Stanford or take the money?

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

Don't really have any advice that hasn't been said already.  I think MCB is right, though.

Just want to say congratulations on all your options!

TY.  Are you visiting this week?  I'll be at a few of the events.

Yup!  I'm very excited.  Love to have a chance to talk with you in person if you don't mind at some point.

No prob.  I'm on the list for the Wed housing tour...so you will see me...hopefully, you can figure out who I am! (though you are free to PM to find out)

[whartonn]

I would choose Stanford with the options presented so far.

[CandyMonster]

Go to Stanford.  $50,000  just isn't that much in the long term.  LIke MCB said, you can make that up during 1L and 2L summer.

It is important to note that at Stanford (and YH) summer income in excess of 6K (at Stanford 9K if married or have children) will reduce your grants dollar for dollar. Luckily, Stanford only takes into account 50% of your earnings. Harvard requires 90% and Yale 100%

[245]

My family is pretty midde class and I did well for need based aid undergrad... I'm assuming SLS has a pretty good need based aid program? Anyone whose gone through the process have any idea of what kind of awards they give out and when I can expect them? I wouldn't say my family is poor, but our EFC for college was in the teens. Now, my EFC is obviously 0, but that's because I'm considered independent by FAFSA and have no income.

Congratulations on getting into Stanford! I believe that Stanford FAO releases aid awards around now, and they are really generous.  FWIW, I worked for three years after college and had some savings when applying to law school--SLS still gave me a very substantial financial aid package.  Costs of living considered, the first year here is costing me pretty much what I would've paid at CLS with the Hamilton. 

I don't regret turning down the Hamilton one bit.  In the long run, 50K isn't that much--either you'll be a high-paid lawyer who can easily pay it off or you'll do PI work and get the benefits of LRAP.  But being here with the super small class size, the brilliant professors, the beautiful campus, the outstanding weather, and the SLS reputation really make the extra costs worth it.

Also, if you decide to come to SLS, your first summer will be extremely long (~23 weeks), so if you wanted to, you could probably work two firm jobs and make enough to pay for 2L year entirely.

[LSApplicant23]

My family is pretty midde class and I did well for need based aid undergrad... I'm assuming SLS has a pretty good need based aid program? Anyone whose gone through the process have any idea of what kind of awards they give out and when I can expect them? I wouldn't say my family is poor, but our EFC for college was in the teens. Now, my EFC is obviously 0, but that's because I'm considered independent by FAFSA and have no income.

Congratulations on getting into Stanford! I believe that Stanford FAO releases aid awards around now, and they are really generous.  FWIW, I worked for three years after college and had some savings when applying to law school--SLS still gave me a very substantial financial aid package.  Costs of living considered, the first year here is costing me pretty much what I would've paid at CLS with the Hamilton. 

I don't regret turning down the Hamilton one bit.  In the long run, 50K isn't that much--either you'll be a high-paid lawyer who can easily pay it off or you'll do PI work and get the benefits of LRAP.  But being here with the super small class size, the brilliant professors, the beautiful campus, the outstanding weather, and the SLS reputation really make the extra costs worth it.

Also, if you decide to come to SLS, your first summer will be extremely long (~23 weeks), so if you wanted to, you could probably work two firm jobs and make enough to pay for 2L year entirely.

Thanks for the advice. I'm facing a similar situation. . .

23 weeks? How could this be right? Do you know anyone who has tried to and actually gotten 2 summer gigs???

Also, how small exactly are your classes?

[245]

Thanks for the advice. I'm facing a similar situation. . .

23 weeks? How could this be right? Do you know anyone who has tried to and actually gotten 2 summer gigs???

Also, how small exactly are your classes?

Ah, I just recounted and it looks like the summer will only be 21-22 weeks.  Still long, but not quite 23 weeks.  We are switching from semesters to quarters, so we end in early May and then start up again in late September.  I know a few people who split two different jobs during 1L summer--usually, one of the limits on 1L options is the fact that our summer is really short because of OCI-- so if we have a longer summer, it could very well be possible.

Our overall class size is about 175--which is smaller than Yale (200) and Harvard (550).  Our section size is 28-30, which is much smaller than HLS, and unlike HLS, we have a doctrinal class with just our section.

[vjm]

Thanks for the advice. I'm facing a similar situation. . .

23 weeks? How could this be right? Do you know anyone who has tried to and actually gotten 2 summer gigs???

Also, how small exactly are your classes?

Ah, I just recounted and it looks like the summer will only be 21-22 weeks.  Still long, but not quite 23 weeks.  We are switching from semesters to quarters, so we end in early May and then start up again in late September.  I know a few people who split two different jobs during 1L summer--usually, one of the limits on 1L options is the fact that our summer is really short because of OCI-- so if we have a longer summer, it could very well be possible.

Our overall class size is about 175--which is smaller than Yale (200) and Harvard (550).  Our section size is 28-30, which is much smaller than HLS, and unlike HLS, we have a doctrinal class with just our section.

Ew. I have heard terrible things about the quarter system. What do you anticipate will be the effects of this switch at SLS?

[RedNinja]

Thanks for the advice. I'm facing a similar situation. . .

23 weeks? How could this be right? Do you know anyone who has tried to and actually gotten 2 summer gigs???

Also, how small exactly are your classes?

Ah, I just recounted and it looks like the summer will only be 21-22 weeks.  Still long, but not quite 23 weeks.  We are switching from semesters to quarters, so we end in early May and then start up again in late September.  I know a few people who split two different jobs during 1L summer--usually, one of the limits on 1L options is the fact that our summer is really short because of OCI-- so if we have a longer summer, it could very well be possible.

Our overall class size is about 175--which is smaller than Yale (200) and Harvard (550).  Our section size is 28-30, which is much smaller than HLS, and unlike HLS, we have a doctrinal class with just our section.

Hmm, I personally see this as being more detrimental than positive, but I think it's a very personal matter. I'm the type of person who likes to not know everybody in my school, and I know there are a lot of others like me, although a lot of people do want to know everybody.

[und3r3stimat3d]

Go to Stanford.  $50,000  just isn't that much in the long term.  LIke MCB said, you can make that up during 1L and 2L summer.

It is important to note that at Stanford (and YH) summer income in excess of 6K (at Stanford 9K if married or have children) will reduce your grants dollar for dollar. Luckily, Stanford only takes into account 50% of your earnings. Harvard requires 90% and Yale 100%

It seems that Columbia does not consider summer earnings, but Columbia is also not as generous as Stanford for financial aid..

[245]

Ew. I have heard terrible things about the quarter system. What do you anticipate will be the effects of this switch at SLS?

I actually think it'll be a great change.  Dean Kramer is pushing for more cross-disciplinary education, and the quarter system is supposed to put us in line with the rest of Stanford, making it more convenient to take classes in the b-school, the college, etc.  SLS is also expanding its joint degree programs; it will become a lot easier to get a joint degree under the new quarter system.  I have a number of friends who are getting their JD/master's in three years.

The first year will be probably be modeled much like 1L at UChicago, where Kramer used to teach.  Some first-year classes will span two quarters, others will last just one.  There will be more "finals periods" but I don't think you'll actually take more finals.  SLS is also planning making clinical rotations-- i.e., you would be able to spend an entire quarter in an international human rights clinic, externing in NY or DC, etc.  I think that's actually better, because you can focus 100% of your energy on the clinic, rather than trying to juggle a clinic and 2-3 classes at the same time.  3Ls would end classes a few weeks earlier than everyone else so that they still have the same amount of time to study for the bar.

I don't think that it will cause a problem for summer employers.  All the top firms are already used to Chicago's quarter calendar.  And apparently, SLS has already talked to many firms, and it won't impact how they approach recruitment of Stanford students.