My post disappeared as well...hopefully it works this time.

Hey thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions!  I am currently deciding between San Diego and Hastings, but leaning towards San Diego.  I went out to visit San Diego last week, but was only able to stay for 2 days, so I didn't get a very in depth experience of the city, but what I did see, I really liked.  Anyways, my boyfriend and I will be living together and he surfs, so we were thinking of moving to Mission Beach.  Do you know when is the absolute latest that I should look for housing?  Is it reasonable to expect to move out there in early August and be able to find a place in a few days, or should I just search online and obtain a place that way?  Do you and most of your friends have summer jobs yet? Is it difficult to find one that pays?  How much time do you spend studying each week? How social are your classmates? I won't know anyone except my SO in San Diego, so i'm hoping to make friends...assuming I have time to even have friends!  I was awarded federal work study.  Do you know if it would be a mistake to work a few hours each week on campus the first year, or should I just borrow the money instead? What do you like best about USD? What do you like the least about USD?  About how much did you spend on books each semester? How accessible are the professors?  Ok, I think that's it for now. Feel free to add any additional info!  Thanks!

I could really use some help making my decision. Here is my situation. I was accepted to both University of San Diego and Hastings. I have a $17,000 scholarship for the first year at USD, and so far nothing from Hastings.  I have also read that Hastings doesn't offer scholarships over about $8500, although I am not positive about this fact.  I am also out of state, so I would be paying out of state tuition at Hastings for the first year and hopefully in state for the last 2.  Overall, this would make tuition at Hastings slightly lower than USD, but cost of living in SF would probably make it more expensive than USD in the long run.  Quality of life is a big issue for me. I am moving out there with my SO who will be finishing his masters in Electrical and Comp. Engineering in August, so he should have no trouble finding a job in either city ( I assume).  Both of us would prefer to live in San Diego, but are ok with living in SF for at most 4-5 years.  We're pretty much over big city living and are looking for something more relaxed.  Living by the ocean and in perfect weather in SD is a big pull. In addition, I have no desire to enter Big Law. I am hoping to get involved with juvenile law, or work for a non profit related to the juvenile justice system.  As you can tell, I would prefer to go to San Diego, but am concerned that this would be a huge mistake since Hastings is ranked much higher, more well known, and more respected.  Money is also a big concern of mine, especially since I have no plans to get Big Law.  Hastings has a great loan repayment program.  USD has a loan repayment program as well, but hardly compares. Im thinking of asking USD to increase their scholarship offer.  Do you think they would do this based solely on my acceptance to Hastings without a scholarship offer?
Sorry for rambling for so long. I'm just looking to see what other people would do in my position.  Any insight would really help since none of my friends or family have ever gone through this process.   

I already posted this on the USD board...but the board seems dead, so I apologize for posting again...anyways, I searched University of San Diego's website but could only find information about deferring in the LLM program. Does anyone know if USD will allow an admit to defer for 1 year from the JD program?  I was accepted today for the fall of 2008  and it's most likely my first choice.  However, I have a reason for wanting to defer for a year, so if anyone knows if USD will consider this, or has done so in the past, I would love to know.  Otherwise, I'll try giving them a call on Monday. Thanks!