I'm ridiculously torn. I'm going back and forth. I got an extension for accepting michigan's offer till monday, and i tentatively committed at Berkeley a few weeks ago to cover my bases. I went to both ASW's (on back-to-back weekends) and I just cant make up my mind. I'm from NY, born and raised, and am currently finishing up at Penn undergrad, but i decided not to stay for law school after getting in. My top two choices were NYU and Stanford, but i was waitlisted at both, so I've narrowed my options down to these two. ANY advice, recommendations, or help are extremely welcome!

What is the cost of attendance for each school, and what are your career goals?

I got 15K a year from Michigan, and nothing from Boalt. But i've passed up so much money to other schools (Vandy, Duke, UCLA, etc) that its really not a factor anymore. As far as career stuff, i think i want to do entertainment/sports, but i wasnt willing to put all my eggs in one basket and run to UCLA. I'm def deciding between these two...

Go to Michigan. I think Berkeley is more expensive anyways.

Edit: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=151221.

Michigan sticker is ~$65k a year*.
Boalt sticker is ~$74k a year*.

So that's a ~$9k difference a year before your scholarship, ~$24k difference a year after scholarships.

Michigan will cost you ~$150k for 3 years.
Boalt will cost you ~$222k for 3 years.

I don't think Boalt is worth ~$72k more than Michigan.

*Numbers may be out of date and are subject to change. Use this only as a rough approximation, and research it yourself thoroughly before making a final decision.

Make a poll and then go to Michigan

This. And Michigan's campus > Berkeley's campus

You'll have more fun at Boalt. I guarantee it.

I'm not concerned about the cost. So let's ignore the money factor for a bit and focus just on the schools.

And to bilbo- why do you say that?

ಠ_ಠ

How are you planning on paying for law school?

Bilbo shamelessly plugging Berkeley!? Never thought I'd see the day!

Then again, if I were you, I would hardcore troll for my school as well

ETA: so if cost isn't important, what is?

a million factors-

I thought the berkeley campus was beautiful
I love the michigan law quad and the Lawyer's Club living situation
Berkeley is amazing IP law
Michigan might make it easier to get back to NY (where i ultimately hope to work)
Berkeley overall location (bay area) and weather can't be beat
The people at Michigan seemed a little more like my kind of people

etc. etc. etc. I'm literally 50/50 right now...

Just come to Boalt. You won't regret it. Bilbo isn't shamelessly plugging his school....he's just speaking the truth.

huuuuuuuuh? no way

It'll be easier to get to NY from Mich than from Berk. A lot of NY lawyers disdain/are downright ignorant about Berkeley

We really need a facepalm emoticon for stuff like this. Yes, NY lawyers are ignorant about a top 10 law school and the highest rank public institution in the world. Of course they are.

I didn't mean ignorance as in a lack of knowledge re: its existence, but ignorance re: the caliber of the school. It just doesn't turn heads in New York as much as its ranking would suggest

Wait until Tuesday to decide. That should solve your dilemma.

Michigan and Berkeley are peers and probably have very comparable pull in NYC.

Since you're 50/50, and even if you weren't, this is a landslide for Michigan. It makes no sense to pay 75k more for a peer institution. Anybody who says go to Boalt is being ignorant about the value of SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS and if you think ignoring money is a smart decision you might want to start thinking with your brain for a moment before you go to law school.

OP, if Knock's numbers are right - obviously your first order of business is to double check - then you should attend Mich. 72k more for a peer school is absurd, unless of course you have a strong desire for CA biglaw.

Even as a Boalt 1L I agree that all else being equal, Boalt is not 75K better that UM, especially in this economy. I do think, though, that statements regarding Michigan's supposedly better NY prospects are unfounded. And I think there is a lot to be said for life in the Bay Area–I straight up love going to school in Berkeley. I am not exaggerating when I say that, at least once a day, I find myself stopping to just smile and be happy that I am here.

But maybe I would have been just as happy at Michigan, I really don't know. If I was in your shoes, I would ask myself how serious my interest in IP is. The program at Berkeley, and the resources devoted to it, really are incredible.

Sounds like you got a lot of cash at Duke. Berkley will match it. Take the cash and the beautiful weather and run.

Also consider that the UC system is under incredible strain with the current fiscal climate in California, hence the insane tuition. Hard to tell what that means for Boalt and UCB in general.

And the end of the day these are two peer schools, and Mich has stronger ties to NY.

After thinking about it for the last 367 days, I agree with you.

go to Berk because I need spots to open up for Michigan's waitlist.

Seriously though, Mich is TCR