus a $180k at Northwestern.

Again, I'm from the D.C. metro area so I want to return to D.C. to practice Big Law and then go in-house somewhere (I'm open to fed gov but I don't know if I'd do that). If I can't get DC, I'd be okay with New York. I hate, hate (hate hate hate) the cold (60 degree weather is making me upset) so that makes me wary of Northwestern, but I don't think Penn is worth the extra money. My family hates me for going for the money but......that post-top-law-schools.com would look better. That being said, I don't know if I'm worrying a little too much about loans. I also really want job security.

Any advice would help! Thanks!

existentialcrisis wrote:

badgalriri9 wrote:

badgalriri9 wrote:Thanks for the advice everyone! I know Duke is the better option. Just wondering if someone could help me understand why the difference between the two schools would be $60,000, when I calculated it to be $23,000 (I subtracted medical insurance from the costs because I'll be under my parents').

If someone could help me see how the difference is $60k, I wouldn't even think for a second before depositing at Duke. I just used the COA listed on each schools' website.

Thank you!

Hi people! I asked about this in the Northwestern thread but got mixed responses. Despite everyone telling me Duke was the better option, I deposited at Penn due to personal reasons (sorry). But Northwestern just gave me a full ride, and now this is a $100k scholarship at Penn versus a $180k at Northwestern.

Again, I'm from the D.C. metro area so I want to return to D.C. to practice Big Law and then go in-house somewhere (I'm open to fed gov but I don't know if I'd do that). If I can't get DC, I'd be okay with New York. I hate, hate (hate hate hate) the cold (60 degree weather is making me upset) so that makes me wary of Northwestern, but I don't think Penn is worth the extra money. My family hates me for going for the money but......that post-top-law-schools.com would look better. That being said, I don't know if I'm worrying a little too much about loans. I also really want job security.

Any advice would help! Thanks!

Go to NU and don't look back.

-A Penn student