1 year later....still glad u went to law school?

[parent]

The value of an JD from a top school is definitely positive; even it may take 15 years to break even, the average Harvard JD, e.g., will still have 25 years to retire -- time period during which his salary will likely be in the range of 100-150K as opposed to the $60-70K that he would get had he not gone to law school. 

tuition & living expenses $60,000 X 3 = $180,000
lost wages                          $40,000 X 3 = $120,000

total                                             $300,000

So basically if you graduate from, say, a TTT school and earn, say, $60,000 a year once you graduate and/or after a while after you graduate, it'll take some 30 years to reach the break-even point ?

Keep in mind that,

1. Third/Fourth Tier schools' tuition is not $35K, it's more in the range of $25K.
2. Living expenses (if they should be taken into account for the purpose of this analysis) are usually no more than $18K a year, instead of $25K.
3. Third/Fourth Tier students pre-JD (potential) salaries are more in the range of $25-30K, instead of $40K.
4. A JD from a Third/Fourth Tier school lands you a position that pays -- with the passing of time -- more than $60K a year. For instance, the median starting salary for a local prosecutor is about $40K in rural areas and $45K in metropolitan areas, but with 11-15 years of experience, the respective salaries jump to $65K and $85K.

[overdraft]

[...] anyway, I was kinda wondering whether a JD from a top school is worth it when you think in the same terms as above ..

The value of an JD from a top school is definitely positive; even it may take 15 years to break even, the average Harvard JD, e.g., will still have 25 years to retire -- time period during which his salary will likely be in the range of 100-150K as opposed to the $60-70K that he would get had he not gone to law school. 

tuition & living expenses $60,000 X 3 = $180,000
lost wages                          $40,000 X 3 = $120,000

total                                             $300,000

Oh please, stop comparing JD students to MBA ones -- they are totally different animals. The average MBA student is 28 years old, is working and is living on his own, while the typical JD student is 22 years old and probably still living with her family ... she has not yet learned to take responsibility for her stupid actions, in fact mommy and daddy are paying for law school. This JD student operates under the principle, "My parents' loss is not my loss."

[utu]

Oh please, stop comparing JD students to MBA ones -- they are totally different animals. The average MBA student is 28 years old, is working and is living on his own, while the typical JD student is 22 years old and probably still living with her family ... she has not yet learned to take responsibility for her stupid actions, in fact mommy and daddy are paying for law school. This JD student operates under the principle, "My parents' loss is not my loss."

Are you somewhat implying that the parents of TTT students are stupid ?

[xroxy]

So basically if you graduate from, say, a TTT school and earn, say, $60,000 a year once you graduate and/or after a while after you graduate, it'll take some 30 years to reach the break-even point ?

Keep in mind that,

1. Third/Fourth Tier schools' tuition is not $35K, it's more in the range of $25K.
2. Living expenses (if they should be taken into account for the purpose of this analysis) are usually no more than $18K a year, instead of $25K.
3. Third/Fourth Tier students pre-JD (potential) salaries are more in the range of $25-30K, instead of $40K.
4. A JD from a Third/Fourth Tier school lands you a position that pays -- with the passing of time -- more than $60K a year. For instance, the median starting salary for a local prosecutor is about $40K in rural areas and $45K in metropolitan areas, but with 11-15 years of experience, the respective salaries jump to $65K and $85K.

Well, well, well, with your help, parent, TTT wrecks -- I mean -- grads will likely reach their break-even point in just 25 years .

[xroxy]

[...] in fact mommy and daddy are paying for law school. This JD student operates under the principle, "My parents' loss is not my loss."

Now we're talking! This probably means the above-mentioned wreck (damn it, I mean grad) will begin to actually make profits after 15 years, instead of 25 ... which means when he's 40 years old ... point in time when he'll have kids of his own to take care of ... oops!

[dbmuell]

Oh please -- are you really aware who goes to TTTs?! These are people whose earnings potential is not even $20K a year, assuming they are employable in the first place!

What dream world are you living in?  There are a hell of a lot of people applying to and attending Tier 2 and 3 schools that are already successful engineers, doctors, computer programmers, accountants, etc.  I can assure you (being one of them) that these people are not choosing to go to law school because they are not employable elsewhere.  Wake up and smell the real world. 

[kdXtv]

[...] if you think it thru, it is because companies know full well that the value of an MBA is zero that they out of a sense of guilt decide to cover their employees' tuition costs. [...]

I don't really believe in some kind of "sense of guilt" that American businesses would rack with ... in fact, with them you're guaranteed to have a balls-deep experience, they just @ # ! * the *&^% outta you!

[d a n a]

I don't think "living expenses" should be factored in the the equation ... unless you're living with your family/s.a. and you're not paying on your own for rent and food.

You mean you've not been paying yourself for food and rent up until starting law school, but you get financial aid to cover your living expenses as well once in school? That's very likely to happen, taken into account that that way the student could "brag" she finally does not have to rely on her family for everyday expenses ... not to mention that she'd be able to utilize her space to @ # ! * as many people, and as often, as she can.

[roses are for the rich]

Oh please, stop comparing JD students to MBA ones -- they are totally different animals. The average MBA student is 28 years old, is working and is living on his own, while the typical JD student is 22 years old and probably still living with her family ... she has not yet learned to take responsibility for her stupid actions, in fact mommy and daddy are paying for law school. This JD student operates under the principle, "My parents' loss is not my loss."

Are you somewhat implying that the parents of TTT students are stupid ?

Both parents and TTT students are stupid, utu.

[vaplaugh]

This thread has become pretty lame thanks to flaming comments such as

Oh please -- are you really aware who goes to TTTs?! These are people whose earnings potential is not even $20K a year, assuming they are employable in the first place!

and

Both parents and TTT students are stupid, utu.