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« on: February 17, 2008, 05:08:04 PM »
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.