Scholarships anyone? (going to a less ranked school for money)

[sideburns27]

I am thinking about taking a scholarship at the moment. I have been offered 25K a year from Cardozo (3.3 GPA requried) and a full scholarship from Brooklyn (top 33% of the class). My other choices are Fordham and GW with little to no money. Any ideas? It is crunch time. I want to work in NY and biglaw is by no means a given but a possiblity nonetheless. All thoughts are appreciated. Let me know what scholarships you are taking and why, where and all that good stuff.

[98765432]

For those who want to work in the corporate law world, law school tuition is a very good investment, and paying higher tuition at a better school will definitely pay off. 

For those of us who are committed to public interest law, a scholarship means the difference between golden-handcuffs and actually practicing in the area we want.  There is a reason so many people want to go into public interest law when they enter law school, but almost noone goes into it when they get out.  That reason is called $150K of debt.

I'll be taking a scholarship.

[laurrk]

I'm going to Syracuse with $27,800/yr (I think I need to keep a 3.0). I did get into higher-ranked schools - UCONN, Case - but I don't think I want to do BigLaw and having massive debt scares me. Plus rent is pretty cheap in Syracuse, so hopefully I can also get by with less money for living expenses.

[unknown]

I'm thinking about it.  I've been offered a full-tuition scholarship at Golden Gate (w/a 3.0) versus no money at Santa Clara.  I am interested in public interest law, but I won't have to take out so many loans as I have a working spouse.  Said spouse wants us to spend the money to send me to Santa Clara, but the thought of not paying any tuition sounds lovely.

[cannotpick]

For those who want to work in the corporate law world, law school tuition is a very good investment, and paying higher tuition at a better school will definitely pay off. 

For those of us who are committed to public interest law, a scholarship means the difference between golden-handcuffs and actually practicing in the area we want.  There is a reason so many people want to go into public interest law when they enter law school, but almost noone goes into it when they get out.  That reason is called $150K of debt.

I'll be taking a scholarship.

I disagree (as someone that turned down Fordham for $$Brooklyn). If (& I know it is a big if) you are towards the top of your class, it is even easier for you to get a corporate job than a mediocre Fordham grad b/c the top of the class gets jobs through OCI in the Fall. It is a guaranteed good paying position without ever even having to send out a resume or leave the campus. Plus it is easier to make journals, moot court, etc... All of which employers love.

[krumanadi]

I am thinking about taking a scholarship at the moment. I have been offered 25K a year from Cardozo (3.3 GPA requried) and a full scholarship from Brooklyn (top 33% of the class). My other choices are Fordham and GW with little to no money. Any ideas? It is crunch time. I want to work in NY and biglaw is by no means a given but a possiblity nonetheless. All thoughts are appreciated. Let me know what scholarships you are taking and why, where and all that good stuff.

Take Brooklyn by far.  One, its basically the same prestige-wise to Cardozo.  Also the difference between them and Fordham is minimal.  AND, they are giving you the best scholarship.. Finally, Feil Hall.

[lawnecon]

I'm in a similar bind: I really thought I was set on heading to Villanova (assuming I can't get off the Mason waitlist) in the fall; however, my Syracuse scholarship (plus the low COL in Syracuse) would save me over 30k in debt (on the principal alone) and give me quite a bit more breathing room on living expenses.

Villanova places well (particularly in the Philly area) and is pretty solidly in the UNSWR "60's" range whereas Syracuse is now third tier. Further complicating the situation, Villanova (along with Temple) tends to dominate the Philadelphia market (whereas similarly ranked schools don't always have such access to a major market), but Syracuse's national reputation is far greater than it's UNSWR ranking would indicate.

The question really comes down to: Is about 30k (and some less evident costs) worth about 40 spots in the USNWR rankings? It's definitely a tough call.

[orky13]

If (& I know it is a big if) you are towards the top of your class, it is even easier for you to get a corporate job than a mediocre Fordham grad b/c the top of the class gets jobs through OCI in the Fall. It is a guaranteed good paying position without ever even having to send out a resume or leave the campus. Plus it is easier to make journals, moot court, etc... All of which employers love.

I am so glad you said that! It has been something I was silently considering... going to a less compeditive school may make the difference between being in the top %10 and the top %25. That may mean it will be easier to do all the prestigious things... and you can bank on those for sure. You set yourself up for more success by putting yourself at the top of your environment.